Photo by Valerie Jerome
Taxi for Tiny Travelers
While photographing spring blossoms in the Botanical Garden of the University of Bayreuth (April 2026), I noticed that this bumblebee was not alone. Several tiny mites were using it as a ride to their next destination – A small but fascinating interaction.
Photographed handheld with an OM-5 and OM System 100–400mm F5.0–6.3 IS II lens at 169 mm, ISO 640, 1/1250 s, and f/5.8.
Post processing notes:
Post-processing: initial global adjustments to tone and color, with No noise AI and lens correction, followed by cropping. Local exposure was selectively refined for the bumblebee, blossom, and background to balance the scene. The bumblebee and the blossom were then enhanced in stages using dynamic contrast, color enhancement, and sharpening (bumblebee only), with a little sunshine effect. Vignette then added to frame the image.Exif information:
| Copyright: | Dr. valérie Jérôme |
| Camera: | OM-5 |
| Aperture: | f/5.8 |
| Focal Length: | 169mm |
| ISO: | 640 |
| Shutter Speed: | 1/1250 sec. |
| Created: | April 18, 2026 15:00:57 |