Advice on how to best photograph hummingbirds
I have hummingbird feeders with liquid red food bought from the store. I sit 30β from the feeders using a 500 f4 lens with a 2x, for a 1000 mm focal length. I love the pics I am getting. I have only been doing this for a couple of weeks so I am sure there are better ways.
Canon 70D, 200mm, f 3.5, 1/2000, iso 800
Canon 70D, 400mm, f 6.3, 1/2500, ISO 500
Frank 2012 wrote:
Canon 70D, 400mm, f 6.3, 1/2500, ISO 500
Ha! For a minute I was wondering how you got those red boots on the hummer! π€ π βΊοΈ π π
--Rich
Bennphoto wrote:
Advice on how to best photograph hummingbirds
Please do not use the red dyed nectar. The dye is bad for the Hummingbirds. Make your own nectar with 1 part sugar and 4 parts water.
Jerry Green wrote:
Please do not use the red dyed nectar. The dye is bad for the Hummingbirds. Make your own nectar with 1 part sugar and 4 parts water.
There is no proof that red dye is harmful to Hummingbirds. That being said most hummingbird feeders have ted color on them ant that is enough to attract them. Also sugar water is just that with no other nutrients in it. The good news is nectar is not the only thing they eat. They also eat small insects.
Nalu
Loc: Southern Arizona
Yes, feeders will attract them, and you can practice with them on the feeder, but you will get much more rewarding shots of them on perches they choose around your yard. They have a tendency to have favorites where the will return frequently. Have fun!
I have a feeder hanging off of the house awning. We also have a lot of salvia sage which they love to feed on when in bloom.
I mount my D850 on a tripod with a 200-500mm lens and a ball head about 20 feet from the feeder. The rest is patience.
The setting are wide open and try to get the shutter at a speed that captures the wings in motion. As fast as they flap this is almost any setting.
When the hummers feed they will move in to feed and back out to swallow. I try to capture them when they back out to not get the feeder in the frame. That or crop it out.
Canon 300mm f4 Prime on 7D Mark II. Shot at f4 1/2000Sec from about 15 feet. Fair amount of cropping done.
I have a feeder near the front of our house. There are small trees in the area and some nice red flowers, in season, in the garden. I also have flowering trees near the front walk. I sit in the shade of the front porch and hide, sort of, behind a brick column about 10-12' from the feeder. The exterior wall of my garage provides a neutral background. This helps to isolate the birds from anything else in the photo.
I usually use a Nikon 500mm PF f/5.6 lens and either a D5 or D850. I like to get action shots away from the feeder, but sometimes the action is at the feeder between two or more birds.
I have some really detailed close-ups while they are at the feeder but love trying to capture action shots.
Here are some examples of what I like and still hoping to get better shots.
Good luck with the Hummers, it is so fun when they show up.
Steve
Male Black Chinned Hummingbird guarding the feeder
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Just finished getting a drink, cool tongues
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Hard to capture on the flowering tree because they move around quickly
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Caught this action using 70-200 then cropped
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