Though I loved doing the sharp flight images of the hummers at Quango Lodge in Ecuador, I am easily bored. I noticed that when the hummers sat on a feeder they were totally tame so I grabbed the 180 macro lens and the macro twin light and stood in the same spot for about four hours till I got a few good ones. I posted one in Avian here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=11509 This one is a Tourmaline Sunangel male.
First, it was a matter of getting the correct flash as main light settings (to keep the background from going dark). Then, it was a matter of getting a sweet bird in the right position with a good head angle. I do not recall ever seeing any similar images...
Canon 180mm Macro lens with the macro twin light and the EOS-1D MIII on the tiny Giotto's ballhead. ISO 1600. 1/80 sec. at f/6.3 in manual mode.
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Feather detail is super. Flash control is outstanding as it just doesn't look like you used flash. I also like the bird's expression of wonderment at what you're doing.
love it. Birds really do remain beautiful under the closest of inspections...
In a perfect world i would like a little bit more DOF but hey, its pretty **** sweet as is.
Beautiful feather detail and color in this image. I know these hummers have long beaks but I wish it was a little more in focus. So i guess I would add to the wish for greater depth of field. That said, still a beautiful image.
With respect towards those who are wishing for more d-o-f for the bill:
#1: I am at ISO 1600, as high as I would like to go.
#2: I am already at 1/80 sec. I have tired to avoid underexposing the background much, i.e., I am very close to the correct ambient exposure. The subject is alive and moving.... If I had opted for any more d-o-f that would mean a slower shutter speed which means death to the image. In fact, most of the images that I made were lost to subject movement and the resultant blur.
3- For the mathematically minded, if I stopped down almost six more stops to f/64 my d-o-f would have been .39 in in front and .39 in behind the bird, but I would have had to use a 5+ stops slower shutter speed...
Wishing for more d-o-f is one thing, reality is another:)
BIRDS AS ART Blog: great info and lessons, lots of images with our legendary BAA educational Captions; we will not sell you junk. 30+ years of long lens experience/e-mail with gear questions.
BIRDS AS ART Online Store: we will not sell you junk. 35 years of long lens experience. Please e-mail with gear questions.
Check out the new SONY e-Guide and videos that I did with Patrick Sparkman here. Ten percent discount for BPN members,