Beautiful Hummingbird Kind of Day

This afternoon I gathered up all of my hummingbird photography equipment and headed out into the backyard. I set it all up and climbed into my new hummingbird blind. I had my trusty Canon EOS 7D MKII camera with a Canon 100-400IS V.1 telephoto lens mounted on it. For lighting I had three Canon 540EZ Speedlights. One focused on the background and two for the hummingbird. After about a twenty minute wait the hummingbirds started coming into the feeder. I had some purple petunias set up in front of the feeder fro the hummingbirds to sample as well. There were two male Annas coming in as well as one Allen's/Rufous hummingbird. I had a great time and so did the hummingbirds. God's love and blessings to all, chris #teamcanonusa

Birds and Bugs

When I awoke this morning and looked outside I realized it was the perfect day for photography. There were high clouds almost covering the sky. They were blocking out all the harsh light that can make photographing during summer difficult. I went out into the backyard and taped off all the feeder ports except one on one of our hummingbird feeders. Then I set up my camera on a tripod about two feet away from the feeder port with a macro lens and a flash. I plopped down in a chair behind it and I tried not to move. It didn't take long for the hummingbirds to discover that there only one spot to feed. I remained as motionless as possible taking an image now and then when everything looked perfect. There were tons of Anna's Hummingbirds coming to the feeder one after the other.After about half and hour I called it quits for the hummingbirds.Next I journeyed to the garden and stalked bugs with my macro lens. I had a great time. It was nice to be out and about with my camera on such a beautful day. God's love and blessings to all, chris All images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Tamron SP Di 180mm macro lens. #teamcanon,#withmytamron

Up Close and Personal

I've never really like images of hummingbirds on feeders. Seeing the feeder included in the image just makes it seem too unnatural. However I took exception to that this morning when I set my photoblind and tripod right next to the feeder and I do mean right next to it! When I mounted my camera and macro lens onto the tripod the tip of the lens was a little less than a foot away from the feeder. I used some tape to block off all of the feeding ports except for the one on the side. When the hummingbirds started coming I was ready. I let them feed for awhile to get used to it and then I very slowly composed and focused the camera. Between the swinging of the feeder and the low light conditions I ended up with a lot of images that went directly into the trash. Three of them were just superb. I love the intimate look at the Annas' Hummingbirds that this macro lens could give. Hoping that you have a great weekend. God's blessings to all, chris All images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MkII camera and a Tamron SP DI 180mm Macro lens. The camera was mounted on a Manfrotto tripod with a Bogen 3055 Heavy duty ballhead. The camera settings used were manual focus, AV mode, ISO 800, F8.0, the shutter speeds used were 1/30th, 1/80th and 1/60th of a sec. #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Simple Four Flash Set Up

Yesterday after a long hiatus from photographing hummingbirds I created a simple four flash set up in the backyard for photographing hummingbirds. The first step was to take down all the feeders except for two feeders next to where I was photographing them in the shade of a 10' x 10' pop up erected behind our garage. Next I propped up a 4' x4' green backdrop on the seat of a garden bench. Rather than using all the fancy light stands and flash brackets I opted for going simple using flash clamps attached to two more garden benches. Then I placed three cone flowers stuck in florist foam on a low table in front of the camera. Following that I climbed into the photoblind and started photographing. There was no shortage of hummingbirds as there had to be at least thirty hummingbirds buzzing around for two feeders. Here are a some of my favorites. Have a great day and God bless, chris #TeamCanon, All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera on a tripod. The lens used was a Canon 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 L IS USM EF. The camera settings used were Manual mode, ISO 400, F10.0 at 1/200th of a sec. The flashes used were four Canon 540 EZ flashes. Two on the subject and two on the background.The flashes were in manual mode and were set to 1/128th power.

Watching and Waiting for the Long Distance Voyager

I have been watching and waiting for the Rufous Hummingbirds to appear. I always have a few resident Anna's Hummingbirds that hang around all winter. But the Rufous Hummingbirds are special because they travel so far. Rufous hummingbirds are known for having the longest migration, as measured by body length, of any bird in the world! They travel close to four thousand miles making the one way trip from Mexico to Alaska. That is pretty amazing for a three inch long hummer that weighs about the same as a copper penny. The Rufous breeds farther north than any other hummingbird in North America, traveling all the way up to Alaska in the summer breeding season. Truly an amazing migration. This afternoon I watched them for about five minutes before I grabbed my tripod camera and flash. I watched them to figure out the best possible perches they were using before I photographed them. I was looking for perches that were clutter free and had a pleasing background behind them. I photographed them for about half an hour. They were happy and so was I. Here are three of my favorite images. God's love and blessings to all, chris #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron

Brief Time With the Hummingbirds

Last night I recharged all of the batteries for my flashes. This morning I went out into the backyard and set the flashes up and photographed the hummingbirds for about half an hour.There were a lot more hummingbirds coming to the feeder. Many more than I expected. In fact I often times had to wait because there was a traffic jam of birds trying to all get to the feeder at one time. I was working on verticals and these two ended up being my favorites. I couldn't decide between the two so I posted both of them! God's precious love to all, chris Both images were created with my usual set up of a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon 100-400 L IS usm lens. The camera settings used were Manual mode, ISO 100, F 8.0 at 1/200th of a sec. A multi flash set up was used consisting of five Canon 540EZ flashes set to 1/16th power. #TeamCanon

Dreamland: Never Stop Learning

Last night before I drifted off to sleep I was day dreaming of the images I wanted to create this morning. As I lay there I was envisioning all of the steps I needed to take to make these images happen. We all know of the best laid plans of mice and men. They don't always work out the way we had planned. Such was the case with this morning. I really had to work to figure out what was going on. First off there was a major glare . There was a huge hot spot on the background I was using. I had to move the backdrop numerous times to eliminate it. The second and biggest problem was the expposures. They ended up being all over the map. I finally learned that the flashes weren't fully charging and were either not going off or they were firing at less than a full charge. I can be a slow learner some times. I remembered from last year that the rechargeable Enloops batteries can only be used at most two times and here I was attempting a third time. There is always something new to be learned in photography. That is part of what makes it fun and exciting. I had to slow down and let the flashes fully charge between each shot. the my exposure somewhat stabilized. I got some really nice images this morning and in this case I relearned something along the way. Time to recharge all of the batteries! God bless, chrisAll of these images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM V.1 lens supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB pro Tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead.. Flash was provided by six Canon 54EZ flashes set to 1/16th power. The camera settings used were. Manual mode, ISO 100, F14.0 at 1/160th of a sec.#TeamCanon

Hummingbirds!

The earth is slowly tilting away from the sun. It's almost the end of summer! It has taken me all summer to get around to doing some hummingbird photography. On Friday I stopped off at the nursery and purchased some petunias and zinnias. Friday night I put freshly charged batteries in all of my flashes. Then early on Saturday morning I worked for close to an hour getting everything all set up in the backyard. Placing flashes, choosing and setting up a colorful back drop. Then moving the photoblind into place etc. By the time I was finished I was able to photograph for about half an hour before the ambient light got too bright to photograph with. I left everything set up and I photographed for a short time Sunday afternoon. Last night I covered the flashes with plastic bags because it looked like it might rain. I'm so glad I did because we had a little rain last night and it has been lightly showering all morning. Checking outside this morning there were only four hummingbirds coming to the feeders. God's love and blessings upon your week, chris All of these images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM V.1 lens supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB pro Tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead.. Flash was provided by six Canon 54EZ flashes set to 1/16th power. The camera settings used were. Manual mode, ISO 100, F14.0 at 1/160th of a sec.#TeamCanon

Over the Shoulder

Yesterday was a perfect day for photographing birds. It was heavily overcast and threatening to rain. In fact it was starting do drizzle when the last images were taken. I love overcast light for the saturated colors it brings out in the birds plumage. I set up my tripod and camera as close as I could possibly get to the hummingbirds favorite perch in my backyard. No photoblind I just stood not moving with my eye to the camera waiting. I was primarily focused on capturing that over the shoulder look that shows off the back of the hummingbirds. It was fun with the hummingbirds zipping around me back and forth to the nectar feeders. Sometimes the buzzed me pretty close. Thank you Lord that it is Friday. If you can please take some time out to pray for the people of Texas,Mexico,Florida and the Caribbean. With the hurricanes and earthquake they are going through a lot. God bless, chris All images were created with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a TAMRON | SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 lens on a Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro tripod with a Bogen heavy duty ballhead.#TeamCanon, #withmytamron

Vertical Hummingbirds for the Thrifty Fifty

I spent this evening photographing hummingbirds in my backyard. i wanted some images for the Thrifty Fifty group in the the portrait or vertical format. Here are my three favorites. All images were created and photographed with a Canon 7D MkII and a Canon 50mm f 1.8 lens.ISO 1600, AVmode, Exposures varied. God's blessings upon your evening, chris

Some More Images for the Thrifty Fifty Challenge

I have a very small Facebook group called the "Thrifty Fifty Challenge". The whole purpose of the group is to show that photography isn't all about the fanciest equipment but the skill and craft that you approach it with. I got this idea for this group when one of my clients told me that I got the bird images that I create because of the big telephoto lenses that I use. While there is some truth to this statement it ignores the skill and craft that I have learned over the years to create beautiful images. In response I challenged myself and other photographers to photograph small birds with a 50mm lens. The purpose of the group is to showcase uncropped images of small sparrow sized birds made with 50mm or wider lenses. Here are three images that I created this afternoon with a Canon 7D mkII and a Canon 50mm f 1.8 lens. God's blessings upon your week, chris Canon 7D mkII, Canon 50mm F 1.8, AV mode, ISO 800 and 1600, F 8.0 shutter speeds varied.Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod #TeamCanon

Fly Away

The hummingbirds in my backyard have finally flown away. They are heading south and over to the coast where it's warmer. Also better habitats with more flowers. I have gone from a high of about fifty hummingbirds down to four. Here are a couple of Anna's images from yesterday and this morning. God bless your weekend, chris Both images were created with a Canon 7DmkII and a Canon 100-400IS v.1 lens. Camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 800 at F 8.0 shutter speeds varied. The camera was supported on a Manfrotto tripod with a Bogen ballhead.

Aaargh Mosquitoes!

Yesterday morning I set out bright and early to do some hummingbird photography in our backyard. Our fuschia is blooming like crazy and I couldn't think of a better combination than fuschias and hummingbirds. The first sign of trouble became clear to me when I started setting up my first flash. Mosquitoes started swarming around me. They drove me to escape to a sunny patch in the backyard to escape them. Armed with this knowledge I put up the next three flashes by escaping after putting each one up to the sunny area to get away from them. My thought was I that once I was all set up I could hide in the photoblind and photograph away from the blood sucking little beasts. Oh how wrong I was! After climbing into the blind I made a few images before they found me. I beat a hasty retreat back into the house to look for some Skin so Soft or some mosquito repellent. Once inside I remembered that I had given it to Annika who was away on a camping trip. Oh rats! I went on a mad cupboard search enlisting Lenore to help me. Eventually I found some old spray under the sink. I sprayed some on the outside of the blind and some on my clothing and the little monsters left me in peace. I had a wonderful time photographing the hummingbirds and below is my favorite image. It is of an Anna's Hummingbird trying to scare off a Rufous Hummingbird from the fuschia blossoms. God's love and blessings upon your week, chris This image was created with a canon 7D mkII and a canon 100-400IS V! lens. Tripod used was a Manfrotto 190 XPROB woth a Bogen 3055 Heavy Duty ballhead. Camera was set to Manual mode, ISO 100, F 20.0 at 1/200th of a sec. Lighting was provided by (4) Canon 540 EZ flashes set to 1/16th power. #TeamCanon

Couple of Hummingbirds From this Morning

I was at it with the hummingbirds again this morning. My exposures using flash with the eneloop batteries were all over the map. So if there is anyone out there using them for photographing hummingbirds with flash and they have a solution please let me know. The hummingbirds were really active this morning so I put up a lichen covered perch up above the feeder and quite a few of them used it. It's so much fun photographing from the photoblind and being up close and personal with the birds. Blessings upon your upcoming weekend, chris Both images were created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Tamron 150-600mm lens with an extension tube for close focusing.

Pulling My Hair Out

i am currently pulling my hair out trying to solve the battery issues I am having with the flashes for my hummingbird photography. Which isn't very good because I don't have very much hair. I purchased some eneloop rechargeable batteries hoping I could save some money over the long term. So far what I have found is that the eneloop batteries initially put out too much power to the flash on the first burst and then drop too low and underexpose on the next discharge of the flash if I'm doing a sequence of images. Eventually as the batteries start to wear down it gets a little more consistent. So far I'm leaning towards going back to just paying for regular AA batteries even though it may be more expensive in the long run. Here are a few hummingbird images from the backyard this afternoon. God's love and blessings to all, chris All images created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens on a Manfrotto tripod with a Bogen ballhead. Manual mode, ISO 100, F 22.0 at 1/200th of a sec. Four Canon 540EZ flashes set to 1/14th power were used for lighting.

Stand and Wait

This morning was perfect for bird photography. It was nice and foggy. During the night the fog came rolling in from the coast and covered our house in a nice blanket of fog. Fog is really nice for hummingbird photography because their gorget doesn't overexpose so easily as it does in bright light. I set myself up as close as I possibly could to the hummingbirds favorite perch. I raised my tripod up as far as I possibly could to get closer to the level of the perch. Then I stood motionless with my eye to the viewfinder of the camera. I waited and waited. But not for very long at all. The hummingbirds were really active trying to keep themselves warm. They were buzzing all around me and fighting for possession of the perch. They were landing one after the other on the perch. One male Anna's landed there and I gave my best raspy imitation call of a male Anna's. He immediately perked up and flashed his gorget to the imaginary rival. I got some great images but this one was my favorite. God's love and blessings upon your week, chris Image created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 600mm. A Canon 550 EX was used for fill flash. It was set to -2. The camera was supported on a Manfortto 190 XPROB tripod.#TeamCanon

Giving the Hummingbirds a Go

Yesterday afternoon when I was checking out our garden arch I spotted a Wilson's Warbler darting in and out it going to our garden pond. I grabbed my camera and plunked myself down on a chair on the back patio and waited. I waited and waited some more. Suddenly it darted out and disappeared into the trees. I never saw it again. I did however see a lot of hummingbirds going back and forth from the arch to the feeders. I thought I might as well give the hummingbirds a go. I was really happy how quickly and easily the new camera locked onto focus in a quick and crisp manner. The additional focus points made composing a breeze. Here are some of my favorite hummingbird images from the afternoon. May you have a happy and joyous week, chris All images created with a Canon 7D MkII and a Tamron 150-600mm lens at a variety of settings. The camera was supported on a Manfrotto tripod.#TeamCanon