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Thread: Sword-billed Hummingbird

  1. #1
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    Default Sword-billed Hummingbird

    Only bird with a bill longer than its body. This is a male, but a female's beak would be 15% longer!

    This individual frequented a feeder array outside Manizales (Colombia), and I collected this frame
    shooting down a very steep mountainside. The smooth BG results from forest well below my elevated
    position.

    This frame would have been garbage without fill flash to reveal details on the dark subject.

    I did clone some distracting bromeliad leaves out of the far right side of the frame.

    Canon 600mm f/4 IS II on EOS 1DX2
    1/200 at f/7.1, ISO 1600, flash

    Name:  sword-billed hummingbird head 070319.jpg
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Size:  491.1 KB

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    Love this shot Dorian! The composition is very nice and the flash has helped in extracting a lot of detail and color. I can see a tiny cloning artifact on the RHS, but other than that, no nits from me!

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    Brilliant, Dorian! The amazingly long bill on these birds virtually forces you to place the body of the bird close to one edge or other of the frame for a portrait shot like this, but somehow it just really works compositionally - helped in this case by the smooth green background. Fantastic detail and iridescence in the feathers. The only minor thing I'd suggest is remove the small central highlight in the eye (flash reflection?). For me this one's up there with your best,


    Cheers, David

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    BPN Member dankearl's Avatar
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    Comp is outstanding to show off this beak...
    How do they fly around with it?
    Dan Kearl

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    Avian Moderator Randy Stout's Avatar
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    Dorian:

    Perfect comp for this subject, bill works the diagonal of the frame well, clean background.

    I would try a version without out the flash highlight as well. There is enough of a natural highlight that I think it would still have life.

    Randy
    MY BPN ALBUMS

    "Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy" Sir Isaac Newton

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    Lifetime Member gail bisson's Avatar
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    Simply gorgeous!
    Love the comp and the flash work is beautiful.
    No nits from me!

  7. #7
    Lifetime Member Colin Driscoll's Avatar
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    Just stunning, the beak is outrageous and the feather detail is fabulous.

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    Great details, the composition is spot on.

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    Well i can see why it's called the Sword-billed hummingbird. The composition is right on and that background is killer. Flash looks well done.

  10. #10
    Super Moderator arash_hazeghi's Avatar
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    love the long bill and the composition you chose, excellent details to top it off

    TFS
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    I love the composition.. Background really complements the image well.

    TFS

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