More Tips for Shooting Hummingbirds

^{Note: This tip comes from Audubon’s article - How to Take Exquisite Hummingbird Photos}

Tip #1 - The best way to learn hummingbird photography is by photographing perched birds.

Practice on hummingbirds at a feeder, experimenting with the camera-to-subject distance, framing, exposure, and even behavior. Then, take that experience and follow the birds to where they perch near the feeder. These images can be much more visually interesting.

Tip #2 - Obsess Over the Lighting

Photography is all about light. With hummingbirds, it is no different.

The two main concerns are the subject's welfare and light—everything else is secondary.

Open shade is ideal for photographing hummingbirds for two reasons: There are no harsh shadows, specular highlights, or bright spots of light.

If you Google hummingbird images, you’ll find a million of them with blown-out specular highlights.

Why? Iridescence.

Most hummingbird feathers exhibit metallic characteristics dependent upon the angle of the feather to the observer. (It has nothing to do with the angle of incident light!) Anything metallic will produce specular highlights if lit with a small or hard light source.

Soft light is essential to creating aesthetic images of hummingbirds, whether sunlight or flash.

This cannot be over-emphasized!

Tip #3 - Pay Attention to Ethics

I share the mindset of great bird photographers, such as Tom Mangelson, Melissa Groo, Melyssa St. Michael, and Tin Man Lee. These photographers will never compromise or impact their subjects in the pursuit of a good image.

The welfare of birds is fundamental to their approach, and photographs are secondary.

While hummingbirds are fearless, they are also fragile due to their high metabolic rate. They are susceptible to stress and exhaustion. For me, the fun is the challenge of doing my photography in a way that does not impact the birds. None. I am not interested in coercing or cajoling my subjects just for an image.

Some might argue that setting up feeders impacts hummingbirds’ behavior; however, hummers have become so accustomed to feeders that they have adapted to detect and use them.

Feeding hummingbirds mandates some responsibility.

Sugar water degenerates quickly, promoting both bacterial growth and the harboring of harmful diseases.

Cleanliness is crucial!

Change the water at least weekly in cooler weather and every three days when it is hot.

Want more? If you want to learn more about bird photography, and capture beautiful shots of your own, we recommend downloading and printing out Photzy’s 10 Bird Photography Cheat Sheets (Special bonus available now!)