mpgillespie

California hummingbird

Hummingbirds have fast wings...so fast that it's hard to catch them at even 1-1000 of a second. Pairing a 1-6400 shutter speed with a flash set on high-spe...
Read more

Hummingbirds have fast wings...so fast that it's hard to catch them at even 1-1000 of a second. Pairing a 1-6400 shutter speed with a flash set on high-speed sync makes it easier to accomplish!
Read less

Canon EOS 60D

settings

Aperture f/4 ISO 800 Shutter 1/6400 Focal Length 200/1

upload_date

Jun, 2017

Views

Likes

Awards

Zenith Award

Legendary Award

Peer Choice Award

Superb Composition

Absolute Masterpiece

Outstanding Creativity

Top Choice

Peer Award

Magnificent Capture

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 20 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

I shot this at a friend’s home in Southern California, where they have a hummingbird feeder on the back porch.

Time

It was in the morning, probably around 10am or so.

Lighting

I used a Canon 430EX flash set to high-speed sync so that I could shoot at 1/6400 of a second and try to stop the motion of the hummingbird’s wings.

Equipment

Canon EOS 60D with a 70-200 F4 L series Canon lens, tripod, and the previously mentioned flash unit. Had my focusing set to AI Servo with the camera preset to get birds approaching the feeder.

Inspiration

I love catching high-speed subjects and stopping the action to show all of the details.

Editing

Minor processing in Lightroom to sharpen the details and correct the background lighting (natural sunlight vs. the flash on the bird).

In my camera bag

At that time, I carried the 60D, the 70-200 lens, and a Tokina 11-24mm lens, along with the 430EX flash. Have since replaced some of that gear, and will be buying a Canon EOS R.

Feedback

Experiment with high-speed sync flash...it offers a new way to capture images you might not otherwise be able to get.

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mpgillespie

mpgillespie

California hummingbird

Hummingbirds have fast wings...so fast that it's hard to catch them at even 1-1000 of a second. Pairing a 1-6400 shutter speed with a flash set on high-spe... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow mpgillespie

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Hummingbirds have fast wings...so fast that it's hard to catch them at even 1-1000 of a second. Pairing a 1-6400 shutter speed with a flash set on high-spe...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.