I came across what I thought was a song sparrow, foraging in the grass and cornfields in the Allegan State Game Area. It was early, and the sun was pleasingly low in the sky and at my back. Resting the camera on the car door window, I shot these photos using the 500 mm lens and 1.4 telephoto extender. Through this amplification, I could see that this was a new sparrow for me, chunky, with a very distinctive eye ring. Like most sparrows I’ve come across, the Vesper sparrow has a lovely song. Unlike most sparrow species, they hide their nests on the ground under clumps of grass.
Vesper Sparrow Foraging in the Grass. ISO800; f/8; 1/2000 Second
In the second photo, the car’s shadow was included in the frame. To help eliminate that shadow, I rotated the lens from portrait to landscape using the tripod collar. I like how the out of focus corn stalks behind the Vesper Sparrow’s perch add color that matches his feathers. Overall, the colorful bokeh helps make a more pleasing frame.
What Is That Knob For?
Ever have something right in front of you and not associate it with a useful mechanical function? A simple question “What’s that knob on my lens for?” is all I would have needed to ask. Instead, for quite a long time, I was blind to a function on my lens that is basic, simple and easy to use.
Vesper Sparrow perched on a corn stalk ISO800; f/8; 1/2000 Second.
The Simple and Elegant Tripod Collar
I assumed that the L shaped lens foot place precisely at the center of gravity on my long lenses was designed only as a carrying and mounting “handle”. I thought its purpose was to safely carry and manipulate a camera/long lens and secure it firmly to a tripod head.
It makes so much more sense now. The lens foot is attached to a rotational collar that allows the user to turn the lens without disrupting the focus or zoom functions. It’s simply a matter of loosening the collar (hence the obvious knob) and rotating the orientation of the lens from portrait to landscape, or any position in-between. For the longest time, when I was not using a tripod, I swiveled the camera body to achieve this function – a much more cumbersome process. At other times when using a tripod, I repositioned the joystick head on the tripod so the whole setup hung off to the side…a precarious and wobbly mess. Dumb!
There are dozens of sophisticated functions on modern, professional DSLR cameras that photographers struggle to master. The tripod collar is like flipping a switch….. basic, easy and essential.
The Great American Bird Count (a twice-annual bird count) is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2015. This day long spring event is organized to create a one-day snapshot of the abundance and distribution of birds during spring migration.
Expertise is not needed, only a willingness to watch, record and then report the individual number of each species of birds you see. All species are included. I’m going to be tallying the birds at and near our feeders on the south side our our house. Most counties have organized volunteers to coordinate efforts, (so there won’t be overlap in the counts) tally, and then report the findings to E-Bird at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Wilson’s Snipe. Walking in the Grass with His Tail Feathers Pointing Up in a Jaunty Pose. ISO640; f/8; 1/1600 Second
Photographing the Wilson’s Snipe
I first saw this Wilson’s Snipe precariously balancing on a high, barbed wire fence at the local airport. Sitting in my car with the camera, 500 mm and 1.4 extender resting on the driver’s car door window, I watched, waited and hoped he would move off of his unappealing perch. He looked like he was struggling to remain there, but he persisted, adamant in his Spring induced efforts to be noticed.
Finally, he took a break from singing and floated down to the grass to rest right in front of my camera. His short neck and legs matched his stocky body, but contrasted markedly with his very long beak. His eyes are set way back … almost at the top of his head, giving the curvature of his head a very odd appearance. The Ebird map indicates that this little sandpiper is an uncommon nester in SW MI.
Wilson’s Snipe, resting in the grass. ISO 1000; f/8; 1/1250 Second
I love Spring migration. So many birds, new and lovely, some I have never seen before. Watching and photographing them in all their dazzling plumage is very gratifying.
Cornel Lab Global Network of Birders
The E-Bird Bird Count scheduled for May 9th is a global scientific and conservation effort. Birders from all over the world will be watching and recording their location and counts. Here’s the link if you wish to be a part of this worthwhile effort.
The Brown Creeper is a tiny and well camouflaged tree clinging bird whose spotted upper parts blend very well with the dark bark of most trees. Long, stiff tail feathers and huge feet and claws (relative to its size) allow these little birds to spiral up and down trees hunting for spiders, insects, eggs and pupae. Their long beaks (thin and curved) easily reach deep into crevices in the tree bark.
It’s difficult to track these little birds with a lens because they move in and out of view so fast. This Brown Creeper was foraging for food on a tree very close to the camera. I was able to photograph him when he stopped long enough to wrestle a tiny bit of insect egg out from under the tree bark and then swallow it. (See photos below.)
Brown Creeper ISO640; f/5; 1/1000 SecondBrown Creeper, Successfully Swallowing Insect Egg that he Burrowed Out from Beneath the Bark. ISO640; f/5; 1/1000 Second
When Birds Come Close to the Camera
I know I’m always writing about the need for MORE focal length to capture good photos of those far off birds. However, at the other end of the spectrum, I’m often amazed at just how close I can be to small birds with my Canon 500mm, f/4L II IS USM super long telephoto lens and still achieve focus. It is true that most birds are too cautious to come that close to my camera. However, sitting in my library waiting for new spring birds, windows open, 2 cameras on tripods at the ready, a small bird (chickadee size) can come as close as 3.7 m (12.14 ft) and the lens will still lock focus. A small bird, like the Brown Creeper, fills the frame nicely at that close distance. (Note: The 3 position focus limiter which allows you to restrict the focus “hunt” to only close subjects and improve focus lock times proves to be very helpful when birds are in close range. Read more at this post.)
Brown Creeper Taking a Rare Break. ISO1250; f/5; 1/800 Second.
Pine Warbler looking Back at the Camera. ISO1000; f/6; 1/1000 Second
The mounds of snow and ice are gone, preventing the squirrels from leaping onto the bird feeders (for the most part). Newly formed buds on the trees are small and do not obstruct my camera’s line of view. The windows are washed and cranked open as much as the temperatures will allow. I have hauled up my photographer’s blind from the basement and set it up on the porch overlooking the feeders.
I am waiting and hoping that some new and unusual spring migrating birds will pass through and grace me with an appearance -and (of course) perch in the unobstructed trees closest to our library windows or porch. I had tremendous luck in my own yard last fall, so my expectations are skyhigh that if I sit and wait by my library windows long enough, I will see and photograph some new birds. (See this post about last Fall’s activity.)
Close up of Pine Warbler ISO 800; f/5.6; 1/1250 Second
Cameras Ready
I watch over two cameras set up on tripods in our library; The 5D Mark III, attached to the 500 mm lens and the 7D Mark II, attached to the 300mm lens. The platform and suet feeders are full, bringing in lots of activity from the usual visitors (Cardinals, House Finches, Chickadees, Titmice, Mourning Doves, Juncos, various Woodpeckers, and Nuthatches.) I’m hoping that migrating warblers and other unusual transients will notice heavy bird activity and want to join in for a meal.
Migratory Birds Photographed So Far
So far this Spring, I’ve seen and photographed the following migratory birds: Red winged Blackbirds, Gold Finches, Cowbirds, House Finches, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern and Western Meadowlarks, Ruby Crowned Kinglets, field and song sparrows, unusual sparrows like the Towhee and Vesper Sparrow, and even a Wilson’s Snipe.
By far the most exciting photography challenge this Spring was when a bright and bold male Pine Warbler came down to feast on suet. This warbler species is one of the few that visits feeders. Thinking that this would be my only chance, I photographed almost every single sighting, mostly him clinging to a suet feeder. After a hundred or so shots, I was more calculated, keeping the windows open and watching and waiting for him to land on a natural perch with a pleasing background.
Patience and perseverance most certainly brings success to photographers.
The Pine Warbler stayed little more than a day, and I have several hundred photographs. Still, I keep looking, hoping to see him again.
The photo below was shot early in the morning, before the sun had a chance to spread its light into the dark shadows of this local church pond. This female Red Breasted Merganser had just captured a sunfish almost as big as her head, and was holding on tight with her sharp serrated beak. The sunfish was not about to submit without a fight, and the Merganser swam in wide circles as she tried to position it so she could safely swallow it whole.
Female Red Breasted Merganser trying to Swallow a Sunfish. ISO 8000; f/8; 1/2000 second
With all this fast and frantic activity, I didn’t dare lower my shutter speed below 1/2000 second. The 500mm lens with 1.4 extender delivers a very shallow depth of field, so I preset the aperture at f/8. The auto ISO evaluated the light and responded to these exposure parameters with an ISO of 8000! A very high ISO – yet the clarity the 5D Mark III sensor (22.3 MP) delivered in this low light was good. I am happy with the results.
NOTE: The Merganser did eventually manage to swallow the fish (see photos below).
DSLR Megapixel Race
Canon has introduced two new 50.6 megapixel full frame DSLR cameras- (5DS R and 5DS). It’s an effort to move closer to the detail and quality produced by a medium format camera sensor. Somewhere in the mix of sensor size, pixel size, pixel density and software processing algorithms, the design engineers still can not devise a DSLR sensor (36 x 24 mm) that has both exceptional low light performance and 50 megapixel detail. In both of these new cameras, the sensor’s light gathering potential is sacrificed to bump up the megapixel count.
In this photo, the Merganser turned toward the sun as she wrestled with the sunfish, lowering the ISO. ISO6400; f/8; 1/2000 Second
Advantages of Monster Megapixels
The main advantage of having a DSLR camera with densely packed megapixels is that you can capture an enormous amount of detail. The 50.6 cameras would definitely appeal to specialized markets; those photographers who crave detail and are equipped to incorporate artificial light when needed to keep ISO levels low.
Distance between the lens and subject would be less of an issue because the high megapixel count would give photographers more freedom to crop (in post processing) without denigrating the image too much.
Photographers would be able to print super sized, high quality enlargements never before possible from a DSLR camera.
The new Canon DSLR cameras include new in-camera cropped shooting modes. (Note: I bought a cropped sensor camera – a 7D Mark II – to get the extra reach. See this post.) These settings cut back on the megapixel count (the 1.3x crop produces 30MP images, while the 1.6x crop produces 19MP images) and consequently take a small toll on resolution. Photographers benefit from the extra lens reach that cropped sensors provide and possibly better burst rates than the advertised 5 frames per second.
Drawbacks of Monster Megapixels
The main disadvantage for photographers who rely on natural light is the mediocre low light performance of the new Canon 5DS cameras. (ISO recommended range = 100-6400) My guess is that the light gathering potential of the new sensor could never produce the low light quality achieved by the 22.3MG sensor in the Canon 5D Mark III, once I strayed above ISO 1000 or so.
Photographers would not be able to see the high level of detail on most computer monitors.
The size of the files is huge. The smallest part of a digital image is a pixel -one dot of information- measured in PPI (PIXELS PER INCH). A megapixel is approximately a million pixels. Currently, my full sensor 22.3 MG 5DMark III DSLR camera exports images that take up massive amounts of hard drive space. You must ask yourself: Do you have the computer processing power and the hard drive storage needed to process 50.6 million pixels per photo?
Despite the in-camera Digit 6 processor improvements and USB 3 port, the new 5 DS cameras will use more power and take longer to process, store and transfer all that data. (Amazingly, these cameras are still capable of shooting 5 fps continuous shooting. NOTE: Canon 5D Mark III is not much more….burst rate = 6 fps.)
Bigger compact flash and SD memory cards to accommodate the massive storage requirements will set photographers back a bit. At this writing, a SanDisk 128GB Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card, with UDMA 7 Speed Up To 160MB/s, costs $467.00
The Merganser about to swallow the sunfish whole. I set the shutter speed a little higher in this photo, raising the ISO to 10,000. ISO 10000; f/8; 1/2500 Second
Photographers Who Rely Exclusively on Natural Light
For a bird photographer living in cloudy SW Michigan and reliant on natural light, one of the major draws of a well balanced full frame sensor is its superior low light performance. As much as I try to wait for bright sunny days before I take my camera out, inevitably the clouds creep in or birds I want to photograph perch in the shadows. I need a CMOS sensor that delivers outstanding detail and excellent low light performance.
If you wish to read about the technical aspects of higher megapixel sensors – there is lots of info on the web. Unless money is not an issue, I recommend that you take the time to learn about how sensors work and use that knowledge to figure out what camera works best for you.
Orange Crowned Warbler ISO 1250; f/5; 1/800 Second
Every day in San Diego was either sunny or mostly sunny. (Quite a welcomed change for this Michigan photographer!) I hoped to find and photograph lots of warblers, but saw only two. A female Orange Crowned Warbler, who visited this orange tube shaped honeysuckle blossom bush multiple times every day in search of insects, and a Yellow Rumped Warbler, ground feeding in the grass near an abandoned building.
Having a warbler who is perfectly will to pose regularly visit a lovely crop of bright flowers with soft green backgrounds was like heaven. NOTE: I also hoped that the more colorful male would make an appearance, but he did not.
I set up the tripod and 7D Mark II with 300mm lens and 1.4 telephoto extender on the condo balcony and hoped to get as many closeup photos as this bird would allow. The warbler was so active that I lost track of time and found myself photographing her between 11:00-3:00 pm. Predictably, the colors in these images were over saturated and highly contrasty; mostly unusable without a major renovation in post processing.
The Impact of Bright Flowers
The splashes of dramatic color, along with the graceful curves and intricate detail of the flowers, all add a lively, energetic and emotional dynamic to the image. The cooler green colors of the leaves create a perfect background.
In Lightroom you can adjust all image colors with one stroke or be more targeted by individually adjusting three properties (Hue, Saturation,Luminance) of 8 different colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Aqua, Blue, Purple and Magenta). It’s fun to experiment, but I generally find myself preferring the colors and intensities as the camera processed them.
Orange Crowned Warbler ISO1600; f/6; 1/1000 Second
Watching and Waiting for Warblers to Photograph
I am anxiously awaiting the Spring arrival of the warblers in Michigan. So far, I have not seen any, not even the Yellow Rumped Warbler who often arrives in late March. Perhaps while I wait, we should plant more colorful (and deer proof) spring flowers.
It has been my experience that Rough Legged Hawks are fiercely elusive. It’s very difficult for a photographer to position herself close enough to these birds for a decent shot. I usually find myself looking up through the viewfinder of my full sensor DSLR camera and seeing only far off tail feathers. Having the extra reach afforded when using a DSLR camera with a cropped sensor combined with a long lens and a telephoto extender can be quite an advantage when photographing this raptor.
7D Mark II, 500mm lens and 1.4 Extender
After stalking a pair of Rough Legged Hawks in the Allegan State Game Area and photographing them with the 7D Mark II camera, 500mm lens and 1.4x III telephoto extender, I find myself very pleased with the reach and the image sharpness. The magnification was great enough that very little zooming was needed in post processing.
To better understand how much more focal length is attainable, let’s do the math:
Crop sensor on 7D Mark II with 500mm f/4L lens puts the camera’s magnification at 800 mm (1.6 x 500).
Add to that 500mm lens a Canon 1.4x III telephoto extender and the magnification is now 1120mm (800 x 1.4).
For the first photo, taken in January, 2015, I had the 7D Mark II, 500 mm lens and 1.4 telephoto extender propped on the door window ledge as I drove. The Roughie would perch, take a look at me, then fly away, each time going farther and higher into the distance. I was lucky to photograph him looking back at me – right before he launched. (See photo below)
Rough Legged Hawk. ISO1250; f/9; 1/2000 Second
The photo below was also taken with the 7D Mark II, 500mm lens and 1.4 extender, but on a different day. The clarity is good and the focal length was perfect – not too close to crop the edges off those expansive wings while still including the Red Winged Blackbird pursuing the hawk.
Rough Legged Hawk being pursued by a red winged Black Bird. ISO1000; f/9.0; 1/3200 Second
7D Mark II, 500mm lens and 2.0 Extender
The third photo (shown below) was taken mid March, 2015 with my 7D Mark II, 500mm lens and a 2.0x III telephoto extender.
Crop sensor on 7D Mark II with 500mm lens puts the camera’s magnification at 800 mm (1.6 x 500).
Add to that 500 mm lens a Canon 2.0x III telephoto extender and the magnification is now 1600mm (800 x 2.0).
A 1600mm focal length opens a lot of doors for bird photographers. For this shot, I was sitting in the front passenger side of my car, with the lens resting on the car door, pointing up. The Roughie was quite a distance away, perched at the top of a tree. It wasn’t a straight shot, and I worked to dodge excessive branch clutter between the bird’s perch and my camera lens. Eventually, I had no choice but to quickly and quietly open my car door, stand up (in the icy mud; yuck) and then rest the weight of the lens on the top of the door. I slid the lens back and forth on the door until I found a sightline where the branch clutter did not throw off my auto focus. He watched me for 3 minutes or so – then bolted.
Rough Legged Hawk. Focus is very soft with 2x III extender. ISO 1000; f/9; 1/3200 Second
Impact of 2x Telephoto Extender
In the photo above, the focus seems rather soft compared with the first two photos, especially since the light was very good and he was close enough that very little post processing zooming was needed. In addition, the shutter speed was set very high to offset lens movement. I loved having the extra reach afforded by the 2x telephoto extender on the 7D Mark II DSLR camera, but am not happy with the sharpness it delivers.
Disadvantages of Using Telephoto Extenders
High end telephoto extenders attached to quality lenses are reputed to have excellent optical quality; however:
Telephoto extenders do reduce the image sharpness of a any lens, the 2.x more so than the 1.4 x.
The auto focus on the lens will be noticeably slower when an extender is attached.
In exchange for higher magnification, you sacrifice light: 1 aperture stop for the 1.4x extender and 2 stops for the 2.x extender
Any movement is greatly magnified with long lenses- even more so with extenders attached. Image stabilization does help compensate, but not completely. Tripods are almost a necessity.
Impact of Camera Sensor Size
Theoretically, when comparing Canon’s modern, high quality DSLR camera sensors of different sizes, and using similar lighting and distance parameters and similar megapixel counts, the full frame sensor (because it is twice the size of the cropped sensor and brings in more light) will likely deliver a broader dynamic range and better quality low light resolution (less noise) than the cropped sensor will.
I believe the difference in quality between Canon’s high end full sized sensor and cropped sensor to be pretty small when the subject is well within range of the telephoto lens.
Distance Matters
If the subject is too far away, to the point where you can not mostly fill the frame with the bird and its surroundings and you are forced to zoom in dramatically during post processing, image detail and quality will suffer. Digital images consists of pixels/dots. You enlarge the dots when you zoom in because you are zooming in to a relatively small component of the photo. The more you zoom, the more image degradation. A larger sensor – more pixels and dots -will probably have less image degradation, but not enough to save the photo.
Tack Sharp Images
Experimenting with magnification was fun and a good reminder that, for tack sharp images, there’s no substitution for getting as close as possible to your subject – so close that you don’t need to attach a telephoto extender to your lens nor zoom in during post processing.
Visit this link for more information on the disadvantages of zooming in on a photo.
For more information about photographing Rough Legged Hawks in flight, visit this link.
There’s nothing quite so gratifying as photographing a bird at eye level and being able to play with how the light strikes its feathers. I assembled my 7D Mark II with a 300mm f/2.8L lens and 1.4 x III telephoto extender and went for a walk on a Southern California beach in search of a Snowy Egret. I spotted one almost immediately foraging in the shallow water.
I walked slowly toward him, as close as I dared. The morning sun was low in the eastern sky and to the right of the camera. The soft illumination was spreading unevenly over the Egret, and consequently, textures, shapes, patterns, and contours were more emphasized. I set my exposure manually and started shooting.
Camera Gear for Beach Walking
The advantages of taking this camera gear with me for a walk on the beach are as follows:
The Canon 300 mm f/2.8 L lens is an extremely sharp prime lens that focuses fast and has a wide aperture.
The 300mm lens is fairly light (5.17lbs), responds fast in low light and produces outstanding background blur.
The Canon 1.4x III telephoto extender is compatible with this lens and extends the 300mm focal reach to a 420 mm.(300 x 1.4)
Multiply in the extra reach afforded by the 1.6 cropped sensor in the 7D Mark II (420 x 1.6) and I have a reach of 672 mm with a f/4.0 aperture. (Remember the technical tradeoffs that come with attaching the 1.4 telephoto extender: the max aperture is reduced by one stop, focusing speed is slower and sharpness will be slightly decreased.)
No tripod is needed with the 300 mm/1.4x extender combo. (NOTE: I find that my 500mm 4.0L lens is too heavy to comfortably walk around with, especially on the beach. It is also difficult for me to prop up the 500mm and hold it steady when it is time to aim and shoot.)
Close up of a Snowy Egret ISO1000; f/9; 1/2000 Second
Ethereal Qualities
While on the beach, I noticed the intriguing light, but did not register its surreal qualities or how eerily it painted itself on the Egret or the water in the background. My focus was on photographing this captivating bird. The unearthliness created by the light was all around me, and I missed it, at least until I saw it that evening in Lightroom.
What I missed is illustrated in this close-up photo of the Snowy Egret. It depicts a tranquil, almost spiritual place. The dreamy quality of the flowing water in the background gives the photo an impressionist flair, the illusion that this photo is a painting. The wet feathers on his head and breast appear to have a silky, tactile quality. The soft glow illuminating the back side of the Egret’s white head and long neck contrasts nicely with the strikingly placid background. Why didn’t I notice (and enjoy) the ethereal qualities of the light at the time I was taking the photograph?
It’s pretty clear that I need to stop being all cozy and comfortable with my bird photography. My photos would be better if I am more aware and purposeful with light – think more about what it is I want to create, and try to pay attention to when and how natural light paints exquisite dreamlike qualities on its canvas.
That takes being at the right place at the right time to a whole different level.
(See this post about photographing birds on or near water).
What a knockout! The Mandarin drake’s plumage is an unrestrained assortment of different patterns, colors, arrangements, textures, shapes, and lengths. Showing off a preponderance of gold, he also sports blue, green, and copper on his crest; white, orange, and olive in his mane, white, gold and black on his underparts, a bright purple breast, yellow feet and legs and a white tipped red bill. Large, dark eyes are emphasized with sleek white feathers that extend past his mane. Lustrous, iridescent blue colors shimmer on his back. Best of all, orange and gold sail feathers protrude 2″ or so up from his back. The Mandarin is definitely the most beautiful duck I’ve ever seen.
Textures and Colors Abound on This Male Mandarin Duck Posing in His Spring Plumage. ISO3200; f/4; 1/800 Seconds
Photographing Captive Mandarin Ducks
Mandarin Ducks are native to east Asia and symbolize happiness and faithfulness. Mandarin pairs are often presented as wedding gifts in Japan and China. Brought to Europe and America as captives, many escaped into the wild and thrived. I photographed these individuals in the extensive, lush garden area of the Catamaran hotel on Mission Bay, San Diego, California. The Mandarins and three or four other species of ducks were provided with an abundance of food and water in an extensive aquatic environment set up by the hotel.
To photograph these exotic waterfowl, I walked to the Catamaran Hotel with my 7D Mark II, 135 mm lens with 2x extender. Focal length on this setup was 135 x 2 = 270. The cropped sensor gave an additional reach: 1.6 x 270 = 432 mm. A good focal length in a fairly compact camera setup made it easy to walk long distances. I did not bring my tripod.
Mature palm trees blocked a lot of the light coming into the gardens. After I manually set the exposure, the ISO was reading very high; 3200. The Mandarin Ducks at the hotel seemed accustomed to humans, but did not seek them out. I sat down on a sidewalk near the stream with my camera and waited. After 10 minutes or so, a pair of Mandarins swam by, the drake stopping to climb a rock and preen. Very easy shots and close enough to help counteract the high ISO.
Subtle Colors of the Female Mandarin Duck.ISO3200; f/5.6; 1/640 Second
Shedding His Beauty
The extraordinary adornment on the Mandarin drake indicates health and vitality and thus good breeding potential to a female Mandarin Duck. After the male flashes his extraordinary plumage for the females, completes the mating ritual and helps incubate the eggs, he leaves the family to commence extreme molting behavior. His work done, he transforms from spectacular to drab- perfect for blending and evading predators. The molting is so extreme on this species of duck that he temporarily looses his primary feathers and is unable to fly.
Read more about the defrocked Mandarin Duck in the March 2015 edition of National Geographic by pressing this link . Click to page 28. The one page article is entitled “Looking Hot, Then Not“.
Hummers feed constantly, mostly on a diet of sugar obtained from the nectar of bright and blooming trumpet shaped flowers. This little female Allen’s Hummer pushed her long beak deeply into the tube shaped flower (honeysuckle?) to slurp the nectar at its base. In doing so, she coated her head and neck with powdery pollen from the stamen of the flower. She will take that with her to another flower of the same species where some of that pollen will rub off onto its stigma, thereby bringing those two plants together to reproduce.
Female Allen’s Hummingbird, dipping deep for nectar.
ISO 1600; f/5.6; 1/1000 second
Plenty of Pollen on the head of this Female Allen’s Hummingbird ISO2500; f/5.6; 1/1000 Second
Clear Shots Despite the High ISO
The sun was bright (like it is every single day in San Diego), but the flowers were shaded from the morning sun by tall trees. Hoping to photograph a female Allen’s hummingbird that I had seen feeding on these flowers earlier, I set up my camera and 300 mm lens on the balcony overlooking (and fairly close) to the bright orange trumpet flowers. I set the shutter as low as I dared to go to capture the fast moving hummer, and set the aperture as wide as I dare to go with a 300mm lens. (NOTE: Longer lenses, 200mm and longer, tend to give a very shallow depth of field. To learn more about long lenses and depth of field, see this post.)
With these manual settings, the auto ISO hovered between 1600 and 2500- very high. I usually don’t allow the ISO to rise above 800 or 1000, but I hoped the close proximity between the lens and the hummingbird would help lessen the impact of noise.
Happy with the Results
I think the 2 photographs above look fairly good, despite the relatively high ISO. The indirect sunlight accentuates the beauty and luminosity of the bright orange trumpet flowers and contributes to a strong composition. The hummer’s body is in focus…all except her wings. (See this post if you would like more information on motion blur.) I see that I could have blurred the background a bit more by opening the aperture up one or two additional stops. That would have done a lot to lower the high ISO. The hummer fed for 4-5 minutes, so there was plenty of time to experiment with different exposure settings. I wish I had.
Hummingbird Coated with Pollen
Not often do I photograph a hummingbird so coated with pollen. She was moving about from flower to flower so fast, I did not notice her condition until after I had the photo files downloaded to my computer.
Hummingbirds are one of nature’s most prodigious delivery systems. If you’re interested in learning more about the unique relationship between a hummingbird and its flowers, press this link.
