Striving for Perfection

     For those of you who take a lot of pictures, you can understand just how difficult it is to get the perfect capture.  The location, background, the way your subject is standing, how the light reflects off the subject, are all important.  But to get every piece right at the same time, can take thousands of attempts before you get it right, or until that opportunity presents itself.  With the last several years of Ziggy, I tried endlessly to get the perfect capture, and although he gave me so many opportunities, there were very few that were perfect.  This new male, "Top Gun", named by a friend, was shortened to "Gunner", also named by a friend, is one awesome little bird.  His personality, quirks, and character closely resemble Ziggy, but with a few differences.  He sits in various locations around the garden, oftentimes very close to us.  We can be working below him while he watches guard from 15 feet overhead.  We have learned his perches, and preferences, and he rarely leaves the yard.  He's become the new owner that guards from intruders.  He sits, stretches, and poses, and gives me  unlimited photo opportunities, and even though the possibilities are endless, it's still difficult to get the perfect capture.  This is one where he's not only sitting, but with the body sideways while his head facing me, with a perfect light reflection, while his wings are twisted to the side during a stretch, and his tail is fanned out.  It's one of the better captures that I've managed to get over the years.  I could have hundreds of thousands of pictures of him sitting in the trees looking great, but this one is for the wall.
Male Ruby-throat hummingbird, north east of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  June 5th, 2020.

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