Lens-Artists Challenge #154 / 410 – One Photo Edited

August 28, 2026August 27, 2026 / Donna Robinson Photography / 7 Comments

When I originally started this draft, I was focused (pun intended) on sharing how I attempted to get that perfect shot, but when I looked at the images on screen, I soon realized I would need to get a little creative with edits. Then along came Ritva with this week’s challenge. You can read her challenge here where she explains all types of editing.

For my contribution to this week’s challenge, I have a hummingbird series where, I’m using a variety of basic editing tools (cropping, color adjustments, lighting, etc.), but more specifically I’m incorporating “editing impression” where I take a more artistic approach by using the posterize, pinpoint lighting and background adjustments to obtain a more artistic feel to the images.

So here’s how it all started. One evening, I was admiring a beautiful bloom on one of our Rose of Sharon plants and had just taken a photo of it from a distance (with the big lens). You can tell from the photo that it was off at a distance from where I was sitting.

Then all of a sudden, a hummingbird decided to hang around the same bloom and began gathering some nectar. My settings were spot on and when I looked at the view finder I just knew I had perfect shots. What I didn’t count on was because of the distance and the tiny size of the hummingbird I would need to do some serious cropping. Cropping that would ultimately make the images grainy without any sharpness whatsoever.

Once I began playing around with the filters; I ultimately came up with an editing plan and applied it to all the images. You can see the before and after by using the slider for each.

I suppose if I had worked on them a little more, I could have sharpened them up a little bit better. Quite honestly, though I’m pretty happy with the end results.

Many thanks to our host Ritva for this week’s fun challenge. If you would like to join the challenge, please be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to her post Lens-Artists #410: One Photo Edited.

Sofia will be hosting the next challenge on Saturday, noon Eastern time. For more information on how to join the Lens-Artists challenge please click here.

Until next time,

~donna

3 Little Birds

July 26, 2026July 25, 2026 / Donna Robinson Photography / 2 Comments

The hummingbirds continued to entertain us this week, and I was fortunate to capture three (3) of them chasing each other. I say three (3) of them because I think I saw a fourth one the other night.

Until next time,

~donna

Fast, Furious and Feisty

July 19, 2026July 18, 2026 / Donna Robinson Photography / 6 Comments

The hummingbirds are becoming more and more active these days. It seems as though they are everywhere zooming around the yard chasing each other. They’re fun to watch yet challenging to photograph.

We have a row of Leyland Cypress trees flanking the hummingbird feeder this year. The hummers love to rest and stretch on the branches before swooping into the feeder for food.

As cute as these little garden fairies are, hummingbirds are territorial creatures, keeping close guard over their spot at the feeder. They are fast, furious and very feisty when it comes to protecting their food source.

I could probably place another feeder in the yard and that might help to ward off some of the fighting. But, quite honestly, I don’t think that will help much. Besides, they’re very entertaining to watch as they chase each other making what sounds like a heckling laugh. I’ve seen three (3) at one time chasing each other but have only been able to shoot these two (2).

August is the month when hummingbirds get even more active as they build their strength and prepare for their migration back to Mexico and Central America. Hopefully, I’ll be able to capture some more shots of their adventures before they leave.

Until next time,

~donna

Sunday Vibes – Humming Along

May 17, 2026May 16, 2026 / Donna Robinson Photography / 4 Comments

If you’ve followed along with my blog for a while, you know that one of my all-time favorite bird is the hummingbird. They are cute, swift and very challenging to photograph.

Except for the occasional scout, they were a little late showing up to the garden this year. But finally, this past Monday we had an emerald green hummer land on our feeder.

As you might imagine, Hummingbirds get their name from the humming sound their wings make when in flight. They hover at rapid wing-flapping rates, which vary from around 12 beats per second in the largest species to 99 per second in small hummingbirds (source: Wikipedia).

The feathers on a hummingbird don’t come from a specific pigment. Instead, the top layer contains prism-like cells that reflect the light (source: Hummingbird Info). Look how shiny and multicolored this little guy is.

I’m a little rusty when it comes to capturing these cute garden fairies in flight. Normally, they fly at a speed of 25 – 30 miles per hour and when threatened they have a burst speed of 30 – 50 miles per hour (source: Hummingbird 101).

This was a lucky shot of this guy getting ready to leave the feeder.

I hope you enjoyed the fun facts about hummingbirds, today. Rest assured there will be more posts this summer of these beautiful creatures so stay tuned.

Until next time, have a great week and keep humming along.

~donna

Silent Sunday

July 9, 2023July 7, 2023 / Donna Robinson Photography / Leave a comment

“A Friend May Be Hiding…..”

July 27, 2022 / Donna Robinson Photography / Leave a comment

I wonder if the hummingbird and wasp were considering this quote when they met each other at this feeder?

How do you approach “strangers” or someone you never met before?

Happy Wednesday!

~donna

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“Blessed Are They Who See Beautiful Things…”

July 6, 2022July 6, 2022 / Donna Robinson Photography / Leave a comment

“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” ~Camille Pissarro

Do you find beauty in humble places?

~donna

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“The World Changes from Year to Year….”

March 30, 2022March 30, 2022 / Donna Robinson Photography / 2 Comments

“The world changes from year to year, our lives from day to day, but the love and memory of you will never pass away.” ~unknown

♥Do good.

♥Be strong.

♥Celebrate life.

Be sure to hug a loved one or call a dear friend and let them know you love them – every day.

“Impatiently Waiting for Spring”

March 11, 2022March 10, 2022 / Donna Robinson Photography / Leave a comment

We’ve been experiencing some beautiful Springtime weather in Atlanta. The temps were in the high 70’s just knocking on 80 this past weekend and we were running around in short sleeves, shorts and yes, flip flops! Surely the early Spring promised by Beauregard Lee (our resident groundhog) was here to stay?

Nope! Mother Nature has a way of reminding us she is still in control. The rain came in on Tuesday and the temps are starting to dip back down into the freezing zone with our weekend forecast indicating possible rain and snow showers (gulp). I guess it’s a good thing I resisted the temptation to begin my Spring gardening.

But one thing’s for sure with the weather so nice I couldn’t resist the urge to fill the Hummingbird feeders. There have been sightings already in the Atlanta area, so I thought why not?! They haven’t found their way to our feeders yet, but I’m ready for them.

I sure hope this change in weather is only temporary. In the meantime, I’ll be right here reminiscing over these sweet little beauties from last summer’s “30 Days of Hummingbirds” challenge while I find myself impatiently waiting for Spring,

~donna