As you can see, I haven't tired of my new camera. This film was totally done with slow motion, since I became fascinated after shooting bumblebees and watching the video by the dynamics of their flight. Robin was just finishing school late last week, so she didn't have time to participate this round. We will be moving into a rental house in the middle of August so I can't promise about next round, but hopefully by the fall she will join in again.

I will look at all the films and comment on them, but we are in the middle of moving. Robin and I will be spending the summer in NY visiting my mom en route to moving back east, and we will be leaving in just over a week. So I probably can't comment on them, or add much input to this thread, until we are in NY. But I will post as I have time, and look forward to seeing them all in the next week or two.

Ruth

Hi Ruth,

Well I see you are enjoying the new toy very much and certainly seemed to have mastered it.

It's so fascinating seeing footage that only slow motion can bring to us. I just find myself watching every moment, studying the shots. It's just so interesting. When you actually see the size of the bumblebees wings, you wonder how it actually gets off the ground in the first place!

The sharpness of your footage was very impressive for such a small file size. The music choice - well what can I say, perfect of course. All round a very nice entry indeed.

Sounds like you and Robin have a lot on your plate over the next few months. Hope it all goes smoothly for you both.

Hi Ruth,

That camera of yours is amazing! I was hoping you would use it for this film.
I very much enjoyed watching your film, and I liked every part of it.
Is it possible with your camera to slow things down even more? Like you could really see how the wings move. That would have been very cool to see.


ps, Hope both you and Robin have time to make an entry for the next round.
And good luck with the moving east.

Hey Ruth:

Like everyone says, THAT CAMERA! It opens up a whole new world. Great selection of music, how appropriate.

Sounds busy, all the best in NY.

Cat

Ruth I know how difficult it can be to keep bees in shot as they buzz from one flower to the next, I spent some days this May videoing some in macro in my garden, they are a fascinating insect, the slow mo was a good idea showing their every move.

Ruth,

I really like what you did with you camera, some fabulous footage. If you watch the bees closely you can see then alter positions of the wings as they arre beating them so fast!! Pretty cool stuff.

I look forward to seeing more with this camera!! I am intrigued!!

thanks for taking the time!!

Hey Ruth.

Great use of your camera and lots of variation on a theme. The slow-mo really does give a whole new perspective to things and I can see how much fun your having with that camera :-) I think you should have backed the piece up with some real-time stuff to add some variety and a bit of development. Some cool bee-buzzing sounds would have really added to the piece asw ell and helped to bring us into it a bit more.

Great stuff....more more !!!!

Wow Ruth,

That was pretty amazing. What great slow-motion shots. Loved it.

Oliver

Hello Ruth!
You little toy looks like a handy tool. The slow mo is so cool, but I feel that it was a bit too much. I would have liked some shots of the bumblebee sitting or doing something else, not just in fight. Maybe have focused on one flower and shod have busy it is around that one.

Hi Ruth

What a fun film. Lovely slow motion footage. Every time I see bees buzzing by I marvel at the tissue fluid counter current circulation system which warms up their flight muscles enough to lift those chunky little bodies of the ground. Its truely a marvel of evolution.

(http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/64/3/561.pdf explains most of the details for anyone who is interested.)

anyway your slow motion film really reminded me how there is fascinating science in everything we see so thanks for that.

I dont know how easy it would have been to intersperse the slow motion footage with some real time shots of the bees rocketing around for contrast.

I look forward to seeing more of your slow mow work in the future!

Pete

Bumblebees are one of the few bugs (besides butterflies) that don’t give me the creeps, so I could watch this and really enjoy it. You captured gorgeous footage of the big bumblers, thanks in part to all the pretty flowers for backdrops.

They are the freighters of the bee world. Thanks for slowing them down even more than usual to give us a chance to really study them in flight.

Hey Ruth,
Firstly, good luck with your move!
I enjoyed this piece, that camera truly is a marvel, and once again you've put it to good work. It amazes me how clumsy they look slowed down.

Cheers!

I love the way you can see their wing-beats, quite stunning. Good choice of score for this one.

Liked it very much.

Hi Ruth
For little creatures that buzz around at speed, you did a fantastic job of tracking them.I think this is a great take on the theme and well filmed and edited.Thanks for sharing with us

Very neat, enjoyable entry Ruth - I reckon Rimsky-K would have really enjoyed watching it too! Look forward to your next slow-motion masterpiece.

Ruth,

This was an entry that had put a smile on my face from the beginning. I love bees! I even talk to them if one gets in the house and I have to shepherd him outside.

The slow-mo shots of them are just fantastic, they really are such elegant insects.

The colors from that camera are fantastic,and you get pretty good depth of field too. It must be really hard to frame those shots, but you do it so well.

The music was... well, inevitable, given the title and the subject matter!

Ruth,

Love your new toy...Hope my next camera can do that.

What can I say that hasn't been said?
Fantastic shots and very interesting/fun to watch.

Hope the move goes well!

Bob

Sorry Ruth,

I am new hear, and have not had a chance to see the video.

With all the chat about the slow motion, and your new camera, I am intrigued too watch it.

By the way, what is your new camera?

Good luck on your move!

Hey Ruth another neat one with your cool camera. That was a lot of fun.

Hi Ruth.

Of course you had to use this music for this kind of video :)
When it comes to sound it's like you know exactly what to use for each and every film you make. It's like you have a natural gift/talent for it.
I love your slow motion, but in this case I would have liked to see some "in between shots" not in slowmo (no offend though).
This is the last film I'll be watching today.
So many films in this round and if the rest is of the same good quality as those I've been watching today, it'll be like heaven :)

Wish you all the best Ruth.
Geir Inge

Your camera's ability to render slomo is to capture of motion what macro focusing in extreme closeups is to moving us into that small world we cannot step into.

What you have been able to do with the this film is to put the two concepts together and show us something beautiful with regards to both a fascinating creature and the abundance of color in flowers in closeup.

It's a beautiful film.

I've heard the bumblebee described by an aeronautical engineer as being aerodynamically awkward and defying most physical laws of flight.

Reminds me of the air force's old Korean conflict era C-124 Globemaster, like a tall two story barn with short stubby wings. Took forever on takeoff roll with engines roaring full blast and just about the time it ran out of runway, somehow just managed to "stumble" apologetically into the air.

Awesome video, and I was able to find the camera that you used, and read some reviews on it.

I am jealous, because I can't afford a slo-mo camera like what you are using, and it would take forever to render something like this in post.

I guess as I have said before, I will learn more about the features that my "old Optura", has, and attempt to do what you mastered, easily with your new toy.

I will have to be patient, with myself and my toys.

Cheers to you.

Thanks for all the comments. I am about to head to upstate NY later this AM so can't reply individually to your notes, but I will try to later this week when I am on internet again. The main suggestion I note from quickly looking through them is a preference for some footage with regular speed bees. I did get some of that, but it broke up the dreamy mood I was trying to create. Robin and I also had a fun idea with a VO that emphasized their clumsiness, which I had never realized as vividly until I shot in slo-mo. But we ran out of time, so I will save that for a later time. Thanks for taking the time to watch.


Ruth