No actually it's not....

Bee-Fly, originally uploaded by photofox78.

Is something I hear quite often when chatting with fellow photographers about macro images, especially those with a bug as the subject.

This shot is a classic example, I was sure it was a Hoverfly of some variety only to find out it's actually a Bee-Fly. To some this might be obvious, but I'm still a complete amateur when it comes to insect identification.

I suppose the more shots I take and the more help from the experts I get, the easier it will get to make my own accurate identifications.

Araneus Spider

Araneus Spider, originally uploaded by photofox78.

This was a bit of a challenge for me, I'm not particularly fond of Spiders (a bit of a understatement), but this spider caught my attention because of the two "humps" seen on it's back.

After a little research I'm fairly certain it's some sort of Araneus Spider. Apparently females of this species often have these bumps, but I could not find any information that indicates what their purpose is, if they have one. (Please post if you know!)

This was lit using fill flash mode on a Nikon SB800.

Variegated Meadowhawk

Variegated Meadowhawk, originally uploaded by photofox78.

Found this variegated Meadowhawk Dragonfly resting on a Fern branch in my garden. I'm trying to work on a way to reduce harsh flash refections in my macro shots, but it's quite difficult with Dragonflies. Their eyes tend catch any kind of light you throw at them. So far I've tried highly diffused flash, reduced flash output and even angling the flash head away at about 45 degrees. But no luck so far.

My next step is to try a modified version of the Better Bounce Card. I'll post some results when I test it out.

Collecting Pollen

Collecting Pollen, originally uploaded by photofox78.

Found this large black Bee collecting pollen from a Day Lilly bloom in my garden. I think bugs in general have quite obvious "expressions" and to me this guy looks pretty happy.