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Oh my! The depth of talent on this thread is overwhelming! Thank you all for sharing such incredible photography.
Can I ask if in the humming bird photos you use a strobe to catch them stopped in midflight? Or just a very fast shutterspeed? I am just getting started trying to take bird photos, so inquiring minds - well - at least agreatlife - want to know.
Here's a hummingbird on the University of Pennsylvania campus:
agreatlife--funny you should ask about hummer photos as I was just ready to post one... This was shot in program mode, 1/160 sec, no flash. I guess I was about 20 feet away from her. I was lucky to capture her hovering near the flower so that her body was in focus, while still keeping the wings as an attractive blur. Hummingbirds are so elusive and so fast that I have to take what I can get (and this is the ONLY hummer shot I've ever taken this close). Next time, I may try to shoot manual or shutter priority for 1/2000 or 1/4000 sec, which is my camera's fastest shutter speed, and take note of the results if I'm on a hummer hunt.
I didn't set out to photograph a hummingbird specifically--she just appeared in my viewfinder, so I took the shot!
Location: Moved to town. Miss 'my' woods and critters.
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Missouri
I am a very amateur photographer. However love to take photos of the birds around our home. I will be learning to improve in the very near future. Here are a few of the birds around our yard today:Pileated woodpecker at a feeder:...hummer at feeder:...
chipping sparrow:.. Can't wait to capture the Orioles, Cardinals, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Towhees and others. I am aware that I have much to learn and enjoy reading this thread and all of the pictures.
A month ago a friend asked for eggs to stick under her broody hen. I don't have a rooster but I do have some very "busy" ducks. They hatched yesterday. There are six. Five are runners and one, with the striped eye, is a mallard/runner cross.
[quote=Swampy101;3732066]First, there are a lot of birds that hover in one place. Lots of raptors do, but two come to mind right away, the White-tailed Kite and the Osprey. Another noticable one that does it is the Say's Phoebe. They just keep popping up in my head now. Loggerhead Shrikes will hover, Belted Kingfishers.....
Some will hover for only a second before diving on their prey, others will hover for 5-10 seconds even. Western Bluebirds generall perch, see what they want, fly over and could hover for a second to take aim before diving. Osprey's will think they see something (fish) and stop in mid-air and hover for 2-10 seconds.
Tree Swallows are great. They are cavity nesters and will use bird houses. They will also chase Barn and Cliff Swallows away, so we always put out plenty of bird houses for the Tree Swallows. We currently have 5 nesting pairs in our yard and get along with everything except Hawks and Barn/Cliff Swallows.
Here's a few images I took last summer that I hope to improve on this year.
I'm sorry Swampy but they wouldn't let me rep you again. These photos are great.
I guess I should also say that Agreatlife pm'd me to ask some other questions along with the shutter speed question above and I answered there.
Here's my answer on the shutter speed for the hummingbird shot in post #30 above:
That was shot with:
Canon 1Ds Mark II (16 megapixel digital SLR)
Canon 600mm f4 IS lens
Canon 1.4x teleconverter (to make the 600 an 840mm f5.6 lens)
Aperture was f6.3, shutter speed was 1/8000th and ISO setting was at 1600.
Even at 1/8000th shutter speed, you're hard pressed to stop the wings completely. About the only way to make it look like they're stopped is to get them as their wings are full forward or full back. The only other way is to shoot in lower light with a fast flash.
Last edited by Swampy101; 05-15-2008 at 12:30 PM..
Wow! What gorgeous pictures. I've never been fortunate enough to get a picture of a merganser. I think they are fantastic. We have many mallards on our pond, and last year I was lucky enough to have a wood duck join them, without any issues between them (always surprises me that ducks get along with other species). I love the wood ducks for that helmet looking back feather and brilliant reds.
The mergansers are awesome. I cannot rep you today, so this will have to do, along with my thanks to Swampy.
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This was shot in program mode, 1/160 sec, no flash. I guess I was about 20 feet away from her. I was lucky to capture her hovering near the flower so that her body was in focus, while still keeping the wings as an attractive blur. Hummingbirds are so elusive and so fast that I have to take what I can get (and this is the ONLY hummer shot I've ever taken this close). Next time, I may try to shoot manual or shutter priority for 1/2000 or 1/4000 sec, which is my camera's fastest shutter speed, and take note of the results if I'm on a hummer hunt.
Missouri
...hummer at feeder:
...
.. Can't wait to capture the Orioles, Cardinals, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Towhees and others. I am aware that I have much to learn and enjoy reading this thread and all of the pictures.
