Originally posted by RockvilleBob Can you place items near the feeder?
Hummingbirds get used to things near the feeders. You can even get them accustomed to your presence and have them feeding from your hand if you wish, it only takes patience and time.
Last year when the hummingbird activity was at its peak I set up a feeder off of an upstairs porch, placed my camera on a tripod, and several studio lights to illuminate the scene.
I was at the minimum focus distance of the Sigma 300 f2.8 APO EX DG for this shot, just over 8 feet.
Some of them even flew right up to me and stared in my face.
Especially when the feeder was empty.