My Backyard Hummingbirds

My hummingbirds have been gone for a while now. While they are here every year it gives me a great chance to really sharpen my photography skills. They are so small and so fast that even with the great autofocus systems now you still have to work to make a nice photo. I do think that they are fascinating to watch as well. They give me plenty to do in the summer when photography is not always easy to do.

Easing In

Every year I start off slowly with the hummingbirds. I don’t have the camera right away. I let them see me filling the feeder, and after a while on a hot day they will come to the back window to ask for cold drink. I will go out and fill the feeder with some nectar right out of the refrigerator so they start to see me as a person they can trust. The camera then comes out, and this year I was able to get closer than ever before. By the end of the year they were flying near me, and a photo like the one above can be made.