Anna's Hummingbird

Gallery: AvianPosted March 6, 2010185 views25 comments

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)

Place: Water Ranch, Gilbert, AZ, USA
Date: February 25, 2010
Equipment: Nikon D200, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8, TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
Exposure: ISO 800, Aperture priority spot metered 1/80th at f/8
Raw, PS CS3 on Mac G4, 55% of frame

A companion shot to my previous post, this time with the ISO slightly lower at 800, and with a headturn to pick up the natual colors of the gorget from the rising sun. I've also taken out some of the excessive warmth of the light to keep the background more neutral.

As always: honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. LARGER image provided for critical peeping.

Comments

25 comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on March 6, 2010 at 11:43 PM

Very nicely done Rihard! Love the clean BG in this. I really like how you decided to process this. Beautiful, light, colors and detail!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on March 6, 2010 at 11:55 PM

Rich,

Excellent exposure with a pleasing background. One of your finest as of late

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 7, 2010 at 12:42 AM

Richard, excellent EVERYTHING - pose, colors, perch, bg, catchlight..

Sandy r

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Angela McCain on March 7, 2010 at 1:16 AM

Nice image. Wonderful colors. Very sharp-impressive at this speed. Colors, pose, just everything is perfect.

Registered on April 19, 2009, 367 Posts, 3589 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on March 7, 2010 at 1:28 AM

Artfully done, just wanted to add my congratulations on a fine job! I really enjoy taking in the wonderful colors and the intense eye contact with the subject.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by István Molnár on March 7, 2010 at 1:57 AM

Well seen and preseted.Nice work.
István
Hungary

Registered on January 7, 2010, 114 Posts, 704 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on March 7, 2010 at 3:05 AM

A real prize winner, Richard! Excellent detail for ISO 800 and 1/80th.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Strand on March 7, 2010 at 3:47 AM

Gorgeous shot Richard!

Registered on March 30, 2008, 416 Posts, 2885 Comments

Comment posted by Brian Gatlin on March 7, 2010 at 7:42 AM

great looking shot, Rich. Love the pose and detail, and your bg and overall color balance looks great here.

Registered on March 21, 2009, 202 Posts, 4187 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on March 7, 2010 at 8:08 AM

Wonderful shot, Richard. I really like everything in this image!

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Saunders on March 7, 2010 at 8:58 AM

Nicely exposed shot Rich. The large version is especially pleasing to the eye.

Registered on February 6, 2008, 321 Posts, 3035 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on March 7, 2010 at 9:57 AM

What a fine image of this species Richard.

Pat.

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 7, 2010 at 12:51 PM

Beautiful, Richard. I like the light on the bird in this one, and the detail is perfect.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Bunch on March 7, 2010 at 1:01 PM

Very nice. The iridescence really pops on this one.

Registered on May 18, 2004, 124 Posts, 2503 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 7, 2010 at 2:49 PM

He's a beauty, the gorget looks great and excellent dof.

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments

Comment posted by Mia McPherson on March 7, 2010 at 4:06 PM

Rich,

The colors & details draw me right in, the gorget's sheen and the overall sharpness are excellent. The pose shows the fearless and saucy attitude that hummingbirds seem to exhibit.

I love this shot and wish it were mine.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 491 Posts, 12566 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on March 7, 2010 at 4:28 PM

Sweet! Love the light, the head turn, the colors in the bird, and the minimal perch that lets the bird shine here. The BG is perfect in that respect as well. No nits from me on this one Rich.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Simon Bennett on March 7, 2010 at 5:50 PM

Gem of an image, gem of a bird. Well done Richard.

Registered on February 4, 2007, 350 Posts, 4614 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Backlund on March 7, 2010 at 11:20 PM

All I can do is echo everyone else's compliments! I'm sure looking forward to a trip to AZ to see some hummers.

Registered on September 29, 2005, 252 Posts, 3380 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Drummond on March 8, 2010 at 12:44 AM

I was waiting for this one Richard - exquisite detail and wonderful colour

cheers
Rob

Registered on November 8, 2003, 617 Posts, 8267 Comments

Comment posted by Kevin Thompson on March 8, 2010 at 5:29 AM

Very nice Richard..

Registered on March 15, 2005, 114 Posts, 2639 Comments

Comment posted by David Sparks on March 8, 2010 at 10:19 AM

Richard:
Marvelous image. I think I'm glad I'm in an area where I see a variety of hummingbirds. I would become even more addicted to bird photography, if possible. Exposure and processing seem perfect to me.

Registered on May 26, 2007, 290 Posts, 4270 Comments

Comment posted by KC Choo on March 8, 2010 at 10:36 AM

Love everything about this one, Richard!

Registered on November 15, 2004, 519 Posts, 8278 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Hackley on March 8, 2010 at 11:27 AM

Very nice close up Rich, it is always a pleasure to see good reflection detail in a hummer shot, well done.

Registered on September 17, 2009, 302 Posts, 5535 Comments

Comment posted by Cheryl Molennor on March 8, 2010 at 6:21 PM

Gorgeous colors and detail with a perfect head turn. I'd love to see a vertical as well

Registered on June 30, 2009, 300 Posts, 5051 Comments