Should Have Gone Fishing

[Loose Canon]

I’m not really a huge bird guy (at least as far as photographing them). And after seeing this post you’ll know why!

I think I have a great spot to get up close and personal with these guys. There are an estimated dozen or so. I have to estimate because there is no way I can see them to count them!

They are small, fly at the speed of light, won’t take direction, and have an attitude problem! Reminds me of my grandkids!

I threw everything I had at them. And though I brought to bear, they kicked my hind end today!

But I am getting hip to their song and dance and I am actually dumb enough to believe I might make a go of this! It just wasn’t today! I should have gone fishing instead!

So while I am busy tucking my tail between my legs and evaluating what I need to do, I thought I’d post one up for the expert bird photographers here (of which there are many) to see if there is any hope! I have a few more that might actually be somewhat in focus, but I’m afraid to look at them! One thing is for sure! I know more about this now than I did yesterday before I tried it!

Three lights, f5.0, shutter 1/8000, ISO 200 with a 70-200 f2.8. Shot in daylight in open shade of a tree.

These birds have not heard the last of me!

[jeeperman]

Well Terry, I must say for your first foray into birds you have done exceedingly well. I might add you have chosen one of the more difficult birds to start with!

I look forward to seeing more and to see where you take this. Photographing birds can get under your skin in a hurry!

[Cheryl Davidson]

Nice. Wish it was one of mine. Well worth giving up fishing for.

Cheryl

[Bobobird]

That is an exceedingly good shot so do not understand what the problem is. Birds will always take more time and effort then other stuff, but other then that...

Have 2 questions though :

3 lights as in flashes, fixed lights, ... ?
What made you go for f5 ?

[WJT]

Terry I think your being far to modest, this s an excellent shot. Why; because you have captured the eyes sharp and the body, there is great colour and a sense of motion. Birds are the hardest of wildlife to capture (at least these fast birds are). The thing is that you have taken the time to study their habits and this will pay off if you have the patience (like fishing). The most important thing is that you have realised that you need to bring a beer, and next time you may bring 2 or 3 because this is a labour of love and will take time. Great shot, I wish I took it!

[FrankMi]

Not at all shabby! I have yet to get an image of a bird, let alone a hummer, anywhere near this good. A great encouragement to those of us who are still trying to capture a sharp and clear bird in flight.

[Loose Canon]

Hey thanks everyone.

Coming from you guys that's pretty encouraging.

Bobo, I owe everyone an apology!

This one I shot at f/2.8, 1\1000 at ISO 100. Sorry about that everyone.

I shot with various apertures and shutter speeds (up to 1/8000) in the six hours I spent with these birds. I still think I may need to bump my shutter speed a little (from 1/1000) to get the results I am hoping for. At the fastest end of what my camera will do (1/8000) I started losing a lot of ambient and I started getting a different look than I was hoping for. Started looking more like I was shooting at night because of this. If I'm not mistaken, these creatures are not really nocturnal and I'm afraid it would look a little unnatural.

I tried different apertures for DoF purposes. I think I still need to explore some other combinations I missed. I'd like to get a better idea of what it is going to take (settings/lighting) to get what I am after (if I even know what I'm after!) so it won't be so much of a "Hail Mary" shoot! It didn't take me long to realize that if I could even get one of these speedsters in focus it would be a personal miracle!

The lights were three speedlights, Bobo.

[WJT]

Hey thanks everyone.

Coming from you guys that's pretty encouraging.

Bobo, I owe everyone an apology!

This one I shot at f/2.8, 1\1000 at ISO 100. Sorry about that everyone.

I shot with various apertures and shutter speeds (up to 1/8000) in the six hours I spent with these birds. I still think I may need to bump my shutter speed a little (from 1/1000) to get the results I am hoping for. At the fastest end of what my camera will do (1/8000) I started losing a lot of ambient and I started getting a different look than I was hoping for. Started looking more like I was shooting at night because of this. If I'm not mistaken, these creatures are not really nocturnal and I'm afraid it would look a little unnatural.

I tried different apertures for DoF purposes. I think I still need to explore some other combinations I missed. I'd like to get a better idea of what it is going to take (settings/lighting) to get what I am after (if I even know what I'm after!) so it won't be so much of a "Hail Mary" shoot! It didn't take me long to realize that if I could even get one of these speedsters in focus it would be a personal miracle!

The lights were three speedlights, Bobo.

Terry, I used F:2.8 for the bee-eater shots last week and lost an bit of sharpness on a few which probably would have been better with F: 5.6. It is so hard to know when to press the button and to get a sharp shot I may try a smaller aperture next time to have a slightly longer focal range. I suppose in the effort to get as much speed as possible its tempting to use F: 2.8 so we don't have to up the ISO, but I will be experimenting further and would encourage you to also. It is a small miracle to get it in focus and especially that sharp with the eye in detail, believe me I would kill for that shot.

[jeeperman]

I must confess I went right past your settings and to the image! I am even more impressed that you got the important bits sharp! I normally shoot most birds with F8 or there about. You can get away with a bit more narrow DOF with the smaller birds but I find for the average size birds and wanting the whole body and parts in focus F8 is fairly successful in getting my target sharp yet leaving me enough to get a nice blurred background, depending of course on his location to said background.

[Markvetnz]

Obviously at 1/8000th you need to use high speed sync on your flashes. This reduces the power of the flash significantly. I think it's a great image. To get the wings spread is obviously just hit and miss. Are you using continuous autofocus and a high speed shutter bursts? F2.8, unless you are far away, is going to give you DOF issues. Anything narrower and down comes your shutterspeed and up goes your ISO. It is always a trade off.

[Loose Canon]

Well, I am on my downward spiral!

Hopefully I'll hit bottom and then get something good on my way back up but these birds have put it in Challenge Form now!

This is not over!

[Loose Canon]

Are you using continuous autofocus and a high speed shutter bursts

Hi Mark!

No. They move so fast that I found on this setting they keep moving out of the focus range and then the camera searches to the background. Too much time involved to get them back and by the time the camera catches up they are gone again. I couldn't predict them and stay with them (at least my first time with them). It was faster (believe it or not) for me to set a one shot AF. I also tried manual focus and trying to get a focal plane going. That theory is a viable option, but nothing takes the place of nailing focus and firing. That is one thing that made them a little difficult, at least for me.

I used a one shot format. High speed burst wouldn't give my lights enough time to catch up (recycle).

I decided to light them so I wouldn't have to use high ISO to get a desired shutter. I figured I'd be cropping tight.

Anything narrower and down comes your shutterspeed and up goes your ISO. It is always a trade off.

True. Unless up goes the supplied lighting. I lit them to give me more choices. At least that was one reason!

[Steve S]

Hummers are a blast to shoot, and you have started out very well. Much better than i did. I'm still waiting till i see enough coming to the feeders , before i start shooting them again.

At the end of last year, my setup was as follows..............................

In camera menu, set focus search to OFF. This will limit the zone your lens will autofocus and keep it from grabbing something in the background. Just get used to manual focusing your lens to get it close, and then the auto focus will take over once you get it close.

Focus drive AI SERVO

Manual Mode

ISO cranked to 1250

f/stop depending on how much natural light i have and resulting shutter speed. (my range was f/4 to f/11, but prefer f/8 to f/11, if i can get enough SS)

Feeder was hung in the shade of a tree, low to the ground

Background was sunlit grass about 10 feet behind the feeder

Feeder and humming bird was lit with 850 watts of halogen lights bounced off white poster boards about 2 feet from feeder. One 500 watt light to the left and one 250watt / one 100watt (350watts total) to the right. (all lights were bounced off a 20 x 30 inch poster board , mounted to a home made wood frame.

I sat in a ground blind at about 6 feet from the feeder, with my camera tripod mounted and 430 exII flash camera mounted. The flash was shot through 2 layers of fine screen to dampen it down a little.



From what i have gathered , reading about the subject, you will need multi flashes set at very low power to stop their wings.

This year i'm going to start where i left off and move my flash off camera and close to the feeder. Maybe even buy a new flash, if i need another one.


Stick with it terry, you're getting there.


One more note, if you have a feeder with multi feeding holes, block the one's in the back of the feeder with a piece of tape so they have to feed from the side and offer you a clean shot.

[Loose Canon]

Hi Steve,

I am holding your shots of these birds as the standard. I remember when you were shooting them last year. I keep coming back to them to see if I am getting close!

So I really appreciate you explaining your set-up for me.

As it turns out I am fairly close to your set-up. I need to tweak mine a bit and I have a couple of ideas. And you have given me a couple more.

Unfortunately, I’m going to be indisposed for a couple of weeks or so. Hopefully they’ll still be active after that.

Thanks again for the advice and the encouragement, Steve.

[jprzybyla]

Well done Terry. Great images of a very difficult bird. I don't think I would have the patience to set up the lights and wait for the moment the bird appears in the setup, that takes dedication and patience.