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 p.1 #10 · Just another hummer shots | |
wing tong wrote:
Another great set! The colors certainly sparkles. What's the secret to shooting hummers? Are you sitting there with camera on tripod waiting for these guys to show up and are you using a flash? What's your lens of choice? Thanks.
The secret to shooting hummers? It's all about the setup. I shoot hummers in a
controlled environment,an outdoor studio setup.
First, you'll need to attract hummers. A feeder is a good start and I use it ,too.
But the feeder has some problems. You'll almost always get a part of the feeder
in the image or the hummer will hang on a perch,stop hovering.
To avoid these problems, I put my feeder on a stand,taping off all the feeder's holes with Scotch Tape. Next, using a clamp and a water pic with a piece of
flower,I position the flower right above the feeder and drop some sugar water on
the flower's petals. This way,not only the hummer won't stay on the feeder but also
it has to hover around the flower to get food. Once the hummer found where the food was,you're 50% done.
If you want to use only natural light, you can do it but make sure you'll get a good light so that you'll be able to use a fast shutter speed,at least 1/800 or faster.
I use 5 flashes and a 300 f/4-AFS+tripod. 2 flashes on both sides of the camera at about 45 degrees,slightly above the flower. The 3rd flash is a belly flash. You put this flash right under your lens,aiming at the hummer. This flash is necessary to eliminate the shadow caused by the two side flashes. The 4th flash is an overhead one and the last one for the BG. And all 5 flashes fire simutaneously and wirelessly.
By taking series of flower test shots,you adjust the exposure by using the camera's histograph. I used f/9,1/250,iso 400.
And then,just wait for the hummers to show up. And lots of patience. 
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Edward Rotberg wrote:
Hide, you must be down So. Cal. way, or maybe in AZ. That's one gorgeous Costas Hummingbird male that you've captured so beautifully here. Well done! 
Thank you, Edward. I'm glad you like them.  I live in So,CA and in my area,Costa's are everywhere.
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z06jim wrote:
Excellent job, awesome shots.... 
Thanks for looking and your comments.
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surfnron wrote:
More nice stuff from the Hide. Great detail, lovely colors and a wonderful bg. The comps are very nice too ~ Ron
Thank you,Ron. I wanted to stay longer to get more shots but I couldn't due to
the heat.
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CarlG wrote:
Truly outstanding - some of the best images I've seen on this board!!
I appreciate your kind words,Carl. Hummingbird photography is addictive.
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Thomas Sanders wrote:
Magnificent set Hide, you had a good morning 
Tom
Thank you,Tom. I had a bottle of water and I drank it all within 2 hours. I didn't feel
any fatigue till I came inside the house. After I ate my lunch,I really really felt tired.
Of course, I'm not as young as I used to be.
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Karl Witt wrote:
#2 Hide rocks! Love the detail on the hummer and the lighting is exquisite. The flowere seems to have a great exposure balance on it where as it appears a bit too bright in the other images. Interesting to see them at a white flower too. Splendid work on all three of the hummers bodies. BG is wonderful, love the variations and coloring in it
Karl 
Wow!. thank you,Karl. You know,I'm always amazed by your keen eyes. You pointed out the exact issues I wanted to solve or achieve. This flower has actually faint pink color and becasue of that weak color,it doesn't show much because of the flashes. I paid more attention to the exposure so that the whole image would not look like an abvious flash shot.
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waldr_p wrote:
What a way to spend a morning.
These shots are smashing.
Paul.
I appreciate for looking and your comments,Paul.
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Edited on Jul 02, 2009 at 08:13 PM · View previous versions
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