kathyk_abq

Is there room for me?

Hummingbird coming in for a landing on the feeder.

Hummingbird coming in for a landing on the feeder.
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NIKON D5300

settings

Aperture f/5.6 ISO 400 Shutter 1/250 Focal Length 2000/10

upload_date

Aug, 2015

Views

910

Likes

+200

Awards

Staff Winter Selection 2015

Peer Award

+27

Absolute Masterpiece

+18

Magnificent Capture

+17

Top Choice

+17

Superb Composition

Superior Skill

All Star

Outstanding Creativity

Love it

Emotions

Impressed

Happy

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Categories

AWESOME, would be soo proud of this shot :)

Thanks, Danny! :)

It is awesome Kathy! A gorgeous capture!

Thanks so much, Anita! :)

Stunning stop action capture of this hummer.

Yep, still breathless!!! Wow.

Stunning shot!! :)

PRO

Great shot!

PRO+

WOW! Amazing!

Amazing shot Kathy :)

Platinum

Perfection Kathy I wish we had Humming birds in England!

Platinum

What a stunning capture, Kathy!

Terrific capture!

Great capture!!Congrats!

Platinum

aweome shot so hard to get this sort of shot perfect love it

Platinum

Great capture!

PRO

Excellent skill displayed. Voted. Win again.

Awesome, voted Show Movement

How do you get such great shots of these humming birds? They are so tiny and so fast!

Award winning capture of this beautiful animal. congratulations on your award!

nice capture
good shoot

Ultimate

Nice and Sharp ......Superb :)))

Congrats !

Beautiful action shot Kathy!

PRO+

Gorgeous capture Kathy.

perfect picture

Stunning action shot

PRO+

What a beautiful shot!!

Nice work!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Show Movement

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this shot of a juvenile hummer on my back deck, which is a very hummingbird-friendly place!

Time

It was around 4pm and the hummingbirds were starting to swarm.

Lighting

We had high overcast that day with the possibility of rain, which made great natural light for photography. This kind of weather also tends to make the birds swarm, as they worry about getting enough to eat before it rains.

Equipment

I was using my Nikon D5300 body with a 55-200 lens. I never use a tripod or flash when photographing any of the birds. They are too fast to use a tripod, and I think flash ruins the natural colors. I usually use shutter-priority when shooting the birds.

Inspiration

Hummingbirds are such beautiful creatures and very challenging to photograph, especially in mid-air. I set photographic goals for myself all the time, and capturing hummers or any birds in flight is one of them. I am always ecstatic when I actually capture a hummingbird as they are so small. Birds always inspire me with their beauty and behaviours; and, when seen close-up, they have amazing facial expressions! They make great photographic subjects.

Editing

I did very little post-processing here other than a slight adjustment in contrast. I was pleased with the background and, while the bird could have been sharper, I wanted to show the movement in the wings.

In my camera bag

My Nikon D5300 almost always has a Nikon 55-300mm lens on it, but I also carry a Nikon 40mm macro and 18-55mm zoom. Every lens has a Hoya circular polarizer, and there is a 4-stop ND filter in my bag for the wide-angle zoom. I do keep an old Bogen tripod with pan and tilt head with me whenever I'm out shooting and in my kitchen otherwise. It's heavy but solid. Of course, I have several cards and microfiber cleaning cloths. My bag is always packed and ready to go!

Feedback

I have been doing a lot of bird photography in the past couple of years and have found I need to do things a lot differently than with most of the photography I did in the past. I use spot focus most of the time, as the birds are small and difficult for the camera to focus on. I also set a higher ISO (400-800) and use a shutter-priority setting when photographing birds. With still subjects I prefer an ISO of 100 and aperature priority or manual. I find that if I stand outside long enough for the birds to forget I'm there, I have a better chance of getting a good shot. I love overcast light, but we have a lot of sunshine where I live. I try to shoot earlier or later in the day with the sun behind me. When getting close up, I change the metering system a lot depending on the light around the subject. You need to know which settings you will use the most and where they are, because the birds are so fast! I don't bracket - the birds don't sit still long enough! Get to know the birds in your area and what is needed to attract them. I have found this kind of photography very challenging and rewarding.

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kathyk_abq

kathyk_abq

Is there room for me?

Hummingbird coming in for a landing on the feeder.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow kathyk_abq

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