I've been taking hundreds of photos every day. Deleting most of them, but I'm learning lots about my new Canon Rebel XTi and its various lenses. The photos on this page were taken with the Canon 70-300 lens.

I've always been fascinated by hummingbirds. We get Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds at the cottage, where these tiny birds are as nasty (to each other) as they are gorgeous.

I'm assuming this one is a female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, but I welcome corrections:

All these photos were taken without a tripod. I just waited around until the birds got used to me (about 10-15 minutes); I had to change out of my red sweatshirt because they kept coming up to ME and hovering way too close for me to get a shot with the telephoto. :-)

There's something zen-like about waiting for a good bird/animal shot that may or may not happen. Unlike a building or landscape, your subject won't hold still for you and may not show up at all. And yet the waiting itself (at least for me) is part of the enjoyment, I find, forcing me to slow down and enjoy one moment at a time instead of always multitasking and rushing around. Even if I don't get my shot, I still come out of the experience feeling more relaxed.

What about the rest of you bird/animal photographers?

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Copyright © 2007 Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Base URL: http://www.blatherings.com
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