Ruby Throated Hummingbird Family on Nest

[Dan Behm]

I had the pleasure of finding out about a Ruby Throated Hummingbird nest in central Ohio over the Holiday weekend, Thanks to my friend Matthew. So along with another friend Josh, We grabbed our gear and headed south.

To our surprise the Nest could not have been in a better location it was on a walking trail in a local park, The nest was in a sycamore tree in a branch overhanging a large creek.

We all came away with some great shots. But this one stood out to me.

Hope you like it!

1DM4| 600 F/4| Iso 800 | F/6.3| 1/400th | Fill Flash at -3 w/ BB | Manual Mode at - 1/3rd| Partial Metering| Overcast conditions| DPP| CS4

Note: I cloned back the extending leaf that touched the adult birds head...

Comments and Critique are welcome!

 

[Ofer Levy]

This is one fine image!! Congratulations!

 

[Robert Holguin]

Excellent shot. Great timing on getting both chicks with their beaks open, excellent detail. and teriffic comp.
Well done.

 

[Ignacio Yufera]

Lovely, clean image, excellent composition and timing. BG really suits it. The nest is so neat that looks almost unreal!

 

[MohsenVahedipour]

What a great capture & timing! Also I like the shooting angle & BG. TFS

 

[arash_hazeghi]

excellent view of the nest with a nice setting and excellent details while all birds have great poses. On my monitor I see a subtle green cast, would warm it a tad

TFS excellent work

 

[gail bisson]

You and Marina are killing me with these wonderful hummingbird shots!
I love the beaks up position of the chicks and the texture of the nest. The spider web is a nice addition.
I. too, see a bit of a green cast and would brighten the picture a bit,
Gail

 

[denise ippolito]

What a sweet image! The nest is lovely as are the chicks open mouths and head angles. I love seeing the little feather details on the front chick. I agree w/ Arash regarding a very slight green cast. Awesome image, thanks for sharing.

 

[Grace Scalzo]

Wow, what a treat to view. The pose of the chicks and the intricate nest are perfect. Thanks for sharing this beauty.

 

[John Chardine]

A beautifully executed image. Glad you stayed far away from the nest with the 600mm! The image shows everything you need to see when viewing a hummer nest- lichen pieces, cobwebs, nest placement, chicks. The OOF leaves provide a pleasing BG and frame to the adult, and add interest. A VERY small point is that it's a pity that the chick's bill intersects the breast of the adult (I did say VERY!).

I diagnosed the colour of the image in LAB, looking at the grey of the female's neck and assuming that should be neutral for the sake of the test. It is running neutral on the A channel (Magenta-Green) and about +7 on B (Blue-Yellow), so there is a slight yellow cast. This can often look green because of the way the yellow mixes with the other colours. Easy to correct using a method outlined here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/70663. However, this can also be a feature of the colour of the light at the time of capture so I would not necessarily do anything.

 

[Miguel Palaviccini]

Dan, thanks for sharing! I've never seen anything quite like this.

 

[Satish Ranadive]

Marvelous image.Extremely beautiful action captured.Love it.

Regards,
Satish.

 

[Daniel Cadieux]

Oh wow this is beautiful!! Great techs, comp, details. Three great poses. Perfect view of the nest. An opportunity well taken advantage of, very well done!

 

[Sanjeevprakash]

This is a killer Image.One in a million I would say.Nice work Dan.

 

[Josh Clark]

Beauty of a shot Dan! Sure was fun this past weekend with this nest. Enjoyed shooting with you and Matthew.

 

[Melissa Groo]

So gorgeous, Dan. This is really the shot of a lifetime. Amazing view of the heads of all 3, great sharpness, clean lovely background, beautiful nest. Doesn't get any better. Congrats, this is an award winner!:cheers:

 

[Dan Behm]

Thank you very much everyone for taking the time to comment and view, I appreciate it very much... The Greenish Yellow Cast I seen as well and did make some corrections for i already. I will have another look and attempt toning it down on that channel a bit further to see how it turns out and repost later on this evening.

I think it may of had allot to do with the overall scene being green and the light we encountered.

Thanks again for the critiques and comments!

 

[Jim Buescher]

Now that's something you don't see everyday, and you captured it beautifully! Perfect in every way!

 

[Shawn Zierman]

Beautiful image, easily one of the best hummer nest images I've seen. Love the eye contact from all three subjects, and your dof was perfect.

 

[Cheryl Arena Molennor]

Like it? I love it. I wouldnt change a thing...Just incredible