Costa's Hummingbird

Gallery: AvianPosted December 27, 2015150 views4 comments

Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae)

Place: Phoenix, AZ
Date: December 25, 2015, 10:56 am
Equipment: Nikon D7200, Nikkor AF-S 300/4, hand held
Exposure: aperture priority matrix metered, ISO 800, 1/400^th @ f/5.6
Raw, PS CC 2015 on Mac, 76% of frame

We’ve had Costa's Hummingbirds in our yard and at our feeders every day of the year since we moved here in 1994. A favorite perch is on the tip of an agave just off the patio. I grabbed the camera when I went outside to chase away a neighbor’s cat that has discovered our yard and couldn’t pass up a shot of the hummingbird.

Some viewers may prefer a tighter compostion and suggest cropping away the right half to make this a vertical, but I am generally opposed to extreme cropping and try to make an interesting compositon with whatever focal length lens I am using.

Honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. If possible please view the larger image before commenting.

Comments

4 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on December 27, 2015 at 5:46 PM

Well, Richard, I was going to suggest that a vertical crop would also work nicely for this, but I see you've already answered that one. I do think a really tall skinny crop would make a wonderful bookmark for some hummingbird organization. The compositoin as presented is, however, just fine with me as well. Beautiful detail in the Costa's and you caught a wonderful gorget flash.

devil

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

Comment posted by David Rowe on December 28, 2015 at 6:08 AM

As it stands, Rich, the air of completeness of this composition impresses me. There is excellent portrayal of this alert little bird.
Its wonderful splash of iridescent color makes striking contrast with those otherwise drab surroundings.
David

Registered on December 20, 2013, 133 Posts, 286 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Stanton on December 28, 2015 at 3:57 PM

One of my favorite Hummers. Great detail in the larger image and terrific background blur for this shot. I would not feel so committed to horizontal framing though, Richard. The 4-5 blurred leaf stalks on the right side of the frame seem like dead weight here. Getting the shot in the camera while the subject is in front of you is the right thing, with birds and wildlife in general I find it very difficult to get them to pose long enough while I get everything just the way I aesthetically might want it. This is still a beautiful shot of a beautiful subject, nicely done.

Registered on March 1, 2015, 54 Posts, 453 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on December 28, 2015 at 7:23 PM

I like the comp. You're at 76% of full frme as it is; croping to vertical is going to make it thin, even with the D7200. Your usual impeccable techs. Nice.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments