{"id":7231,"date":"2009-06-23T19:53:55","date_gmt":"2009-06-24T03:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moosepeterson.com\/blog\/?p=7231"},"modified":"2009-06-23T19:53:55","modified_gmt":"2009-06-24T03:53:55","slug":"just-humming-along","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/just-humming-along\/","title":{"rendered":"Just Humming Along"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reprinted from the BT \t\tJournal<\/a>, Issue 3, August 2002<\/p>\n

\"HummingbirdWhile sitting at the breakfast \t\t\tnook at my aunts when I was perhaps 8 or 9 years old, I noticed this \t\t\tminiature nest just outside the window. As I ate my cereal, this tiniest \t\t\tof birds would buzz into the nest, feeding an even smaller mouth, gaping \t\t\twide open. And then in a heartbeat the little bird would buzz away. \t\t\tI sat enthralled that morning while watching this small miracle of \t\t\tlife! Later that same day as I played in the garden, I saw a flash \t\t\tof red that is still burned into my memory as it darted from flower \t\t\tto flower and then away, being chased by another flash of red. My love \t\t\taffair with hummingbirds goes back much further than my love affair \t\t\twith photography. But as you’ll see, these two passions most certainly \t\t\tdid merge together!<\/p>\n

Hummingbirds are a New World species so you will only find them in \t\t\tthe Americas. There are approximately 18 species of hummingbirds in \t\t\tthe US (depending on how you count them) with really only one dependable \t\t\tspecies “east” of the Mississippi and all the rest in the “west”. (Of \t\t\tcourse, these are birds with wings so they can show up wherever they \t\t\tchoose!) They range as far north as Anchorage, Alaska and as far south \t\t\tas you might want to travel. They are a challenge that most Journal \t\t\treaders can enjoy!<\/p>\n

“I’ve never photographed so difficult a subject before!” “How can \t\t\tsomething so small move so fast and be so hard to focus on?” “Even \t\t\twith all the images I threw away, I’ve never felt so satisfied before \t\t\tthan with the images that turned out!” These are just a few of the \t\t\tcomments from participants from my recent Arizona Bird Safari where \t\t\twe spent a lot of time, photographing hummingbirds. It’s a perfect \t\t\texample where, even when shooting with the newest of technologies, \t\t\tyou must rely on good old basics to capture the image! Photographing \t\t\thummingbirds to me means either photographing them at the nest or when \t\t\tthey are feeding. Because of their biology\/life style, there really \t\t\tis no middle ground. Let me share with you my love and fascination \t\t\twith what are properly called, the Jewels of the bird world!<\/p>\n

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Faster than the Shutter! <\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the “fun” things about photographing hummers is seeing all \t\t\tthe blank images you manage to capture. You can literally fire off \t\t\troll after roll of images only to capture empty space. If you’re shooting \t\t\tconventional, this stings because it’s money lost, but not so with \t\t\tdigital. The point is that these little jewels fly so fast that you \t\t\tcan literally focus on them, depress the shutter and when you view \t\t\tthe image, they’re gone; you’ve captured nothing! This is truly the \t\t\tmain problem we have in photographing hummingbirds, stopping them!<\/p>\n

I’m sure if you’re like most you’ve looked at the photos before reading \t\t\tthis piece. If so you should have a sense of how I prefer to photograph \t\t\thummingbirds. I personally like to let their wings blur in my photos \t\t\tbecause that’s exactly how I see them, in action, a blur. I don’t like \t\t\thummer shots where the wings are frozen in time. Capable of beating \t\t\tup to 70-75 beats per SECOND, I think it’s an injustice to the very \t\t\tessence of the hummingbird to freeze its wings. The techniques I’m \t\t\tgoing to describe pertain to not freezing the wing beats, but rather \t\t\tletting them blur so as to capture on film what it is to be a hummingbird.<\/p>\n

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Getting Them in Front of the Lens <\/strong><\/p>\n

This has got to be the biggest challenge, getting these little fellows \t\t\tto hold still in front of your lens! When attempting to photograph \t\t\thummers, most photographers head out to the garden where they see them \t\t\tfeeding and then try to ambush them. Following hummers about in a garden \t\t\tis real unproductive because they move not just because you move, but \t\t\tbecause other hummers chase them. While this is not the most productive \t\t\tof methods it’s on the right path!<\/p>\n

I don’t know of any way of photographing hummers without the use \t\t\tof feeders. Where flower blossoms are the ultimate method, any given \t\t\tflower blossom has an average life of a week or less. That’s not very \t\t\tdependable for our purposes especially since part of that time the \t\t\tblossom is less than photogenic! Feeders are 24\/7, 365 day food sources \t\t\tthat hummers and you can depend on. This means that you need to start \t\t\tthis whole process by hanging some feeders. (Please note the plural \t\t\there in feeders!)<\/p>\n

The first thing you need to determine is whether where you live (or \t\t\twhere you want to photograph hummers) even has hummingbirds. There \t\t\tare many ways of doing this from contacting local Audubon chapters, \t\t\tbird feeding stores and the web just to mention a few. There are very \t\t\tfew regions in North America that don’t have hummers at some time of \t\t\tthe year. Some folks are very fortunate and have hummers all year round. \t\t\tWhere we live, we have them for a very short 3-4 month period during \t\t\tthe summer. In some regions you need to be sure to pull in your feeders \t\t\tso the hummers will migrate in the winter whereas in other regions \t\t\tyou can leave them out all year.<\/p>\n

Once you know about the general time the hummers are in your area, \t\t\tyou need to get the feeders and have them out. Since filling feeders \t\t\tis a weekly matter, I look for feeders that are easy to clean and extremely \t\t\twell made. My current preference is the BEST-1 Feeders. (We have the \t\t\t32oz models even though we only put in two cups of sugar water at a \t\t\ttime.) These feeders are real easy to clean and fill, which makes the \t\t\tchore just that much more pleasant to do. You fill the feeder with \t\t\tplain old sugar water at a ratio of 4 to 1, 4 parts water to 1 part \t\t\tsugar. You don’t need any food coloring, as this has been shown to \t\t\tcause little growths to occur on the hummers’ bills, which can be fatal. \t\t\tWith a filled feeder in hand, next you need to put it out.<\/p>\n

This believe it or not is kind of tricky. There are a few criteria \t\t\tyou need to consider when putting out your feeder. First is a place \t\t\tthat will attract the hummers. This must include places for the hummers \t\t\tto perch nearby and keep an eye on the feeder as well as feel safe. \t\t\tKeep in mind that the more feeders you have out, the more hummers you’ll \t\t\thave. As a general rule, each feeder will typically have one male that \t\t\tdominates and defends the feeder. This male will often change but there \t\t\ttends to be just the one, pain in the butt that tries to drive off \t\t\tall the other hummers! While this is the theory, it doesn’t work all \t\t\tthat well.<\/p>\n

When you have more than one feeder, you’ll have more than one dominant \t\t\tmale. In our case, we have 3 feeders, two relatively close to each \t\t\tother and the third at an opposite corner of the house. These three \t\t\tfeeders have 3 dominant males that are constantly trying to fend away \t\t\tanother dozen male and female hummers. We have a total of about 15 \t\t\thummers and while the dominant male is off chasing one hummer, two \t\t\tothers will come in to feed. That’s why I say that more feeders are \t\t\tbetter. It brings in more hummers, which naturally increases your odds \t\t\tof getting the shot!<\/p>\n

The other consideration for placement of the feeder is photographic. \t\t\tThere are two main photo ops we’re working towards, flight shots and \t\t\tfeeding shots. Both of these require that we consider the backgrounds \t\t\tof our photographs. You will more than likely move your feeders more \t\t\tthan once in your effort of finding the best locale to hang it. What \t\t\tyou’re going to need to do is watch the feeder to determine the hummers’ \t\t\tflight path and activity levels. These will vary by time of year and \t\t\ttime of day. With this variance is added different light on the background, \t\t\twhich is why you’ll probably move your feeders about.<\/p>\n

You’re looking for a background that is dim to dark as well as green. \t\t\tYou don’t want a pitch black background but it needs to be dark enough \t\t\tto make the subject pop while not lowering your shutter speed below \t\t\t1\/60 (I’ll explain why momentarily). A very common background is a \t\t\tpotted plant that you can move into place when you’re shooting. In \t\t\tmany situations this can be the easiest solution. If you have the space, \t\t\tthen finding shadows that naturally occur at the time of day when you’ll \t\t\tmost likely be shooting is desired.<\/p>\n

One trap many photographers fall into is setting up feeders with \t\t\tbusy backgrounds. Since we’re shooting in the backyard, which is full \t\t\tof shrubs, plants and forbs, brown branches, twigs and leaves abound. \t\t\tIt’s so easy to not “see” these photo killers until you get the images \t\t\tback on the light table (either real or virtual). You must force yourself \t\t\tto see the background, all the bad as well as good to be successful. \t\t\tThis must include plants with drops on them from the sprinklers, which \t\t\tcreate specular highlights. These bright spots caused by the water \t\t\tdrops in the background can kill a great photo. These little details \t\t\tplus a hundred others are what you must run through your mind’s eye \t\t\twhen you place your feeder.<\/p>\n

The last thing to keep in mind in this hanging process is what our \t\t\tphotographic goal happens to be. We’re not working towards photographing \t\t\tthe hummers at the feeder, but rather when they’re coming into the \t\t\tfeeder to feed or to a flower we place near the feeder. The feeder \t\t\tserves just as a way of getting the hummers to one place the vast majority \t\t\tof the time on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

(One side note: At one of my feeders, which is quite a distance from \t\t\tany type of perch, I literally attached a perch to the side of the \t\t\toffice. This is where the dominant male can perch and watch “his” feeder. \t\t\tThis just makes the hummers come more often to the feeder in a predictable \t\t\tmanner so I can photograph them.)<\/p>\n

Hummingbird photography is probably the one and only time I would \t\t\ttell photographers they need patience. You need to have patience in \t\t\twaiting for your feeder to become busy. You need at least two if not \t\t\tthree hummers using your feeder to really be productive. You can shoot \t\t\twith just one hummer, but you’ll have a lot of down time between feedings, \t\t\twhich can get real old and hard in fleeting light. You also need to \t\t\tbe patient with yourself and your photography. No matter how proficient \t\t\tyou might think you are technically or photographically, you will find \t\t\tlike the participants on my AZ bird safari that hummingbirds are the \t\t\thardest subjects to photograph.<\/p>\n

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Hummingbird Flight Photography <\/strong><\/p>\n

Ah. this is when the fun begins! I guess we should start with lens \t\t\tselection. The biggest variable here that you need to get a handle \t\t\ton for yourself is working distance. Working distance affects both \t\t\tyour image size and flash output.<\/p>\n

Lens Working Distance <\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to image size, each of us will have a personal preference \t\t\ton just how large we want the hummer to be in the frame. A good rule \t\t\tof thumb requires you to use your thumb. Your thumb is the average \t\t\tsize of a hummer so by focusing on someone’s thumb (unless you have \t\t\treally long arms), you can predetermine how physically close you need \t\t\tto be to the hummer to get the image size you desire. If you have problems \t\t\tgetting the image size you want, you have a couple of options.<\/p>\n

The first option is a totally different lens. I personally have two \t\t\toptions I prefer, depending on the feeder location, the 600f4AFS w\/TC-14e \t\t\t1.4x or 300f4AFS. Both of these lenses offer me the angle of view as \t\t\twell as the minimum focusing distance I like for my style of shooting. \t\t\tYou could also think of them in this way. I use the 300f4AFS in situations \t\t\twhere the hummer and I have some sort of rapport so getting close physically \t\t\tand shooting is not a problem. The 600f4\/1.4 combo is for those situations \t\t\twhere I don’t have that rapport with the hummers. It could also be \t\t\tbecause I have a dominant male who is driving us all nuts and preventing \t\t\thummers from coming in with ease. You might have noticed both of these \t\t\tlenses are AFS and assumed that fast autofocus is a critical part of \t\t\thummingbird photography. As I’ll explain momentarily, we turn the AF \t\t\toff and fast manual focus is essential to photographing hummers. While \t\t\tAFS lenses are not required, they do help in being able to focus close.<\/p>\n

The next option for image size is using a teleconverter. There is \t\t\ta plus and a minus to using teleconverters for image size. The plus \t\t\tin my book is the increase in image size with either the 1.4x or 2x. \t\t\tThe other plus is the limiting factor it has on DoF (BTJ Vol.V, Issue \t\t\t2). The minus side is the light loss and when shooting with flash, \t\t\tit can be a biggie! Of course, if you’re shooting conventional and \t\t\tyou want to increase image size, you can always switch to digital, \t\t\twhich will get you a 1.5x larger image size with no light loss : )<\/p>\n

The last option is getting closer and using extension tubes. Extension \t\t\ttubes change the optical formula by increasing the lens’ air gap and \t\t\ttherefore permitting you to get physically closer to your subject and \t\t\tfocus on it. An example of this is the 600f4AFS focuses down to nearly \t\t\t20 feet and with 18mm extension it focuses down to nearly 18 feet. \t\t\tThose two feet can make a world of difference and since you experience \t\t\tno light loss with extension tubes, they have no adverse affect on \t\t\tthe flash’s output. The other option is to buy the AFSII or newer Canon \t\t\tIS lenses, which focus closer right out of the box.<\/p>\n

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Flash Working Distance <\/strong><\/p>\n

The very basic elements of flash exposure is, flash to subject distance. \t\t\tThe closer the flash is to a subject, the more “powerful” its output \t\t\tis for our needs. For example, with the SB-80DX shooting at ISO 200, \t\t\tat 10 feet you’re at f and at 20 feet you’re at f\/. This is a dramatic \t\t\tdifference! It’s important you keep in mind even though I haven’t talked \t\t\tabout it yet, we’re using our basic flashes for this style of hummingbird \t\t\tphotography and not some giant bank of 600 w units. The combination \t\t\tof the flashes’ physical distance from the subject as well as the f\/stop \t\t\tin use determines the “speed” of the flash. The proper term is Flash \t\t\tDuration, this being the duration of time the flash is actually lit. \t\t\tThis range can be anywhere from 1\/2000 to 1\/22000sec! This is the reason \t\t\twe depend upon flash and not ambient light exposure for hummingbird \t\t\tphotography. The speed of the flash blows away the speed of our cameras \t\t\tto stop the motion we’re working on stopping.<\/p>\n

The vast majority of the time we’re using two or more flash units, \t\t\twhich some think increases the light output and therefore the total \t\t\tpower of the flashes. It doesn’t work quite that way, as we’re not \t\t\tusing multiple flash units for more power, but more coverage as I’ll \t\t\texplain in a moment. Right now my favorite flash combination is two \t\t\tSB-80DX units. Instead of going into how to make the settings on the \t\t\tflash work here, refer to What’s Up with Multiple Flash in this issue.<\/p>\n

Equipment Setup <\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest obstacle in equipment setup is the flash, so I’m going \t\t\tto start there. I typically like shooting with a minimum of two flash \t\t\tunits (which is a challenge with digital). One flash is the main and \t\t\tthe others are slaves. The main flash is the one that is attached either \t\t\tdirectly or by a cord to the camera’s hot shoe. The slaves are the \t\t\tflashes, which are not connected to the camera’s hot shoe. It’s the \t\t\tpositioning of the flashes that we need to talk about.<\/p>\n

The positioning of the main flash for me is pretty much carved in \t\t\tstone. I always set the main directly over the lens. The reason for \t\t\tthis is I want the shadow created by the main flash to always fall \t\t\tbehind the subject and not be seen. If you draw a line from the flash \t\t\tto the subject and then continue that line beyond the subject, you’ll \t\t\tunderstand why the positioning of the main flash is so important. This \t\t\tmain flash is also our main light, in a sense replacing the sun. It’s \t\t\twhat is actually lighting the subject, bringing light to our subject.<\/p>\n

The second flash has only one real job for me and that’s to light \t\t\tup the throat or gorget of the hummer. This is where I tend to lose \t\t\tfolks because we start taking about physics. To light up the bright \t\t\tcolors of the gorget we work with a principle that’s an everyday staple \t\t\tof commercial photography: Angle of incidence equals angle of reflection. \t\t\tWhat this means is, in order for the film to see the gorget, the light \t\t\tmust be positioned so the angle of the flash to the subject equals \t\t\tthe angle from the subject to the film plane. This is not a simple \t\t\tmatter!<\/p>\n

The positioning of our second flash is determined by this angle. \t\t\tIts position is dictated by where our subject happens to be, which \t\t\tis determined by where we have set up our feeders. In order to get \t\t\tto the point where you can set up your flash you have to have everything \t\t\telse in place plus one more thing. Positioning the second flash so \t\t\tyou can light up the gorget, you have to know where your subject is \t\t\tgoing to be, which means you need to watch the flight path your subject \t\t\tuses to come into the feeder.<\/p>\n

A technique you can use to help make the light spread out more and \t\t\thelp light the gorget is to use a xxx. This miniature light box spreads \t\t\tout the light. In a perfect world, you’d have two “second” flash units \t\t\twith light boxes side by side. This creates a huge light surface to \t\t\tlight up the gorget.<\/p>\n

Can you be successful with just one flash and no light box? You bet, \t\t\tbut you just have to be really smart in the placement of that second \t\t\tflash. The key is the position of the flash in relation to the subject \t\t\tto the lens. This can be enhanced or hindered by the positioning of \t\t\tthe lens. Your equipment setup then is really all based on my favorite \t\t\telement of photography, light.<\/p>\n

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The Equipment Itself<\/h2>\n

My personal favorite way of shooting hummers is with the 300f4AFS, \t\t\tD1H and 2 SB-80DX flashes. The 300f4 is my favorite lens because I \t\t\tcan focus so close with it. Its minimum focusing distance of five feet \t\t\tin conjunction with its focal length is an incredible tool. Even better \t\t\tis if I need a larger subject size in the frame, I can add a TC14e \t\t\t1.4x and easily continue shooting.<\/p>\n

I do use the 600f4AFS w\/TC-14e 1.4x at times but this is not my preferred \t\t\ttool. The working distance between the flash and subject is too great, \t\t\twhich means my flash duration is shorter so the flash’s ability to \t\t\tfreeze the subject is less (plus increased recycle time).<\/p>\n

The D1H is my favorite simply because of its five+ frames per second.<\/p>\n

The SB-80DX is not my favorite but it’s the best available at the \t\t\tmoment. You’ll need to read, What’s up with Flash in this issue to \t\t\tunderstand better how to take advantage of this tool.<\/p>\n

One thing I should mention as being important is the tripod head. \t\t\tYou need to have a stable platform to shoot from as well as the ability \t\t\tto pan with the hummers. I personally like the Gitzo 1377.<\/p>\n

Photographing Hummers<\/h2>\n

Photographing hummingbirds is the most challenging wildlife photography \t\t\taround. After accomplishing all of the above, your final challenge \t\t\tcomes when you’re behind the lens! The first thing that must be done \t\t\tis the assemblage of the gear at the feeder.<\/p>\n

The first thing I recommend folks do is set up the lens to photograph \t\t\tthe hummer. You set up to either photograph them as they fly to the \t\t\tfeeder to feed or the flowers to feed. What’s the difference? The biggest \t\t\tdifference is the background and focus point.<\/p>\n

The background for the flight shots, those shots taken of the hummer \t\t\tcoming to the feeder, is more predictable because you know where the \t\t\thummer will be when you take the photo. With this knowledge, you can \t\t\tset up accordingly to have the best possible background. The background \t\t\tif at all possible should be some shade of green, light to dark. If \t\t\tone is not easily attainable then I recommend you bring in a potted \t\t\tshrub and place that in the background. Don’t forget light, that’s \t\t\ta very important aspect of the background selection as well!<\/p>\n

You’re probably asking yourself, “How do we know which side of the \t\t\tfeeder the hummer will come to in order to control the background?” You’ll \t\t\tknow this because you’re going to place small pieces of tape over a \t\t\tcouple of the feeder holes so the hummers must come to just the holes \t\t\tyou want them to. Tricky hey?! Of course, you don’t want to overdue \t\t\tthe tape and you want to be selective which holes get covered. But \t\t\tin this way you can predetermine where the hummers fly into and control \t\t\tthe background.<\/p>\n

What about the flowers? Where and how do they come in? My preferred \t\t\tmethod of photographing hummers at flowers is simply by placing hummingbird \t\t\tplants right next to the feeder. You can go on the internet or check \t\t\twith your local nursery about which native flowering plants work best \t\t\tto feed hummers in your area. Some of you might have picked up on the \t\t\tword native. I personally like photographing hummers at native plants \t\t\tonly. It’s really very simple to do and the final results are quite \t\t\tspectacular. Controlling the background when photographing plants can \t\t\tbe accomplished to some degree. (We’re not using flower blossoms cut \t\t\tfrom the plant, but those growing and still attached to the plant.)<\/p>\n

One way to attract hummers to particular blossoms and therefore, \t\t\tcontrolling the background, requires a little sugar water. With an \t\t\teyedropper, you very carefully place a couple drops of sugar water \t\t\tinto the blossoms of those you want to photograph the hummer. You have \t\t\tto put the sugar water in very delicately and realize that it will \t\t\tkill the blossom. A blossom with sugar water in it will last normally \t\t\t5-6 hours at best, after which time it starts to droop and look sad. \t\t\tWhile this provides limited control on the position of the hummer it \t\t\tdoes give you some, which is better than none.<\/p>\n

With knowledge of where the hummer is going to fly in, you can place \t\t\tyour secondary flashes. You’re going to place them with the intent \t\t\tof strictly lighting the gorget. To accomplish this you need to set \t\t\tthe flashes off to the side, either right or left of the lens and main \t\t\tflash. You decide which side based on where the hummer is flying in \t\t\t(and there may be an equipment restriction as well). The key is to \t\t\tplace the flash so it’s lighting up the gorget. This is easier to accomplish \t\t\tfor the flight shots than the feeding shots at the flowers. This is \t\t\tbecause the hummers going to the flowers will almost never use the \t\t\tsame flight path twice so predicting where they will fly to light it \t\t\tis a challenge.<\/p>\n

You have two options for positioning the secondary flashes, the Wimberley \t\t\tMacro Arm (featured in BTJ Vol. VII, Issue 2) or the Bogen Magic Arm. \t\t\tThese units can easily and quickly position a flash. The Wimberley \t\t\tactually attaches right to the lens, which is really slick because \t\t\tit permits you to move the lens to follow the subject while always \t\t\thaving the flashes in the same constant position you desire. The Magic \t\t\tArm doesn’t have this same flexibility but you will find that with \t\t\tcertain feeder setups and time, you can make it work perfectly for \t\t\tyour needs.<\/p>\n

The next thing you need to decide before actually firing off the \t\t\tshutter is the DoF you desire and require. In this process, you also \t\t\tneed to take shutter speed and flash speed into consideration.<\/p>\n

What is the appropriate DoF for a hummingbird? My own personal preference \t\t\tis f\/8 which at 5+ feet provides enough DoF for focus from mid way \t\t\ton the bill to just past the back of the head (focusing on the eye \t\t\tof course). This aperture also reduces the amount of flash output required \t\t\tfor an exposure, which makes the flashes fire and recycle faster (compared \t\t\tto f\/11 or f\/16). The best way for you to determine what is best for \t\t\tyou is to simply photograph your thumb. I would measure back from the \t\t\ttip one inch, draw a black dot (to represent the eye), focus on it \t\t\tand shoot.<\/p>\n

In this process you must keep a constant eye on your shutter speed! \t\t\tOne real problem we need to be concerned with is ghosting. Ghosting \t\t\tis caused when photographing a moving subject at too slow a shutter \t\t\tspeed with flash. What occurs is that during a slow exposure, the flash \t\t\tfirst fires, freezing the subject and then in the subsequent exposure \t\t\ttime while the shutter is still open, an ambient light exposure occurs \t\t\twhere the subject moves. You freeze the movement of the hummer and \t\t\tat the same time it moves during the rest of the exposure, creating \t\t\ta “ghost” of itself. We want this for the wing beat but not for the \t\t\trest of the hummer’s body.<\/p>\n

What can you do to prevent ghosting? I highly recommend that until \t\t\tyou get really into hummer photography you stay away from shutter speeds \t\t\tbelow 1\/250. Once you get the hang of it and the movement of the hummers \t\t\tI recommend not going slower than 1\/60. Now these are just suggestions \t\t\tbecause you’ll notice in one of the images accompanying this piece, \t\t\tthe shutter speed was 1\/30. In that image, you’ll notice the wings \t\t\tare incredibly blurred, which is what I was after.<\/p>\n

The last really big “trick” to making hummer images work comes to \t\t\tfocusing. This is one sport where manual focusing is the only way to \t\t\tsucceed! To successfully photograph hummers, you must manually focus \t\t\tbut to increase your odds, you need to prefocus. Prefocusing means \t\t\tyou focus on a point, some point, so the lens is already focused at \t\t\tthe approximate distance you expect to find the subject. In this case, \t\t\tI personally recommend focusing on the back side of the feeder. Hummers \t\t\ttend to approach the feeder from the back (from the camera’s point \t\t\tof view) and then once at the feeder, decide which “flower” to feed \t\t\tfrom. (Keep in mind that some of the “flowers” have tape on them.)<\/p>\n

What about the real flowers you have around the feeder? Where do \t\t\tyou focus? This is not as easy to predetermine a focus point since \t\t\tyou can’t tape off any of the blossoms. You should know which ones \t\t\tyou put the sugar water into so I recommend you prefocus on those. \t\t\tThe problem is the hummers can fly into and hover about the plant in \t\t\tany direction without any real predictability. This is the problem, \t\t\tthe challenge that I enjoy.<\/p>\n

After all of this, you’re down to just actually taking the photo. \t\t\tI have some thoughts here for you, but they are personal elements to \t\t\tthe photo I think about. The first and foremost is composition, which \t\t\tI think of as horizontal and vertical elements. The vast majority of \t\t\tthe time, I photograph hummers while shooting vertically. This is because \t\t\tI like to take the action of feeding and make is a diagonal in the \t\t\tframe. This brings action to the still subject, fills the frame to \t\t\tthe max while providing enough room to capture the full wing beat. \t\t\tThis means I’m as close to the hummers as I can be.<\/p>\n

I shoot horizontals when I want more room to make up for not knowing \t\t\texactly where the hummers are going to stop. Composition when shooting \t\t\thorizontals is a little more difficult because you have more space \t\t\tnot being used by the hummers in the frame that you must use with other \t\t\telements that support the story in the photo while not detracting from \t\t\tthe hummer. When shooting hummers in plants, this is easier because \t\t\tyou can rely on the blossoms to take up space otherwise not filled \t\t\tby the hummer.<\/p>\n

Whether you’re shooting horizontals or verticals, one thing you must \t\t\tlook out for are stray branches. Stray branches are the little dead \t\t\ttwigs in plants that show up in the worst places at the worst times \t\t\tin your photograph. These typically tan twigs are incredibly distracting \t\t\tto the eye because of their color and linear lines. Many folks don’t \t\t\tsee these distracting elements because they are so small, but when \t\t\tcompared to the size of a hummer, they are gigantic. This also goes \t\t\tfor dead leaves and blossoms. These must be gardened out carefully, \t\t\tusing scissors to remove them rather than just trying to break them \t\t\toff.<\/p>\n

You’ll find that focusing on a flying hummer is a major challenge \t\t\tonce you’ve gotten through all the rest of this. Their constant movement, \t\t\tjabbing in and out of a blossom, moving to avoid harassing male hummers, \t\t\tfinding new blossoms to feed from, all will challenge your focusing \t\t\tability. It’s KEY that you do not get frustrated with your results, \t\t\tas it takes time to get the great images! This is very difficult wildlife \t\t\tphotography despite the fact so many aspects of it are seemingly so \t\t\tcontrolled. Just the focusing can get to you as images come out, out \t\t\tof focus. You then mix in the flash and making it work to light up \t\t\tthe gorget. And we can’t forget just the process of getting the hummers \t\t\tin front of the lens in the first place.<\/p>\n

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Photographing Nesting Hummers<\/h2>\n

Photographing nesting hummers is a little easier than photographing \t\t\thummers at feeders. With nesting hummers, you always know where to \t\t\tfind them for that brief period. Some would rather not photograph nesting \t\t\thummers as it’s the drab female that’s at the nest. The males mate \t\t\twith as many females as they can find and then have nothing to do with \t\t\tnesting duties. Even so, I find photographing nesting hummers quite \t\t\tenjoyable.<\/p>\n

Finding a hummingbird nest is no easy task. The nest of a hummer \t\t\tis not much bigger than a fifty cent piece in diameter and perhaps \t\t\tan inch tall. Constructed of plant down and spider webs (so the nest \t\t\tcan expand with the growing chicks and still hold its shape), they \t\t\tnaturally blend in with their surroundings. Hummingbirds are kind of \t\t\tfunny when it comes to approachability. With some, you can’t get within \t\t\tmiles of the nest before they dart off while others you can literally \t\t\tpet their backs. You want to avoid the first kind and find lots of \t\t\tthe second!<\/p>\n

Photographing a nesting hummer is much like photographing any nesting bird<\/a>. There are a couple of \t\t\tthings though I want to point out that make photographing nesting hummers \t\t\tunique.<\/p>\n

Placement of the flash is important because some females despite \t\t\twhat the books say have gorgets. While not full blown blazes of color \t\t\tlike their male counterparts, the female gorget is still worth lighting. \t\t\tYou can use the exact same concept for nest lighting as for feeder \t\t\tlighting just keeping in mind the safety of the nest in the process.<\/p>\n

Photographing hummer nests requires a real vigilance on the shutter \t\t\tspeed. Since nests are typically in shadowy places, slow shutter speeds \t\t\tare the norm. This can bring on ghosting so you’ll find yourself constantly \t\t\tforsaking DoF to prevent ghosting.<\/p>\n

Lastly, patience! Hummers tend to want you to be very still when \t\t\tthey are flying into the nest. I always feel they’re playing some sort \t\t\tof game with me by making me hold perfectly still and if I don’t, they \t\t\twon’t come in right away. When I mean hold still, I’m talking feet, \t\t\ttoes, hands, head, everything! And don’t be surprised if they buzz \t\t\tyou or the AF illuminators on your flash! This is common so expect \t\t\tit so you don’t make some gesture that scares off the hummers. With \t\t\tthese few things, you are set to have the time of your life as you \t\t\twitness the incredible transformation of a hatchling hummer. They go \t\t\tfrom looking like bugs to gorgeous adults in a matter of weeks!<\/p>\n

Photographing hummers is the most rewarding wildlife photography \t\t\tyou’ll ever experience, once you capture that great image! Getting \t\t\tto that point is not a quick process. Like all great things in life, \t\t\ttime and effort pay off in the big rewards and nothing is truer than \t\t\tin photographing hummers. To get to that reward, you need to start \t\t\tnow and constantly work on this challenge in order to make it all come \t\t\ttogether in that great image. Once you get started and the images start \t\t\tappearing on your light table, you’ll find yourself incredibly happy \t\t\tas you hum along!<\/p>\n

Best Feeders 830.742.3604<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reprinted from the BT Journal, Issue 3, August 2002 While sitting at the breakfast nook at my aunts when I was perhaps 8 or 9 years old, I noticed this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-7231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-whats-new"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Podcast.jpg?fit=1500%2C1500&quality=100&ssl=1","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/www.audible.com\/pd\/Podcast\/B08JJQC1GR?ref=a_pd_item-n_c0_bc&pf_rd_p=1da7ab30-c785-4a0e-a160-4a7e7077b353&pf_rd_r=EEDMYHQM3DZ05FPRTHMJ","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/2fRA9VaVfSdQMKf1ipxr0tipxr0t","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"itunes":{"key":"itunes","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/moose-podcast\/id1107405746","label":"iTunes","class":"itunes","icon":"itunes.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.moosepeterson.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/moose-podcast","embedCode":"

Just Humming Along<\/a><\/blockquote>