liatris | The Prairie Ecologist

Back on August 4, I posted a selection of similar images and asked for help selecting the best of four compositions. As has been the case in the past, there was no clear consensus, but there was a winner. That winner was PHOTO NUMBER FOUR.

Bee on blazing star #4. (Vertical - just to complicate things)

This was the most popular choice from the voting. (Though not by a landslide.)

Photo number four got 25 votes, followed by photo number one with 22 votes. Photos number two (7 votes) and three (3 votes) lagged far behind. However, it was interesting that all four compositions got votes, and even numbers two and three had very passionate supporters.

This one (photo number one) finished a close second to photo number four.

For many people, the choice came down to whether or not the image was a photo of a prairie landscape with a bee in it (#1) or a photo of a bee in a prairie landscape (#4). Some people liked the “surprise” of seeing the bee upon looking closely at a prairie. Others enjoyed the more exposed bee in the vertical photo.

For what it’s worth, the photos were presented in the order I took them in the field. I personally like number one best, but mainly because it best represents the feel I was trying to capture when I first saw the flowers and then discovered the bee. I do like number four too, and remember making the decision to drop a little lower with my camera so the bee would be more visible against the sky. …Of course, I like number two and number three too…

So, thanks for your help. This is why photographers usually take many photos of the same subject, experimenting with various compositions. It’s hard to know what you (or others) will like best later on. This is also why I’ve never enjoyed photo contests. It’s relatively easy to separate images that are technically good from those that aren’t, but the process is very subjective from there. In some ways, a big selection of photos is much like an ecosystem – you can argue that one species/photo is more important than another, but it’s really the abundance and diversity that makes both a photo contest and ecosystem work!

This Wednesday, I arrived at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center southwest of Lincoln, Nebraska just as a heavy morning fog was beginning to dissipate. I had about 10 minutes before a meeting, so I grabbed my camera, threw on some rain pants and waded into the wet grass. Lanceleaf blazing star (Liatris lancifolia) was blooming in large patches in the restored prairie near the parking lot, so I wandered over to take a look. A wet bumblebee was sitting on one of the flowering stems, waiting for the sun to dry it off. Using a wide angle lens, I took several photographs of the bee and surrounding flowers, trying out some different angles and compositions.

Here’s the problem: I can’t decide which composition I like best. So, as I’ve done many times before, I’m presenting them to you. To be honest, this crowd sourcing method hasn’t been particularly helpful to me in the past, since there is rarely a strong majority among voters. Being an eternal optimist, however, I’m going to keep trying. Plus, many of you seem to enjoy voting.

SO – tell me which of these you like best. Please? Thank you.

Bumblebee on blazing star. Photo #1.

Bee and blazing star #2.

Bee on blazing star #3

Bee on blazing star #4. (Vertical – just to complicate things)

The Prairie Ecologist

Essays, photos, and discussion about prairie ecology, restoration, and management

Tag Archives: liatris

Voting Results: Prairie and Bee? or Bee in Prairie?

Photo of the Week – August 4, 2016