6 Secrets to Take Award-Worthy Hummingbird Photos

A great hummingbird photo may look like a split-second miracle, but the real work often happens well before the bird arrives. Photographers study favorite perches, test the light, clear distracting backgrounds and dial in settings at lightning speed. "You can have the best camera in the world, but if you don't understand how to predict behavior, your images won't be everything you hope they will be," says Stacy Gessler, a 2025 Birds & Blooms Annual Photo Contest semifinalist.

We asked contest winners and finalists to share the techniques, camera settings and field-tested habits that turn fleeting moments into award-worthy images.

Let the Bird Pick the Picture

Successful photographers spend more time watching than shooting. For her image, Stacy spent several mornings observing a territorial juvenile black-chinned hummingbird that repeatedly claimed the same echinacea flower in one of the pollinator gardens on her Idaho property. She made dozens of practice images she knew she'd delete, simply to learn how the bird used the space.

"If I don't take the test shots and go back and critique them," she says, "I could miss an opportunity to really get the shot that I want."

Jim Nelson, whose broad-billed hummingbird photo earned the grand prize in the 2024 Hummingbird Photo Contest, takes a similar approach. He traveled to Arizona during late February, when breeding season brings hummingbirds together in flowering gardens and brightly colored males become especially active defending territory.

"Birds are creatures of habit," he says. "I spend time upon arrival watching the birds come and go. I can then set up in specific areas knowing certain birds will return to feed."

That predictability becomes an advantage. Hummingbirds often revisit favorite flowers , feeders and lookout perches. Once photographers recognize those routines, they stop reacting and start anticipating.

Match Your Camera Settings to the Shot You Want

If your goal is freezing wings in mid-flight , speed is everything. Carol Holliday, whose ruby-throated hummingbird image placed third in the 2024 Hummingbird Photo Contest, usually photographs with a Nikon Z8 paired with a 180-600mm lens, shooting at 1/2000 second or faster, with an aperture between f/6.3 and f/8. She also shoots bursts of 10 to 20 frames per second and concentrates on one thing above all else: the bird's eye.

"The smallest details of images captured by the camera, which couldn't be seen by the naked eye, never cease to amaze me," she says. "I am still in awe every time I am able to stop their wing or extended tongue motion."

Those fast shutter speeds come with a tradeoff. Because Carol keeps ISO on auto, she's constantly watching exposure to avoid introducing noise that softens feather detail or obscures the catchlight in the bird's eye.

Jim relied on even more speed for his shot, photographing with a Nikon Z7 II and a 180-600mm lens at 1/4000 second, f/6.3 and ISO 5000.

Stacy also favors 1/4000 second, pairing it with eye detection, subject tracking and image stabilization on her Canon EOS R7. Her semifinalist image pushed the camera to ISO 12,800 — a compromise she accepted to freeze the action.

Not every hummingbird photograph needs that approach, though. Christine Gill's portrait of a perched rufous hummingbird was made at a comparatively leisurely 1/320 second because the bird paused just long enough for a different kind of image. Christine's image was selected as a semifinalist in the 2025 Birds & Blooms Annual Photo Contest.

"You have to ask yourself… Do you want great wing shots or clear image quality shots?" she says.

Build the Photo Before the Hummingbird Arrives

Rather than settling for whatever perch a bird chooses, Marianne Raft, a 2023 Birds & Blooms Annual Photo Contest semifinalist for her photo of a ruby-throated hummingbird , created one of her own. She attached flowers and a lichen-covered branch above a feeder, then positioned herself inside her sunroom, photographing through a slightly open window. The setup kept her comfortable during long waits while giving the birds space to behave naturally.

Christine also prefers to let flowers tell the story, saying, "It gives more drama and beauty to the picture." Her image was never meant to be a wing shot. Instead, she waited for the bird to land where its colorful gorget would catch the light. "I got super lucky with a little leaf falling at the same time," she says. But the rest of the image was anything but chance. "Wait, watch and click," she says.

Backgrounds deserve as much attention as the bird itself. Before Carol even raises her camera, she studies where hummingbirds are most likely to feed, then adjusts her position until the backdrop is free of distractions.

Stacy follows the same philosophy, often shifting just a few feet left or right — or lowering her shooting angle — to eliminate crossing branches or bright patches of sky. "I don't want the absence of anything in the background," she says. "I do want minimal distractions."

Decide Whether to Shoot Handheld or Stabilized

Whether to stabilize your camera or stay mobile depends largely on the image you're trying to make and personal preference. For some, a tripod is worth the extra setup. Carol uses one whenever possible because even slight camera movement can soften the feather detail she's trying to preserve at high magnification. Marianne also relies on a tripod, pairing it with a remote shutter release so she can wait comfortably through long stretches of inactivity without introducing vibration.

Others prefer the freedom to react. Christine almost always shoots handheld. "I prefer [it] because I find that using a tripod or monopod just gets in the way," she says. "Hummingbirds are on the next flower once you try to get set up." Stacy agrees, relying on her Canon's subject tracking to follow birds weaving through flowers and even sprinklers .

Jim strikes a balance, supporting his Nikon Z7 II and 180-600mm lens with a monopod. The added stability helps manage the weight of the long lens while still allowing him to pivot quickly when a hummingbird changes direction.

Whichever approach you choose, don't overlook the supporting gear. Carol considers a high-speed CFexpress memory card indispensable for keeping up with long bursts, while Christine says extra batteries are nonnegotiable. "I can spend hours with my Olympus," she says, "but extra batteries are a must."

Pay as Much Attention to Light as the Hummingbird

Every photographer interviewed agrees on one thing: Avoid harsh midday sunlight. Soft, even light reveals feather texture , preserves iridescent color and avoids harsh shadows across tiny subjects.

You could head out early in the morning or toward evening, when hummingbirds are also at their busiest. Marianne prefers early mornings, late afternoons and even rainy days, relying entirely on available natural light, saying that it produces more pleasing photographs and also avoids startling the birds.

Christine watches the sun almost as closely as she watches the hummingbirds themselves, often positioning herself so the light falls over her shoulder. On cloudy days, she keeps a close eye on shutter speed as rising ISO can quickly reduce image quality.

Patience Wins Over Luck

Hours of waiting may produce nothing more than a handful of usable frames. The best photographers accept that tradeoff.

Carol still describes hummingbirds as the most challenging — and the most rewarding — subjects she's ever photographed. "I have not found any other subjects in wildlife photography that require so much preparation," she says. "After many years of hummingbird photography, I still rely heavily on trial and error."

The reward, she says, is seeing details invisible to the naked eye: a frozen wingbeat, an extended tongue , the tiny catchlight in a bird's eye. Those moments may feel spontaneous, but these contest winners prove they're usually the result of careful planning, countless practice frames and an intimate understanding of hummingbird behavior. Or, as Carol puts it: "Patience is key. Practice is essential. Perseverance creates results."