In the Field

Tail Feathers - Calliope Hummingbird. Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. June 4, 2005.

I find feathers fascinating - not only are they amazing structures from a functional perspective, but they are simply beautiful.

Pictured above are the tail feathers of a female Calliope Hummingbird. The Calliope is North America's smallest bird and they tip the scales at a meagre 2.7 grams (about 1/10 of an ounce)!

I'm often asked how I managed to capture such a detailed image of a hummingbird's tail. To be honest, it took a lot of work and even more luck. Long story short: a lot of watching to figure out a preferred perch; a lot of finickiness in setting up the gear; a lot of time waiting for the bird to sit just right (and I mean JUST right - I was dealing with a VERY limited zone of sharp focus or depth of field); and a LOT of luck that it all came together. Thanks, Photeus.

Behind the Camera

Tail Feathers - Calliope Hummingbird. Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. June 4, 2005.

Digital Capture; Compressed RAW (NEF) format; ISO 100.

Nikon D2X with Nikon AF Micro 200 mm f/4 ED lens (300 mm equivalent with digital conversion factor) supported on Gitzo G2220 Explorer tripod with Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead. Sigma EM-140DG Macro flash. Nikon MC-20 cable release.

1/15s @ f22; -0.67 stop compensation from matrix-metered exposure setting; balanced TTL flash exposure with -0.67 stop compensation on EM-140DG.

At the Computer

Tail Feathers - Calliope Hummingbird. Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. June 4, 2005.

Details to follow.

Conservation

Tail Feathers - Calliope Hummingbird. Findlay Creek, BC, Canada. June 4, 2005.

Information to follow.