Fluttery Beauties

©Mark J. Schocken

Photographing hummingbirds is no easy feat, as the birds are some of the fastest-moving animals on the planet and change direction in an instant. Wildlife photographer Mark J. Schocken offers insights into capturing these fleeting creatures:

  • He prefers early morning light with the sun at his back, and, if possible, a shaded area with a background that is darker than the bird’s colors to reduce distraction.
  • He avoids photographing hummingbirds near human-made structures, such as feeders. “I much prefer natural settings where the hummingbirds are feeding on the nectar from various species of flowers,” he says.
©Mark J. Schocken
  • Schocken likes to photograph them from farther away with a 200-600mm lens set at 600mm, so he doesn’t disturb the birds’ activities or startle them.
  • When photographing the birds in flight or hovering, he sets his camera to the highest possible shutter speed, depending on the available light, but keeps his ISO to 10,000 or lower (“ideally much lower,” he says). “While noise reduction programs are getting better and better, I still am concerned with image degradation at very high ISOs,” he explains, so he prefers 1/1,600 to 1/2,000 second or faster. He’s OK with the bird’s wings being blurred in the photo, as long as the face is tack sharp, drawing the viewer’s eyes to the bird’s eyes. 

Amanda Arnold is a senior editor.