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RoseLWilliams

Hummingbird & Banana flower

Hummingbird visiting family garden in Trinidad

Hummingbird visiting family garden in Trinidad
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Canon PowerShot A2200

settings

Aperture 59/10 ISO 160 Shutter 1/500 Focal Length 20/1

upload_date

Jan, 2017

Views

227

Likes

+11

Awards

Action Award

Zenith Award

Legendary Award

Peer Choice Award

Top Choice

+12

Absolute Masterpiece

+12

Outstanding Creativity

+11

Superb Composition

Peer Award

All Star

Superior Skill

Magnificent Capture

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank

Top 30 rank week 1

Top 30 rank week 2

Top 20 rank week 1

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

I was poking around my Aunt Savi's garden in Brickfield, Central Trinidad & Tobago, looking for ripe mangoes when I spotted action around the banana flower. It required a great deal of patience as I waited for the hummingbird to return and enter my frame, an ideal example of the immersion into nature and attention to detail that reflect my creative process in both photography and painting.

Time

Life in a sleepy village in the Caribbean, wrapped in the comfort of family rhythm. The sound of chickens clucking, Bollywood music playing on the radio, Tassa drum practice next door and Cricket fans egging the Batter on behind the garden. Breakfast a couple hours ago, the fragrance of eggplant roasting for lunch is the perfect time to pick a sweet, ripe mango for a mid morning snack, the birds and pollinators filling the garden with activity. Late March, after the maelstrom of Carnival, before the celebrations of Easter, a calm moment of appreciation of Nature and connection near the end of Dry Season abundance.

Lighting

Mid morning sunshine in the Tropics can be a tricky time of day, with the bright sun washing out colour and detail. Waiting for a cloud to alleviate the harsh light allows the bird's details to shine. This shot is one illuminated bird among many in deep shadow shot at the same time. Capturing a moving target reflecting iridescence in the sun is simply a matter of staying still and patient when you are not relying on a tripod, telephoto lens or artificial lighting. Motivation and love of your subject matter goes a long way towards shooting the perfect photo.

Equipment

Canon Powershot A2200 with a standard lens that I had borrowed from my cousin! Small travel camera that I grabbed when my own fancy Canon Vixia HV30 battery had expired. It's not the camera that determines the quality of the shot but the commitment to your subject and your creative vision that are conveyed.

Inspiration

Hummingbirds are native to the Americas only, Trinidad & Tobago is home to 19 species of these amazing creatures, which I learned at Yerette, a hummingbird sanctuary in St. Joseph Trinidad. Surrounded by literally hundreds of the iridescent aeronauts at the sanctuary, I had an unforgettable spiritual experience. Since then I carry a camera with me specifically to capture pollinators in order to highlight their plight, their crucial role in agriculture and their uncanny beauty.

Editing

My first career was as a Darkroom technician and Photography studio manager, shooting Hasselblad, developing film, printing with an enlarger dodging and burning. With digital images, I usually keep post processing to a minimum as I find it too tempting and easy to overdo it. In this image I reduced the brightness of the sky, lowered the chroma of the highlights and cropped in a bit.

In my camera bag

I was rear ended in 2009 and left with a C6-C7 blown spinal disc. Carrying anything over 6 lbs is crippling. My Fuji XT20 with 16-50 lens is a Godsend as it is light as a feather. Found a 1940's retro leather camera bag that just fits the camera and protects it from the Vancouver and Tropical rains really well. I carry a lightweight single leg tripod for speed and accuracy as they are so easy to add to any traveling setup. Frustrated by too many blurry bird images and about to add a telephoto lens to my repertoire...

Feedback

Birds of any species tend to exemplify the visual effect of iridescence. Iridescence is dependent upon light, the angle, the quality the colour and how directly it illuminates your subject. Studying your subject matter before you shoot the photo is ideal, becoming familiar with their movements, habits and food sources allows you to anticipate the shot. With birds, bees and most pollinators try to set up your focus and exposure on the food source, the flower, and WAIT. Patience and a fast shutter speed gives you the best chance of capturing such an evanescent, colourful and moving subject.

See more amazing photos, follow RoseLWilliams

RoseLWilliams

RoseLWilliams

Hummingbird & Banana flower

Hummingbird visiting family garden in Trinidad

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow RoseLWilliams

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