Hi,
I am new to bird photography/ imaging in general, but recently I have taken on hummingbird imaging. This seems to be an art all by itself as these guys are small and the wings move so fast that I find it difficult to freeze them in images. I am using a Canon 350D with Canon 400mm f/5.6 lens and sometimes with a Kenko 1.4x extender. If I take 50 shots at various angles and lighting, I might get one that looks acceptable. I am trying to improve the odds, especially when trying to capture the fantastic color of the males, which I find very difficult to get the lighting correct.
I started off using just sunlight and repositioning the feeder so that the sun would illuminate the hummer at the proper angles. This sort of works, but the hummers don't show up often enough during full daylight to offer consistent results and so I am often left with the no or little color result. I then started using the camera's built in flash which helps just slightly because with the telephoto lens, it doesn't have much effect. Still inconsistent or poor results.
After a quick web search, it seems that the best results are being achieved with external flashes, sometimes up to six or eight. However, even the low end flashes are way beyond my budget and I am seeking an alternative. What about multiple floodlights placed at various angles? My local department store offers 500 watt quartz worklights very often at less than $10 US each and they are very bright. Now I know that heat is a factor, but 4-5 of these could be purchased very reasonably and placed around the feeder at various angles. As long as they weren't left on too long- or even engaged when a hummer approaches- would it be possible to use these and has anyone done it with successful results? Another possibility I have considered is one or two battery powered million candlepower or more spotlights. These might be better because of greater distance, less heat and more portable.
The bottom line is that I'm looking for a low cost alternative to the multiple flash technique and would appreciate sharing of others experiences in this regard.
Thanks,
Jon
I am new to bird photography/ imaging in general, but recently I have taken on hummingbird imaging. This seems to be an art all by itself as these guys are small and the wings move so fast that I find it difficult to freeze them in images. I am using a Canon 350D with Canon 400mm f/5.6 lens and sometimes with a Kenko 1.4x extender. If I take 50 shots at various angles and lighting, I might get one that looks acceptable. I am trying to improve the odds, especially when trying to capture the fantastic color of the males, which I find very difficult to get the lighting correct.
I started off using just sunlight and repositioning the feeder so that the sun would illuminate the hummer at the proper angles. This sort of works, but the hummers don't show up often enough during full daylight to offer consistent results and so I am often left with the no or little color result. I then started using the camera's built in flash which helps just slightly because with the telephoto lens, it doesn't have much effect. Still inconsistent or poor results.
After a quick web search, it seems that the best results are being achieved with external flashes, sometimes up to six or eight. However, even the low end flashes are way beyond my budget and I am seeking an alternative. What about multiple floodlights placed at various angles? My local department store offers 500 watt quartz worklights very often at less than $10 US each and they are very bright. Now I know that heat is a factor, but 4-5 of these could be purchased very reasonably and placed around the feeder at various angles. As long as they weren't left on too long- or even engaged when a hummer approaches- would it be possible to use these and has anyone done it with successful results? Another possibility I have considered is one or two battery powered million candlepower or more spotlights. These might be better because of greater distance, less heat and more portable.
The bottom line is that I'm looking for a low cost alternative to the multiple flash technique and would appreciate sharing of others experiences in this regard.
Thanks,
Jon
