Hummingbird Pictures:

Hummingbirds are without question some of the most fascinating birds on earth. It is not too difficult to take pictures of them when they are perched on a branch sitting still, but try getting a picture in flight. Hummingbird statistics vary with species. Their wings beat from 40 to 80 times per second, with an average of 55 times per second. The smaller the Hummingbird, the faster the wings beat. Some suggest wing beats up to 200 times per second for the smaller birds.

Now consider their flight speed. During normal flight, a Hummingbird’s speed is an average of 30 mph. However, in an escape situation, their speed can be up to 50 mph, and when in a dive, their speed can reach as high as 63 mph. Their weight is an average of 1/8 of an ounce and their respiration is an average of 250 times per minute. Now get this, when feeding, a Hummingbirds heart rate can be as high as 1200 beats per minute!

Now let’s revisit the speed of a Hummingbird’s wings. In your home within the United States, you have an outlet that you plug a lamp into. The outlet is 60 cycles per second, meaning the voltage alternates (+ to –) 60 times a second. Because it is so fast, you do not see any flicker in the light of the lamp you plugged into the outlet. Hummingbird’s wings beat an average of 55 times per second. That’s why you only see their wings as a blur. High speed photography provides an opportunity to stop a Hummingbirds wings in action. Over the past eight years, photographer Thomas Farnow has developed a technique that has resulted in outstanding Hummingbird pictures that demonstrate detail most of us never see with just the human eye. His Hummingbird pictures are portrayed in his series “Wings of Grace”.

In addition to his Hummingbird pictures, we hope you will join photographer Thomas Farnow ( Thomas Arthur Farnow ) as he presents his gallery of fine art digital photography. We are sure you will enjoy this gallery of fine art, created using state of the art digital photography equipment, featuring photography from a wide variety of locations. His photo art is an exceptional way to see all the beauty mother earth has to offer. Tom is a native of California, and currently resides in Yuba City. He has been an avid photographer since 1973, and switched from film to digital in 1996.

His gallery displays photos of a wide variety, and although he doesn't have a favorite, he is partial to the Antelope Canyon series. The Canyon displays what he considers to be nature’s fine art at its best. Antelope Canyon was one of my favorite subjects. I like to think of photography as art, represented by the minds eye of the photographer. When the camera shutter opens, it is the photographer’s vision being painted by the lens.

All the photography equipment, including his digital cameras is state of the art. His equipment includes a Canon EOS D60, Canon EOS 10D, Canon EOS Elan7E, AlienBees B-800 Studio Flash two each, CRK42 5-in-1 Reflector Kit, 13 foot Studio Stand two each, 10 foot Studio Stand with Boom Arm, two 8 foot Studio Stands, RBH2566 Reflector Boom Mount, 48 inch Silver and White Bounce Umbrella, 32 inch White Shoot-Thru Bounce Umbrella, and two 32 inch White Shoot-Thru Bounce Umbrella. He uses his PocketWizardPlus Transmitter and receiver for the system flash trigger, and uses a Sekonic L-608 Light Meter with a Remote Module-32 for lighting setup. Supplemental lighting when traveling is provided by his Canon Speedlite 550EX and 420EX as slave. For long shots when photographing birds, he uses a Better Beamer Flash Extender. The extender is great. It adds focused light right where you need it every time. Additional lighting is provided by his two Smith-Victor Studio Lights. At 1000 watts each, they do the job well! Travel accessories are considered an absolute necessity as far as he is concerned. For back packing I would not be without my Kinesis gear, including a Kinesis C382 Holster Case, C640 Holster Case, K350 Padded Harness, E180 Medium Lens Pouch, E110 Small Lens Pouch, and a Kinesis T515. Stable smooth control is accomplished with the Bogen 3449 Carbon Fiber Monopod coupled with an Arca-Swiss B1 Aspherical Ballhead and Wimberley Sidekick. They simply make capturing those fast action bird shots a breeze. My Canon Tripod is great, but for travel, you need something light like the Bogen. Don't get caught short in the field without enough digital storage media. Tom carries three IBM 1.0 Gigabyte Microdrives and a Lexar 40X 2 Gigabyte Professional CF, all protected in two MicroTech CF Vaults. He takes no chances. With the use of a Canon Angle Finder C, and Canon RS-80N3 Remote Switch with 30 foot Remote Extension cable, he is ready to catch all those tough macro and hide in the bush shots. He never forgets to take his Kirk Enterprises Window Mount for quick access, steady out the car window pictures.

Thomas Arthur Farnow
Thomas A Farnow

His online fine art photography gallery includes a variety of scenic adventures and wild life. Montana included photographs Grizzly Bear, Grey Wolf, Antelope, Moose, Longhorn Sheep, and Elk. His Alaska shoot has pictures of Whales, Bald Eagle, Black Bear, and Elk. Utah was one of the most colorful scenic shoots of Bryce Canyon and his favorite Antelope Canyon. You will find a wonderful display of photographs from Arizona’s Grand Canyon where Tom’s fine art photography has captured the essence of the region, and is why so many people are fascinated by the areas simplistic beauty. As a native of California, Tom is located in a region of explicit beauty as detailed in his gallery of the Redwoods, an elegant look at the historic Redwoods located in the Northwest region of California. Several of his gallery’s display a variety of exotic birds that migrate though different regions of the state. Join Tom as he presents his gallery of fine art photography, collecting some of nature’s simple beauty presented in his own artistic way. Be sure to see his Hummingbird pictures portrayed in his series “Wings of Grace”.