Preparing for Combat
Uploaded: July 23, 2004
Male Broadtailed Hummingbird preening on an out of the way perch before returning to the center of battle (feeder); Sacramento Peak, New Mexico; f3.5 1/200s @ 70mm handheld midday overcast; cropped slightly and enhanced in iPhoto (Mac); Constructive feedback greatly appreciated.
Tonya R. Boles July 23, 2004
Great shot. I'm wondering how far away the bird was? I have a good zoom on my camera but I can't seem to get a good close up of the hummingbirds. Do you have any advice?Tonya #150913
Pamela K July 23, 2004
Thanks.I have a 10x optical zoom on my camera (plus a 1.7x telephotic converter, though this wasn't used in this shot). I can't remember if I was zoomed all the way, but probably. The bird was fairly close, though. During this photo shoot, I also had hummers that were so close I had to zoom out and use macro mode at some points.
To take this shot, I watched where the hummers were landing (which was in a hedge along the edge of a yard with a feeder). Then I went and sat on the ground right in the midst of the area with the greatest activity (I was wearing greens and browns). After a few minutes, the hummers were brave enough to come really close and perch. There were a lot of males around and they were all more busy worrying about each other than they were about me as long as I didn't make and sudden movements. The females were actually a lot more shy (whether of me or the males, I'm not sure). It probably also helped that it was a fairly cool, overcast day and the hummers needed to refuel often so that they wouldn't get too cold. (Of course, this meant that it was pretty cold sitting on the ground for me as well.)
If you feel like you need more zoom, you might check to see if there's a telephotic converter for your camera. These will give you more optic zoom power. They have some problems though. You'll need bright light because extending your lens reduces the amount of light that comes in. They also seem to reduce contrast and depth of field (probably for the same reasons). Also, you often have to be zoomed fully out for the converter to work without leaving a black ring around the outside of your photo. This means that you lose the range that your camera would usually have (when I use mine, I'm always shooting at 17x power).
Hope this helps.
Pam
#666790
Tonya R. Boles July 24, 2004
Thanks for the info. I'll give your tips a try. I just bought a second feeder with a perch, all I need to do is find the best location for it.Tonya #667693
Jill A. Johnson July 30, 2004
Beautiful Capture Pam!!! :) #678035Pamela K July 30, 2004
Thanks Jill.Pam #678089
Randy Kinney August 06, 2004
Hi, Pam. I saw your discussion on feedback (http://www.betterphoto.com/forms/QnAdetail.php?threadID=10623) and am in the midst of looking at your work. (I also am a new member)I love this one of the hummingbird preening. I have been trying to capture some of these little fellows myself, but so far have none that I would publish.
I think you did an excellent job of cropping here...great composition. Also a nice mix of colors and shallow DOF. All this blends nicely and makes it a good shot, IMO. #690869
Pamela K August 06, 2004
Thanks, Randy! I really appreciate the indepth critique.Good luck on your hummer shots!
Pam #691500
Tonya R. Boles February 10, 2005
I was just wondering if you have anything new Pam. I can't get to your gallery because an error.Tonya Boles #1096417
Pamela K February 11, 2005
I've been posting new things on and off. I wonder why you have an error to get to my gallery... That's odd. Is it just my gallery or are you having trouble getting to other galleries as well? I don't have any new hummingbird stuff. What was the last picture you saw from me? Maybe I can send you some direct links.Pam #1097508
Tonya R. Boles February 11, 2005
It was several galleries last night. But finally this morning I was able to view yours. Great pictures as always.Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
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