Today’s experiment in macro land involves my Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens and a carpenter bee. The bees and I have had an ongoing feud over ownership of my deck for the last few years. My take is that if they think they should own it, they should help pay for it. They, on the other hand, march up and down the deck, buzzing us all day when we’re on the deck, enforcing a no-fly zone.

One of them was stunned in a small skirmish on the deck, and I knew I had an opportunity to photograph this bee under some controlled circumstances. Based on some material I’d read, I knew I could drop the little dude into freezer, and be able to photograph him without him squirming around so much. I extracted him from the freezer, and took him to the deck for a proper photographing.

The biggest thing I noticed was that there was a ton of condensation on the bee, especially noticeable on the eyes. I was also fighting a 20mph wind, which was making it tough to set up the shots. These images may not be the best in the world, but I’m pleased with my first foray into photographing these little guys with this awesome lens.