I live in Southern California, the San Fernando Valley, and photography is a hobby.  It is a way I've found to slow down, relax and see what is in front of me instead of concentrating on what I think needs to be done next.  I am happy to say that some of the pictures I have taken are viewed with more than casual interest.  I'm sharing what I've accomplished on this site so that others might benefit from my experience.

For the purposes of this discussion my backyard is my studio.  One of the challenges I've placed on my efforts is that the hummingbird photographs included on this site are taken solely with natural lighting.  The equipment used for these photographs is as follows: Canon 35mm digital bodies (both the 1Dmk2 and 20D) and several telephoto lenses including a 400mm Canon f2.8, 300mm Canon f2.8, 200 Canon f1.8 and 70 - 200mm Canon f2.8.  I generally use a Canon 1.4x extension and occassionally a Canon 2x extention.  It is my belief that hummingbird pictures of similar quality can be obtained with less expensive equipment and functional capability by using some of the following techniques I have gained along the way.

What equipment is involved with natural light photography of hummingbirds?

First:
what is NEEDED:
- a camera body that facilitates setting shutter speed as priority or Time Value (Tv) priority,
- an f/4.5 or faster (faster being less than f/4.5 such as f/2.8) 300mm lens (quality really counts here),
- bright white poster board

Total cost (used - it's the only way I go) approximately: $700.00

1)   If you are a precision nut ( me ) then you will begin to find that fewer and fewer photos fit into the satisfactory category.  The cost of film development, at least for me, would be prohibitive.  During a half day session of photographing I will take several hundred frames.  As a general rule I will cull 6 - 8 "great" shots per hundred frames.
2)   Digital provides instant feedback on what you've just done.  Adjustments can be made on the spot and your next set of shots will benefit from the experience.

I don't want the camera automatically setting the shutter speed to match the lighting conditions.  I recommend having a camera body allowing manual settings such as shutter speed as a priority.    Actually, I shoot most of my photos putting the camera and lense in Tv priority setting (shutter speed priority).  I have found that there are certain shutter speeds that render the best results 1/800, 1/1000, 1/1250 and 1/1500.  I now use the 1/1000 and 1/1250 shutter speeds almost exclusively unless lighting conditions don't allow it.   These shutter speeds impart the feeling of motion in the wings but freeze the body.

As I state before, I am not using artificial lighting for these photographs.  Most often, the beautiful vibrant color photos of hummingbirds are achieved by utilizing fill lighting; either flash or "constant on".  I have used fill lighting by employing several flash units and it works great; not only can you draw the bright colors out but you can step the lens aperture down to f/16 or f/22 and get depth of field.    The benefits of using fill lighting are you get great color and a greater distance around the bird is in the focal box.    There is nothing wrong with this method, in fact, since the pros predominately use this method it should be a clue that it is a good choice.

How do you tell if a flash was used?    Look at the birds eyes.    If there is more that one point of light in the eye of the hummer then the photo was taken using fill lighting; usually flash.

My decision to utilize natural lighting stems from three different areas,
- first, it is a challenge,
- second, I can take as many frames/sec as the camera body can support while the bird is in position (sometimes quantity delivers quality). The use of a flash would allow me to close down the aperature of the lens (creating a higher f-number) to f/16 or f/22. At f/16 there is a greater depth-of-field and more distance around the bird is in focus but I only get one shot and then I have to wait for the flash units to recharge.
- thirdly I don't want to purchase more lighting equipment; 5000K (daylight) "constant-on" fill lighting or flash units.

Just like real estate, position is everything in natural light photography.    In studying the behavior of the hummers I've found that their throats will shine (without their assistance) at specific angles to the sunlight.    That means I must position the feeder tube (or holes) so that the hummer will approach the feeder going into the sun.    I've found that a position having the bird facing slightly off the direct line of sight to the sun is satisfactory.    This allows any shadows cast from the feeder to be postioned away from the bird and lets the sunlight reflect off the throat.    I then position the camera focal plane so that as much of the bird's body length remains in focus as possible during feeding.    You will see in my photos that very often the tail section of the hummer is stretching out of the focus box.

I am finding that the best distance for revealing fine detail in the feathers is 12 - 15 feet with an effective focal length of 400mm x 1.4xt x 1.3 (cmos cropping factor) which equals 728mm.    That sure sounds close but when you consider these birds are about the size of your thumb they still don't fill the view finder.