Hummingbird Photography Workshop at Cave Creek Ranch

At this workshop you will learn techniques for photographing Hummingbirds. The emphasis will be on the students learning and applying techniques, leaving with stunning images in the process. The workshop is hosted by Nature Photographer, Don Jedlovec. Enrollment is limited. We will cover: • Available light techniques that you might use in and around your garden • Understanding hummingbird behavior, how to attract birds to where you want them, and how to get close. • How distance, f-number, focal length, and ISO are controlled to yield a full-frame, high resolution image • The use of high-speed flash systems. We will use a configuration of flashes having durations of 1/60,000 sec. This effectively freezes all hummingbird motion. • Use of on-camera flash for fill as well as primary illumination. • Plus, application of the above techniques for other birds The format of this three-day workshop includes hands-on experience, one on one with a professional photographer during the day, supplemented by digital side show presentations and photo critique in the evenings. To take full advantage of the high-speed flash equipment that will be provided, it is recommended that participants bring a Canon digital SLR with a lens of focal length 300 mm or longer. For the other aspects of the workshop, any digital SLR with a lens of focal length 300 mm or longer will suffice. It is also recommended, but not required, that the participant bring an on-camera flash and a tripod. Hummingbirds and flowers will be provided by Mother Nature! What follows is a brief tribute to the Hummingbirds at Cave Creek Ranch. These photos were taken in a previous workshop at Cave Creek.

Blue-throated Hummingbird / Smooth Bouvardia

Hummingbirds in Arizona The sky islands in southeastern Arizona are habitat for 12 of the 13 North American hummingbird species. Here the spring and summer monsoons result in a desert bloom that has historically attracted these birds, many of which stop off along the spring and fall migration routes. In recent times man made feeders at local inns, lodges, parks and other areas help to assure the birds’ survival in times of drought and allow them to be present for us all to appreciate.

Blue-throated Hummingbird The Blue-throated hummingbird is a summer resident in the Southern U.S. It is a large secies to over 5 inches. Mature males have a light blue irridescent throat. Because of its large size, this species makes a distinctive fluttering, rather than humming, sound in flight. These images were taken with a system of strobes that have a duration of 1/60,000th of a second. This assures that all motion with be frozen in time.

A standoff! Hummingbirds aggressively defend their nectar sources! While these stop-action images portray an orderly feeding procession where each bird takes its turn, in reality this sequence is anything but! Here juvenile Black-chinned (left) and rufous hummingbirds stake out their territory - a solitary Trumpet Creeper blosson (BIGNONIACEAE).

First the Rufous...

Then the Black-chinned...

Juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird This sleepy hummer appears to be napping - or just checking the inside of its eyelids. Keep in mind that its wings are beating upwards of 50 times per second! Junvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird at Smooth Bouvardia (BOUVARDIA GLABERRIMA), a native plant often used as a roadside planting.

Annas hummingbird / Staghorn Cholla (OPUNTIA VERSICOLOR). Please note that no hummingbirds were harmed in the shooting of these images. These are actual hummingbirds feeding on actual flowers. These photos are difficult to achieve; it requires knowledge of hummingbird behavoir patterns which revolve almost exclusively around nectar souces, and a lot of patience! People often wonder if the flash harms or affects the birds. The light required for these images is provided by multiple flashes that fire symultaneously, so if a bird were to look directly into a flash it would see only a fraction of the total amount of light. Indeed, many birds do not even flinch during the flash. Some, like the larger Magnificent and Blue-throateds will bolt after the first flash.

Annas Hummingbird / Passion Flower (PASSIFLORA CAERULEA). Don's photography articles have appeared in Nature Photographer. His nature and sports photography has been featured at the San Francisco and Oakland Zoos, the Bay Area Discovery Museum, in the Mercury News, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, and in other publications. He is an official photographer for the San Francisco Zoo. He is also a volunteer at the Zoos and for the East Bay Regional Park District, for which he performs numerous nature talks and photography workshops. Contact Don at: jedlovec@pacbell.net or: www.jedlovec.com

Male Annas Hummingbird on Gartenmeister Fuchsia (FUCHSIA TRIPHYLLA)