Small Bird.. Big Impact

Hummingbirds are one of few local birds that are very present in Southern California that most people don’t even notice.

It began at the beginning of the summer when I happened to stumble across a hummingbird one morning perched on a branch. I didn’t pay it much mind because I was dropping my daughter of and I was in sort of a hurry for work. The next day as I continued my morning routine I saw the same bird perched on the same spot.. I took few steps towards him and he let me get about 6 ft away (which is remarkably close). After seeing this little guy almost every morning I decided to grab my camera and see if he’d be there and let me photograph him..

.. and he was.

After this, I thought that it was extraordinary that I have never really payed this majestic birds much at all. I then decided to search for these birds and photograph them any chance I could.

I learned really quick that I got extremely lucky with my first bird encounter. They normally don’t get too close to humans and definitely do t sit still long. Also I normally shoot at very low aperture (which for the dreamy bokeh) and that was a task in itself ! These guys move VERY fast and VERY often. To gather images of them, it took time and patience and I recommend the same if you take on the task.

As amazing as they are I still stayed my distance and never got too close or invaded their space. I sat from a distance while watching and learning how they live. This wasn’t meant to be informative on how they eat, or how fast they are ..