A Girl, A Camera & A Bird

Boy oh boy, am I glad its Friday!  How about you?  It's been another warm night in Northern California and I couldn't help but share these impromptu shots this playful little guy {or girl...} let me take tonight.  While hubs and the junior cooking crew barbecued, this beautiful hummingbird danced and chirped around our feeder.  It was like it was just begging to be photographed, so I ran in and grabbed my camera!  This is one of the places they like to rest outside on the perimeter of our yard.

I am not sure if you are into photography but I love it.  I am by no means a professional but this girl loves her Canon T3i.  It is a good starter camera, not too expensive but full of settings and it takes some beautiful pictures.  I used my 90-300mm lens for these shots, hence the blurriness, and took them from a handheld position.  I figured if I wasted time with the tripod, I was sure to miss my shots before this bird turned in for the night.  While it can be difficult to get a clear shot with a zoom lens like this, in this situation, I liked the way they came out and never would have been able to capture close-up shots of this super quick little creature without it.

I was actually quite impressed with a couple of the shots when I saw the wings come through as just a blur.  Truly a sign of the amazing nature of the hummingbird and a testament to the sports mode on my Canon!  Thanks to this particular picture, I actually am going to nickname this bird "Ruby" because of that jeweled spot on its neck. 

I am closing out with this purple hued shot that I love.  It felt nice to spend a quiet, simple evening at home and thanks to this little wonder bird, I got to enjoy one of my hobbies for a bit!  After a few minutes editing the pictures on Picasa 3, I am ready to share them with you to enjoy.  Do you like photography?  If so, what is it that you like to photograph.  What are your simple methods for getting your favorite shots?  I would love to hear about them.  Until next time... go. be. cReAtIvE!!  xo~Mollykid