Since setting up pots of flowers on the deck for the hummingbirds, I’ve been trying to get this type of image. So yeah, I don’t think regular shots of these are enough, I have to try to get that deep black background. I missed a male with sidelight, but I can always try again. Trouble is this light is really short in duration so I have to sit poised with the lens and HOPE the birds visit.
The updated firmware for this camera/lens combo is better than before. It seems to lock on moving targets better with the animal detection mode. Still tough to get these guys and I find backing off to 250-350mm works better since I’m only 15 feet away. I’ve also dialed in better exposure so that I don’t clip the highs and that the flowers aren’t too bright.
Did I get her good side? lol - any feedback is fine.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Handheld on the couch on the deck -
Is this a composite? -no
Processed in Lr initially to preserve those deep blacks, but also to lower the saturation in the flowers - some texture and clarity added as well as a really big crop. Topaz Sharpen AI using the motion method then into Photoshop to remove a few flowers that were crowding her. With the nearly black background, Content-aware Fill did a great job.
I love the pose and the bit of spider silk running from the head to the beak, Kris. The composition works well for my taste. I do think you could tease a bit more detail out of the whites on the neck.
I think that you will be investing in a few flashes in the near future. Pose is great, but the black BG does not work for me. Although, I can vouch that hummers will feed in absolute darkness so this is a minor nit. Dennis’s suggestion about pulling more detail out of the whites will improve your comp too. I have lots of Cuphea on our deck and it is one of the favorite food items for hummingbirds…Jim
Nice catch without the high-tech approach. I wonder if you’ve reduced contrast as much as the raw data will allow? I’m basically at the stage with the TK linear profiles that I’ll never use anything else again!
I’d like to see the whole plant, too. The hummer (or the next one) is a strong enough subject that it can stand up to a looser comp.
Nice image Kris and I really like the pose you captured. The upward tail really brings the image to life for me. I shoot hummers 15 feet away @ about 500-550mm so am wondering why the need for less focal length and a big crop. Anyway, I think this is a fine image and look forward to seeing more.
Thanks everyone - I will continue to improve I hope.
Yesterday I had the most amazing hummingbird experience. I was standing right next to the plants, checking if they needed watering or deadheading when a pair flew up. Mom and fledgling. They knew this big tall thing was there, but buzzed the flowers instead. Junior is slower than mom and I could watch it while it tested flowers in another pot to the left and down. Sometimes it would try the surface of the petals before getting that beak down where it should be. Mom was on the pot pictured here (that’s probably her in the shot) and was oblivious to me. Then another female came, they had a bit of a tiff and one chased the other away. Junior just kept feeding, but eventually realized it was alone and zipped off. I’ve never been that close to them for that long. It probably lasted a minute.
I have a hard time keeping them in frame when I zoom that tight, so I back off and crop tighter in post. Maybe with more practice I can zoom in more. Maybe today!
Oh and in regard to bringing up more detail in the light feathers - what technique would you recommend peeps. I’ve already run this through Topaz Sharpen.
Thanks for the link, @Kris_Smith – you get up earlier than I do!
I think you can bring up all the white detail that the exposure will allow by using the linear profile and then pulling the Highlights slider left. Pull Exposure left if more is needed, and Shadows right as necessary. I almost never touch Contrast. Clarity will add midtone contrast without slamming blacks and whites. All this in raw, of course. Using the Craw slider in PS doesn’t let you work with the full range of tonal overhead that the raw file has – you’re limited by the tonalities that were cooked into the file when it was opened in PS.
After these steps, you can pull out more shadow and highlight detail with Detail Extractor in Nik CEP. The main slider can give a flat and artificial look and needs some balancing with the Contrast slider. Look at the different values for Effect Radius. The Black and White sliders try to limit settings to those parts of the tonal range and often have only a very subtle effect.
I’ll ask Tony for a profile for the 1DX2 – it has provided me with a lot of pictures!
