ABSTRACT
The delicate and graceful little creature known as the hummingbird lives only in the Americas. The 60–80 cycles per second wing speed allows the hummingbird to fly upside down, to hover in place, and even to back up. The manual mode of most flashes offers selectable fractions of the full power. Hummingbirds feed largely on flower nectar, but being efficient little beasts, they munch on tiny insects, too. Finding it easier to hide the smaller dispensing tubes with leaves and flower petals is a boon. An ideal lens for hummingbird photography is a high-quality zoom lens capable of reaching 400mm. A continuous autofocus mode is by far the most helpful. The novice hummingbird shooter very quickly learns that some of the most photogenic poses occur right after the hummingbird has fed. Practically any digital camera is effective for hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are generally unafraid of, and unconcerned with, the motionless photographer near the feeder.
