There are 4 pots of flowers on the back deck, most chosen specially for the hummingbirds. They have no problem coming for a few sips while we are sitting on the couch. In the afternoon I put this pot up on the deck railing so that I could get a clean background. Does this count as bird-baiting?? Both the male and female come by often and I love seeing and hearing them. Did you know they squeak most of the time? Little, high-pitched squeaking sounds that are actually quite loud. I hear them in the yard all the time now that I recognize the call they make.
These are fairly large crops, but he wasn’t a speck in the frame at any time. In Photoshop I did the two-layer noise reduction/sharpening routine as a regular file and it worked, however like working outside of Smart Objects, any change you dial in can’t be undone or modified. But in the first image I was able to use Content Aware Fill and some healing brush to eliminate a leaf. I suppose I should have done it first, but I did it last by using Shift-Ctrl-Alt-E to save all the previous lavers into a new one to do that work on. Still feeling my way with Ps, but so far so good.
Specific Feedback Requested
Which image do you prefer? And any other thoughts, opinions or advice.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Lumix G9
P/L 100-400mm f/4-6.3 lens @ 300mm (600 mm equiv.)
f/5.7 | 1/800th sec | ISO 3200
Handheld on the couch
Lr processed to tame highlights and manage the color so the flowers didn’t overwhelm the bird. White & black points. Ps to mask the bird for noise reduction in background and Smart Sharpen on the bird only. In the 1st image I cloned out a leaf that was annoying me. Both are largish crops - I realize I could have zoomed in more, but it would have meant a smaller aperture and I didn’t want to push the ISO even higher.
Wonderfully colorful action shot, Kris. Don’t quite understand your post processing technique so I can’t really comment on it, but I love the colors, subject and the OOF background. Very nicely seen and captured.
Excellent color, body position, background. A nice package with all the important elements present. First image is a lot sharper than the second with a little motion blur on the body in the second image. Colors look good.
Nice capture! I like the 2nd one best, because his whole body is in full view. Really nice setup for them. I like that you’re able to give them natural flowers for their food, that’s what I’d prefer if I were a hummingbird!
Very good, Kris. I agree with David that the first is quite a bit sharper and therefore is my preference, though the composition on the second is a little nicer from my point of view. It’s probably baiting, but for some reason seeds and nectar aren’t considered in the same class as mice or roadkill. Many people add a touch of sugar water to a blossom to help attract them to a particular location.
I concur with the above observations, and I’ll add I like the first shot best. As for the noise they make, even with my decreased hearing ability I can hear them coming from far off. Which brings me to a funny story. As my parents aged, they became more and more “hard of hearing”. One summer, they took a nephew of mine camping, and they hung a hummingbird feeder at the campsite. They came back relating stories of how my nephew somehow knew every time that a hummingbird was coming to the feeder before they even saw it! They were amazed! Well, they couldn’t hear them, but my 10 year-old nephew could probably hear them a mile away! I didn’t burst their bubble; I just acted equally amazed…
Thanks @linda_mellor, @David_Schoen, @Vanessa_Hill, @Dennis_Plank & @terryb - I see what you mean now about the body softness in the 2nd image. He’s been all over the flowers again today despite the rain so no doubt I will have more chances once the weather clears. The female is scarce now that she’s sitting on eggs. From watching a nest a few years ago, the babies will hatch in July and then probably fledge in August.
Funny about your nephew, Terry. I hope I can continue to hear them as I age.
Nice captures Kris - love how you are showing the ruby throat so well. I see sharpness issues in both photos on the body of the bird even though the first seems sharper. Still, these are pleasing captures in a fine setting for the bird. Nice frames.
Thanks, @Allen_Sparks - hopefully with a little stronger light I can get away with a faster shutter speed without having to push the ISO too much. Rain today so it won’t be soon, but there’s the rest of the summer to try again.
The throat is only visible at certain angles because of the way the color is produced and how the feather structure works, and I caught it just right only a couple of times. The rest were just dark chinny bits that help to distinguish him from the female. He is darker green overall as well.
Hi Kristen
Hummingbirds always amaze me, with their interaction and noises, you just bon’t expect that out them. I like the framing of the first photo over the open space of the second shot.
Peter
