I saw some bald blue jays over at Zen Birdfeeder recently. My stellers jays aren’t bald, but their head feathers aren’t very black anymore, and all the feathers look a bit rough. The birds hide in the grass as though they don’t wish to be seen in molt.
I like to capture images of Lions Head when the first rays of morning sunlight are striking its top and clouds in the west are lit with early colorful light.
The challenge with this scene is losing the trees in the foreground to deep shadows. The light reaches Lions Head a long time before it illuminates the trees. The range from highlights to shadows make this image a good choice for multiple exposure composites.
The 9,000+ ft. Lions Head is part of the forbidden park, closed to the public while in the planning stages. I wait impatiently for its opening. When that happens I may have to start a blog just for park photos.
While I wait for a hummingbird’s return to a feeder or wildflowers, I often look around for something else to focus on between the bird captures. I never tire of “shooting the moon” and was happy one day recently when I looked up and saw the moon framed in clouds.
Today, no moon or mountain views, the clouds are very low.
I’m happy I decided to skip this weekend’s festival. It’s no fun setting up a tent full of photography in the rain. The rest of the weekend is forecast to be the same. Rain and more rain, much needed and appreciated.
Here’s how I capture hummingbirds sipping nectar with mountains and sky in the background making bands of blurred color:
Put the pot of flowers on the deck rail where there is a distant view of mountains. (This will work with other distant views or objects as well. Try to find a pleasing background with nothing between the flowers and the background.)
Use a telephoto and experiment with aperture settings until your flowers are sharp and background blurred.
A tripod helps to support a heavy lens while waiting to photograph.
To capture the hovering wings, use a fast shutter speed.
Optional: Add a little fill flash to lighten shadows or light up the iridescent feathers of the bird.
Catching insects above upper lake’s reflective surface, a violet-green swallow was my subject yesterday as I sat on a rock at water’s edge with the morning sun to my left.
Focusing manually as swallows and swifts darted and dipped over the lake, I watched their flight patterns through the lens. Then, every time I nailed the focus on a bird, I’d capture several images while panning with the bird.
