Hi Keith - Thanks so much for sharing your expertise and beautiful photographs here. I have a big perennial garden and we have lots of visiting hummingbirds. I have considered trying to photograph them but based on your article, I think I will just continue to enjoy watching them. Knowing how much time, effort, and knowledge goes into creating your photos of these birds is very helpful context and makes me appreciate your results even more.
@Sarah_Marino - Thanks for taking the time to read my article. Like many genres of photography time, effort and knowledge are keys to success. The work you do is certainly a testament to that. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the images I shared and maybe you clicked through to my hummingbird gallery as well. There are so many creative opportunities with photography. That’s certainly one of the reasons I find it so enjoyable. When I get to study the work of photographers like you, it inspires me to continue looking for more!
Thank you for this article and for the suggested lighting set up. I have purchased a couple of additional flash units to try this. I have 5 Flashpoint R2 Units. I tried doing flash photos of hummingbirds with 3 flashes. I did not have a flash for a background. Attached is the best image I got with flash. I hope to improve this year with the help of additional information and flashes. Can you suggest what plants to use? Do you cut a stem and use that?
As for my own suggestions, I also have a test tube type of feeder that you can put in a plant and hide it among the flowers. This works pretty well for getting hummbingbirds near flowers.
That all depends on the part of country you are in. Use a flower that is a natural feeding source for the hummers in your part of the world. I live in New Mexico and the Red Yucca is a common flower for them so it always attracts them. Certainly there are others, but I’ve seen people try to use roses and other really odd flowers that are just not a natural feeding place for hummers. Sure the hummers will eventually take a look but the images look really contrived.
Yes, I usually cut a flower, put it in a small water vial and get it close to my outdoor studio for the hummers.
Your image is technically good. Nice details. For me though without a flower, the images of them hovering just don’t have the same impact. It’s pretty easy to get them backing away from a feeder for hovering shots, but those images always leave me wanting a lot more.
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I live in east tennessee. I do see hummingbirds along the creek at some of the wild cardinal flowers, but when I snip one of them, they wilt awfully quickly, so they don’t make the best photo props! I will have to do some research and buy something potted that they like I guess.
That’s what I do, Lisa. Put pots of flowers on my deck railing, loaded with the kinds they like and then I can sit on the couch opposite and shoot away. No flashes or anything super fancy, but it’s fun and comfy.
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I plant lots of flowers to attract hummingbirds. If you google you will find several sites listing flowers.
They like zinnias, cardinal flowers, blue or pink salvia (not red), bee balm, and vermillionaire. Unfortunately this year the number of hummingbirds in our area is very low.
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