Hummingbird _-2
Hummingbird.
Hummingbird.
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May, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I photographed this hummingbird at my home.Time
This hummingbird was captured in the afternoon before my shutter speeds became too challenging.Lighting
As the light diminishes toward the end of the day the shutter speeds tend to suffer. I like to try to keep my ISO settings as low as possible for image quality but if your shutter speeds are too slow one may as well push the ISO settings. Sharp focus takes precedence over the effects of high ISO settings. In this photograph the ISO setting was 1600 giving me a shutter speed of 1/640th of a second while using a 80-400mm zoom in addition to a 1.4X multiplier giving the camera a total of 550mm.Equipment
The camera body used in this photograph is a Nikon D610 topped with a Nikon 80-400mm zoom lens and a 1.4X multiplier. Also used for this photograph was a solid Manfrotto tripod and smooth Gimbal head.Inspiration
My Mother was alive when this photograph was taken. She loved hummingbirds but in her elder years I knew she couldn't see them as well as she once could. I wanted to show her the best way that I could how beautiful these little birds are up close. The Hummingbird in itself draws inspiration.Editing
My post-processing is pretty simple. I use "Adobe Lightroom" and for me the simpler the better. I crop all of my images and make adjustments to the exposure if needed and bring out the true colors of the image.In my camera bag
I carry a sturdy tripod, one camera body, two lens (28-300mm zoom and 80-400mm zoom). I have several soft cleaning cloths and lens cleaning solution. I also carry a "Rocket Blaster"and a soft brush... I also carry extra batteries a predator call and a wireless remote shutter release.Feedback
My goal with this hummingbird image was to get as close as I could using a 550mm zoom lens. I used the humming bird feeder as a point of reference/my focal distance, knowing that the hummingbirds would be in that area... I set up my tripod slightly outside my minimal focal distance and started waiting. This wasn't one of those situations with lots and lots of hummingbirds, in fact it was quite slow. However I suggest while you wait you take test shots from time to time to make sure your settings are where you want them as the light changes throughout the day. Trust your camera and don't hesitate with the shutter release. Don't let em get away! :)
