My first hummingbird. ;)

System

Had my first hummingbirds comming in to feeder today .. and i cought a few snaps..
but i just can't get them to pop.. lighting was tough overcast,under the eve of house kinda in a corner.. mostly i just brightened and slight sharpen.. and any help for a rookie would be appreciated .. eq. 20d,70-200 2.8 at 200mm ap3.5 shutter ? no flash..

Dick on Aruba

Nice captures Curtis. Here's where a fill-flash can do a great job.

Thanks for sharing.

Dick.

Awais Yaqub

Agree about fill slash but shots are really cool especially in flight

System

thanks for the comments .. i give it a try..

windoze

this is probably the wrong advice so DONT LISTEN to me!!
anyway, if i was in your place id probably have increased exposure compensation.... i dont like to use fill flash on birds, it scares them i think...but i guarantee you this.....
the more you practice the better your pictures get!


troy

System

see that was another problem .. i had switch to jpeg for some stuff and did not get back to raw ... :cry yes i could have bumped the exposure there ....i will keep working .. i need ext. tubes...

windoze

allensphoto wrote:

see that was another problem .. i had switch to jpeg for some stuff and did not get back to raw ... :cry yes i could have bumped the exposure there ....i will keep working .. i need ext. tubes...

the 70-200 IMHO is long enough, but of course the extra reach is nice...

troy

System

it just doesn't seem like i can get them tack sharp?

windoze

allensphoto wrote:

it just doesn't seem like i can get them tack sharp?

shoot at a higher ISO ( I use ISO 800 ), Av mode, plan the picture,

the hummingbirds are somewhat predictable, they land , they hover, they land etc..... make sure you use a monopod or lean against something to brace yourself...



troy

Brooks P

Keep trying, it'l come to you.
I suspect one of your problems is camera shake. Many people don’t realize how little movement it takes to make the edges in a photo blur. We are talking only a few ten-thousandth of an inch. On a Canon 20D the sensor is 0.885mm or 0.590 inches wide, and across the sensor is 3,504 pixels. That means there is a pixel every 0.00025 of an inch. If your sensor, or the image on the sensor, moves just 25 ten-thousandth of an inch you have a one pixel wide blur. If it moves 25 one-thousandth of an inch, you have a ten pixel blur and that is more than a tenth of an inch on my monitor (Sony 17” 87 pixels per inch).

The flash helps because the shutter speed effectively becomes the flash duration, and that tends to be much faster than the 1/500 sec you used. I don’t understand your exif data because it says your focal length was equivalent to 777mm (on 35mm full frame), yet it shows a true focal length of 200mm. I thought the 20D had a factor of about 1.6, which would make 200mm the equivalent of 320mm.

The other is exposure. Your pictures are too dark.


The picture you displayed is rather small, but I adjusted the Levels, D-Lighting, USM, and added a Color Control Point, and I think it looks better.




Here is a Hummer taken under the eaves of our house, using a flash. Humming birds don’t seem to be bothered by the flash, yes they jump a little, but no more than they do at the sound of the shutter. At least that is my experience. After a few shots, they pretty much ignore you.
220mm Focal Length, 800 ISO, 1/500 @ F/14, SunPak 383 flash

bfjr

not a bad 1st.
like others a fill flash would of been big time help. Animals do not fear flash it may startle them at 1st, and that's a good sign because it's telling you your flash is to strong turn it down. The best compliment you can receive on fill flash is when your viewers don't know you used it.

Since you said you were just starting, then might I suggest skipping the feeder route and planting the kind of succulents which attract your intended subject.

JMHO mind you but I think feeders "suck" . To me they kill the look of an otherwise slendid image.

This is what you can shot just with some stealth and patience. No other special set up used

jwear

our advice here is on deaf ears but if your shot and the others is not a tail in it's self - machine gunning and fill flash not good --what the he-- is that about -does anyone look at national geo the things they do make me sick :cry what Ben just said goes triple for me, I love captures the things you very seldom see with the naked eye and if you do not go the extra mile those will not be yours . this is not a big hit just another view of what is .use everything you have but ALWAYS ALWAYS have respect for the animals .These babys even flashed got feed and then some of you took their picture as adults the only rules that work are those you make for your self

windoze

GIVE ME A BREAK...

Check this out!


http://www.rpphoto.com/howto/hummer/humguide1.asp


troy

bfjr

windoze wrote:

GIVE ME A BREAK...

Check this out!


http://www.rpphoto.com/howto/hummer/humguide1.asp


troy

Excellent link
But what to do you want broken??

System

thank to all who have replyed .. i think i need to plan my shoot.. i was so suprised to see him i just grabed and sharted shooting.. i have noticed today it was drinking at a flower i have in the back yard i would optimually like to capture it in it' natural setting .. i may work on a plan to stalk it at the flower... thanks for the help .. keep up the comments i am trying to take it all in...