Two dramatically different versions of the same photo.
1/6400, f/5.6, ISO 1000, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
This photo was taken two mornings ago, soon after the female Black-chinned Hummingbird landed on one of the hundreds of trumpet vine flowers on the vine growing up my brick fireplace. I like the simplicity of the image with the bird and the single, colorful flower against the dark, featureless background and nothing else.
But I had the option to play with it a little, so I did.
A much looser crop of the same image reveals that she appeared to be trying to take in all the choices she had as sources of flower nectar. There are countless flower clusters like this one on the huge vine and each cluster contains at least a half dozen flowers at or near their prime. At times she seemed overwhelmed by all of her choices.
It’s a good thing for this photographer that she spent an inordinate amount of time at this particular cluster because it’s the only one with a clean, dark background and several of its flowers are oriented 90° to the sun, which means I’m not getting butt shots of her while she’s feeding at them. Most of the other flowers point directly or almost directly at the sun and of course I have the sun behind me, which means I get mostly butt shots while the hummers are feeding.
I appreciate the flexibility the large file size (46 MP) of the Canon R5 allows me for cropping my images. With my previous cameras I wouldn’t have dared to crop as drastically as I did to get the first version of the photo above because I wouldn’t have enough pixels left for good image quality.
No problem with the R5.
Ron
Addendum:
As an afterthought I decided to actually show my readers what I tried to describe, above.
This is my shooting situation. We can only see a portion of the 18′ tall trumpet vine – the rest of it is behind my fireplace and out of frame at bottom. The light is mottled because it filters through a tree in a neighbor’s yard and oftentimes the entire vine is in shade, so I have to get lucky with timing with both light and hummers. This is some of the best early morning light I see on the vine and it changes back and forth quickly.
If you’re curious, this hummer’s favorite flower cluster, the one in the first two photos and the one I prefer the hummers to feed on, is the one directly below the red “X”. The X is kind of hard to see, but it’s there.
PS – the “brown camouflage tube” at lower left is the end of my lens pointing at the trumpet vine.
Delight and wonder exist in our own backyards. ❤️
Love the close crop, for all the reasons you stated.
Thanks, Michael.
Neat how you peeled back the layers of this lovely lady and her flower. Each photo tells a dramatically different part of the story, which adds up to the whole. So interesting how the dark background in the “studio portrait” results from the light-infused view of the whole vine and its surroundings. Lucky you, to have such a lovely thing decorating your chimney!
Thanks, Carolyn. I’m lucky indeed.
And embarrassed to admit how many years I was a bird photographer and didn’t realize that hummingbirds were feeding on my trumpet vine. It’s on the side of my house and I just didn’t notice…
Sooo much bounty for one small bird.
I love all three photos (for different reasons) but the drama of the cropped version appeals to me most.
“Sooo much bounty for one small bird”
And for one old photographer. Thanks, EC.
Thank you for including a photo of your magnificent trumpet vine! Interesting the hummers enjoy the flower cluster farthest from the house.
Kathleen, I think this little lady prefers that cluster because it sticks out away from most of the leaves and other flowers so she doesn’t have to worry about negotiating them when she’s feeding in flight.
Or maybe she’s just trying to please the photographer…
Beauty photos, both flower and Humming Bird!
Stay Cool,
Kaye
Thanks, Kaye. No chance of that. I just mowed the back lawn and I’m in the process of tilling my garden. At least we’ve had some clouds this morning for partial shade.
Nice photos today and yesterday. I had a hard time finding the x! Its the same color as the flowers on my monitor. I have a trumpet vine I put on the chain link fence in my back yard to help cover the ugly fence separating us from the gully. It did well till they re-landscaped the hill and planted trees which now shade the plant too much. It is a scrawny stub for being 30 years old. The squirrels don’t help by eating down the new growth and flowers.
Thanks, April. Sorry we missed you yesterday and thank you for the apricots. I plan on using mine with vanilla ice cream, probably in a shake. Who knows, it might be nearly as good as chocolate… 🙂
You are welcome. They were not the ripest yet and small this year. I did not get out to thin the tree for my parents this spring. I still have most of the tree to pick in a few days. My mom wants me to help her can a flat of apricots, but there are probably 6-8 flats still ripening. I will check in and see if you want more.
By the way, since you mentioned squirrels. I haven’t seen Bandito or any of his buddies in my yard for a couple of weeks now. I see them in the neighborhood but not here. Makes me wonder if my Slinky discouraged them that much.
I prefer the 1st photo tho the 2nd sure does give a little “context” as to her “choices”….. 🙂 Wonderful the amount of cropping you can do with the 46mp……
You answered my question on the brown camoflage tube! Was a puzzle as I’m sure you aren’t on propane and it sure didn’t have the fittings for that! 😉
Thanks, Judy. I guess I’d better make a note in my post about what that “brown camouflage tube” really is.
I surely do like that first shot–she looks like a queen on her “throne”
surveying her kingdom of abundance. Is that a barrel composter
to the left of the fence ?
Kris, that’s the end of my lens pointing at the trumpet vine.
Love that photo. Very dramatic. That is indeed a useful feature of the R5 to be able to severely crop, but still have enough pixels for good image quality. I think by now you have become a big fan of that camera. I know the couple amateur guys I run into here who have them are very appreciative of its many perks.
Thanks, Everett. The R5 is a great camera for a variety of reasons but like all mirrorless cameras it has its aggravating quirks.