Hummingbird Image Thread

[Buddy Thomason]

Everybody loves hummingbirds and most photographers, at some point or another, will attempt to capture these fascinating creatures digitally or on film. There are occasional hummingbird images posted here but I wondered if a thread dedicated to hummingbird images, especially this spring when they're on the move, would be of interest. I'll kick it off and hopefully others will join in.

http://www.fototime.com/2B43BE0AE0D4C49/orig.jpg

Canon 1D MK II, EF 500 4.0 L 'IS' on monopod from about 20-25 feet away
ISO maybe 600 (sorry I didn't note the usual details)
Location: Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tucson, AZ

[cmM]

Beautiful shot! No humming birds around here :(

[hollow]

:shock::shock::shock: MAN ! That is just amaziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing !

[queenbee288]

Beautiful shot. I am in Kentucky and they don't get here til about July. Yes, I do plan to try to shoot them.

Char

[tbird]

No contest....you're the winner! Beautiful shot.

[Buddy Thomason]

No need for a contest. It's just fun to share and I always learn something looking at other peoples' images no matter if they're beginner or pro or in-between. Here's one that turned out kinda cool. This hummer is preening.

http://www.fototime.com/402104359B94FA7/orig.jpg

[vinnyveez]

No need for a contest. It's just fun to share and I always learn something looking at other peoples' images no matter if they're beginner or pro or in-between. Here's one that turned out kinda cool. This hummer is preening.

http://www.fototime.com/402104359B94FA7/orig.jpg

i love the background on this shot. great job.

[bedeviler]

Since Buddy created an official Hummer thread, I thought I'd cross-post my recent captures of the female Rufous.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=484820#post484820

-bd

[Buddy Thomason]

Thanks, BD. It was actually your recent post that stimulated me to see if we could get a number of these hummer images together in one place. I love the color in your picture(s) of the Rufous - the colors of the bird itself. You've got a warmth in your shot that I like. If you get other good shots I hope you'll post them.
I actually have a variety of hummer images from my recent trip down to Tucson and figured I'd post one a day or so to keep the thread alive long enough to see if some other contributors or interested parties might notice and jump in.
I'd like to see some of the exotic hummers from different parts of the world. Here in Colorado we have two main types: the Rufous and the Broadtail. The Broadtails are aggressive, territorial and loud. They will fly right in front of your face and scare the dickens out of you. I'm eager for them to start arriving up in our mountains West of Denver so I can train my new lens and camera on them too.
OK, who's next?

[bedeviler]

Thanks for the comments. I don't like to 'stop action' my hummer shots because I'm fascinated by their flight and like to capture the movement. It's personally a more satisfying element for me in these shots. Buddy, this thread is a great idea. I can't wait to see what kinds of hummers others are used to seeing.

This is our most frequent and year-round visitor, the Anna's Hummer. Similar to the Rufous in looks except for a bright, satin-red throat which seems to get bigger if/when aggravated. The Anna's is VERY territorial and is not afraid to go face-to-face with much bigger interested parties! Sometimes I'm afraid of this little guy taking my eye out they get so close!

http://bedeviler.net/galleries/odds%20and%20ends/odds%20and%20ends%20photos/annas.jpg

This is a fave of mine because it captures so much movement.

-bd

[TammieO]

These were my 2 from last weekend. We plan to go back tomorrow and see how big the baby has gotten.

http://www.pbase.com/tammie_and_russ/image/41625771
http://www.pbase.com/tammie_and_russ/image/41625780

[Vega$50]

Not to take away from this thread....but if you want to see an amazing hummingbird shooter..

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/206191

This blew me away, the best shot I have ever seen, and definately give you something to shoot for.

[bedeviler]

Not to take away from this thread....but if you want to see an amazing hummingbird shooter..

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/206191

This blew me away, the best shot I have ever seen, and definately give you something to shoot for.

Wow, now I feel really, really inadequate. hehe

-bd

[bedeviler]

A couple from today...

Female Rufous:

http://bedeviler.net/galleries/odds%20and%20ends/odds%20and%20ends%20photos/backyard-femalerufous1_042005.jpg

Male Anna's:

http://bedeviler.net/galleries/odds%20and%20ends/odds%20and%20ends%20photos/backyard-maleannas2_042005.jpg

-bd

[Buddy Thomason]

Wow! Great stuff! Mkamp over on fredmiranda has some awesome shots. Looks like the key is a flash (catch light in the eyes of every one), close range, tripod with wireless trigger I bet, and lots of hummers swarming around lots of feeders.

This one ought to give you a chuckle:

http://www.fototime.com/A6C205D909699A1/orig.gif

It's my very first GIF. A little rough, for sure, but I had fun doing it and it made my whole family giggle when they saw it.

[TammieO]

Buddy, we enjoyed the gif file...pretty creative.
We decided to go back to see how big the baby Anna's Hummingbirds have gotten in a week. My hubby took these pictures with my camera (clearly I will have to get him a camera of his own).

http://www.pbase.com/tammie_and_russ/image/41840522
http://www.pbase.com/tammie_and_russ/image/41840551

[Dante King]

very cool subjet. Nice work you guys!

[Buddy Thomason]

Wow, Tammie, they've really grown a lot! Here's a little one from inside the Hummingbird enclosure at the Sonoran Dessert Museum outside of Tucson. Not sure what species.............

http://www.fototime.com/C604F903F7680E4/orig.jpg

[Buddy Thomason]

Also......a friend helped me clean up that GIF above (got rid of the exposed uneven edges) so in case anybody wanted to save it as a desktop item or tuck it away somewhere, best use this link:
http://www.fototime.com/C574D52FE20E4CD/orig.gif

[TammieO]

Buddy, looks like you live in the area. The babies are at Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior. We plan to go again next weekend (have season passes) to get more pictures. Hopefully it won't be so windy and cloudy in the morning.
Also got these the same day.

[robertwgross]

You can try to "freeze" the wings with natural light and a very fast shutter. However, often you have to go to an external flash to do a better freeze job. The light pulse of a flash is several times faster than the fastest shutter on your camera.

---Bob Gross---

[Buddy Thomason]

Bob - I plan to try the flash/tripod/remote trigger technique later this spring/summer when I can get some time up at my place in the mountains.

Tammie - Sweet shots you just posted! You don't mean Superior, Colorado? I see you're from AZ - but you said, "looks like you live in the area." I'm confused.

Here's another animated GIF:
http://www.fototime.com/DF2A0EB233368FC/orig.gif

Frankly, I don't fully understand what's going on with these GIFs. If I'd used a tripod there would be no movement in the background etc. But I used a monopod, an IS lens with IS turned on, and hi-speed exposure bursts. Also the wind was blowing and the hummer may be moving the flower and stem as it probed for nectar (or it may be holding the flower and stem still (!) while the wind blows everything else and my monopod moves just a bit). Anybody care to educate me on this?

[TammieO]

Buddy, Sorry for the confusion. Since you posted pics from Tucson...I made a poor assumption.