Ruby-throated Hummingbird Female

[jprzybyla]

I have been working on my technique of photographing these little guys on a bush in my backyard. I am getting close to being satisfied, but not there yet. C&C welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.

#1



#2



#3

[deetheturk]

Super shots Joe, the only thing that bothers me, and i'm being picky is the string like thing hanging from the bush in #1 and #2, I find it just a little distracting, apart from that they are amazing!

[jprzybyla]

Super shots Joe, the only thing that bothers me, and i'm being picky is the string like thing hanging from the bush in #1 and #2, I find it just a little distracting, apart from that they are amazing!

Hello David, you know... I never noticed that string like thing. I agree with you it is distracting, easily fixed.

[chauncey]

Joe, there is a whole lot I like about those pictures...especially the "photogenic feeder".
Maybe raising the clarity would make them pop a bit more...maybe??
What were your camera settings?
Additionally, they appear to be shot in sequence yet the PP is different??

[bnnrcn]

Very nice shots Joe How did you get the BG so plain ?

[jprzybyla]

Joe, there is a whole lot I like about those pictures...especially the "photogenic feeder".
Maybe raising the clarity would make them pop a bit more...maybe??
What were your camera settings?
Additionally, they appear to be shot in sequence yet the PP is different??

Hello Chauncey, I could raise the clarity but I have come to like a softer image with less contrast. A look of soft light. The processing appears different probably because I processed each individually even though the first and second are in sequence.

The camera setting for the first and second were 1/1250 F/5.6 ISO 400 and 360 respectively. The third image was 1/1250 F/8 ISO 1600. All were shot with autofocus set to continuous with the center point focus point and those immediately surrounding it active.

[jprzybyla]

Very nice shots Joe How did you get the BG so plain ?

Hello Binnur. thank you for viewing and commenting. The background is the grass on the fairway of the golf course behind my house. It came out so plain because there was many feet separating the bird/bush and where the camera focused on the grass.

[Downrigger]

I could raise the clarity but I have come to like a softer image with less contrast. A look of soft light.

That's what I liked especially about these - really gentle light. And I think 1/1250 is perfect - I wouldn't want them more "frozen". Really great, Joe.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured, looks like you are within reach of achieving your goal.

[Loose Canon]

Hi Joe!

Very nice stuff!

I’m not a bird guy, but I did spend a summer shooting these guys in several sessions. My technique was a lot different from yours, but I’ll chime in a thought or two just for fun.

First? I consider these guys to be a lot like shooting mosquitos in the dark at 100 feet!

I liked 1/1600. I liked the added sharpness in the body at this speed and still gave me some fairly nice motion in the wings. But I know you have said that you prefer a softer shot.

Background looks kind of bright to me. Again you mentioned you like a lower contrast image, but I keep opening the thread and the BG keeps throwing me. Maybe a different crop?

If these were mine one thing I would do without question is dodge the catch lights in the bird’s eyes. The eyes look a little dull to me.

But, like I said, I’m not a bird guy!

One of my feeble efforts is here.

[Otavio]

Great shots, Joe. I think you made the right shutter speed choice here, freezing the body but letting the wings convey the sense of movement. Very nice!

[Otavio]

...and I have to ask that, sorry: 55-300 or 70-300 here?

[Ken MT]

I looked at the "string" and thought that it was a hair on my tablet, which wouldn't go away

[jprzybyla]

...and I have to ask that, sorry: 55-300 or 70-300 here?

Hello Otavio, 70-300 since purchasing this lens it is what I use.

[chauncey]

I looked at the "string" and thought that it was a hair on my tablet, which wouldn't go away

To relate the number of times that I've tried to "clone away" monitor dust would be embarrassing.