Picture Of The Week 08-09-10

Where: Richmond, VA • Glidewell Rd.

Notes: As a rule, each week I try to show the diversity of the bird species that we are blessed with. But, when I opened up this shot for the first time, I decided immediately to break that rule and show this Hummingbird species again (PREVIOUS). Over the past couple of weeks I have been trying to better the images I have of these lively birds. With this striving, comes the use of techniques that have produced good result in the past. One of which is pre-focusing on the spot in scape where I anticipate the bird to be and remotely triggering the shutter release. I do this by attaching a single playing-card, from a deck of cards, onto a stiff piece of copper wire. Then I bend the wire so the card is about two or three inches perpendicular to the opening of a flower and about an inch in the direction of the camera. Next, I use the camera's auto-focus feature and aim it at the card. Then, I switch to manual focus and remove the card from the scene. This keeps the focus point on the spot in mid-air where I anticipate the bird to be. Now I can move away, wait for the "Hummer" to come, and use my remote trigger. With this setup comes many out of focus shots, but so does trying to chase and focus on these tiny birds by hand holding the camera. If only one shot is like this out of a hundred, then that is fine with me.

Equipment: Canon EOS 40D • Canon 400mm f-5.6 Prime L Series Lens • Manfroto Tripod • Wireless Remote Shutter Release

Exposure: Shutter Speed = 1/2500 second • Aperture = f 5.6 • Exposure Mode = Aperture Priority • Focus Mode: Manual • Lens (Focal) Length = 400 mm • ISO = 640 • Aprox. Camera Distance = ~10 Feet • Date Shot: 08-04-10

©2010 Robert W. Schamerhorn. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.