Gaudy

I was out shooting Rufous Hummingbirds in the Monarda yesterday morning, which was rather exasperating as one had adopted the patch and nearby feeder as it's territory, so there was lots of flitting around at high speed.  I did get some shots in the Monarda, but I really liked this one with the Blanket flower. It's not a high nectar plant, but the Rufous Hummingbirds often go to other plants, I think in search of insects.  While there's no eye contact the brillliant back and the wing position combined with the flower really appealed to me.

7Dii, Sigma 150-600 C @ 600 mm, tripod with ball head and Sidekick, f/6.3 (an accident), 1/4000, iso 1600, aperture priority, pattern metering.. Processed in LR & PS CC.  I selected the hummer and flower using Topaz Remask, and Accented the fine structure in them using Topaz Detail.  Other than that, I increased the brightness of the hummer and flower and dimmed the background.  Cropped to 12.2 MP.  Taken at 6:08 am on June 30th.

Your comments and critiques are greatly appreciated. 

Thanks for taking a look,