By Jonathan Hoiles, Photo Club Leader
As Ruby-throated Hummingbirds begin their fall migration to their Central American wintering grounds, now is the perfect opportunity to take some hummingbird photos. Here are a few tips for photographing these birds as they pass through, or if you’re lucky, they overwinter in your yard:
1. Find your subjects. You’ll need to attract hummingbirds to your yard or go to a place where they are known to be, such as a nature center at a local park. If setting up a feeder, make artificial nectar with one-quarter cup of sugar per cup of water. Do not add red food coloring. It is unnecessary and can act actually be harmful for the birds. Change the nectar often and keep the feeder clean.
2. No man-made objects. Set up your shot to fill the frame with natural elements. In general, avoid man-made objects in your hummingbird photos. To do this, you might want to place plants around your feeder. This way, you can photograph hummingbirds feeding from the plants rather than the feeder. When selecting plants, choose native bright red, orange, and purple tubular/funnel shaped plants that hummingbirds prefer. Use plants of differing heights to hide flowerpots. Also, place twigs and small branches near the feeder to give the birds a natural perch when taking a break from feeding. This will give them a place to rest and preen, which can be make for great photographs.
3. Equipment. All you need is a camera and a lens. I recommend using the longest lens you have because, well, hummingbirds are small! You want as much magnification as you can get for maximum feather detail. If you normally take photos in Automatic mode (A), change the shooting mode to Shutter Priority (S) and dial in a fast shutter speed (1/3200 to 1/4000 sec). This will freeze the action and reduce blurry photos. Shoot in bursts to increase your odds of getting photos with the whole bird in the frame (no clipped wings). A tripod is also helpful to increase stability and improve sharpness and reduce arm fatigue.
4. Backgrounds. If you take nothing else away from this article, I want you to remember this one: pay attention to the background. Take a few test shots and look at the background. Is it busy with distracting foliage, trees, patio railings or other manmade objects? Are there dramatic contrasts between bright sunlight and deep shadows? If so, try moving around to find a background that is simple and even in tone that does not distract from your subject.
5. Lighting. The best light for nature photography is early in the morning and near sunset, so this is when you want to be photographing hummingbirds. You want to place the sun at your back as you look toward the hummingbirds so that they are well lit without the need for artificial light. Take a few test shots, and in my experience, it is best to underexpose the shot by as much as one f-stop to avoid blowing out the highlights in the bird’s white and iridescent feathers.
To learn more about hummingbird photography, all are welcome to attend the Photo Club meeting via Zoom on September 19, 2024 at 7 pm. We will discuss hummingbird photography. You are welcome to share your photos.
Click here to learn about how to participate.
Click here to join on Zoom.
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