Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backward which can make them tricky to capture. When you observe them, they seem to hover as their wings will be flapping around 15 to a staggering 200 times every second.
That rapid speed, coupled with their tiny size, makes them incredibly difficult to photograph. Thankfully, with a few handy tips, you can learn how best to capture these amazing birds.
In this guide, we will detail how to photograph hummingbirds. This will include research, being discreet, and knowing what modes to use.
Research Their Behavior
Find Your Location, Be Discreet, And Patient
Use The Correct Focus Modes
Take A Look First
Check The Background
Offer Up Some Food
Ensure A Fast Shutter Speed
Bring In The Light
Take Many Photographs
1. Research Their Behavior
When you photograph any desired subject, you need to research them first. Particularly with hummingbirds who are incredibly agile, fast, and will not respond to any commands.
If you want to capture them, you have to know where they will be and how they are likely to behave.
Consider the specific species of hummingbird that you want to capture and find out which ones can be found locally.
Make sure that you time your photography for the time of year when you have the best chance of seeing them. Also, find out which plants they enjoy sampling and you should be able to find them.
2. Find Your Location, Be Discreet, And Patient
After researching the behavior of local hummingbirds, make a list of a few locations that you want to visit. Take a look at these locations and find somewhere you can be comfortable and act discreetly.
A lot of photography is down to patience so you need to stay still for a prolonged period of time. Set up a tripod with a specific plant in view and ensure that your camera settings are correct for your best chances of some great snaps.
3. Use The Correct Focus Modes
The focus modes that you use will depend on the camera that you are using. Your first step will be switching to a single-point autofocus mode and ensuring that the center point has been chosen.
When you do get to see a hummingbird, shift the camera to maintain the center point over their head. The continuous focusing mode is important too so the hummingbird will remain looking sharp even while it continues to move.
4. Take A Look First
If you can watch a hummingbird on its approach, you can anticipate its behavior. These birds will switch between hovering and sipping as they go by a feeder or a flower.
Watch them carefully as you can get a good photograph of them feeding just after they hover.
5. Check The Background
Composition is important in photography so try to predict the background of your photograph before it happens.
Be prepared to frame up your shots and imagine what it will look like with a hummingbird as the focus. Move away from any possible distractions like reflections or plants to get the shot that you want.
6. Offer Up Some Food
It is worth trying to coax hummingbirds with some food in the form of flowering plants. Bring them into your backyard with some pink, red, and orange blossoms, specifically those with a tubular shape.
Flowers like columbine and trumpet creeper are especially alluring for hummingbirds which will give you more of a chance of photographing them successfully.
7. Ensure A Fast Shutter Speed
The shutter speed should be fast enough to keep up with the exceptional speed of the hummingbird. If you want a photograph where their flapping wings appear still, your shutter speed should be around 1/2000s though 1/4000s would be better.
Operating your camera at such a high shutter speed may be tricky though it can be easier in bright light so consider bringing your flash. Then again, you can boost the ISO to upwards of 400 and even 800 yet that will degrade the image quality.
8. Bring In The Light
Try to avoid overly dark photos which can be easily done. Simply move your flowers, perch, or feeder into the light. Also, make sure that your aperture (f-stop value) is down so your camera lens will get in more light.
9. Take Many Photographs
For your best chance of a great photograph of a hummingbird, you will need to take plenty of pictures. With a single photo, your lens may have lost focus, the exposure might not be quite right, or the shutter speed could be too slow.
Use the highest burst mode and remember that you can delete photos in post-processing. Make sure that you have available memory in your SD card and a fully charged battery.
Final Thoughts
Photographing hummingbirds can be incredibly difficult and frustrating but you can make it easier for yourself. Make sure that you do your research and know the habits of the hummingbirds you want to capture.
As soon as you see one, make sure you take many photographs with the right camera modes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Best Time Of Day To Photograph Hummingbirds?
The best times of the day to photograph hummingbirds tend to be when you can expect them to be most productive while feeding. That should be from around 3pm up to sunset and from sunrise to 10am in the morning.
Which Camera Settings Should You Have When You Are Trying To Photograph Hummingbirds?
The wings of hummingbirds flap exceptionally quickly so you should look at your shutter speed. This can determine how blurry those wings will look in your final photograph.
However, a shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second should give the appearance of freezing their wings while they fly.
Also, consider using apertures of f/5.6 or even wider to make sure that the backgrounds are rendered soft and your hummingbird looks sharp.
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