Tack sharp pictures of hummingbirds require a flash setup. In this shot of a green-crowned brilliant hummer, I used four strobes -- one flash placed on either side of the bird, one behind it for a subtle backlight, and one on the large photo print background. If I didn't use a print of out of focus foliage behind the flower setup, the background would have been black. Since hummingbirds are diurnal (day flyers), that wouldn't look correct. The flash units were reduced to 1/16th power, and that shortened the flash duration (the actual amount of time the light in the flashes was on) to about 1/16,000th of a second. That's why the bird is so sharp. To compensate for the significant reduction in light, the flash units were placed about 15 inches from the flower. My settings were 1/200 (the sync speed), f/16, and 320 ISO. I used a 100-400mm telephoto for the shot. My photo tour to Peru in Sept. 2021 will allow participants to get shots like this of exotic hummingbirds.
6 Comments
Nov 9, 2023, 8:20:07 AM
Jim - Thank you, Sheena. Green crowned brilliant hummingbird.
Nov 9, 2023, 7:52:09 AM
Sheena - Great photo! What hummingbird species is it?
Feb 1, 2021, 11:14:50 AM
Loretta Demshar - I have been looking for hummingbird photos to use in my blog ( a devotional blog) and a power point presentation. This photo is amazing. I looked into getting a standard license to use your photo but cannot find one. I am requesting your permission to use this photo. I will not be receiving money for the blog post or power point presentation. Also, I will post the picture with credit to you. Thank you, Lory Demshar
May 3, 2019, 9:58:53 AM
Jim - Hi Eileen, You can use my image for your art project. Thanks for asking.
May 2, 2019, 10:24:31 PM
Eileen - I love this image. It is perfect!!!!!
May I use it for a personal art project? I am an amateur artist and do not sell or re-produce any work for payment.
May 2, 2019, 10:48:34 AM
Bill - Stunning