More Hummers - some funny

[Butlerkid]

While nothing beats a great hummer shot, sometimes I just get a really funny position or "attitude"!

Enjoy! As always, comments are critiques are VERY MUCH appreciated!

#1 - a "straight" shot

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#2 This one definitely needs a caption. ????

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#3

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#4

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#5

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[okcandids]

Very nice captures. I like #3 the best. Not sure what the caption should be for #2, but it looks like it is singing.

 

[Butlerkid]

Thank you Oren!

For #4 how about: "Sing it! Y- M -C -A ....!

 

[NYracefan]

#3 and #5 may be the 2 best Hummingbird photos I have ever seen. Amazing work. Some very unique angles. Enjoyed this set very much.

 

[HappyFish]

All are really funny but #2 looks like May West, "Why don`t you come up and see me sometime big boy!"

 

[camerapapi]

I have seen your shots before and I have been impressed with your mastery of this type of photography.
To say those pictures, and previous ones, are stunning is a simple understatement. They are among the best I have seen.
Thank you once again for sharing.

William Rodriguez
Miami, Florida.

 

[Bolts]

All of these are amazing shots of an amazing bird, but #5 stands out because of that beautifully fanned tail.

 

[Maji]

All of them are really great images... nice crisp and sharp with clean backgrounds.

 

[james thiel]

These are really well shot. Love the angles and poses you got here. Well done.

 

[alexf]

Excellent shots Karen.

 

[Butlerkid]

#3 and #5 may be the 2 best Hummingbird photos I have ever seen. Amazing work. Some very unique angles. Enjoyed this set very much.

Thank you so much for commenting! After posting these I had "poster's remorse" thinking that they might not be all that interesting to others. The feedback is really important to me.

I have seen your shots before and I have been impressed with your mastery of this type of photography.
To say those pictures, and previous ones, are stunning is a simple understatement. They are among the best I have seen.
Thank you once again for sharing.

William Rodriguez
Miami, Florida.

Funny! I've enjoyed your work over the years!

All of these are amazing shots of an amazing bird, but #5 stands out because of that beautifully fanned tail.

Thank you! The hummer in #5 was sparring with another hummer....in the lower left corner of my frame. The other bird is tack sharp - the half of him that I got in the frame!

 

[Butlerkid]

All are really funny but #2 looks like May West, "Why don`t you come up and see me sometime big boy!"

What a great caption! Hadn't thought of that!

All of them are really great images... nice crisp and sharp with clean backgrounds.

Your feedback is really important. I tried to select only the sharpest images that had the hummer(s) in interesting positions.

These are really well shot. Love the angles and poses you got here. Well done.

Thank you! Hummers are so fast and agile - I wanted to show them in unusual positions.

Excellent shots Karen.

Your response is really appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Jason]

Karen,

Wow...I have been watching your posts in regards to these hummer shots and have been taking notes! I have been meaning to set up a shoot for hummingbirds all year but thus far have only shot using natural light for them.

I am so itching to try a mutli flash set up. Your posts have pushed me over the edge now and it is on my must do list. Few more questions if you don't mind. The floral arrangments to attract the hummers...how are you arranging them? Shepards hook or something to hang them from or something similiar or do you set up your flashes on a natural bush or tree or flower?

In my mind, to control the entire set up, one would need to place the flower just where you would want them. I am very pleased with how your images look. They do not scream FLASH, and appear very natural to my poor eyes. The bg is key here, I think. With the SS and the aperature your using...all ambient would be killed and thus the flashes are the only source of light.

Did you ever vary your SS's to allow more ambient in, etc??? Lastly, at what range where you at in comparision to the hummingbirds? Thanks again for posting...this is an outstanding set of images.

 

[Butlerkid]

Jason,

You have to realize that all credit for my great shots must go to John and Barbara Gerlach and their Hummingbird workshop! I did't know how to use flashes, create set ups or any of this! And they have the perfect location where there are hundreds of hummers that practically ignore photographers! In 1 1/2 hours, I would generally shoot between 100 to as many as 300 photos.

But - I did learn a little! :wink:

First a feeder is put in position for quite a while until the hummers learn where it is. Then you can conceal the feeder tube within a nice potted flower. Be careful that the feeder tube does not show in the photos.

As I've mentioned all flashes are set to 1/32 power. You can move them forward or back to fine tune lighting. No natural light...Camera on manual, WB set to flash. Set shutter speed to synch speed. Use f18-22 ... Shoot like crazy!

I was generally about 6-9 feet from the hummers. I used my D300 and my 70-300 (with VR off) most of the time. For natural light I used my 70-200/2.8 VR.

 

[Humanoid]

Wow!

These are fantastic and love the possitions. You keep raising the bar excellent work!

 

[kc4coj]

Undoubtedly the best Hummingbird pics I've ever seen, great work Karen.

 

[Butlerkid]

Well, I'm so glad you enjoyed the photos. Thank you so much for commenting!

 

[cajun angel]

I love em all! BUT, for a #2, you might say "that flower was this big!"

 

[Butlerkid]

I love em all! BUT, for a #2, you might say "that flower was this big!"

Funny! Many of the flowers WERE much bigger than the hummers!

 

[Hamilton B]

#3 & 5 are my favorites. Great angles and captures!