David Kepley
October 2026 - Better Unload
Original
About the Image(s)
Better Unload!
I took this picture of a female ruby throated humming bird at a local garden. She could not get enough of this red flower! This shot caught her lightening her load, so to speak. Couldn’t resist sharing it with you!
Settings: Canon R7 with a 70-200 lens, shot at 200mm. 1/3200 sec, f7.1, ISO 5000 (I set it for auto ISO. I used Topaz to Denise and sharpen and the masks in LRS to refine the bird and blur the background.
8 comments posted
David, you captured a terrific feeding moment. The hummingbird's hovering pose, the connection between its bill and the flowers, and the rich red-green contrast all contribute to the image's appeal. And those trailing droplets are an intriguing detail :-)
Meanwhile, a few gentle adjustments might bring even more attention to the hummingbird. My eye initially goes to the bright red flower that dominates the frame - to subordinate it I cropped most of it away.
Also, at this viewing size, the bird appears a tad soft; so, if the RAW has sufficient detail, a touch of selective sharpening might help. Regardless, you have a clear nature story which is always the #1 goal in Nature photography - nice job.
Posted: 10/06/2026 13:31:50
Meanwhile, a few gentle adjustments might bring even more attention to the hummingbird. My eye initially goes to the bright red flower that dominates the frame - to subordinate it I cropped most of it away.
Also, at this viewing size, the bird appears a tad soft; so, if the RAW has sufficient detail, a touch of selective sharpening might help. Regardless, you have a clear nature story which is always the #1 goal in Nature photography - nice job.
Posted: 10/06/2026 13:31:50
Hi David,
Funny title and moment you captured! I'm always amazed at clearly focused humming bird shots, and this is no exception.They are not easy to capture! I also like the contrast of the red flower against the green foliage. Too bad there wasn't more distance between the bird and the background so you would have natural bokeh and a softer less distracting background. Looking at your camera settings, I wonder if opening the lens to f/2.8 or f/4 (if your lens allows it) would have produced more background softness and the extra benefit to that is that it would have lowered the ISO to 800 or 1600 which could have given you cleaner detail in the hummingbird and not necessitated using TOPAZ …but would that have given you enough depth of field? That might be fun playing around with. All that said, this is a really beautiful photograph! I love that you captured the moment of the humming bird's beak making contacts with the flower! Posted: 10/06/2026 15:41:08
Funny title and moment you captured! I'm always amazed at clearly focused humming bird shots, and this is no exception.They are not easy to capture! I also like the contrast of the red flower against the green foliage. Too bad there wasn't more distance between the bird and the background so you would have natural bokeh and a softer less distracting background. Looking at your camera settings, I wonder if opening the lens to f/2.8 or f/4 (if your lens allows it) would have produced more background softness and the extra benefit to that is that it would have lowered the ISO to 800 or 1600 which could have given you cleaner detail in the hummingbird and not necessitated using TOPAZ …but would that have given you enough depth of field? That might be fun playing around with. All that said, this is a really beautiful photograph! I love that you captured the moment of the humming bird's beak making contacts with the flower! Posted: 10/06/2026 15:41:08
Humming birds are always beautiful bird to photographer because of their bright colors. In this case the green bird contrasted with the red flowers is stunning. I do like your crop better than Butch's crop, I just don;t like the flower stuck in a corner--but that is me.
Personally I feel you probably have enough space between the subject and the background to get a better blur. I feel like the lack of blur is likely due to the higher f-stop setting of 7.1. If you dropped the aperture to f4, you would get more blur and could also reduce the ISO setting as well. Posted: 10/13/2026 17:24:45
Personally I feel you probably have enough space between the subject and the background to get a better blur. I feel like the lack of blur is likely due to the higher f-stop setting of 7.1. If you dropped the aperture to f4, you would get more blur and could also reduce the ISO setting as well. Posted: 10/13/2026 17:24:45
Very nice moment captured, the pose near the bright red flower as well as the trail of urine. I also like your crop, the flower is as important a part of the story as the bird, imo.
I'll second (third?) what Ann and Larry have said about the f/stop.
I would like to see this much brighter, increasing overall exposure. To me it looks dark and muddy and the colors don't pop. The downside to that would be the bright areas in the background would stand out more, but that could be worked on too.
Posted: 10/21/2026 17:54:17
I'll second (third?) what Ann and Larry have said about the f/stop.
I would like to see this much brighter, increasing overall exposure. To me it looks dark and muddy and the colors don't pop. The downside to that would be the bright areas in the background would stand out more, but that could be worked on too.
Posted: 10/21/2026 17:54:17
These are good points, indy. I'm also concerned about the overall darkness, but wanted to keep the background darker. Something to work on! Posted: 10/21/2026 17:59:12
I hope this wasn't a comment on being photographed!
It looks like the hummingbird was a bit too far away for 200mm and the focus missed its head. Just like happens when I try to photograph them! I think it could use a bit of extra sharpening on the bird (if it will take it without looking over done) and a bit more brightness and vibrance. Posted: 10/21/2026 21:48:55
It looks like the hummingbird was a bit too far away for 200mm and the focus missed its head. Just like happens when I try to photograph them! I think it could use a bit of extra sharpening on the bird (if it will take it without looking over done) and a bit more brightness and vibrance. Posted: 10/21/2026 21:48:55
You're right, I shoukd have had a longer lens. I went to that local garden to shoot flowers and got surprised by the hummingbirds! Posted: 10/22/2026 01:32:32
David, beautiful shot of this hummingbird!
The leading diagonal line of the water drops, the bird and her angle , leading to the red flower, works really wel, and then traveling all the way back again.
To improve the photo, I am not sure how much you have cropped, the bird's head feels a bit soft, which would give the star attraction a bit more punch.
But you managed to catch a unique moment, very gracefully, thanks so much for sharing this beautiful shot! Posted: 10/26/2026 08:29:56
The leading diagonal line of the water drops, the bird and her angle , leading to the red flower, works really wel, and then traveling all the way back again.
To improve the photo, I am not sure how much you have cropped, the bird's head feels a bit soft, which would give the star attraction a bit more punch.
But you managed to catch a unique moment, very gracefully, thanks so much for sharing this beautiful shot! Posted: 10/26/2026 08:29:56