Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

July 25, 2013 by Mike Powell

Yesterday was my first chance to try out my new lens, a Tamron 180mm macro, and I managed to get some shots of a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.

This was my first encounter with this moth, which I have admired in the photos of others, and I took a lot of photos of it, using a variety of settings. I think that I got my best shots when I set the ISO to 800 and underexposed a bit, which kept the shutter speed up pretty high, although the images are a little grainy. I still have a lot of photos to go through, so don’t be surprised if I come up with an even better image to post. However, I am so happy with this image that I want to share my excitement.

I had previously used the Nikon version of this lens with a friend’s camera and was impressed enough that I eventually decided to get one for my Canon. The lens does not have any built-in image stabilization, so it probably gives optimal results when used on a tripod or when there is a lot of light. However, I was impatient to use it, so I shot handheld when shooting this moth and probably need to work a bit more on my technique for steadier shooting.

I am pretty sure that I’ll be posting many more macro shots from this lens in the future—I plan on having a lot of fun with it.

Posted in Art, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography | Tagged brookside gardens, Canon 50D, Hermaris thysbe, Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, Tamron 180mm macro, Wheaton MD | 21 Comments

21 Responses

on July 25, 2013 at 11:02 am | Reply Ed

Great shot, they are the coolest moth, mine had a bumblebee pattern..:-)
- on July 25, 2013 at 12:01 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I think that I have to agree with you,Ed, about them being the coolest moth. I had been hoping to see one for quite a while and it finally happened.
on July 25, 2013 at 11:14 am | Reply Leslie

Nice! That’s a tricky little moth to get a good capture. I set my shutter speed at 1250 and an ISO of 800 and I still got some blur in the wings …they are so fast.
- on July 25, 2013 at 12:03 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It took a lot of chasing and a lot of shots for me to get a few images with the wings frozen in place.
on July 25, 2013 at 11:41 am | Reply muddepaws

Great start with the new lens. I look forward to seeing further pictures taken with it.
- on July 25, 2013 at 12:04 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I have a few more photos to post from yesterday that remind me of why I like a macro lens.
on July 25, 2013 at 11:50 am | Reply Kyle

Mike,
How close do you need to get to get a shot like that with that lens? Did you crop much?
Beautiful shot, by the way.
~Kyle
- on July 25, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I did not crop have to crop very much with this particular shot (I was trying to get as close as I could as the moth hovered around the flowers, but the nature of the garden was such that I could not walk among the flowers, so I was at the mercy of the moth). The minimum focusing distance of the lens is 18.5 inches (.47 meters). It was kind of cool that I had to back up later in the day when taking shots of butterflies in order to keep from cutting off too much of their wings in the images.
on July 25, 2013 at 12:17 pm | Reply lylekrahn

Beautiful start to your new critter lens. I hope you thoroughly enjoy using it though I find macro has its own set of challenges. I suspect you are more patient in dealing with them.
on July 25, 2013 at 12:30 pm | Reply caleephotography

Great shot, Mike! I’m sure you’ll have a great time with your new lens, I look forward to see your shots.
on July 25, 2013 at 2:57 pm | Reply Jet Eliot

Wow, your new lens is a winner. Great photo.
- on July 25, 2013 at 4:49 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. There was a lot of luck involved in getting that shot, but I think the new lens helped a bit.
on July 25, 2013 at 10:11 pm | Reply nhillgarthnaturalist

Great shot Mike – I know how difficult these guys can be!
- on July 26, 2013 at 4:42 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I started shooting as soon as I spotted this moth and it hung around long enough (moving almost continuously) for me to change camera settings several times. I was determined to get a decent shot and persistence paid off.
on July 26, 2013 at 6:44 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

That’s a great shot. I’ve never seen this moth-or never paid attention when I did.
- on July 26, 2013 at 7:03 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. They are pretty big and act just like hummingbirds. I had never seen one until this week, but I knew immediately what it was when I encountered it, because of the photos I had seen previously..
on July 26, 2013 at 11:34 pm | Reply Sue

Great shot, Mike. You stopped the wing action nicely.
- on July 27, 2013 at 4:58 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Sue. It took a lot of shots to get one with the wings stopped and relatively in focus, but persistence is one of my strongest traits.
on July 27, 2013 at 3:49 am | Reply USA: flowers for hummingbirds and moths | Dear Kitty. Some blog

[…] Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (michaelqpowell.wordpress.com) […]
on August 11, 2013 at 10:15 pm | Reply Christy Turner

fantastic shot of a beautiful moth!
- on August 11, 2013 at 10:31 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. They are truly amazing (and this was this only time that I have seen them).