First Try Was a Mess
Woke up at dawn thinking, “Today’s the day!” Grabbed my trusty old camera – the Nikon D90, yeah it’s ancient but fights on. Coffee spilled on my shirt rushing out, typical. Saw a tiny hummingbird flitting near the feeder. Aimed, held my breath… click. Opened the preview. Bird looked like a fuzzy green blob. Not even wings, just pure blur. Sweat like crazy standing there.
Reset Everything Like a Dummy
Totally blanked what settings even mattered. Went full panic mode – switched the dial to “S” mode for shutter. Spun the control knob all willy-nilly. Tried some crazy number, “1/500”? Clicked again. Blob got slightly less blobby? Maybe? Still looked terrible. Felt like giving up. Bird just zoomed away. Another coffee run required.
- Screwed Up Shutter Priority: Wasn’t thinking straight. Just spun the dial faster and faster.
- Forgot the Basics: Entirely blanked on how light works that early. Sun barely up meant everything was dark.
- Pissed Off a Hummingbird: Pretty sure Larry – yeah named him – glared at me before leaving.
Actually Reading Stuff For Once
Slumped inside, grumbling. Figured maybe watch that YouTube video saved months ago. Guy said hummingbird wings are FAST. No-brainer, right? Needed wayyy faster shutter than I used. Basics: Freeze wings? Try “1/2000”. Show movement? Maybe “1/500”. Need more light? Make the hole bigger… the “aperture” thing. Knew that!
Grabbed the camera again. Dial still on “S”. Set it to “1/1600” first. Got back out. Larry was back! Aimed, held super still… click.
The “Ah-Hah” Click (Literally)
Checked the shot. Wings! Actual wing shapes! Looked paused, mid-flap. Got greedy. Needed a bit of blur in them wings, make it artsy. Dialed it back to “1/1250”. Click again. Yes! Wings had slight motion trails – looked alive. Moved positions quick, got behind some honeysuckle. Another shot: Larry sharp with blurry wings & blurry flowers around him. Perfect.
- Key Moves: Locked shutter (“1/1250”). Made sure sun helped brighten Larry.
- Changed Angles: Squatted low, shot up towards the feeder. Better background.
- Waited Patiently: Let Larry do his thing for 10 minutes. Got his routine.
Wrap Up: Surprisingly Simple
What started frustrating ended up feeling obvious. Just needed faster fingers on the knob. Forget fancy modes or gear. Keep it stupid:
- Step 1: Switch camera dial to “S” or “Tv” (shutter rules).
- Step 2: Spin shutter speed knob FAST. Like “1/1000” and higher. Wings frozen? Good. Blurry? Go faster.
- Step 3: Got enough light? If too dark, camera complains. Find sunny spot.
- Step 4: Want blurry wings? Slightly lower the shutter speed (“1/800” maybe) after nailing focus.
- Step 5: Take LOTS of photos. Delete the blobs later. One will stick.
Made peace with Larry. Left the feeder topped up. Honestly? Feels good conquering camera knobs once in a while.
