I am always trying to make the garden welcome to all manner of wildlife and am enthused to see the birds, insects and especially the bees making themselves at home.  Our bee hotels are especially busy and nearly fully occupied at present.

Occasionally though the brutality of life is laid bare and we have to deal with the fatal blows nature dishes out.

A couple weeks ago we found a blue tit drowned in a bucket half filled with rainwater.

Today I noticed this poor bee laying on the wall.

I cannot be sure what finished him off but I assume as he is covered in some wet substance, he’s either been eaten by a bird or gotten caught in the storm we had last night.

This isn’t a particularly romantic photograph but I wanted to capture his magnificent, (if minute) form.

Bee’s are the lifeblood of this world and I am hopeful he was happy collecting pollen from the flowers in our garden.

I took this with my Google Pixel 3 in Portrait mode as it was what I had with me at the time (I was worried if I didn’t take the shot he might be snapped up or blown away).

The yellow hairs stick up like a mohawk and I like the way this gives him edge and drama.

This is a great example of how post-production can give you a very different photo.

Here’s the original:

As you can see the orientation has changed.  I’ve cropped in to focus on the bee.  I’ve also enhanced the colour palette and enhanced the highlights.  I have also added some sharpness to add drama.

The top photo is closer to what I wanted to convey and with the resolution of the photos from my phone and Lightroom, I was able to manage this is a couple of clicks.

Sleep well little bee!