Article and Photos: Leopoldo"Leo" García-Berrizbeitia
CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO ENLARGE
Photographing hummingbirds requires the same workflow that one uses for
any kind of photography. It involves the three Ps: Preproduction, production
and postproduction. If you think these words define a professional workflow,
and that the regular, run of the mill photographer, does no have to deal with
this sort of things, well, you are in for a surprise.
Whether you take pictures with a cell phone, a compact camera, a bridge
camera or a DSLR ,for fun or profession, you will require the following:
· A working camera.
· A source of memory
(Memory cards)
· A source of power
(Batteries)
· Sufficient
knowledge on how to operate your camera (An owners Manual)
· A source of light
· Knowing where you
are going to take your pictures
· And having a
general idea what to expect from the object of your picture talking.
· Where to download
your pictures and process them
· A printer or
printer services where you print your pictures or a place where you may want to
post them for public view
If you take pictures in social events like birthdays, family gatherings,
parties, time at the beach, visits to theme parks and so on, you will need to
prepare yourself by getting all the adequate stuff to make this happen. And
each situation will require extra batteries and memory cards, full knowledge of
how your cell phone camera or compact camera work, so you would not have
anything to falter your photo activity. Well, this is part of preproduction,
this is the state of readiness which is the best way to get the best results,
and the better you workflow, the better the results.
PRE-PRODUCTION FOR HUMMING
BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY
Know you equipment: You can take pictures of hummingbirds at feeders
with just any camera. Cellphones, compacts, and DSLR will get you great rewards photographing these little birds, who visit feeders in areas where
humans are in constant view.
I am guiding photowalks in natural parks where my clients come from all
walks of life that include children, teenagers, housewives, seniors and serious
amateurs. This brings me to help people to make their pictures from cell
phones, IPODS, compact cameras, and DSLRs. As each item used to make a picture,
has its pros an cons, each one has their respective PPP. However, there are
plenty of things that are commonplace. The one that I find as one of the keys
for a great photo is know your subject.
SO HERE ARE A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT HUMMINGBIRDS
Hummingbirds hold the world’s smallest birds and vertebrate titles. This
may seem unimportant, however, as far as natural wonders is concerned, to be
able to flap your wings from zero to 30 wing flaps in fractions of a second, is
a feat that can challenge the wildest imagination. They are the only birds
capable of hovering back and forth, sideways, up and down, and as I have
detected from my photos, move their wings independently to achieve
unconceivable flying feats. They are found in the Americas from Canada down to
Chile and Argentina, where there are 337 known species of these feathered
jewels and the most diverse country in hummer species is Equator in South
America. Venezuela, where I live, has 104 species and in Jardines Ecológicos
Topotepuy, my current place of work, we have recorded and photographed 10
species in our 8 acres of gardens and cloud forest lot.
Venezuela’s hummingbirds can be found from the coast up to 12.000 feet
above sea level, thus covering every thinkable neotropical ecosystem. As a
nature photographer on a tight budget, who knows the wonders of traveling
light, photographing these little birds with two zooms a 24-105 and a 70-300
has placed me in one of the nicest challenges in my life, both, as naturalist
and nature photographer, and it is…becoming one with nature. This may sound,
poetic, unprofessional or unbelievable, however, I cannot emphasize more on
this subject, when people ask me how to make good nature photos.
As for wildlife and nature photography is concerned, long-term
dedication to a subject can either make you or break you. So challenging
oneself to the discipline of long term studies of nature really pay off. You
may ask what does this practice have to do with photographing birds at feeders,
well, why would you invite an important client to dinner? The best way to get
acquainted is up close to your subject. So, I will try to convert you into a
SIT AND WAIT predator and then, I
will take you through the paces of becoming an active-pursue predator,
hopefully, you will enjoy both skills and apply them to your favorite place or
animal.
To be seduced by a flash of colors flapping on your face, as you walk
through the forest its easy, however, to have a tiny bird check you out by
flying from your face down to your feet, and up again, while its feathers
change from black to ruby, emerald and aquamarines as it flashes by you, is a
different story. So lets get into photography.
THE SIT AND WAIT HUNTER
Snakes, spiders, crocodiles, and birds of prey have hunted this way for
millions of years. And crocodiles are a good example. They know their territory
very well, they can study their prey for days, and even months, they use
stealth to get close or move away; they can make a long-term assessment of
availability, time and space of their target species and these simple things
has enabled them to lived on earth for 250 million years! So, what can we learn,
from the sit and wait hunters…
TUNED ON NATURE
Phenology, this is the science that studies the relation of climatic change
and seasonality with plant and animal’s biological clocks. This is a crucial
part to learn. It happens in an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and yearly
bases, dictating
what happens in our surroundings and the response of everything that
makes up the area as well. During this stage, study the light where the feeding
stations are, what spots are easier to conceal you, and how can you get the
best out of your gear in each situation. Make sure you learn who comes first to
the feeding stations, what spots they like best, if there is a pecking order
(dominance / subordination hierarchy) “who is who” at your place of study, and
make a mental or a pictorial storyboard as a tool. This knowledge is crucial
for a well-adapted sit and wait hunter.
As many of us do not have the funds to buy every lens in our brand’s
product line, the next best thing is, to learn your prey and its habitat.
Feeding, drinking and resting places, most be important goals to research in
your study plan, therefore, one has to make time to learn all of this to become
a successful image hunter. Only then, you will increase the CLICKs that will
become keepers.
THE
FEEDING STATIONS
There are two kinds of feeding stations: one is nature’s own, and the other, the man made kind. Both are very effective to approach wildlife. As all living animals are creatures of habit, and feeding, is key to survival, the best way to a hummer’s heart is through their stomach. In fact, this works for most animals. So one can give nature a hand or cheat it, ¿How? By becoming an unlikely provider of food services to your photography objects. So, does that mean, that I have to become a chef, and run a catering service, YES it does; specially, if you will become a food supplier to the animal you seek to photograph.
If your client is a sweet tooth, you better know your deserts. 70% of
the hummer’s food is nectar, the remaining 30% is small insects and if you can
become a dedicated caterer, you will become a master of hummingbird
photography.
4 parts of clean water to one part sugar in the feeding bottle is the
best known recipe for the hummer feeder, however, what about protein. Well,
first you need a clean mayonnaise bottle, recycling a small plastic one is great. If it
is crystal clear, paint it a midtone green or brown, so it can be hidden well.
Then you can get over ripe fruit (bananas work best) and make a puree out of
it, do no eat it. It’s for the hummers. Place it inside the jar and take the
latter close to the hummer’s bottle. What you have done is to make a fruit fly
breeding ground. When fruit flies smell the sweet banana paste, they will make
the jar a nursery and soon, you will see, how they mate and lay their eggs on
your banana paste. Once they start emerging from their pupae state, they will
fly out, and the keen eyed hummers, will se the fly activity very close to
their drinking spot, hell, they will learn, that they can go to the bar, and
then to the restaurant in the same spot. Once they spot the flies, they will
switch from drinking to eating very often, and you will have. A very successful
feeding station. The hummers will fly to the jar, flap their wings to stir the
flies out of the jar and pick them at will. They learn to do this quite fast.
Habituation:
Becoming a hummer’s “part of their place” or one weird creature that roams
around their habitat, with things hanging on our bodies will be very important
for your goals: Yes, you have to become a creature that does not feed on
hummers and does not compete with them for their food source.
The sit and wait hunter, does just that, it waits until its prey is
within striking distance to attack, however, predators do not have it easy, as
for every 10 attacks there may be one that is successful, and this will happen
to you as well. You will run through a few memory cards until you get the method just
right.
Photographing hummers at the feeders is the easiest way to start.
Currently, the use of feeding areas, water sources and blinds are an acceptable
practice for photographing wildlife, these methods are a great step in the
right direction to learn and prepare oneself for the big challenge, to find and
photograph wild animals in their habitat.
THE FEEDERS ALLOW US TO LEARN
THE FOLLOWING:
· To differentiate
females, males and juveniles from each other.
· Learn each bird by
its personality, yes, they have different personalities.
· Be aware of the
pecking order, and how it affects the birds that visit the feeders.
· How hummers behave
between different species, or other animals such as bees, wasps and butterflies.
· Where are their
favorite perches are located
· How long do they
stay at the feeding station
· Where are their
flyways
· Where do they
hover and how log is the hovering time.
· How does the light
change throughout the day at the feeder
Here are two photos of the Violet Fronted Brilliant. The male is in the
left side and the female on the right. One can get photo-IDs to start learning
about each species of hummingbird. Males of this species are difficult to
photograph in its full radiance, as its feathers look black most of the time.
However, once the proper light hits its beautiful feathers, its full radiance
comes to shine. Therefore, learning how light moves throughout the day at the
feeders, is what will make you pictures a success or a failure. So bird
watching at the feeders is a great exercise.
Another important aspect about animal social behavior is territoriality.
The unseen territories, display arenas, perching sites, and
dominance/subordinate aspects of hummer conduct can help the photographer a
lot. Its best to read and learn about your subject before approaching any kind
of wildlife. You may be very eager to just get out and DO IT, well, most of us
are, but it pays to learn as much as you can about hummers to get the best
results photographing them.
The following picture is an aerial combat between Brown Violetears. The
issue of the dispute has to do with territory and who is boss. Pay close
attention to the birds’ body language:
Both birds have their bills pointing at each other, indicating a serious threat in this behavior. Their tails are fanned, and their wings have a full
forward flap, making a forward charge come to a full stop. Thus, downsizing, a
frontal attack, to a stand off. This is a great strategy to prevent mutual
harm. In territorial disputes, there are imaginary boundaries where both birds
exercise individual ownership. As both birds are determine to stand their
ground, they stop at a fine line, which keeps them, from a physical
confrontation. Full body contact fights can result in broken feathers or harm
to both birds, therefore, keeping these situations at bay is best.
The photo above is a confrontation between a Brown Violetears and a female Violet-Fronted Hummingbird. Intra-species territorial disputes are common at the feeders and flower patches. The degree of aggression varies within species.
BEFORE AND AFTER FEEDER PICTURE GALLERY
As I you may expect, taking pictures at the feeders may be a put down, as the bottles are always on the way. Well, here is where thinking digital comes a long way. I hate to have the bottles in the way, but they are a necessary evil. So what you do is as follow:
1) Prefocus on the bottle
2) Place your lens in manual focus
3) Choose that flight path that is nearest your prefocused area
4) Use the flashgun/strobe at 250th syncronization (to stop wing motion)
5) As the bird passes bye, shoot the hell out of it! If the flash allows multiple flashes better.
6) Shoot as many pictures as you can.
At processing time:
1) Choose the pictures that will enable you to crop the bottles out
2) Adjust your composition with your crop tool
3) Save the image
Here are some before and after examples:
Well, I hope you enjoyed the reading and follow the blog for the next article HOW TO BECOME AN ACTIVE PURSUE IMAGE HUNTER FOR HUMMINGBIRDS.
Take care and keep in touch.
Leopoldo "Leo" Garcia