humming bird photo

[maddy]

hi i took some photos of a hummingbird and the body looks and head look ok but how do i make the wings sharp and not blurry ?

i am using a Canon Eos Rebel Xsi.

Madeline

[mjs1973]

You will need a very fast shutter speed to stop the motion of the wings. Something in the 1/1000 or 1/2000 second should work. What shutter speed did you use?

[OldClicker]

You need a faster shutter speed. Do a search on hummingbird or hummers and look at the shutter speeds of photos you like. If you do not have an EXIF (the data from the shot) reader, look at Opanda (Windows using Internet Explorer). With Opanda you can just right click and see the data if it's there. - TF

[Loupey]

Actually I prefer to see some blur in the wings.

As you found out, the wings of a hummingbird are beating incredibly fast. I've shot them at all speeds all the way up to 1/3000s and even then, you can still see some blur in the wingtips.

If want to completely freeze the wings, you really have no choice but to use a strobe. But depending on how bright the ambient light is, you will most likely get sharp frozen wings within a set of blurry ghost wings.

For some further discussion on this topic, you can visit this thread:

Dance of the Hummingbird

[maddy]

i have five photos of the hummingbirds that i took.
if you looked at them could u tell me what to do?:confused5:
i will post them in a minute.

Madeline

[maddy]

My hummingbirds photos are too big to post?
can someone tell me how to make them smaller so that i can post them please

Madeline

[maddy]

I think this is my shutter speed it says on five of my photos :

Photo # 1 shutter speed 1/64 sec.
Photo # 2 shutter speed 1/64 sec.
Photo # 3 shutter speed 1/99 sec.
Photo # 4 shutter speed 1/99 sec.
Photo # 5 shutter speed 1/64 sec.

They where taken at two different times.
They where taken with the Canon EFS 18-55mm lens that came with it.
Do u need the IOS speed?

I am only 13 so i don't know much about this stuff.

let me know if this helps.

Thanks!
Madeline

[Frog]

Yes, those speeds are way to slow to freeze the wings.
What editing program do you use?
In PSelements 6 I click on image and resize. They can be no longer than 800 on the longest side and save at less than highest quality. I use 9.
Another way is that you can resize with Windows power toy resizer but it doesn't leave your images very sharp.
A bit late but welcome to the forums.

[maddy]

So what speed should i use (it can be a guess) and how do a change the speed?

I use Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Should i crop them tell they are small enough?

Madeline

[mjs1973]

So what speed should i use (it can be a guess) and how do a change to speed?

I use Microsoft Office Picture Manager.

Should i crop them tell they are small enough?

Madeline

When you have your photo open in Picture Manager go under the Picture Menu at the top of the screen and then select Resize. On the right hand side of the screen you will see the options for resizing the photos. You can either use one of the predefined sizes or type in your own. I would type in my own and go 800x533. Then do a File > Save As and give the file a new name. That should make it small enough to post.

[mjs1973]

In order to get your shutter speeds fast enough to freeze the wings you are going to need either more light, a higher ISO, a faster lens or a combination of these.

To get more light you may have to photograph on a bright sunny day. You could also use a flash like Loupey mentioned earlier. Increasing your ISO will also give you a faster shutter speed but will increase the amount of noise in your photos. A faster lens, one with a large maximum aperture (smaller f/ number) will allow more light in to give you a faster shutter speed.

[maddy]

here are my humming bird photos.

they are much clearer but i had to make them small to fit on here.

oh and the last one the humming bird is at the feeder by the cat.

Madeline

[maddy]

yes Loupey i would like some blur in the wings but not all the wing.

Madeline

[AgingEyes]

Even 1/8000s cannot totally freeze the wings:




Try use multiple flash lights.

[maddy]

AgingEyes is your photo took in 1/8000s?

That is how i want the wings to look i don't want them all a blur but i also don't want them very sharp so like some blur and some sharp.

Madeline

[AgingEyes]

AgingEyes is your photo took in 1/8000s?

Yes!

But this was not:



Don't remember what shutter speed I used for that one, but not 1/8000s for sure.

[byjamesderuvoDHQ]

Yeah, with 1/64, those wings probably beat about 30 times. Quick little buggers. You could try a flash to freeze your subject, but you really want to get the fastest shutter speed you can.

[maddy]

thanks for all your guys help !

Madeline

[OldClicker]

Yes!

But this was not:



Don't remember what shutter speed I used for that one, but not 1/8000s for sure.

1/3500 sec. - TF

[SmartWombat]

Don't remember what shutter speed I used for that one, but not 1/8000s for sure.

# Original Date/Time = 2008:05:12 15:47:57
# Digitization Date/Time = 2008:05:12 15:47:57
# Shutter Speed Value (APEX) = 11773139/1000000
Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) = 1/3500 second
# Aperture Value (APEX) = 433985/100000
Aperture = ƒ/4.5

[mjs1973]

I did a search for more info on high speed flash photography for hummingbirds and I found this site.

http://www.rpphoto.com/howto/hummer/humguide1.asp

Lots of very good info about using multiple flashes to capture hummingbirds. Of course a multiple flash setup isn't going to be cheap.

The easiest way I have found to get sharp wings is to wait till they land!

[maddy]

yea i have took most of my photos of humming birds when they are siting on a twig in a tree.

Madeline

[maddy]

(this was a couple of months ago)
Photo of a hummingbird that the nest fell out or the tree and he fell out of the nest and broke his neck and bent or broke his beak.(He died only about two minutes after we found him) :frown5: we tried to feed him but he could not open he beak.
and we could not put him and the nest back in the tree because it was broke open and he would have just fell out again.

(his neck was broke pretty bad on the other side)

i don't hate hummingbirds i just wanted to share this sad story and photo with you guys.



Madeline

[tayl0124]

I still see a little blur in the far wing. It could be a dof thing but my gut is saying it is the movement. Oh and here is your info on this picture.

Camera Make: FUJIFILM
Camera Model: FinePix S5Pro
Image Date: 2008:05:12 15:47:57
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 105.0mm (35mm equivalent: 158mm)
CCD Width: 12.70mm
Exposure Time: 0.0003 s (1/3500)
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO equiv: 800
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Center Weight
Exposure: aperture priority (semi-auto)

Yes!

But this was not:



Don't remember what shutter speed I used for that one, but not 1/8000s for sure.