illumination
by Barroness

Comment by spiritualspatula:
Hello and greetings from the Critique Club-
Since I voted on this challenge, I will provide you with my vote and an explanation as to why I voted how I did.
For your entry, I gave you a vote of 4. While hummingbirds are undoubtedly one of the more difficult objects to capture, the bar has been set very high by other members in this arena and it isn’t unusual for them to take Top 10 placements in the Free Studies. Regarding your photo, the centered composition makes the photo feel very static. This feeling is increased by the lack of other subject matter. Technically speaking, the sharpness for this photo is below what is demanded by wildlife photos, which are expected by the very sharp. I think part of this is due to the aperture of 5.6, assuming you were shooting at the tele end of your lens. Knowing that the 5D is not known for focus speed, I would suggest you stop down significantly, for two reasons. First, it will expand your depth of field and make it more likely for you to catch the bird in focus, and secondly, because it will make your lens sharper in any case. Do not be afraid to crank the ISO of the 5D up- it performs very well in this regard. I would also recommend using a higher shutter speed as 1/250 for a 300mm lens is going to be pushing the limits for a sharp shot anyway. If you have external lighting at your disposal, I suggest you peruse this tutorial as well- (DPC Tutorial
Be aware, however, that the 5D often does not actually sync at 1/20 and frequently down towards 1/160 instead.
You’ve obviously got the most important thing for wildlife photography- patience- so I suggest you keep with it. There are few people who can muster the patience to sit around trying to focus on such small speedy creatures.

illumination
by Barroness

Comment by tnun:
I rather like this for the exuberance of colours, and that wing is full of grace. Many people take perfect hummingbird pics - they set up with feeders and whatall. I have done what you have done, only with dragonflies: sometimes waiting for them to come into my prefocus (camera beeps), or, better, using manual focus on my 70-300 zoom but also waiting for the camera to beep. I think of it as a sport.

illumination
by Barroness

Comment by Historicus:
It could have been a very good image, but it's almost completely out of focus!

illumination
by Barroness

Comment by tinkie2010:
Good capture - can be more crisp

The Other Side
by Barroness

Comment by smardaz:
does not seem to really be a focal point to hold the viewers attention

The Other Side
by Barroness

Comment by MargaretNet:
A bit unbalanced

The Elves Out Side My Window
by Barroness

Comment by giantmike:
I like your idea here, showing your piece of the world. But to me, it's coming out as a quick snapshot. The tilt doesn't seem to add anything, and just adds to the feeling on quick and dirty.

The Elves Out Side My Window
by Barroness

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
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Nirvana
by Barroness

Comment by briantammy:
amazing shot. looks familiar to me. i can never get enough of these cloudscapes.

Nirvana
by Barroness

Comment by Abra:
Beautiful colours and lovely effect produced from the silhouetted clouds. The bright sun adds to the photo but the titled horizon is a little distracting.