# New photos with the help from everyone on the Forum thank you ,I think I am getting the hang of it and loving every minute of it!



## Susan Will (Jul 5, 2021)




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## jcdeboever (Jul 6, 2021)

These are nice. If you were trying to get them in hover flight, it's very challenging.  I like to use fast shutter speeds. A good AF system or set up right is challenging as well. My best humming bird moth shots came from manual zone focus (I've never had a great af camera) and super high shutter speed like 1/8000s. Lots of misses


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## Dean_Gretsch (Jul 6, 2021)

I agree with your title 100%! You’ve made a good start.


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## Susan Will (Jul 6, 2021)

jcdeboever said:


> These are nice. If you were trying to get them in hover flight, it's very challenging.  I like to use fast shutter speeds. A good AF system or set up right is challenging as well. My best humming bird moth shots came from manual zone focus (I've never had a great af camera) and super high shutter speed like 1/8000s. Lots of misses


Thank you when I went through my pictures I had many and I mean many misses but it is a lot of fun to try to capture them. I am going to keep trying I just might get lucky🙂


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## Susan Will (Jul 6, 2021)

Dean_Gretsch said:


> I agree with your title 100%! You’ve made a good start.


Thank you I think you have to have a lot of patience to get the right shot they are super fast🙂


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## K9Kirk (Jul 6, 2021)

Good effort and not bad for a first try. 1/800th may seem fast but I would try 1/1600 sec. Your ISO and noise will increase but some NR will take care of that and they'll look sharper. I would also try getting shots either early morning or late afternoon when the light is more horizontal rather than over head to reduce shadows underneath and have your back to the sun if possible for better frontal shots. If that's not possible I would set the ISO to at least EV+1 for starters to bring up the shadows. Bring it up more if need be, play around with it, keep changing the settings to compare and find what works best for the conditions. GL.


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## jeffashman (Jul 6, 2021)

Yes they are. Very nice set!


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## nokk (Jul 6, 2021)

excellent series.  the 4th is my favorite.  we've got some avian disease spreading here so several states are telling residents to remove all of their bird feeders and bird baths to prevent the spread.


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## Susan Will (Jul 6, 2021)

K9Kirk said:


> Good effort and not bad for a first try. 1/800th may seem fast but I would try 1/1600 sec. Your ISO and noise will increase but some NR will take care of that and they'll look sharper. I would also try getting shots either early morning or late afternoon when the light is more horizontal rather than over head to reduce shadows underneath and have your back to the sun if possible for better frontal shots. If that's not possible I would set the ISO to at least EV+1 for starters to bring up the shadows. Bring it up more if need be, play around with it, keep changing the settings to compare and find what works best for the conditions. GL.


Thank you I am going to try different settings I will get one hopefully but I am having fun trying!


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## Susan Will (Jul 6, 2021)

jeffashman said:


> Yes they are. Very nice set!


Thank you!


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## Susan Will (Jul 6, 2021)

nokk said:


> excellent series.  the 4th is my favorite.  we've got some avian disease spreading here so several states are telling residents to remove all of their bird feeders and bird baths to prevent the spread.


Thank you hopefully things get straightened out where you are!


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## RVT1K (Jul 8, 2021)

If you notice that the birds keep coming to and hovering at a particular spot, you can also try manually pre-focusing on that spot and hit the shutter as they come into the frame. 
 Super high shutter speeds will freeze the wings but I prefer a little motion blur in my shots.

 I'll be going to see friends in a couple of weeks and they always have hummingbirds. I've gotten some of my best shots there and hope to get some more this time.


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## smoke665 (Jul 8, 2021)

These little buggers torment me. The feeder is right beside the steps from the deck to the yard. When I don't have my camera they swarm around me to the point I have to shoo them away to keep from falling, but if I come out with the camera they disappear in a blink of the eye. 

Overall solid set. I don't have a preference on stop motion or blur on the wings. Both are equally beautiful when done well. One thing I haven't tried on them yet but intend to, is High Speed Sync Flash.


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## PJM (Jul 8, 2021)

Oh, but so rewarding when you do capture them.  That is a nice set.

I've been shooting them at around 1/2500sec, f/6.3, ISO 640 and have been happy with the results.


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## Photo Lady (Jul 8, 2021)

you did very well...


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## Susan Will (Aug 5, 2021)

Wow this sure is one hard bird to capture!  I am not giving up!


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## Don Kondra (Aug 6, 2021)

I really enjoy shooting these little birds !  Everything happens so fast it gets the heart racing ! 

You've made a good start and are getting to know their habits, the most useful is how they come in to feed, move back and hover for a split second and them come back in.  Catch them in the hover ! 

Some settings you could try are spot metering and center point focus.  In the sub menu I have mine set at 9 points.

AFS will do it if you are quick but even more challenging and for me more successful is AFC. 

Pre-focus on the feeder, take your finger off the shutter button and wait for an opportunity.  

Now this is the challenge, anticipate the hover, half press for the split second the auto focus needs and then full press. And hold it down, he, he..   You never know what the next frame will be.

I kind of like the blurred wings at ~ 1/1000 so I don't try to push the iso too much 

*Be warned,* an obsession with shooting hummingbirds will lead to Longer ($) lenses, he, he...

Cheers, Don


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## RVT1K (Aug 6, 2021)

I agree, learning a bit about the bird's habits and behavior will help. They are so small, so fast, and so fleeting that following them in the viewfinder, especially with a long lens, is exquisitely difficult. But they will often land to feed and then pop up and hover at the same spot.
 I also agree with the pre-focusing technique, it can work well especially if the bird is returning to the same spot on the feeder. 
 We put a hummingbird feeder out every year, unfortunately we don't get very much traffic. Almost all my shots were taken at a friend's house in MD.


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## PJM (Aug 6, 2021)

Susan Will said:


> Wow this sure is one hard bird to capture!  I am not giving up!View attachment 246963View attachment 246964View attachment 246965View attachment 246967


Seems to me you are doing a pretty good job of it.


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## Susan Will (Aug 9, 2021)

PJM said:


> Seems to me you are doing a pretty good job of it.


Thank you!


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## Susan Will (Aug 9, 2021)

Don Kondra said:


> I really enjoy shooting these little birds !  Everything happens so fast it gets the heart racing !
> 
> You've made a good start and are getting to know their habits, the most useful is how they come in to feed, move back and hover for a split second and them come back in.  Catch them in the hover !
> 
> ...


Don..... I am really hooked they are an amazing bird and I love trying to capture them.  LOL another lens might just be in my near future!


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