One Hour of Unedited Hummingbird Photography: Technique and Methods

Click the large image once to see it larger, and click yet again to see it at FULL resolution! But don't forget to read the caption UNDER is page to get all the technical info.

Too far back, and too far right.
Too far back, and too far right.
The beak is in pervect focus, and you can see pollen and spider web on the beak, but the eye is at the limits of the back of the depth of field. Ideally, the eye would be where the beak now is, and the whole bird would be seem in focus, particularly if I was using F22. On the other hand, at f22 and even at f16, there is very little bokah (circles of out of focus background light). so a natural background would most likely be merely distracting, not artistic. The use of a plain white/grey background allows me to eliminate background clutter. (There are NO natural flowers in this environment at this time of the spring at this elevation. However, because this session was photographed in the garden of Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, there is an abundance of flowers in the garden, but NOT where I was set up. If you set up in a private location, of this sort, you MUST confer with the owner, and respect instructions on rules to protect the birds, the other visitors, and the environment. Check first, and assume nothing. Backgrounds, elaborate setups such as mine, high powered flashes, fresnel lens, tripods, and interfering with the experience of other birders are all possible ways to infringe on the rules. Any exceptions should be negotiated in advance, and may require special restrictions, such as limited days, times, and payment of special fees, or a residential stay at the B&B, were you work from your own porch, perhaps. Respect the owners who make their marvelous habitats, developed and maintained for many years, available for the enjoyment of others, and especially for the birds themselves. Obviously, the best way to do this, if possible, is to garden your own personal habitat for that purpose. As a visitor from Georgia, I hold these sites in awe and respect, and if you visit, you should do likewise. I thank you, birders, thank you, and the owners thank you. If they could, the birds would also thank you.
photography,digital darkroom,hummingbird,high speed flash, high, speed, flash, macro, Greg Scott, Gregory J. Scott, tutorial, techniques, unedited images, sequence, session, one hour, Ash Canyon B&B, Arizona, Sierra Vista, Southeast Arizona, technical