Hummingbird Moths

[Native Vermonter]

Most times, I go looking for subjects. Sometimes they find me.

I was taking some low light level shots of moonflowers in my GF's back yard. This is a cool flower - it is the size of a dinner plate, smells incredible, it blooms once, opening at dusk and falling off the vine the next day. It is a prodigious flowerer though, and there are tons of buds ready to open the next evening - they look like lime green ice cremee cones in the photos.

So, I'm intently focusing and something big buzzes by my head and starts feeding from the flowers. I had no freakin' idea what it was. Then another one, of a different color zoomed in. I was mesmerized...wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

It went on for 10 minutes. They'd zoom in, feed, zoom back out, and buzz by my head on the way back in.

Turns out these are hummingbird moths. They are trap line feeders - they return to the same food source continuously, and their favorite food source is the moonflower.

My GF and I set up cameras and tripods about 20 feet way, with flashes and burn up electrons for about half an hour at dusk when the weather is right. The GF is their favorite though, a couple have perched on her shoulder momentarily on their way back and forth.

[bart]

Incredible shots!
Wow!

Thank you for sharing!

[Native Vermonter]

Originally Posted by bart

Incredible shots!
Wow!

Thank you for sharing!

Bart,

Thanks...

I’ve been to a few cool locales for wildlife and landscape photography and live in an area that is rich with raptors and waterfowl. I’ve also been blessed with a good friend from my days in the Air Force who is an early adopter for photography equipment. He just has to have the latest and greatest gear available, and sells to me what gets replaced with his new gear. I have a collection of the second best bodies and lenses Nikon makes.

He was on a Leica binge for about a year (he has 5 of their bodies and probably 15 of their lenses). He’s now on a Hasselblad binge, with four of their bodies and 10 of their lenses. So, maybe an upgrade in photography equipment is in my future too.

I decided to try and recoup some of the investment by selling my work - I give it freely to my family and friends but they don’t have much wall space left. I opened a display at a local artisans gallery, but didn’t get any traction, and it wound up being a net loss for me after I paid commission on work sold and rental for the wall space.

I considered selling over the internet, but there a bazillions of photos for sale there, and I didn’t want to turn this into a huge drain on my time, so I have bins of photos at my house, and I too have run out of wall space, as has the GF.

If ya happen to see anything you like, I probably already have it printed, or can get it printed easily so just let me know...

Slainte,

Mitch

[Native Vermonter]

Originally Posted by Native Vermonter

Bart,

Thanks...

I’ve been to a few cool locales for wildlife and landscape photography and live in an area that is rich with raptors and waterfowl. I’ve also been blessed with a good friend from my days in the Air Force who is an early adopter for photography equipment. He just has to have the latest and greatest gear available, and sells to me what gets replaced with his new gear. I have a collection of the second best bodies and lenses Nikon makes.

He was on a Leica binge for about a year (he has 5 of their bodies and probably 15 of their lenses). He’s now on a Hasselblad binge, with four of their bodies and 10 of their lenses. So, maybe an upgrade in photography equipment is in my future too.

I decided to try and recoup some of the investment by selling my work - I give it freely to my family and friends but they don’t have much wall space left. I opened a display at a local artisans gallery, but didn’t get any traction, and it wound up being a net loss for me after I paid commission on work sold and rental for the wall space.

I considered selling over the internet, but there a bazillions of photos for sale there, and I didn’t want to turn this into a huge drain on my time, so I have bins of photos at my house, and I too have run out of wall space, as has the GF.

If ya happen to see anything you like, I probably already have it printed, or can get it printed easily so just let me know...

Slainte,

Mitch

My friend took these photos with a Hasselbaad body and lens, an umbrella reflector on a tripod, and a honeycomb attachment at the front of the umbrella reflector that acts as a parallax filter - it aligns the light source perpendicular to the subject and removes light scattering for full isolation. I had to wear the hat to avoid the flashback that woulda resulted from my bald spot.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Native Vermonter

My friend took these photos with a Hasselbaad body and lens, an umbrella reflector on a tripod, and a honeycomb attachment at the front of the umbrella reflector that acts as a parallax filter - it aligns the light source perpendicular to the subject and removes light scattering for full isolation. I had to wear the hat to avoid the flashback that woulda resulted from my bald spot.

These would make great acoustic panels.

[Native Vermonter]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

These would make great acoustic panels.

As shucks, you make me blush...

I mentioned I had a MacBook Pro meltdown and am relearning Lightroom. Of the kazillion photos I’ve taken, I have one in mind for a acoustic panel, and I have not found yet found it...I persevere.

Along the way I’m rediscovering some shots I’d forgotten which I’ve been posting here- you let me know when I’m eating up too much of your bandwidth.

In the meantime, this was in Monument National Park. Quaffed a few IPAs on the hotel veranda in near pitch black with the D800 shutter wide open on a 14mm f2.8 wide open for 30 minutes. I'd have stayed longer but I ran outta beers. I'll be better prepared next time...

[bart]

Originally Posted by Native Vermonter

My friend took these photos with a Hasselbaad body and lens, an umbrella reflector on a tripod, and a honeycomb attachment at the front of the umbrella reflector that acts as a parallax filter - it aligns the light source perpendicular to the subject and removes light scattering for full isolation. I had to wear the hat to avoid the flashback that woulda resulted from my bald spot.

This one is terrific!