Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Hummingbird Feeding On Purple Sage.

One day I saw a large batch of purple sage on my daily walk. I stopped to admire this beautiful scene and I noticed a lot of hummingbirds feeding on the purple sage. It was overcast so the light was perfect for photographing flowers up close. I ran home and got my camera with my 100-400 lens and returned hoping the hummingbirds would still be there. They were still there and I spent the next 2 hours photographing them before the sun came out making it too bright to be suitable for photography. I really loved the contrasting colors of the green hummingbirds and the purple sage. Hummingbirds are very difficult to photograph due to their small size and their fast speed. I photographed them with my camera in burst mode to increase my chances of getting shots that were in focus.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca, United States of America
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Copyright: © Larry White