Rednecked Hummingchicken - DPChallenge Forums

05/18/2004 10:16:30 PM · #1

What'cha tink?

Cam

Sony DSC-F717

05/18/2004 10:30:09 PM · #2

Very nice shot.

Well done.

RHoldenSr

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

05/18/2004 11:17:15 PM · #3

Excellent!

I really like this shot :)

I have been setting up feeders and plants in an attempt to photograph hummingbirds and butterflies, but no luck just yet.

vtruan

Nikon D5100

Tamron AF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical for Nikon

05/18/2004 11:25:14 PM · #4

Nice Rufous hummer male.

tolovemoon

Canon EOS Rebel SL1

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS

05/18/2004 11:40:41 PM · #5

good details! I like it!

05/19/2004 02:00:39 AM · #6

Originally posted by Calvus:

Excellent!

I really like this shot :)

I have been setting up feeders and plants in an attempt to photograph hummingbirds and butterflies, but no luck just yet.

My wife hung a feeder up on the front porch, just outside my office window. So, Iâ��ve been setting up my camera with the wireless remote and trying to get decent shots. It isnâ��t as easy as I thought it would be. The biggest problems Iâ��ve had are getting enough light, and getting the bird in focus. I started using multiple clamp-on lights aimed at a specific spot near the feeder, and the smallest aperture I get away with. I still need more light though.

These little guys are soooo fast! Itâ��s really incredible. Itâ��s a lot of fun too. At first they were a bit shy of the camera and flash, but Iâ��ve been flashing them so much lately that they are getting used to it.

Be patient, and keep trying. Good luck!

--Mick

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

05/19/2004 02:02:27 AM · #7

Thanks for the comments folks! I appreciate them all.

--Mick

goinskiing

Canon EOS-6D

05/19/2004 02:03:05 AM · #8

LOL! I thought his was going to be a Jeff Foxworthy page when I first clicked it! Haha, Rednecked.
:D

stormy

Canon EOS-50D

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

05/19/2004 02:09:25 AM · #9

I am a sucker for birds......So I like it :-)

05/19/2004 02:40:09 AM · #10

Originally posted by stormy:

I am a sucker for birds......So I like it :-)

Thanks Melanie!

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

05/19/2004 02:45:40 AM · #11

Originally posted by tolovemoon:

good details! I like it!

Thanks Tracy! Have you seen the hummingbird photos on dpcprints? Some very nice photos there. I especially like Michael Crider's (jetstar) prints. Talk about detail! I'm trying to get him to tell me how he does it, but no luck as yet.

Zoomdak

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

05/19/2004 02:48:52 AM · #12

Caught midair! Nice image.

One of my recent shots.

David.C

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

05/19/2004 06:16:58 AM · #13

Originally posted by micknewton:

What'cha tink?

I like the image, but don't care for the loss of detail on the body and far wing compared to the sharp focus on the foremost wing.

I understand the problems, but a bit more DOF and a faster shutter would help this a lot.

Just for fun (because I got a kick out of it), a few facts I found to get an idea how fast the shutter needs to be; they normally travel 25 to 30 MPH (up to 60MPH when diving) and their wings beat 50-90 times per second (up to 2000/sec when diving).

So doing a bit a math, they typically travel around 4 inches (up to 8.5 inches when diving) in 1/125 seconds and, as your photo shows, they will get around 1/2 of a beat in with their wings in that time. Granted, being around a feeder certainly slows them down, although probably not their wings.

Of course, the shutter speed you use depends on more than just numbers, including how much motion blur you want in your photo, but I think it is nice to know what I am dealing with.

Now, what I want to catch are so action shots of the hummingbird battles (closer to diving speeds), and for that I am going to need a very fast shutter speed and a much faster camera -- not to mention a great deal of luck. :( For now I would be very happy with a photo that is a clear as the one you got.

David

05/19/2004 09:57:47 AM · #14

Originally posted by Zoomdak:

Caught midair! Nice image.

One of my recent shots.

Nice shot Thomas! I was wondering if they fed at night. I suspected that they do because anything that lives that fast would probably want to eat all the time.

Didnâ��t I read somewhere recently that your camera was on the fritz? I hope you got it fixed.

05/19/2004 10:35:26 AM · #15

Originally posted by Britannica:

I understand the problems, but a bit more DOF and a faster shutter would help this a lot.

Thanks for the comments David. I think youâ��re right about using a faster shutter speed. It amazes me that any living thing can move that fast! Itâ��s hard to get enough light on them though. Higher shutter speeds require larger apertures which reduce the DOF. Iâ��ve tried compensating by switching to a faster ISO, but the images get very grainy. I got my best results so far by using multiple lights from different directions, combined with the 550ex flash set for high-speed sync. Iâ��m going to try brighter lights next time--hopefully today.

Good luck getting photos of them fighting! I think youâ��re going to need lots of it. :)

--Mick

Jovi

Sony DSC-F717

05/19/2004 11:20:28 AM · #16

Originally posted by micknewton:

What'cha tink?

Wow! Great capture!

05/19/2004 11:22:49 AM · #17

Originally posted by Jovi:

Originally posted by micknewton:
What'cha tink?

Wow! Great capture!

Thanks Jose! Better ones are on the way soon (I hope).

--Mick