Mother oasis hummingbird feeding her chicks.
Mother oasis hummingbird feeding her chicks.
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Legendary Award
Contest Finalist in Just Hummingbirds Photo Contest
Runner Up in Hummingbirds Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wildlife Babies Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Hummingbirds Photo Contest
Canon 12.1MP Camera
Contest Finalist in The Beauty Of Birds Photo Contest
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Shutterbug_14
March 16, 2017
Beautiful! It's amazing how you captured such a tender moment.
I don't mean to press you but if you're interested, join my challenge. :)
https:// viewbug.com/challenge/hummingbirds-photo-challenge-by-shutterbug-14/gallery
I don't mean to press you but if you're interested, join my challenge. :)
https:// viewbug.com/challenge/hummingbirds-photo-challenge-by-shutterbug-14/gallery
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Behind The Lens
Location
There was a hummingbird nest in a tree next to a friend's driveway here in La Serena, Chile. Every few months, a female would come and lay two eggs in the nest. The nest itself was about 10 feet off the ground, but by standing on a nearby retaining wall, we could see the mother and the chicks inside. I would check on the nest each day to see how the babies were doing. More often than not, the chicks would be asleep and their backs would be facing me if the mother wasn't sitting on them. One afternoon, the mother returned to feed these two demanding chicks while I was sitting close by with my camera and, fortunately, one of the chicks was facing the camera with his mouth wide open.Time
I took this in the late afternoon, which is a time that I see a lot of hummingbird activity in the area.Lighting
Late afternoon sun to the right and behind subject. Not the best light.Equipment
Nikon D7000 105mm F/2.8 lensInspiration
I love watching and photographing hummingbirds. This was the first time I had observed a hummingbird nest and I knew that watching a mother lay her eggs and raise her chicks was special. Much of the time that I was observing the nest the mother was either sitting on the nest obscuring the chicks or she was off feeding and the chicks were just sleeping. Rather boring to watch, really. I wanted to capture something that showed interaction between the mother and her young. Feeding time was it!Editing
I cropped the photo to remove some empty space around the subject. I also lightly sharpened the photo and added a small amount of clarity and contrast.In my camera bag
I shoot with either a Nikon D7000 and a 28-300mm lens or an Olympus OMD-EM1 with a 40-150mm f/2.8 lens.Feedback
Patience and practice. If you watch hummingbirds long enough, you will notice behavior patterns such as where they like to perch and watch their territory, what time they feed, what flowers they like, sounds they make, etc. This helps to identify opportunities for photographing them. And, if you are out there often enough, they will lose their fear of you and enable you to get closer for better shots.