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0174-1FDAFinal4 Hummingbird shoot
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0174-1FDAFinal4 Hummingbird shoot



behind the lens badge
cameraNIKON D300

settings Aperture f/16.0 ISO 200 Shutter 1/160 

upload_dateJun, 2014

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Awards

Zenith Award
Absolute Masterpiece
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Superb Composition
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Outstanding Creativity
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Peer Award
ThomasJerger AnnJane elenagwynne paulgouin
Superior Skill
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Jaw Dropping
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Great Find
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Behind The Lens

Location

This is a combination of two images. The Hummingbird was captured at a feeder in my backyard utilizing multiple flashes and set up so that the flash duration acted as my shutter speed. This allowed me to stop the motion of the wings and also provided the black background. The Combine flower was also taken in my backyard also and exposed for the black background. Both images were later merged together and this is the result of that post work.

Time

Late afternoon under a tree for the hummingbird and the flower.

Lighting

Flash duration provided the high speed needed to stop the wing movement.

Equipment

Nikon D300, Sigma 150mm Macro, 2 Nikon SB-600 flashes, Manfrotto tripod.

Inspiration

I was inspired to capture the hummingbird after seeing pictures others had captured. As I studied how other photographers had captured the fast moving little bird it soon became a goal to capture the little bird as it hoovered near it's food source.

Editing

I converted each image into a layer and merged together and erased unwanted portions. Blended black background by burning and painting.

In my camera bag

I have a Nikon D600 that usually has my 80-200 mm f 2.8 and I also have the Nikon D7100 which has my old 16-85 mm lens mounted on it to handle the wide end plus...

Feedback

Read and study what others have done to capture this beautiful bird. High speed capture is needed to stop the motion of the wings but the next thing needed is to incorporate a more pleasing natural background and that is not as easy as you would think with only two flashes. I hope this inspires some of you to try capturing these small,incredibly fast birds.

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