Hummingbird tonight

Canon 1D Mark III / Canon f4 500mm w/1.4x / Canon 580 EXII

Very nice. I love hummingbirds. Where did you photograph this one? Do you know what type it is?

Rufous

http://www.hummingbirds.net/rufous.html

Taken in Lincoln Montana

Excellent shot. Can you please tell us your distance from the bird, taken from a blind or not and the background?

Thanks

-- V

Jaime,

I love that bird. Super handsome! What speed did you use and do you have a sequence of shots with different wing positions or that would be too tough for your flash?

I'm so impressed.


Asher

BTW, Please include your © Jaime Johnson 2008 on the IPTC code. Is there somw reason why this beautiful image is not better protected!!

Very nice capture, Jaime.

I would also be interested in more details about how it was taken - where, background, shooting specs, etc.

Looks like flash is the primary source of light for the exposure. Do these colors accurately reflect the bird's colors in real life? I've found that for hummingbirds and some other species that the angle of flash relative to its feathers can produce colors different from what it seen in natural light.

Also, were you using a flash extender or bracket to get it off axis? This shot shows the same difficulty I often run into with bird photography using flash - that odd crescent shape reflection in the eye (a variation on 'red-eye'). I now use 2 added length brackets, but still run into this at times.

Thanks for a great image!

Don Cohen said:

that odd crescent shape reflection in the eye (a variation on 'red-eye'). I now use 2 added length brackets, but still run into this at times.

Click to expand...

Don,

It helps to know anatomy. That's just the fluid level indicator in the nectar storage sac.

I'll try to get the details for you tomorrow (actual settings), but what I do is have several hummingbird feeders near my deck. They hang from the trees around the deck. I live in Lincoln Montana and am surrounded by forrest.

The background is simply trees (in the distance). I've always likes the way it looks - not sure why - just at the end of the strobe I guess.

I set up my Canon 1D Mark III on the Gitzo with a Wimberley II head. Then wait on the deck - just relaxing in a chair. The birds are really tame. Tonight I had one land within 6 inches of my foot!

Then, when I hear the birds approaching, I focus on the feeder and then wait to see them in the viewfinder. They have a routine where they zoom in and then zoom out a few inches and hover and then repeat the process again. I then notice where they hover (same every time) and just wait there until they repeat the process. Then click - I took another 50 shots tonight - I am about 15 feet from the birds..

I have many - I'll try to post more tomorrw.

Jaime,

Of course I'd like to know the shutter settings but also the type of bird feeder! I'm dying to get these critters. The come but each time to a different part of the garden and then may not appear for 3 days. So the long lens comes off the camera and that's when they return for 10 seconds! So I need a bird feeder!

Asher

Yeah, I'll try to photograph my setup - chair, deck, feeder...

It took me a few years to perfet, but I can get good images every time I try now!

Wow superb shots... Jaime!! Congratulations..

Now dying to get the details on them...

Asher, there is a humming bird trail at the UCSC arboretum in Santa Cruz, CA. There are literally hundreds of these little fellas there and according to a regular shooter there, the day we visited, there were fewer birds! Looks like I am giving you more and more reasons for the trip up north..

-- V

Thanks for the details on how the shots were obtained, Jaime. I usually shoot hummingbirds when I'm in Costa Rica, and this is exactly how I shoot as well. You're quite fortunate to have this opportunity in your own backyard!