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Submit Your Most Unique Photo

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2.9 - "Solid" 

Blue-Throated Hummingbird, Lampornis clemenciae. These are somewhat rare in the USA, and are mainly found in Cave Creek, near Portal, Arizona. This photo was taken using a Canon 5D III, a 100mm macro f2.8 usm lens, a custom built Olsen Ultra high speed flash with 4 heads and 1/30,000th flash duration at half power. The wild bird was attracted to a feeder in my "outdoor studio" in my campsite, and there is a white cardboard for the background. My objective is to show the bird, the whole bird, and nothing but the bird, in as much as detail as possible. If viewed at sufficient magnification, you can easily see the orbital feathers (eyelashes), and the gorget detail, the tailfeathers are sharp too, and there is very little wing blur. The most unique thing about this photo, however, is the pose. I have shot thousands of hummingbird photos (you can't really control the pose) and this is one of the two "rarest" poses that I have gotten. I think of him as a ballet dancer in a tutu. Or maybe a badminton birdie.

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