Hummer Ooops...

[Arthur Morris]

Though the subject and the pose are similar, this, not the one I posted last night, is my favorite image from the trip. Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Guango Lodge, Ecuador. Canon 400mm f/4 IS lens with one 25mm Extension Tube and the EOS1-D MII. Six flash set-up. ISO 500. 1/300 sec. at f/20. On my second high speed hummer trip I finally realized that I needed to be much more aggressive; these tiny birds are so fast that it is virtually impossible to see a pose and capture it. I fired at everything that moved, deleting as many as 3,000 images in a single day... Thanks again to Linda Robbins for teaching an old dog new tricks.

[Jay Tan]

To capture this pose sharply on such a fast and small bird is amazing. I am still trying to learn such high speed flash technique. It'll be great if you share some tips. Great stuff!

[Steve Maxson]

Yesterday's image was terrific, but I see why you like this one better. The posture of the bird is amazing and the catchlights really bring it to life.

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Stunning image with awesome flight pose and incredible eye contact.. Love this one Artie.

[Arthur Morris]

To capture this pose sharply on such a fast and small bird is amazing. I am still trying to learn such high speed flash technique. It'll be great if you share some tips. Great stuff!

Hi Jay, Linda Robbins has been working on a High Speed Hummingbird Guide for about five months now. It is turning out to be a far larger project than she envisioned. She should be done within a month. It will be available through BAA. In addition, she will be taking very small groups to various sites in South America.

Without stealing too much of Linda's thunder, the #1 tip is that you need to have all of the same flashes at the same manual power setting to create sharp images.

[Grace Scalzo]

THis is so beautiful, unique pose and gorgous colors. Love the head-on look and catchlights in both eyes. Great work.

[Stephen Davis]

Incredible shot!

[George DeCamp]

I had to look closer at this to see how the bird did this. Way cool image Artie, love the banking move and the fact you managed to get a sharp image even. The tail in that position rocks!!

[Bob Malbon]

Darn, now I have to buy 4 more flashes! Sweet capture Mr. Morris!!! Bob

[Arthur Morris]

Darn, now I have to buy 4 more flashes! Sweet capture Mr. Morris!!! Bob

Nobody calls me Mr. Morris and lives to tell about it :)

[Maxis Gamez]

Hi Artie,

Excellent technique and capture. Linda is doing one h*** of a job on this. Love the pose and sharpness.

[Fernando Cerra]

Agree with you I like this one even better than last night´s. First thing that came to my mind is that this hummer looks like a flower to me.

[Gayle Clement]

I can see the difference in the head angle in this one. Beautiful colors and pose.

[Glenn Bartley]

Neat pose Artie. I like this BG much better than the other ones I saw. I wish there was a flower or something in the image to accompany the bird.

Good work!

[Judd Patterson]

Wow, what a crazy pose! Great work to make all elements of this image (lighting, background, focus, action, etc.) come together so effectively. I look forward to seeing what else you were able to photograph!

[Glenda Simmons]

Awesome shot of one Gorgeous little Hummer!

[Geurt Bloem]

Aah, what a handsome subject.Well done here Artie!

[Blake Shadle]

Yikes! That's awesome! I should probably tell you why I like it ;) Dynamic pose and incredible eye contact! The composition has strong verticals as well as diagonal elements. Clean complimentary background adds impact to your subject.

[Raul Quinones]

Awesome picture. I will like to see this one print at poster size.
I love the colors and pose, and specially like the "fan" position of the tail.

[Julie Kenward]

Look at that eye contact! What a lovely shot. The position of the bird and the flawless BG make this one pop!

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

I don't think I can add any more superlatives Artie :)
Simply stunning.

Szimi

[Raymond Barlow]

very very amazing Artie. congrats on a NG cover image imo.

[Robert O'Toole]

This one is my favorite of the series Artie, amazing!

Robert

[DanWalters]

The color and detail is amazing. Really like the clean background also.