While I was away, I turned off the fountain so it wouldn’t dry out and burn up the pump. The hummers have been without their accustomed morning bath for a week. Monday morning, before I made my first Americano, I noticed a hummingbird flitting near the fountain after I turned it on again. It was still dark and shady by the fountain before 7AM so I attached the speed light and upped the ISO. I shot this from about 6 feet away as the hummer decided whether to land and bathe. Its green feathers appear kind of a brassy gold from the flash. The color also reflects this hummer’s personality, kind of in-your-face and brassy, if I may anthropomorphize a bit. Oh, wait, is it considered anthropomorphism to attribute a non human characteristic to another non human thing? Hmmmmm. I wonder. A few years ago, I participated in an on-line psittacine support group … no, not some arcane addiction but a group for parrot owners with behavior issues…the parrots, not the owners. In response to one of my posts, someone commented that my parrot, Bobo, seemed to have me “buffaloed” and another responder chastised that person severely for the anthropomorphic comment. The exchange amused me greatly and made me wonder when buffaloes had become human.
I only had to make a few adjustments in Lightroom to this shot and I didn’t even have to crop it because I was so close to my subject.
Focal Length 400mm; ISO 640; f/5.6; shutter speed 1/200
