Photography

A challenge I set for myself today was to sit out in the yard and be very still in an effort to take some handheld pics of the hummers in flight. Initially when I would move the camera into position the birds would fly away but after awhile they seemed less fearful of my presence. In fact, I think some of the birds were taking advantage of my presence to scare away the competition.

Shooting a fast moving target as small as this was not easy. Getting the focus quickly and maintaining it almost proved too much for me but I kept at it. The fast aperture of the SAL-135F18Z was good for stopping action. the focal length was pretty restrictive, though. That being said, I think it would be an even bigger struggle zooming in and out in the time you have before they fly away.

These are the results of my initial efforts:

There’s between 4 and 5 different hummers visiting our feeders, all struggling to exert control over this food resource. The balance of power has tipped a few times and right now there’s no clear dominant bird. One zips in and feeds only to be chased away and while those guys are duking it out another swoops in to take advantage.

The hummer to the right in the above picture is clearly unhappy with the interloper, but the interloper pays no heed to the stern look and the splayed tail feathers and continues to drink the sweet, sweet nectar. But he’s no fool. Once the more aggressive hummer take to the air and begins his dive-bombing routine our plucky hero can only retreat.

They’re less and less fearful of me, allowing me to sit outside fairly close and shoot this pics. There’s more in the pipe as I get them processed.