Todays Hummer @ feeder

[Christine]

Waited and waited for this little guy...i was hoping to get one in flight, but no luck today
taken with my SX50HD

 

[arlinescott]

Lovely shot Christine!

 

[Bill Anderson]

Once you get the extension cord for your cable shutter release, mount your camera on a tripod with the camera locked into the shot you want. Then plant a comfortable chair where you have a view of the hummer's incoming flight path, which isn't necessarily the same spot as your camera. When you see one coming in, start firing away using your camera's most rapid burst setting. Not every shot will be in focus, but you are bound to get a few good ones of the landing sequence.

We humans cannot react quickly enough to shoot a hummer's take-off, so continue firing 3-5 shot bursts while the hummer is perched on the feeder. Eventually you will be firing as it takes off. I may go through hundreds of "perching" shots just to get one or two good take off shots.

One other tip: you will need a shutter speed of at least 1/2000 to begin to "freeze" the hummer's wings. Once you get experience shooting the hummers, consider adding a flash to fill in the inevitable shadows and enable you to shoot at faster shutter speeds during our many days of less than ideal lighting.

Great hummer photo ops on my back deck that I have missed because I was not properly set up: one hovering a few feet from my cat to check her out and one hovering by my camera + large telephoto lens mounted on a tripod to check it out.

One last piece of info: check out the various types of hummer feeders. Some designs offer better views of the birds perched at the feeders than others.

 

[Christine]

Thanks Bill.. i do put my camera on a tripod when i am in the back yard.. only problem is the cord is so short i am right up next to the tripod. When i get the long one i can sit in the house and wait this one was taken ou tfront thru my kitchen window... They are so much fun to watch. To me is very challenging and a "waiting' game..

I had purchased a 'flat feeder' but the birds didnt like it... it was a cheapie one anyways..

I will print out your post so i can keep it in my notes! thanks again

 

[Terry O]

Always challenging to capture these. Patience is the ticket, but something I seem to be short of . Keep trying. Since this is a female Rufous, hopefully you can capture the male - the tiniest of the hummers in our neck of the woods, I think.

 

[photographmemories]

Nice capture, Christine.

Thanks for sharing!



Chad

 

[Terry O]

BTW, Christine, I have found the 'flat' feeders do work best (at least for me). This shot shows the type of feeder and a male rufous, taken then morning - (I keep trying for an in-flight shot, but this little guy keep eluding me)