On camera vs. off camera flash for hummingbirds

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Eric Miller - 20 May 2005 20:06 GMT

I have posted photos taken in the past couple of days using on-camera flash,
high shutterspeeds, high speed sync and a flash extender (Better Beamer) and
photos of hummingbirds in the same location using four (4) off-camera flash
units sync'd with pc connections and 1/200 shutter speed (max flash sync for
Canon 10D). These photos were of humming birds in an area of a tree where
they were feeding. An existing gallery also shows hummingbird photos taken
with multiple flash units around a feeder, i.e., with the hummers in an
exact location where I knew they would be.

All photos at
http://www.dyesscreek.com/miscellaneous_pages/hummingbirds_index.html

Eric Miller

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Paul Furman - 23 May 2005 03:49 GMT

> I have posted photos taken in the past couple of days using on-camera flash,
> high shutterspeeds, high speed sync and a flash extender (Better Beamer) and
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> All photos at
> http://www.dyesscreek.com/miscellaneous_pages/hummingbirds_index.html

All very cool stuff! Way better than I ever did!

Could you summarize though. Lots of pics & lots of work for us to figure
out what's going on. Something like:

pic1 regular flash
http://...
black backgrounds dissapointing

pic1 beamer
http://...
better but highlights blown in eyes

pic2 remote flash:
http://...
seems perfect but lots of work

etc. (I'm just making up the comments).

Or just chose three of each to assess. It's too much to sort through now.

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Paul Furman
http://www.edgehill.net/1
san francisco native plants

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Eric Miller - 23 May 2005 22:43 GMT

> > I have posted photos taken in the past couple of days using on-camera flash,
> > high shutterspeeds, high speed sync and a flash extender (Better Beamer) and
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
>
> Or just chose three of each to assess. It's too much to sort through now.

OK,

All photos at http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers_2/index.htm taken with
on-camera and Better Beamer.

All photos at http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers_3/index.htm taken with
remote flash.

Eric Miller

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Paul Furman - 24 May 2005 04:03 GMT

> OK,
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> All photos at http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers_3/index.htm taken with
> remote flash.

I couldn't tell any difference between the two though I like the blue
sky and don't like the black backgrounds.

This one stood out as distinctively eye-catching:
http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers_2/pages/MimosaHummer_027.htm
Do you have a favorite?

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Eric Miller - 25 May 2005 19:40 GMT

> I couldn't tell any difference between the two though I like the blue
> sky and don't like the black backgrounds.
>
> This one stood out as distinctively eye-catching:
> http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers_2/pages/MimosaHummer_027.htm
> Do you have a favorite?

My favorite of the shots over the mimosa is:

<http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers_2/pages/MimosaHummer_030.htm>

Of all my hummingbird shots, these three are my favorite:

<http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers/pages/hummers_026.htm>
<http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers/pages/hummers_023.htm>
<http://www.dyesscreek.com/hummers/pages/hummers_013.htm>

I actually like the dark backgrounds (its just a personal thing) and like
these shots most because I like to see detail. Its much more difficult to
get detail and rich colors when you don't know where the hummingbirds are
going to be ahead of time. I am still working with trying to get better
backgrounds, but do no want to resort to blue posterboard like some that I
have seen. I think that this looks as artificial in its own way as a black
background (again, a personal thing). I have tried putting plants behind the
feeder and that may be the solution for me, but I have to find better plants
than I have used in the past.

Eric Miller

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