Colors! Textures! Shapes! Serious birders, don’t leave. There is more to photographing birds than grabbing a shot and checking a list.
Feathers of a Shining Sunbeam. You only get a glimpse most of the time. It takes patience to see all the colors.
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
It’s been a month since my last post – I have been in Ecuador’s Chocó Cloud Forest and then on to the Pantanal in Brazil. I’m sharing some of my thoughts and photos from Ecuador in this post.
Racket-tailed Puffleg
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
This was my 4th time in the last 16 months in this region and I was determined to improve my skills for hummingbird photography. It’s a challenge! They move fast. For the above image, I concentrated on the background I chose and with the depth of field I wanted. I had my exposure right where I wanted it and then just waited for a bird to fly into my “zone” for focus (that would be the place it would hover and wait for its turn at the feeder). I was lucky enough to capture several birds. (I also got a few out of focus or parts of birds – ok, more than a few).
Andean Emerald
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
With this cutie, I captured it with a dark background (forest in shadows) and used the bounce-light from a wall behind the feeder to add the necessary fill light for an otherwise backlit bird (sun was to the right).
Violet-tailed Sylph
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
Violet-tailed Sylph
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
Using multiple flash certainly brings out the colors. This is my favorite hummingbird.
Crimson-rumped Toucanet
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
Crimson-rumped Toucanet
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
While the bird is clearly named for its backside, which is quite beautiful, I just love the way the turquoise feathers play over the lime green in a graceful curl.
Toucan Barbet
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
This Barbet was dancing all over the place trying to get attention. It was a workout to get a position to show all the colors. Gorgeous bird.
Blue-winged Mountain Tanager
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
Flame-faced Tanagers
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
Black-capped Tanager © 2019 Diane Kelsay
Masked Flowerpiercer
© 2019 Diane Kelsay
My favorite time was sitting at the reflection pool, watching birds come and go. Every so often one lined up “just so”. And oh yeah, I broke that famous rule about horizon lines going through the middle. When I did, it was the most exciting composition for that scene. And yes, I managed to ID the birds in this blog (newbie birder), but I’m still a “break the rules” artist first. You can join us in Ecuador to improve your bird photography skills and bring home lots of exciting images (you might even learn a few names). Our groups are small and our Ecuador guide is an expert birder.