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.
2 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