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Hummingbirds: How to photograph them?

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I'm trying to get pictures of humming birds that look great and non blurred but not at a metal feeder unless it can be cloned away easily. These are so tiny, beautiful and fast! They flit in and out 40-50 ft from me. They visit for say 20 seconds!

Asher
 

ron_hiner

New member
Asher... I no longer live amongst the hummingbirds, but were I to try it, I'd plan on using a couple of flash units. The wings beat extraordinarily quickly. I hear the Nikon SB-800s have a flash duration of 1/40,000 of a second at their lowest power setting (!). I'd remote mount the camera and trigger with pocketwizards. Flashes a foot or two away with the diffusion domes.

And if it were me... this is a major style choice which many don't agree with... I'd put 1/1 or 1/2 CTO on the flash and shoot with incandescent WB. Assuming your ambient light is daylight, you will get a beautiful blue background, and the colors of the birds will pop.

I have every faith that you will share your results!

Ron
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Tough to remote mount when one has a 20 foot line of lowers they go for!

Also thet vary in depth from me 1-2 feet in the needed DOF.

So it needs either a feeder or else a super flower that really gets them to stay longer!

Asher
 

Josh Liechty

New member
The trick that I've been told is to use a hummingbird feeder disguised with real flowers. This brings the birds back to a repeatable location. I've not actually tried it, but combined with the flash and remote triggering methods, it's probably the easiest way to get results (albeit not a natural way...).
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
That seems like a good idea Josh. I'll have to search out for a feeder. I've never bought one. I guess there are special one's for humming birds?

Asher
 

Marian Howell

New member
my hummingbird feeder

our flowers are still in the early stages here along the coast, but this is my feeder, cleverly disguised among the flowers. next month the disguise will be better :)
80968930.jpg
 

Will_Perlis

New member
Asher,

Here's my best hummingbird shot.

T'was done near a feeder in my balcony with a Canon 1v, 100-400mm and two EX 550 flash units set at a fairly low power. I don't particularly like the shots where the wings are completely frozen, those look fake to me, no matter how real they are.

IMX they'll go for a well-filled feeder over flowers. If there's lots of space a few feeders are good because one will be guarded by a territorial male who will keep all the others away. The aerial combats are amazing but I've never been able to capture any of them. Once they get used to you they'll come up within inches of your face and mostly ignore the flashes going off. I did discover they can react to a pre-flash tho', and will move enough to be out of the frame. Fully manual is better.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Will,

Thanks, that's an impressive picture, did you set this up with an electronic sensor to catch the birds or just wait. They move so sast. Ther'e like British Harrier jets, they can hover, rotate on the spot and then dart away, defying the laws of physics, or rather making up their own at will!

Or, you just wait? Anyway, I can see you must be more at the 400mm end of your lens!

Asher
 

Anil Mungal

New member
hummingbird.jpg


I've found that I've had more luck shooting them when they are at rest ... no flash ... natural light. Observe their routine and you'll see that they have a perch where they will rest. Then they will take off in search of nectar and return to the perch to rest, then repeat, eventually flying off back to the nest.
 
As others have pointed out, there are many considerations to get hummingbird shots:
  • Attract them with feeders, flowers, bushes, etc. or visit places where they frequent.
  • Observe their behavior for a while before shooting, as they often have 'favorite' perches, common flight patterns, etc.
  • Often when they're using feeders, they'll briefly hover near it, so you can get some shots where the feeder isn't in the frame.
  • Lots of patience!! There's a pretty famous spot in Costa Rica, the Fogden's Hummingbird Gallery in Monteverde, where hummers are all over the place. You can shoot there for 30 minutes and fill several multi-gb flash cards!!
  • My personal preference is to avoid excessively quick shutter speeds, so that there is a little motion blur in the wings, but I know others prefer the entire bird, wings and all, to be crisp.
A few of my favorites from Costa Rica:

Green Violet-ear:
1D2_03576.jpg


White-necked Jacobin:
1D2_03562.jpg


Purple-throated Mountain Gem (female):
1D2_03839.jpg


P.S. Sorry for my absence lately - I've been out west on a vacation/photo trip for the past 2 1/2 weeks.
 

Will_Perlis

New member
Asher,

I just wait, using either a tripod or monopod. I tried the focus trap setting and didn't get anything. A tripod and remote control while sitting on the couch drinking Scotch didn't get me much either.

Like Don said, patience is critical. I really don't have enough of it. Here's one taken in late afternoon. All that blue is really off-white wood in the background. I could tweak it but I think I like it blue.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hwillpix/MiscellaneousShotsInLA/photo#4942506434248179730
 
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