Flying jewels

For many years, I have been photographing hummingbirds extensively in the diverse and vibrant landscapes of Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama. These tiny birds, with their dazzling colors and rapid wingbeats, are both a joy and a challenge to capture through the lens.

Hummingbird photography is far from easy, especially if the goal is to avoid the sterile look of studio-like images - those ultra-sharp, frozen-in-time shots illuminated by an abundance of artificial light. Such photographs are often created using elaborate setups with multiple flashes, staged backgrounds, flowers that the birds might never naturally visit, and even sensors that trigger the camera at the precise moment of flight. While technically impressive, these methods can strip away much of the authenticity and impression of the scene.

My approach is different. I prefer to work in natural light, letting the environment shape the atmosphere of each image. To balance the fleeting speed of these birds, I occasionally use a weak flash - not to dominate the scene, but simply to catch the sparkle in the eye and bring out the shimmering, iridescent colors in their feathers. Beyond this, I also seek to illustrate the extraordinary motion of their wings. With up to seventy beats per second, driven by a unique rotation of the “shoulder joint”, their flight is unlike that of any other bird. By experimenting with slower shutter speeds, I can convey not just their form but the rhythm and energy of their hovering, transforming the blur of motion into a visual signature of their remarkable lives.