Another learning curve

Well, today was the day that I decided to read the owner’s manual for my new camera.  I’ve been using several of the options that are available to me, but there’s a lot I have to learn to get better results from my photographic endeavors.  I wanted to learn how to control the shutter speed myself, rather than use only automatic settings.  I’m hoping to get the quintessential hummingbird picture, and in order to do that I have to stop their wings in mid flight.  So, it was an afternoon of experimentation.  And guess what?  You’re going to get to see a work in progress.  :)
I did more than experiment with hummingbirds today, so I’m going to post a variety of pictures and try to explain what I had in mind.  If you’re not in the mood for that, feel free to “X” me out.  :)  All of these pictures were taken with the 75-300mm zoom lens on board.
I started out trying to get a shot of “Henry”, the resident Swainson’s Hawk, soaring overhead.  I had the zoom out to it’s max, and I think this is kind of grainy looking.  :(  He was too high up to get a good crisp, detailed picture.
Next, was a shot of my neighbor, Jim, and his dog Star.  Earlier in the afternoon, Star had finally caught one of those pesky ground squirrels in her mouth.  I think it surprised her as much as it did the squirrel!  She dropped it when it squealed, and it took off.  Then she caught it again, and dropped it again.  It eventually ran across the road out of harm’s way.  One of it’s relatives ran under their rig, so they were both investigating.  I was hoping this picture would tell a story, or at least make you wonder what was going on.
Emma and Star have a great time romping with each other.  I was trying to stop the action on their shenanigans.
I HAVE MY EYE ON YOU!  A white-crowned sparrow at the top of the pine tree in my yard.  I wish he had poked his head a little further to the left.
Now it’s time for a few hummingbirds.  This is a male rufous hummingbird.  You can only barely see a bit of his brilliant red chin (which is only visible when reflecting direct sunlight).  Had he perched on the left side of the feeder facing the sun, I think this would have been a stunning shot.  Those darn little birds just don’t listen to my directions, though.  :)  I was happy with the detail and clarity of this little hummer.
The right two pictures are of a female rufous hummingbird.  I learned two things with these pics.  In the middle one, I finally solved the problem I was having of getting what I wanted in a picture to be in focus.  While the bird’s head is in too much shade, at least she is in focus and not the pine needles.  On the right, I was able to stop the wings in motion.  ( you can click on a photo to enlarge) 
Again, I learned about distances with the telephoto and such small subjects.  These pics are not as crisp and in focus as I would like, but what fun it was to capture this little male approaching Jim’s pine tree and perching to defend his feeder.  I just love these little mighty mites!  Their life is short, but they live it to the fullest!  (Ha ha! Did you notice that I at least got the little dude’s wings stopped?)
I liked this photo just for the new symmetrical growth on the pine tree.  The pine siskin was a bonus.

Well, that’s my little journey into self improvement for today.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Tomorrow I think I’ll tell you about the return of the motorhome gremlins that are throwing another challenge in my way.  :(

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy