Photo Tips

A few tips on how to get closeups of hummingbirds:

1. Once your birds are accessing your feeders move them closer and closer. Remember they access different flowers all the time, your feeders don't have to stay in the same exact place.

2. Your goal is to get the feeders close to where you can sit comfortably. Place the feeder at eye level, even if you will be sitting.

3. The feeder should be placed in acordance with your camera's capabilities. If you have a telephoto lens, than it doesn't have to be too close. If you don't have a telephoto lens don't worry you can still get pretty close.

4. If your camera has auto focus, you may have to go to manual and pre-focus to where you know your hummingbirds will be just infront of the feeder. Since you know hummingbirds are very fast, if possible, set the shutter at 200 or more.

5. Regarding your comfort: Think tripod, monopod, or just a sling from the nearest overhang to support your telephoto lens. Be creative and good luck.