Re: [Leica] Hummingbird

["tm" <leicar8@earthlink.net>]

Dave and Roy:

Re my shooting technique, there were six approximately half gallon
hummingbird feeders in a row. Between the feeders and me were six tiny
floodlights. The R8 was three feet in front of the feeders. In front of me,
just below the left-most feeder, was a sensing device. With my R8 on my
Gitzo 1228 tripod, I attached a Vivitar flash unit to the R8's hot shoe.
Upon firing the shutter, the Vivitar emitted a burst of light which then
contacted the sensing device which, because it was connected to the tiny
floodlights, fired them all at once. This technique was used instead of
keeping the floodlights on all the time so as to not scare away the
hummingbirds.

The slide was exposed just before sundown, when the birds have a voracious
appetite for the sweet red liquid. So many dozens of them dove so fast from
nowhere to the feeders, I swore I was watching either a Road Runner cartoon
or U.S. military bombs seeking their targets! It was amazing! I also had to
stifle laughter in order to not upset their doings. I had a shutter release
cable in the R8's shutter release hole and that worked perfectly in not
disturbing them. However, when the floodlights quickly went on and off , the
birds seemingly emitted an "ouch" and disappeared yet quickly returned to
suck some more of the delectable sweet liquid into their beaks. Hummingbirds
are incredibly funny and fascinatingly smart. Trust me, there is no stopping
them when they've developed an appetite!

Terry


> Dave Hillman took the words out of my mouth, er keyboard.  It is a
> nice image and I've returned to it several times since your message
> arrived and note especially the detail in the body.  In keeping with
> LUG tradition, how about some other technical details? From the
> catchlight in the eye, I detect the use of flash.
>
> Your observations on the birds' behavior are fascinating.  One
> wonders what goes through their BB-sized brains when they see a
> human with a camera.
>
> Roy
>
>



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