Just in Time

May 17, 2020
by Michael Scandling
comments 51
California / Flower / Hummingbirds / Photo Log / Photography

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May 14, 2020 — The Back Yard, Silicon Valley, California

Every April/May I engage in the Hummingbird Ritual. It’s a simple ritual, mostly involving standing around with a heavy camera/lens combo waiting for hummingbirds to feed on echium blooms. This requires four ingredients: Me, Heavy camera/lens, Purple echium blooms, and a Hummingbird.

Thing is, despite shelter-in-place, my schedule has been less than accommodating, which has effectively removed the “me” ingredient for several weeks. When I finally was available, the purple blooms were almost gone. But not quite. And so, on a soft overcast morning I grabbed the heavy camera/lens combo and went out to stand around waiting. And waiting.

Eventually a pretty Anna’s Hummingbird had mercy on my poor soul and — kindly waiving the customary modeling fee — provided the opportunity.

Just in time.

(Nikon D500, Tamron 100–400mm f/4.5–6.3 Di VC USD. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

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The Author

California based fine-art photographer featuring abstract, impressionist, and minimalist seascapes — near and distant — and floral-based images. Fine-art photography can be seen at www.amagaphoto.com All original images on this blog are copyright 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Michael Scandling. All rights reserved. No images on this site may be copied, duplicated, reused, published, or re-purposed in any way without express permission from the copyright owner, Michael Scandling.

51 Comments

      • Adrian Lewis's avatar
        Adrian Lewis says

        No, there probably isn’t. I never go out specifically for birding or twitching now, and hardly ever carry binoculars (its surprising how much birding can be done without bins really), but I still have a great affection for birds, and a regard for them both as creatures and as an integral part of all sorts of landscapes.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. paulagraham1945's avatar
    paula graham says

    Oh my, your dedication results speak for themselves…What a picture…LOVE the blur in the wings as it suggests the incredible speed with which they have to move. What a shot and even the colour palette is dreamy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Steve Schwartzman's avatar
    Steve Schwartzman says

    The head and bill are so nice and sharp, just the way we’d like them to be. It’s a good thing you weren’t lost, nor the losing dice tossed, nor all your bridges crossed.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Littlesundog's avatar
    Littlesundog says

    “Just in time”… was the wait long and difficult? It is the hardest thing for me to be patient for something to come to me. In this case, your waiting was worth the effort.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. brenda's avatar
    brenda says

    beautiful image which is complete through the various green tone, texture, and mix of sharp and blur. thank you for sharing this moment.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Carolyn's avatar
    Carolyn says

    Stupendous, Michael!!!!
    I can hear her ‘humming’ the song from the ’50’s,
    “JUST IN TIME…
    YOU FOUND ME,
    JUST IN TIME……”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. shoreacres's avatar
    shoreacres says

    I especially like the way you’ve captured the movement of the wings. It helps to convey the most obvious characteristic of the bird in a way that a perfectly ‘stopped’ image wouldn’t.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. bluebrightly's avatar
    bluebrightly says

    It was well worth the wait. I really like the expression on this bird’s face. There’s a kind of gentle intention at play, the bird is fully present and equal to the task, and yet so delicately precise. There’s an intimacy that I don’t usually see in other bird or hummingbird images. Lovely!

    Liked by 1 person

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