Life on the Wing

Male Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) looking a little dingy as the summer draws to a close. We like to think of these little critters as cute and beautiful, but in reality they are wild animals living a tough life.

Migratory birds typically molt twice a year; once in the spring to put on bright, flashy breeding plumage and again in the fall to replace the now worn-out feathers with the typically less flashy winter plumage.

Birds with iridescent feathers seem to show the wear more than others. The green body feathers and red bib of this bird clearly show the wear and tear of life on the wing.

Summer Hummers

It was photographing birds that first sparked my interest in photography way back when I was knee-high to a titmouse, and it's photographing birds that continues to be one of my favorite pastimes--when I can find the time for it, that is.

And photographing birds takes time.

And patience, timing, a little creativity… you get the picture.

Anyway, it’s been a few years since I’ve done any serious bird photography and the time has left me with a gaggle of ideas I want to try bouncing around in my head. This week I decided it was time to break out the big glass, open a can of patience, and see if I can’t bring some of these ideas to fruition.

Despite all the time I spent photographing birds over the years, for some reason I never got around to photographing hummingbirds--time to fix that.

I experimented with lighting set ups for hummingbirds a few weeks ago, and motivated by boredom and determination I spent Sunday evening and most of the day Monday sitting behind my camera waiting.

The waiting paid off. There was plenty of activity and I was able to come away with several good shots.

Four years ago I would have been perfectly happy with the "good" shots I got, but as my tastes and vision evolve I find myself continually wanting more. It’s no longer enough for me to get beautiful bird portraits—I want a little drama to kick things up a notch.

Instead of just taking a pretty bird picture, what I ultimately want is to capture an image that tells the story of the animal by capturing a peak moment in its life.

Hummingbirds, for example, often fight for access to food sources. I see one male at my feeders that attacks and chases off other birds. Sometimes when they attack, they appear to actually hit one another in mid-air.

Capturing one of these moments won’t be easy—which is probably why I have never seen it done—but that just makes me want it more. My goal is to take an image that captures the drama of daily life for a Ruby-throated Hummingbirds by the time the birds fly south for the winter. That’s my challenge, check back to see how it goes.