4001: A Hummingbird Odyssey

[Doug Brown]

My 4000th post snuck past me, so I'm commemorating my 4001st post with this hummingbird photograph from Rancho Naturalista in Costa Rica. I saw the new Star Trek movie last night, and the black BG of this image reminded me of outer space; I therefore chose a sci-fi title. Dramatic lighting of this White-Necked Jacobin courtesy of my good friend Greg Basco.

http://birdwhisperer.smugmug.com/photos/532444226_LJuSH-O.jpg

Canon 50D, 70-200mm f/4 + 1.4x @ 154mm, f/16, 1/200, ISO 320, manual exposure, 3 flashes, tripod

[Stu Bowie]

Firstly, congrats on your milestone of 4000. Clever title, and great pp work on the BG. The humming bird just pops so well, and it shows off the colours nicely. Pin sharp, and I like the overall comp of this. Great image Doug.

[Doug Brown]

Thanks Stuart! I didn't PP the BG. We used a black BG in the multiple-flash setup.

[Jim Fenton]

With but one exception, I'd be really pleased if this were mine.

Perhaps a bit of shadow / highlight on the darker areas between the eye and the neck?

[Indranil Sircar]

Congrats on the milestone, Doug and a great one. Love the title and the composition. Thanks for all the feedback.

[Aidan Briggs]

Congrats on the 4000 posts. I love the unique lighting and BG. It gives a fresh look to what would otherwise be just another multi-flash hummingbird shot. The only thing I would do is lighten the neck area a tad.

Overall an excellent image!

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Congrats on your 4000th post.

Lovely image with a different approach.

[Dan Brown]

Congrats Doug on this milestone! Sorry that you wasted the 4K post on my trogon but I did appreciate it! I Loved those Jacobins!

[Tony Whitehead]

Congratulations, Doug. Great effort all round. Agree on trying to gain a little more separation between the neck and BG. Great title!

[Randy Stout]

Doug:

Congrats on 4000. It represents a lot of time and effort.

Another vote for a bit more light on the neck, face area. I always make up my mind before I read any comments, and that was what jumped out at me.

Cheers

Randy

[Ed Cordes]

Congrats on 4001! I saw the Star Trek last night and it was great! Now to the image - Love the lighting. The neck and area under the eye and beak could be a tad lighter.