The Bird and the Bee
Aug, 2015Views
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Magnificent Capture
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michaelbogert
August 28, 2015
Thank You Judges for the "Thumbs Up" award. It is most inspiring.
I also have to add that looking through the work of others on this site is most humbling. I only wish I could be in some of the locations you people get to photograph, but after seeing what you have done with those locations I see how I can try to improve on what is before me. Thank you all for the inspiration to be better.
I also have to add that looking through the work of others on this site is most humbling. I only wish I could be in some of the locations you people get to photograph, but after seeing what you have done with those locations I see how I can try to improve on what is before me. Thank you all for the inspiration to be better.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken during one of my many summer trips to my park home on Fox Lake in Beltrami county, Minnesota.Time
My average day at the lake usually involves a morning hike, and afternoon hike, and an evening hike looking for any type of interesting or actions shots. When this photo was taken it could have been during any one of those times as numerous campers have hummingbird feeders and I almost always stop at a busy one to snap a number of shots.Lighting
When shooting hummingbirds I always try have the sun to my back for the best chance of getting well lit wings or bellies as well as trying to shoot up or down to best show the entire body of the bird. It seems to be a rare occasion when I'm shooting at the same plain as the bird that I get a shot worth keeping unless the line of flight is perfectly perpendicular to my line of sight.Equipment
This shot, as most of my hummingbird photos, was a hand held Nikon D3200 with just the kit 55-200 lens. I took this while just relearning how to take photos as I hadn't done any photography since high school (graduated 1975 - my how things have changed). I believe at this time I had the camera in shutter priority @ 1/2000 and the camera set the rest at f 5.6 and an ISO @ 400.Inspiration
My better half keeps saying to me, "haven't you got enough (hummingbird, loon, eagle, etc.) photos yet?" No! Now way. Capturing birds in flight is a never ending challenge. There will always be plenty of good ones, and a fewer number of best ones. But you will never know when you captured your greatest one until you can't push the shutter anymore, and for me, I hope it's then that some one else decides which was my greatest shot.Editing
When I shot this I was brand new to Photoshop. I actually went back and looked at what I did. Very minor adjustments (I think I'll give it a second edit now that I know a little more about post editing - lol) so basically just cropped.In my camera bag
As a renewed beginner I have just the basics in my bag. A Nikon D3200 that came with 2 kit lenses: 18-55, and 55-200. I've added the 55-300. I also have one 10-stop ND filter and a couple of tripods (I went on a photo vacation where I planned on shooting some waterfalls and forgot to pack my tripod. Picked up a second one. Now I keep one at the lake and one at home so I'm never without). But more important then my beginners package is a battery charger and 3 batteries as well as 3 memory cards. No matter how good you equipment is it won't do you any good with out backup power and memory.Feedback
When photographing hummingbirds the background in combination with depth of field becomes very important. A sky seems to highlight them best - no distractions. It becomes obvious what the focus of the photo is. Although shooting at an aperture that offers some depth of field will yield a better photo showing the entire bird in focus, any background such as tree branches, flowers, or a fence may cause a distraction to the viewers eye. If there is no choice on the background, setting your aperture to create a background of bokeh can yield very rewarding photos. Oh, and back button focus in continuous mode will also give you a better chance of catching the action, especially when one starts to hoover. Good luck, and have fun! That's the most important part.
