Happiness
Rufous Hummingbird, Milwaukie, Oregon
Rufous Hummingbird, Milwaukie, Oregon
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Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo from my fourth-floor apartment deck in Milwaukie, Oregon. I am fortunate to look out over a combe full of Douglas firs and oak trees that has remained untouched despite about 150 years of development in Milwaukie. I have a hummingbird feeder hanging off the deck rail, and when the little guys come in for some nectar, I can get close enough for a shot.Time
About 9:30 a.m. Of course, the hummingbirds only feed during daylight hours, and I get my best shots in the morning.Lighting
This day worked particularly well, first, because it was sunny (we get a lot of overcast in Oregon), and second, because the light was just right to catch the iridescent gorget. Most of the time, those feathers on a hummingbird, as well as the head feathers on some males, look plain and dark. The light has to strike the throat just right to see the shimmer of color.Equipment
Shot with my Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ70, no special lens, and a tripod.Inspiration
I love taking pictures of birds, especially hummingbirds, and that morning I heard a hummingbird voice outside that I did not recognize. (Our most common hummingbirds here in the Portland, Oregon, area are Anna's Hummingbirds, and I know their voice well.) I grabbed my camera and what did I see but a Rufous! For the rest of that day in early August and the next day, I spent time with my tripod trained on the feeder. The Rufous were busy, and the Anna's males were concerned. There were a few skirmishes, I can tell you. Those two days are the only time I've ever seen a Rufous, and I'm glad a got a bunch of shots. The Anna's stay all year round, while the Rufous migrate. These little Rufous were no doubt starting their migration, from as far north as Canada, and are probably in Baja by now.Editing
I used Lightroom 6 for developing the RAW original. Nothing special, mostly sharpening, noise reduction, and working with the highlights and shadows to compensate for backlighting.In my camera bag
I'm an amateur, and my only camera is the DMC-FZ70. When I go out to take photos, I always bring along a monopod and a tripod.Feedback
For hummingbird photos in general, set up a hummingbird feeder with fresh nectar (a simple syrup of one cup water to 1/4 cup sugar), set up a tripod, and be patient. They will discover the feeder, and then they will get used to you. My exposure settings were 1/50 sec at f / 5.6, which allowed the wings to appear as a semitransparent blur. (The wings move so fast that you would need a shutter speed in excess of 1/2000 sec or an external flash array to "freeze" them.)
