Photographing Hummingbirds
plus Photo Tips for Fast Action Photography
A Day of Fun and Learning
-
Hummingbird Photography Workshops by Judy Bingman and
Meggi Raeder
As the sun rose, it promised to be a clear and warm day in
the Santa Cruz Mountains. As we were getting ready filling up all
hummingbird feeders, the tiny birds were right there to get their
breakfast. It is so amazing how they
buzz around the feeders, sharing each one with many other of their
‘relatives’. Different from my garden in
Palo Alto, where I often have one
dominant male that might not want to share ‘his’ feeder with anyone else.
In Judy’s garden in the
Santa Cruz
Mountains, there are about 10+
feeders in various locations among the red hot pokers (also known as Torch
Lily,
Kniphofia/Red Hot Poker Lilies), lantana,
and other flowering, nectar-carrying plants that all attract hummingbirds.
By 8am, our group
of 6 photographers participating in the workshop arrived and set up their
cameras and lenses to get ready for a day of fun and learning. To get everyone started, we first discussed
some of the behaviors of these tiny flying ‘machines’. Weighing approximately 0.1 ounce and being
the tiniest birds, they are strong and enduring during their migration from the
northern areas to the southern hemisphere where they over-winter. Amazingly, hummingbirds beat their wings at a
rate of 40-80 per second and they can fly up to 30 miles per hour. Some hummingbird species cross the Gulf
of Mexico on their migration route to Florida
without being able to land [in contrast to the shorebirds that can always rest
on the water]. Their heart beat is very
fast at 500-1200 beats per minute to create the energy – yet at night when they
rest perched on trees or nests, it drops to ~50 beats to conserve energy. Due to all of this energy consumption, they
need to feed continuously on nectar or insects (protein source) that they catch
in flight.
The most striking features of hummingbirds are their
iridescent plumage, particularly on the neck.
There are New World
most of which are found in the tropics.
In all of North America, about 112 species have
been observed, with 26 in Mexico,
17 in the USA
and Canada. In California,
about 12 species have been reported and in the Bayarea the Anna and Allen
Hummingbird are the most seen in our local backyards, with an occasional Rufus
passing by. In the Santa
Cruz Mountains,
the hummingbirds have been seen all winter if there is a food source. With feeders provided, one might see the
birds all year round.
about 340 species of hummingbirds in the
Observation, Practice
and Patience
As in all wildlife photography, before setting up the
equipment and starting photographing, it is very important to observe and learn
the behavior and movement of the subjects to be able to anticipate what actions
they will take. For our hummingbirds, we
studied their approach to the feeders to be able to capture them on and off the
feeders. By knowing that the birds will
approach the feeder usually from 1 or 2 directions, and once landed often will
go on and off the feeder several times, it is possible to capture their
different body postures including the interesting tail flaring when they
interact with other birds on or near the feeder.
A Day of Fun and Learning
After everyone was set up, quiet descended over the garden
as we all were concentrating on the hummingbirds. Participants migrated from one feeder to the
next with different angles to the sun and backdrops to try different overall
compositions. In the afternoon heat, we
all gathered on the shaded porch and photographed from there escaping the hot
afternoon sun.
Without fail, during the day everyone captured the
fascinating tiny hummingbirds and it is rewarding to see the outcome at the end
of the workshop. Here are some images
from the workshops participants using varying tele lenses to capture these tiny
birds:
Image by Susan
Image by Chris
Image by Jan - competition at the feeder
Image by Susan, titled: Hello there
Image by Susan
Susan, who had attended a previous hummingbird workshop and
who came back after renting a longer tele lens and equipment, was among the
most dedicated and her perseverance sure paid off for her. At home, Susan has a garden with native
plants, and she photographs the birds and bees right from her desk where she
writes poetry and novels for young reader.
She tells me:
“When I don't have a camera in my hand I am usually at the
computer, working on poetry or my next novel for young people. And if I'm not
there, I'm in my art studio working on my mixed-media pieces that usually
combine my love of photography, dogs, and poetry. Nothing ever feels like work
because I am always having so much fun. Breaks are strictly enforced by Zoey,
my rescued white German Shepherd, with her frequent demands for walks, games of
chase, and agility training.
You can find her work at these links:
At the end of the day, we were all exhausted but happy. It is impossible not to smile at these tiny birds, how they are strong, territorial, defending their food source and yet when there are many around, they do share.
Before closing, I would like to share some of the Photo Tips that I prepare for my workshops participants in a Quick Guide so they can take it home and refer to it next time out in the field. These photo tips are broadly applicable to any fast action photography in nature or also in sports, dance and other settings that require quick and continuous shooting:
Photo Tips for
Hummingbirds, birds and other wildlife
[Fast Action
Photography]
During my photographic journey I have photographed wildlife during the last 7 years – from big game in Africa,
polar bears in Canada,
grizzlies and bald eagles in Alaska
to the raptors, shorebirds and the tiniest of hummingbirds - there are certain
settings on the camera that will serve as a starting point when capturing of
wildlife. Since the movement can never
be anticipated for certain, it is important to set the camera to a fast shutter
speed and shallow depth of field (large aperture). But first, let’s look at the equipment.
Camera Equipment I
use:
Nikon D7000 (Dx format) and D700 (Fx format)
Tele lenses: Nikkor
70-200mm, Nikkor 70-300mm and Nikkor 200-400mm lens (my favorite)
1.4x Nikon Teleconverter
Wimberley tripod head
Monfrotto Tripod (sturdy!)
Nikon SB800 flash with Better Beamer Flash extension (for
further reach)
Quantum External Battery (to accommodate continuous flashing
during continuous shooting)
Nikon Cable Release
Camera Settings – as
starting point:
Here are my starting settings that will be varied according
to the light, the size and speed of the wildlife that I am photographing, and
the environment:
Shutter speed:
1/1000 or faster
Aperture: f/6.3
or 7.1 [shallow depth of field to blur the background. Note: with larger animals, an increase in
depth of field might be required, e.g. f/8 or 10]
ISO dialed up to achieve these settings: typically between 640 and 1250
-- [note with the newer cameras, higher ISO settings are
quit acceptable due to low noise]
Depending on the light situation, I will add an external
flash with a Better Beamer [essentially a Fresnel lens to extend the reach of
the flash light] to create some fill flash light specifically if the sunlight
is harsh and if the sun illuminates the scene in such a way that the animals
are shaded towards the camera.
Important: When using
a flash, it is imperative to set the camera on manual exposure mode to achieve
the above settings. To achieve the right
additional light from the flash, I use the flash exposure compensation to
(mostly) soften the flash light ( “-“ exposure adjustment).
Practice and Patience
I have not always been a patient person, but wildlife
photography has taught me that patience is a necessary ingredient when trying
to capture subjects that cannot be directed to perform! When out in the field, I always schedule extra
time – sometimes several extra days – to increase the potential for good
images. Not only the animals might be
shy and elusive, but the weather is an important factor. [We are fortunate in California
of having very stable great weather during most of the year. But this is not the case in other locations!]
As for practice, even after many years of focusing on
wildlife, after a period of time, I notice that the hand-eye coordination can
get ‘rusty’. To practice at the
beginning of the season, I have my tripod and camera/lens at my back door and
enjoy the hummingbirds and finches/titmouse/chickadee and other small birds and
squirrels that come to my feeders in my garden.
Since the angle of view is very narrow when using a long tele lens
(400mm and longer), coming prepared with a good sense of where your lens is
pointing to capture a flying birds increases the success rate of getting good
images.
Til next time,
Meggi
Go Out and Keep Shooting!
All images: Copyright M. Raeder-Photography unless otherwise specified.
