Four Hummingbirds from Ecuador

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

not difficult photography if you can find sufficient light...I don't use flash (don't like that look).

many lodges in Ecuador (and nearby countries) have hummingbird feeders; they create an unnatural situation (so many hummers in one area), and no one knows what a "canned" sugar diet does to the birds (it could be harmless as sugar is sugar whether from a flower or from packaged sugar). Anyway, since these feeding stations are so popular with tour groups (birders), no one minds...and as a photographer, it certainly makes getting images of these birds a heck of lot easier...anyway, though hummers have lots of colors, that does not necessarily make a good color photo...

all images with Canon 5Ds and 400mm F2.8 II, sometimes with the 1.4x III TC.
ISO 400-800.

[praja343]

Fascinating images. Hard to  believe colors and variety. Please post more.

[francois]

I'm always impressed with hummingbird photography. I tried my hand at it, just once and failed miserably.
Beautiful shots!

[Paulo Bizarro]

Excellent.

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

OK thanks for the knid words...as much as I enjoy bird photography because of the colors on the birds, I do it from the perspective of a scientist - it allows me to study plumages (and an image helps greatly in identifying birds because the birds are stationary). Birds are like models except they never have a bad hair day, don't have to worry about make-up etc. Just get the light right and have a background that enhances the main subject and you are good to go. Other types of photography can tell a story with an image.. or the colors work together...or the tones. Bird photography is not as complicated...

Anyway, three hummingbirds and one non-hummingbird; all from Ecuador (Copalinga/eastern slope and Buenavista/western slope); all photos with the 400 F2.8 II and 5Ds at 400-800 ISO; shutter speeds from 1/200 to 1/3200 sec and F2.8.