A progress report on a photography challenge I’ve recently assigned myself. I figure if I make my goal public it’ll provide extra motivation to succeed.
I haven’t had many hummingbirds in my back yard for most of the summer but beginning about two weeks ago their numbers skyrocketed. Black-chinned and Rufous Hummingbirds galore have been warring over my nectar feeder on the north side of my house and taking refuge in my roses, grape vines, catalpa trees and the very tall amaranth plants in my garden. I’ve been itching to photograph them in flight for weeks.
But except for practice I don’t photograph birds at feeders and I don’t post photos of baited birds to my blog so my frustration level has escalated at the same rate as the number of hummers in my back yard. What to do?
A few days ago I thought of a possible, if unlikely, solution.
I have a trumpet vine that is literally consuming my fireplace on the east side of my house and the Rufous Hummingbirds in particular love to feed on its nectar. It seems like the ideal solution to my dilemma but there’s a reason I haven’t photographed hummers there before.
Because of my neighbor’s tall trees on the east side of my house the trumpet vine is in deep shade until after 8:40 in the morning (I’m not complaing about your trees, Shane Smith. I love’em) so my shutter speed is dismally slow. Have you ever tried to photograph hummers in flight with a shutter speed ranging from 1/100th of a second to 1/400th of a second? Good luck with that!
So, why don’t I just wait until the sun hits the trumpet vine? Almost the instant that happens it gets so damn hot on that side of my house the hummers abandon the trumpet vine and take refuge somewhere in the shade. They just disappear so I have a dilemma.
But I started thinking about it. Theoretically it should be possible to get sharp photos of hummers in flight at those incredibly slow shutter speeds if I’m willing to accept their wings being nothing more than a wispy blur. So I’ve been trying. So far without success because in such low light, autofocus slows down so much the hummer in flight is usually gone before I can lock focus on it.
But I still think it’s possible so I’m determined to keep trying.
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
So far I’ve only been able to get sharp shots of the hummers when one of them perches on one of the dead trumpet vine twigs and even that doesn’t happen very often. Yesterday morning this female Black-chinned Hummingbird held still for long enough for me to get quite a few sharp shots of her.
1/400, f/5.6, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
She never posed much but I didn’t have the shutter speed for it anyway (sometimes it’s as slow as 1/100th of a second, even at ISO 3200). At one point though, she did give me a pretty nice demonstration of rhynchokinesis. Check out the tip of her bill.
Now I’ve challenged myself publicly so that should light (or intensify) a fire in me to work on getting sharp shots of hummers in flight as they’re feeding on my trumpet vine. We’ll see how that turns out…
Ron
Notes:
- “Rhynchokinesis – Birds can move their whole upper jaw, or parts of it, relative to their cranium, because of regions of thinner bone called bending zones. One of these forms of flexibility is called distal rhynchokinesis, where a section of the upper beak, near the tip, bends relative to the rest of the beak.”
- The R5’s high ISO performance is pretty good but it isn’t as good in low light as I hoped it would be. I prefer not to go higher than ISO 3200, especially when I crop significantly and I often do. Even for these shots I used noise reduction selectively on the background.
Lovely photos once again!! I’m glad that you gave yourself this challenge because I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Always inspiring and an education! Thanks!
Joanne, I may have no luck at all with my goal. When I tried to photograph hummers at the trumpet vine this morning they weren’t showing up and I don’t know why. Don’t know if it will continue like that or not.
Ron,
I looked at some of your hummer photos from August of 2013 which I found while searching out other photos of this phenomenon. Your photos are amazing – as are the ones from this post. Thank you for sharing about the Rhynchokinesis. I had not heard of it before. Thank you for the bit of education thrown in with each of your posts. Enjoy your new challenge. It is super hard to get a hummers wings looking lovely in a photo.
Thanks, Sandie. I’m glad you enjoyed your trip back in time on my blog.
LOL! Welcome to my world. I’ve been shooting at ISO 5000. I have not posted many of the release photos, I sent them to Buz to use on WRCNU site. I have posted a few of the hummers in my yard I have not released. Yes, I can usually recognize the ones I have cared for. My backyard where I do the bird releases is always in the shade between a giant cherry tree, huge Rocky Mountain Juniper and 2, two story garages, mine and the neighbors. I have been trying for an image of a hummingbird cleaning it’s beak with it’s foot. I have been trying for 3 years now. This year I came close twice on the same day. I do have photos of the beak cleaning in a flight cage but I don’t count those.
At least you’re getting plenty of practice in tough shooting conditions, April.
A new word. AND a bird that causes me serious avian envy.
Good luck with your challenge.
Thanks, EC. I’m sure I’m going to need it.
That sounds like a worthy challenge. For noise reduction, are you using tools within Photoshop (or your main processing software), or do you use a separate tool like those from Topaz or DxO? I have read very positive reviews of the Topaz and DxO noise reduction tools, even for higher ISO than you prefer, but have not tried them yet myself (one more software to learn).
“one more software to learn”
And to buy.
Duane, I almost never use any form of noise reduction but on those rare, very rare, occasions when I do I use the tools within Photoshop.
I find the first photo very appealing. The trumpet vine caressing the chimney, a peek at the capsules here and there, gorgeous flowers. If FP doesn’t work out for you you could switch to botanical photography.
Hummers in flight/wings frozen, photographed in shade. That does sound awfully challenging. Some sort of flash?
Rhynchokinesis. Aware of the phenomenon, didn’t know there was a name. Definitely another one you have introduced me to that I can amaze my birder friends with.
“didn’t know there was a name. Definitely another one you have introduced me to that I can amaze my birder friends with.”
Just make sure you spell it right, Lyle! Generally, I have to look it up just to make sure.
Don’t hold your breath about me switching to botanical photography.
I never use flash with birds. I think it’s rude.
Wonderful word of the day! Always learning something from you Ron – thank you! Our Rufous migration is over in the AZ mountains, so we have to settle for a few stray Rufous, Annas and we have a ferocious Allen that is a terror at the feeder! Endless entertainment for me. I LOVE hummers.
Thank you, Kathleen. Around here it’s the Rufous that are the terrors.
Good luck with your challenge.
Rhynchokinesis – A good term to know and watch for. I have photos of this in three different shorebirds. Ever wonder how a snipe knows there is food down below when it probes deep or how it opens its beak to extract it? Sensory nerves at the tip tell it it has touched something. Then the very tip opens allowing taste buds (in the roof of the mouth at the tip, not the tongue) to taste it. If it’s food, the open tip of the beak can grasp it and extract it. Once out of the mud/sand the beak can open more fully and consume the prey. Neat trick and very nice to see this in your hummingbird photo.
I also want to add my comment that your photography is excellent in many ways. Elsewhere, I often see beautiful photos but they are static and tell us little about the bird. Not only are your photos of outstanding quality but they usually tell a story and give us some insight into the lives of your subjects. I don’t always find this combination elsewhere and it’s what make your photos new and refershing everyday. It’s much appreciated.
Your second comment especially means a lot to me, Dan. I feel pretty much the same way. I can actually grow weary of too many “pretty bird photos” but when there’s behavior involved, or some interesting anatomical or physiological adaptation, I never tire of seeing them.
Oh my goodness —- very clear and sharp photos! Yes, I understand you’re wanting birds in motion, but jeez — those are gorgeous images of a hummer ‘at rest’!
Thanks, Kathryn. I’m pretty pleased with the quality of these shots too, especially the first hummer photo.
Very interesting and educational post Ron. Love those trumpet vine blossoms. Have to admit to never having ever heard or seen the term rhynchokinesis. Did you ever introduce that in one of your biology classes?
I do sometimes like hummer photos with the blurred wings.
“Did you ever introduce that in one of your biology classes?”
I don’t believe I ever did, Everett. It would have been an excellent point to bring up in my zoology classes but back then it’s possible I was unaware of the phenomenon. Can’t remember for sure though.
Wow – just came back to read the comments and Dan’s 2nd input is so right on. A bid ditto from me on that, and would guess from most others as well.
Gorgeous girl. I used to see Ruby and Green throats in Louisiana. Here we get black-chin and Rufous.
“Here we get black-chin and Rufous”
Same species as I see, Arwen.
Love the shots.
BTW – We use to have a vine like that and it was a good attractant, but did a job on the house. The price we pay to have hummers around!!
If one wants to see many different hummers, go to Arizona.
“but did a job on the house”
I’ve been a little concerned about that too, Dick. But mine seems to climb mostly on the brick fireplace.
We had one holding up a fence. But when the fence was taken out it didn’t go away. Just keeps coming up all over our yard! Now we have salvia foe the hummers. They also love to nest under our overhang on wind chimes or light cords. Was great the first few years but the anxiety of having eggs and babies in those tenuous nests is getting to me…..
I know what you mean about it coming up elsewhere.
The only hummers I have ever seen in this east coast place (just north and east of Maine) are the Ruby Throated hummers who come for a few short months. If you hadn’t mentioned “rhynchokinesis” I would have assumed that I was seeing his/her tongue but with that prompting I zoomed to see clearly this amazing (“displacement”?) phenomenon. Thanks for the lesson on that.
Granny Pat, if it makes you feel any better I’ve never seen a Ruby-throated.
One COULD consider blurred hummingbird wings a natural “behavioral”
study…….that’s the way we see ’em, most of the time…..rhynchokinesis is
fascinating to learn about–when I saw shot #2, my first reaction was to think
the bird had been injured ! I guess being able to capture such a clear, still
image of the phenomenon can yield proof of its existence– and that’s why
you’re so insistent upon it… thanks for your commitment and the education
of this morning !
“One COULD consider blurred hummingbird wings a natural “behavioral” study”
Kris, my instinct is to prefer wings without motion blur but I can appreciate blurred wings too, as long as the body is sharp. That’s why I’m trying for these low SS shots.
Quite the challenge! I suspect you’ll figure it out! 😉 Beautiful vine! 🙂 Only hummers we get are occasional Rufous on their way back S in the fall. None this year so far… Of course, yard isn’t very enticing with flowers all devoured by the “darlin’ deer” and just puddles in the creek… 😉
No, not hauling yet tho with the heat this next week I’m sure we will be soon. 🙁
Judy, I guess I’m surprised you don’t have more Rufous this time of year. But when I think about it, I don’t remember seeing them on our MT farm either.
Lesson for today, rhynchokinesis. Thanks Ron.
You’re very welcome, Michael.