How to Photograph Hummingbirds No Flash

How to Photograph Hummingbirds-No Flash

You can still get some incredible hummingbird photos without a mult-flash set up.

With brilliant colors lighting up the tropical backgrounds these amazing birds are always a pleasure to watch and to photograph. If you have ever tried to photograph a hummingbird it can be a challenge. They zip-zag around from branch to feeder to plant again. When the sunlight hits them just right, you see wonderful colors before your eyes. There is nothing more spectacular when you see a grey bird suddenly light up with a rainbow of colors. The Fiery-throated hummingbird and the Crowned Brilliant Emerald Hummingbird are some of the most beautiful birds in the hummingbird species and one of our highlight on our Costa Rica Tour.

In order to photograph these birds in focus using a hand held or tripod method without multi-flash equipment is quite simple but takes patience. With hundreds of birds flying about at our special locations on our Costa Rica and Ecuador tour, you will have to select just one bird to start with that has captivated your attention.

Identify a bird you want to photograph. Watch your selected bird feed at a particular flower or feeder. Hummingbirds have a flight pattern and will travel to the same plants, and feeders over and over again. They tend to perch on the same branches. Sit, wait and watch. Look for a perch where there is enough light on the bird when he/she is perched you can see the colors light up.

In this photo of the Green-Crowned Brilliant Hummingbird, also known as the Green-fronted Brilliant Hummingbird found in Costa Rica and Ecuador the camera settings are listed below:

Using a tripod is recommended.

Set your camera to Av mode so the camera will determine the shutter speed.

Focus on the branch or the leaf and take a test shot. Check your focus and your histogram to ensure you have proper exposure.

Wait for your bird to fly in and perch on the branch or leaf. It is okay to overexpose the branch if you have to because you want to ensure you have enough light on the bird enhancing those incredible colorful feathers. You can touch up the overexposed branch with photo software later.

Hummingbird Photo Above:

Camera settings: Canon EOS 7D - Aperture – Av mode, F 6.0, ISO 1000, Shutter Speed 1/100 sec

Spot Metering Mode- this will show up as a red box highlight when you look into your lens. You lens will focus on the subject in the box.

Focus on the branch or the leaf and take a test shot. Check your focus and your histogram to ensure you have proper exposure.

Want to learn multi-flash hummingbird photography? Learn how to capture amazing birds in flight highlighting those incredible colors on our Costa Rica, Peru and Ecuador Vacations.