Annas hummingbird feeding on a blue Salvia
May, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this image in my backyard garden that I designed and built to photograph birds of all types - especially hummingbirds. I life in Chino California USA.Time
I take the majority of my images in early morning light or during the Golden hour in the afternoon. I do not use flash.Lighting
The time of day was key - the garden is washed by the rising sun - it's oriented East to West so this image was taken when these Black and Blue Salvia were lit by early morning sunlight.Equipment
I used a Canon 5D Mark III with a Canon 100 to 400mm ISII L series lens. Camera was handheld and I never use flash. I don't use a tripod for my still images as I need the flexibility to move my camera around quickly - as photo opportunities present themselves.Inspiration
I capture and post images of hummingbirds on four Facebook hummingbird pages. I've followers from all over the world who enjoy my images - especially when their hummingbirds have migrated for winter. I also write short stories that compliment the specific images they accompany - from the hummers point of view. I wanted to provide something online that was always enjoyable - non controversial and pleasing to the eye.Editing
I am red/green colorblind, so I shoot only jpeg - can't use raw. I put my images through a photoshop plug in - no longer available - that fine tunes my images as needed. I have removed bird do from branches on occasion but what I capture is what you see.In my camera bag
I carry a microfier lens cloth and cleaner, lens brush and blower, two spare batteries and two additional memory cards. My "go to" lens is a Canon 24 to 70 f2.8 L series zoom. I also carry a Canon 21mm full frame fisheye lens.Feedback
As I'm no longer physically able to take extensive field trips, I chose to bring the wilderness to me by designing and building a space that attracts all kinds of birds and hummingbirds. The garden was designed to draw hummingbirds within range of my lens. This was done by adding a water source - a constantly running fountain - and flowering plants such as the one in this image - that hummingbirds like. Instead of walking around, I sit quietly and let the birds come to me.
