We have several hummingbird feeders at our house and in the springtime when the hummers start to return to this area, they are buzzing around like flies. I will fill my three feeders up once day and as soon as I return home from work, the feeders are empty again.
Despite the numbers, I have spent many hours trying to get good printable photos of these little guys. It is not easy since they buzz in and out so quick. When I stand outside by the feeders, the hummingbirds don’t come around. As soon as I walk inside, they start to come by again. However, as soon as I move back outside, they take off. I have tried setting my camera on a tripod and leaving it there, and that still does not help. Plus you need a fast shutter speed (which means good light) or a flash to really capture them.
Today, I decided to use patience to try and photograph the hummers. I chose a location near one of the feeders where I was partially behind a post. Using an 85mm lens, I prefocused on an area and then stood still and waited for a hummingbird to fly into the cameras view. It took me a while but paid off. I finally was able to get several good photos of a Rufous Hummingbird as it visited the feeder.
Next, I will try and capture the hummingbird feeding from a flower rather than a feeder. That will be a challenge and I will probably have to figure out a different technique.
=efh=
