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RAINBIRDER | all galleries >> THE AMERICAS >> COSTA RICA -JULY 2008 >> Costa Rica -Birds >> Costa Rica Birds: Non-Passerines > Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)
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07-JUL-2008

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)

Arenal, Costa Rica

The colour of Hummingbird feathers is by & large not due to constitutional pigment but is due to refraction & diffraction of the incident light as a consequence of the feather's micro-structure.
In practical terms this means that Hummers are best photographed in direct sunlight or by flash. If flash is used the ideal setup is to use 3 or 4 flash units positioned in an arc around the Hummer with the principal flash activating the slave units which should themselves be set to reduced output. Such a complex setup clearly requires nectar-baiting & needs artistic skill to prevent the final image from looking contrived -well beyond the skills of this photographer!!!

Canon EOS 40D
1/250s f/5.6 at 600.0mm iso400 with Flash full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Esa Ervasti02-Sep-2008 09:18
Well, this is well enough to show its glorious plumage!!
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