How'd She Get That Shot? Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are unquestionably one of the most beautiful birds on earth. However, photographing a creature whose heart beats 10,000 beats a minute can be challenging. Some people will tell you that you need to have a huge multi-flash set-up to capture them effectively. I've never used a flash... and this particular picture was shot with 100% natural light.

Step #1 - Use a Tripod. Find a flower where you see hummingbirds congregating and pre-set up the shot.

Step #2 - Pre-focus. Focus on the flower itself and lock your focus there and wait for the hummingbird to come by again (and if you've seen it buzzing around the flower once chances are it will fly back to the same flower every few minutes). Patience will pay off.

Step 3 - Ensure your shutter speed is about three times higher than your focal length. For this shot I used a manual focus Nikkor 300mm f4 lens from the 1970s mounted on a D200. I shot it at 1/1000th of a second. It was a cloudy day so I had to increase my ISO to ensure I was getting a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the action.

Step 4 - Use a remote control to trigger your shutter. You want to keep your camera as stable as possible and the best way to do this is with either a remote or a cable release.

Step 5 - If you have the option, use a burst mode on your camera so you can take the maximum pictures per second. This is also the one time when you'll want to have one of those high speed digital cards.

Wait patiently and click the shutter like mad (remotely) when the hummingbird approaches the flower. Many of your pictures will be out of focus; however, there will be a few split seconds when your focus lines up perfectly.