Four years trying to capture this display finally paid off this year. Canon 1D MK III , EOS 100-400 f/4-5.6 L, four SunPak 544 flash units at 1/32 power
Calliope Hummingbird Courtship Display
Four years trying to capture this display finally paid off this year. Canon 1D MK III , EOS 100-400 f/4-5.6 L, four SunPak 544 flash units at 1/32 power
Last edited by Wally Nussbaumer; 07-07-2009 at 12:05 PM.
Wow, look at that gorget. The action here is so spectacular I don't mind the less than ideal position of the female, or the strange hue of the BG. Is the BG fake?
Outstanding work Wally! You really stopped the action. I like the male's pose, showing off his beautiful feathers. It is also good that the female's wing does not cover here eye. Colors, BG, feather detail and sharpness all very good. Congratulations, I would be extremely proud to have taken this!
Could you give us more details on your setup?
Stunning image Wally, I could imagine you had quite a bit of patience, skill and a ton of luck to get these guys with such a pleasant BG and sharp. The open beak and fanned tail only adds to this great behavioral action. Congrats!
Brian
Wally:
An amazing display. Congrats.
In a perfect world, a bit more separation of male and female would be nice, with the female more parallel to the imaging plane, but it is a wonderful capture as is.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Randy
Yes, unfortunately the background is fake...it was pouring rain too. The composition while not perfect was the best I could do as the display only lasts for a few seconds at most.
Wally:
You should be proud of this one! Lets hope it doesn't take another four years to capture it again.
And yes, by all means, tell us about your setup.
Randy
You should for sure be proud. Amazing capture. Despite the comments how it could be perfect it is an already fantastic photo. Big congratulations.
What a feat to capture that! Good job, very dramatic!
The interaction and 'exploding' gorget make this one for me. It would have been even stronger if you would have been further to your left but I would take it anytime.
Now this is something I have never seen. Simply brilliant.
That is one amazing image!!!
The outstretched gorget is so stunning, way to go!!!
Sugar me!!!!!! That's a first. Outstanding shot!
Congratulations on this, a remarkable photo
a sure winner here!!! also never seen this - I thought the male was carrying a purple flower in his beak :)
What a killer image! I love the way the body and wing positions nearly mirror one another, and as already mentioned, that "exploding gorget" brings the image to a whole different level. Just capturing birds interacting at all is a challenge, but to to having them doing so with this level of focus and intensity is very special indeed. A terrific piece of work, Wally.
Congrats on this special capture Wally!
You must be a very patient person!
And yes, these birds are gorgeous! Love the gorget and behavior.
GREAT, GREAT IMAGE. Ok, that said, in the spirit of Artie's recent letter to all regarding critiqueing, I would love to see more seperation between the two birds! The right birds bill is getting lost in that great, great gorget! Great work, and congratulations, your patience has paid off!
What a stunner this is
Thanks for sharing
Harshad
Absolutely stunning image Wally!! I think pretty much all the possibly things that could have made this better were addressed above...but the fact remains that this is a fabulous image as posted, and a really really tough one to get...especially with the 100-400, you must have been very well set up and very patient. I'm pretty sure you didn't shoot this in Calgary...where was it shot?
Exceptional.
Cheers!
Bruce
Very cool display. Love the sharpness.
Fantastic capture.
Lost for words here.
Great work with that 100-400, many say it is a soft lens, this proves otherwise.
Great moment captured... loved the opposite pose of the bird, great colours and details...
Originally Posted by Bruce Enns
Bull River, British Columbia, but we do have the Calliope here in south Calgary, just harder to find.
Awesome! I would say, he got her attention!! Congratulations. Your patience paid off.
What a tool to get ladies impressed. Awesome and unique image. Well done.
Szimi
Cooooooooooooool!!!
Amazing capture, I have never seen this before. Worth the wait:)
Wally, great action capture. I think the flash is a touch on the strong side (not exposure but in terms of just looking flashed), and I do agree with a couple of the others about the BG looking a bit strange, but the pose of the male is just so cool that it still makes for an eye-catching image.
Your patience definitely paid off.
Cheers from Costa Rica,
Greg Basco
I agree with your comments, however it was almost dark outside (late evening and rain). I was so pleased to get the action I wasn't worried about the rest. Normally they have their display over my head or behind me, sometimes deep inside the brush close to the ground out of camera site, one can just hear them. Sounds somewhat like an angry wasp caught in a small paper bag.
Its Simply Amazing picture. Had to be a really good setup and finally it paid off well. Congratulations!!
It's worth waiting four years for that...
Extraordinary shot !
I entered this in The International WOW Photo Contest and it took first place in the Nature Catagory! :)
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