DSC_5466
Feb, 2016Views
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arty1
April 09, 2016
Wow! I love this. Thanks for liking one of my photos. I would love to know what sort of lens you use for this shot.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this photo in my hummingbird studio. A.K.A my front porch. I have a feeder there that the birds visit constantly during the summer months. I set up my equipment to catch the hummers coming and going from the feeder and interacting with each other.Time
This was taken during the middle of the day when the sun on the background is bright. Because of the technique I use to stop the action of the birds wings I need a brightly lit background to achieve the colors I want. If there is not enough light I will only get the exposure on the bird and a black background.Lighting
A ruby throated hummingbird such as this can beat it's wings as much as 200 beats per second so to stop that motion and properly expose the bird takes a very high shutter speed. I use multiple flash units set to 1/16th or 1/32nd power to give a very short impulse of light which does the trick nicely and gives me ample light for a good exposure.Equipment
For this type of shot I use my Nikon d7000 with a Nikon 16-85 f 3.5-5.6 lens or sometimes a Tokina 11-16 f 2.8. I also use 3 manual flashes controlled by the camera flash and 4 tripods to mount everything.Inspiration
I find the hummingbirds fascinating to watch and wanted to show the beauty and elegance that is otherwise hard to see because of their tiny size and quick movements. I love shooting wildlife and want to show people a side to the natural world that they might not ordinarily see.Editing
I try to get the shot as close to what I want as possible with the camera but I do shoot RAW so I have some ability to adjust the lighting and colors to reflect the actual bird. Sometimes I will also add a bit of blur to a busy background.In my camera bag
I primarily photograph animals, nature and landscapes so I carry my d7000 with one of my flashes, a solid tripod, a Nikon 16-85 lens, a Tokina 11-16, a Nikon 70-300, and a Sigma 150-600 contemporary for the long shots.Feedback
For anyone who is interested in trying these types of shots I recommend checking for tutorials online as there are several good ones that show how to do this in great detail. I started that way and have adapted some of the techniques to suit my own needs and wants. I recommend at least 3 flashes (4 would be better) all on tripods with manual capabilities and triggered optically from the cameras onboard flash. Be patient and take lots ( and I do mean lots ) of shots. I routinely shoot several hundred photos in a sitting and sometimes only end up with 1 or 2 keepers. Set the camera to focus on an area a few inches from where the birds like to hover and lock it there. When the bird enters that plane shoot. Use a cable release or a remote of some kind. Let the birds feed sometimes without shooting to so they are not unduly disturbed. Mostly have fun, relax and enjoy the show. These are beautiful and fascinating little birds.
