I'm very happy to show you this image of a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sticking its long tongue out. The photo was made with no additional light source, just the soft late morning light we had here last Saturday.
I always like to improve my photography and one way to do it is setting goals for myself. That means analyzing the previous work and developing new ideas of how to work with a known subject in a different way. At least I may try to catch a gesture that tells a story or is somehow different from anything I have done before. I have literally hundreds of pictures of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird on the hard drive but never made a sharp one with the bird sticking its tongue out. With other words, it was on my "most wanted list". This long tongue enables the hummingbird to go really deep into a flower and drink the nectar or drink the sugar water out off an artificial feeder. Because nectar is a poor source of nutrients they also prey on insects and spiders in order to cover their needs for protein, minerals, and vitamins.
Hummingbirds are only present in the Americas and can't be found in my home country Germany. In fact, I have never seen one in real life before I came to the US. Maybe that's why I get very excited any time I watch them or try to create an image with the camera. I hope you enjoy!