Allen's Hummingbird & Stephanotis Flower - Click image to view larger!

Thanks for viewing/comments! Well, I finally graduated the multiple flashes

with low power setting with this shot. I finally solve the mystery of my

problem and can say with certainty that freezing the wings of HB is

relatively simple even though it took me a couple weeks (I am slow). Also,

thank you very much to a friend who shared a lot of tips on this type of

shooting today.

Much better!  You might want to remove one of the catchlights. 

Thanks Monte! It's been a fun / hair pulling couple weeks :-) 

This is gorgeous and so well executed! I'm not sure I'd fool with those catch lights... I'd be afraid either one would be in the wrong place without the other. It could be interesting to eliminate one and move the other to about midway between the two. I think that might provide a better balance for that part of the image. Otherwise, and that last was truly one teensy weeny point, I don't see how you'd improve on this!

Regards,

David

Thanks David! I was going to clone out one of them but after reading your comment, I kind of see your point also. :-)

Clap!!!!! , Clap!!!!!, Clap!!!!! ......my hat off, excellent image, ciao Giangiorgio

Yes, this is an astounding capture. With great abilities come great responsibilities (more or less) so- can you give a little more details? Just out of curiosity since not a lot of us are going to run out and get  500mm lens  :) but still, at  1/160, I don't see how the wings are frozen unless the flashes are on an even shorted span of time. Not sure exactly how that works- did you have the three flashes at different places? How did you know where the bird would go in relationship to the flashes? Did they all fire at the same time? How far away from subject were you? With the extension tube you can't focus too far away.  What does the gimbal have to do with it?

Hey- you can't do a shot like this then just keep quiet about it !!!  :))

Thanks

Greg

Wonderful shot! Perfect timing and gorgeous colours.

Geez Tm... I've been watching your HB photos progress over the past few weeks with this. This is the culmination of a lot of hard work paid off. I have worked with nothing but natural light for my entire 15 years of photography. This makes me think... Good for you on this astounding capture! Please don't let this take anything from this, but I would clone out the 1 flash off the eye on the left. That's just me. To me, it's the only thing that makes me think flash(s).

Congratulation !!!!!

Excellent capture !!!!

Thanks Lynn!

Grazie Mille Giangiorgio!

Thanks Greg! If you google for "how to shoot hummingbird with multiple flashes" you will see a lot of web site that write about this style of shooting. Basically, to capture fast moving object you have two choices. One is a fast shutter speed and the other is low-powered flash. Since the bird wings is way too fast for any camera shutter speed, low-powered flash is the other choice. The reason being that low-powered flash has very short duration (at 1/32 power the duration is 1/30,000 or something like that). This type of shooting has to be done in very low ambient light so that the flash or flashes is the only light source. In a nutshell, the bird is frozen by the short duration of the flash/flashes and not the SS.

Thanks Pat!

Thanks Kenneth! I've been think of using 'liquify' to merge the two catch lights. There are 3 ways to shoot HB, natural light, filled flash and multiple short duration flashes. I like to shoot filled flash best.

Thanks Sam! Good to hear from you :-)

Thanks Diego!

Happy birdshooting!

Hi Gregory and Verena Sava, I was tired last night and miss a few point of your question.

- I listed 'tripod & gimbal head' because I normally shoot handheld and want to make sure none of my friend would assume so with this shot. In fact, I do shoot hand-held the last 2,3 weeks with this type of shot but I've decided to try the tripod for now.

- The 36mm extension tube is just so that I can get under the minimum focusing distance of 15.4 feet (I think). I've been shooting at distance of 10-12 from the bird and that give me an image that fill about 2/3 of the frame of the fullframe image from the 5D II. I have about 1 inch of DOF or so, I think.

- 500mm, most of what I've read and observe from exif of other folks then they use 200 to 300mm but I want to use my best lens (the 500mm) first. I did try the 100-400mm that I also have but I don't like the result that came out of that lens compares to the 500mm. So, may be a 70-200mm F2.8 or 300mm F2.8 would be a good or better choice but for me at this point I like what I got with the 500mm + 36mm extension tube.

- The whole thing about this style of shooting is to get the bird to come to where you need - The flower!  So, I hang a feeder at a particular place all day while I am at work with some flower on a table there spike with the same nectar. I remove the feeder when I go home and shoot in the evening and that force the bird to eat from the flower. It's not like they will do what I want but I normally get a few shot at the end of the day (he feeds to around 8:00 PM & stop at 8:07PM last night). I've been getting 3,4 good shot the last couple night around 7:45PM to 8:10PM which is after the sunset and with low ambient light that give me very good frozen motion.

- I have 3 flashes around the flower that I want the bird to feed. Two on the side at around 45 degree and one in the middle (off to the side a bit since I have to shoot at the middle) at 1/32 power. I use 4 cheapy RF trigger & receiver (Younguo) that cost about $60 for all. One on the camera to fire the 3 flashes and the other 3 RF  are on the flashes (obviously :-) ). I still need another RF to fire the background flash but it's on order. That the reason I only get black background now. I can mount 1 flash on the camera  and that would free one RF reciever to fire the background flash but I prefer to have all 3 flashes at same distance to the flower/bird. 

Hope I've answered all your question. Happy birdshooting!

Hi Tm J

Thank so much for taking the time to explain so exquisitely how you accomplished this feat. This is what PN is- or should be- all about! I never realized that the slowed down flash (1/32 etc) was actually due to a shortened  impulse - just thought it was a weaker impulse. Now I know! Also, sure, could have googled, but would have to first thought of the question! You've been a great help and we appreciate it. Your set up sounds like loads of fun.

On another point, not sure liquefy would be best solution for the catch lights- but, it is just a minor thing. Try just cloning one out and see what works.

Thanks again - look forward to seeing more.

G

You are quite welcome Gregory and Verena Sava! Glad you stopped by and pose the question, this way we all learn together. I've been after this the last 3 years and only now got all the equipment to work to have some image to show. Attached is a shot of my setup taking from where my camera is for reference.  :-)

Thanks Tm,

A picture is worth 1000 words!  This is great- your effort has certainly paid off.Have fun!

G

This one amazing capture, so detailed, even more amazing is how detailed the wing is.  Great work,  best regards,  Sherry

Tm, I think this is one of your best hummers of this type!  Beautiful display of the bird's beauty, wonderfully lighted.  A relatively minor point, but I like the way you controled the light on the flower as well.  And what a great series of posts by all!  I really enjoyed your detailed explanations Tm. 

Thanks Sherry!

Thanks Phil!

Just a demo shot Kenneth! However, I do have the two flashes on the side 6 inches above the bird at times. I always have the one flash in the middle (off to the side a bit) level at the bird though. I've been shooting with the left flash level but a bit high, the middle one level right at where I think the bird would be and the one on the right above the bird about 6 inches. I also / always have a 283 Vivitar mounted on the camera even though it's effectiveness is ... (if any) minimal from what I see.