More Hummingbird shots
I have learned the best way to attract hummingbirds to the feeder is to get distracted by something else while waiting, be it a lizard, insects flying around, or other birds. When you try to take the picture of said distraction, the hummingbird will fly to the exact place you pre-focused on that had the best lighting and background. Getting a phone call or text message also helps.
Also, for some strange reason, AF seems to fail when the bird shows up. In the moments where the birds are not to be found, I test the focus and zip along all the areas the birds go to in their little patterns around the feeder and flowers. AF just breezes through and is lighting quick. Does that happen when the hummers show up? NOOOO! It likes to pick up the flowers before and after the bird, or it will hunt and grind through the nice blurred background that it doesn't do when the bird isn't there. I think these hummingbirds have a mystical quality about them, like they have an AF shield/blocker around them. It completely shuts down the usual quick AF system. Luckily, there is a manual override to get Af back into the vicinity.
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Also, for some strange reason, AF seems to fail when the bird shows up. In the moments where the birds are not to be found, I test the focus and zip along all the areas the birds go to in their little patterns around the feeder and flowers. AF just breezes through and is lighting quick. Does that happen when the hummers show up? NOOOO! It likes to pick up the flowers before and after the bird, or it will hunt and grind through the nice blurred background that it doesn't do when the bird isn't there. I think these hummingbirds have a mystical quality about them, like they have an AF shield/blocker around them. It completely shuts down the usual quick AF system. Luckily, there is a manual override to get Af back into the vicinity.
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So that's what they call it!
Actually the conditions were not that bad, but I think the hummers are starting to read the specs of the lenses I use. There were a few times they would fly within the minimum focus of my 120-300 and just hover and stare, as if they were taunting me.
Thanks! That is Pawlina. She adopted my mom and stepdad. Fairhope, AL has a feral cat policy where strays are caught and spay/nuetered, and then put back in the community where willing humans feed them.