Female Ruby Throated Hummingbird

[Wayne Wood]

I was out this weekend with the sole intention of learning how to use the flash to stop a hummers wings in flight , I read this in a thread that Dragonslayer posted last week, anyways I got a few good shots , I like these two, they dont come close to Erics images but I'm learning new stuff and feeling pretty damn good about the effort . C & C welcome and appreciated

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5373/picture2460qi.jpg

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4859/picture2453gy.jpg

[tupe]

Wings are great! I like the eye shot on #2.

[Dragonslayer]

Well you are off to a good start I missed a lot of shots and still do, Tell us how you have set-up the camera and the flash and the type of flash maybe that you are using as we will be able to give you some better tips maybe.

Looks like the hummer was a little small in the frame and you cropped a lot here, I would also place the feeder someplace that you can get shot with out all the stuff around like the feeder. I use shepards hooks to hang the feeder off, and I have also placed some small branches on the shepards hook with some wire for them to perch on allowing some shots of them not flying also.

[Wayne Wood]

both pics were taken at 1/250sec. f3.1 was overcast and didn't choose the ideal conditions just wanted to test it out , flash was turned down -2 does that help?

[Dragonslayer]

Next thing to know is the lens reach. And I shoot aperture at no less then F/8. More details here please, on type of flash unit. Setting minus two isn't the same as setting the flashes output power to 1/4 or 1/2. Give me all the specs you can. Does your flash have on flash controls ?

I typically shoot at F/8
Lens normally about 400mm with 36mm extension tubes
I set the camera to AV mode, Aperture priority
I always use a tripod unless they are super friendly and I can get in with the 180 macro lens on
I set the flash output power to 1/8 normally but that power setting will only reach out so far
so you might have to use more or less power on that.

[Dragonslayer]

The best way to think of stopping the wings in-flight here is think of sitting in totally dark room and then have someone roll a marble across the floor, you won't see it, now do it again with a strobe light on and everytime the strobe fires your eye will see the marble and only when the strobe is on the faster the stobe fires the more it stops the action.

This is the same thing in one aspect you are doing with the flash unit, you are sending a very short "in duration" burst of light which has to be powerful enough to reach and light the subject, so by using more 1/1 power you increase the output of the flash but you increase its length of time the less power the shorter the duration of the flash but the reach is also less. Longer flash time move wing movement, less power shorter duration but you will need to get closer to get enough light on the subject. Some people will set up two, three or more flashes to get them perfect shots, I personally like a little wing blur but it's fun to experiment with new things.

[Wayne Wood]

Thanx for the help Eric am looking forward to trying again and again

[Blackburnian]

Hey Live2,

These are quite better than the ones you posted previously. Bird is frozen and nice wing job.

Keep posting cause your improving on this bird!

I just posted one but the light was terrible. Just hung a feeder today. Should be lot's of fun !

Marc