Hummingbirds

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

/ 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

/ 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

/ 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

“Blessed Are They Who See Beautiful Things…”

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“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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Lens-Artist Challenge #200 – Every Little Thing

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 9 Comments

“The older I get the more I realize

the things that cost nothing hold the most value.” ~unknown

Purslane Bud – Macro

This week, Amy invites us to share every little thing that makes you smile. I like this challenge because the further I move away from my days in Corporate America (it’s been four years now) into my “re-wirement” journey, the more I appreciate the little things life has to offer.

Most of those “little” things I find in my own backyard like this cute little chipmunk. He and his friends come out in the mornings and evenings to gather what the birds have dropped below the feeders. They move quickly and are quite entertaining to watch!

“There is good in everything

if only we look for it.” ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Chipmunks & Petunias

One part of my garden that brings me joy is this wall of Limelight Hydrangeas. We planted these in late 2019 and last year was the first year they bloomed. I can’t wait to see how many blooms they have this year!

“When a gardener gardens, it’s not just the plant that grows,

but the gardener themself.” ~Ken Druse

Limelight Hydrangeas

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know my favorite “littlest” things are the hummingbirds.

“A hummingbird is the spirit of pure joy. She is the messenger of beauty and wonder.

She reminds us to taste the sweet nectar of life.” ~unknown

There are so many other “little things” I enjoy, but I’m afraid there isn’t enough time (or space) to capture them all in this post. But hopefully these give you a glimpse of what I enjoy and maybe even brought a “little” smile to your face as well.

~donna

P. S. Next week, Ann-Christine will be our host. Be sure to visit her site.

P.S.S. If you would like to participate in our weekly Lens-Artists Challenge, just click this link and join us on Saturdays at noon EST: Lens-Artist Challenge

P.S.S.S. If you are interested in purchasing unique notecards, photography or digital artwork please visit my Etsy shop by clicking on the button below.

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“The World Changes from Year to Year….”

/ 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”

/ 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

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“The More I Study Science…”

/ Donna Robinson Photography / Leave a comment
🙏”The More I Study Science, The More I Believe in God! ~Albert Einstein🙏
From the tiniest of birds to the infinite number of stars in the sky, His evidence is everywhere.

~Donna

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“A future only He can see……..”

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 2 Comments

“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is a preparation for a future only He can see.” ~Corrie ten Boom

Isn’t this the truth and what a great reminder about being grateful for the difficult times in our lives and the many lessons we learn along the way! Lessons of Faith, Trust, Forgiveness and how to be Grateful for the good and the bad.

Enjoy your week!

~Donna

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30 Days of Hummingbirds – Day 30

/ Donna Robinson Photography / 2 Comments

📸30 Days of Hummingbirds – Day 30📸          

Well folks, this concludes my “30 Days of Hummingbirds” photography challenge.  I hope you have enjoyed this journey as much as I have enjoyed the challenge of capturing these beautiful little creatures.

So what did I learn?  Take a look:

  1. It’s ok to push the ISO during the “blue hour” in order to gain light while maintaining a fast shutter speed;
  2. The faster the shutter speed (and higher ISO) the more detail you’ll get;
  3. Patience and quickness go hand in hand when photographing hummingbirds;
  4. A trip to South America to visit the Hummingbird preserves is now on my Photography Bucket List!

There are a lot of great professional hummingbird photographers out there.  If you’re on Instagram below are a couple that I follow:

@thehummingbirdphotographer

@about_the_hummingbirds

Thanks again for following along with me.

~donna

P.S. – If you missed a few be sure to take a wander around my site.

P.S.S.-   If Looking for unique greeting cards and photography gifts? Then pop on over to my Etsy shop by following or copying this link in your browser👉👉 https://www.etsy.com/shop/donnarobinsonphoto