MASHPI NATU R AL RE S E RVE HOW I GOT THE SHOT


BEN PIPE TALKS ABOUT CAPTURING IMAGES OF HUMMINGBIRDS ON ASSIGNMENT FOR THIS GUIDE AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THIS DESTINATION PROVIDES FOR PHOTOGRAPHY ENTHUSIASTS


Tell us about this image. In this shot, a green-crowned brilliant hummingbird pauses for refreshment at Mashpi Lodge. With more than 400 avian species in the surrounding 2,500-acre reserve, this is a hotspot for birdwatching enthusiasts. The lodge has set up a feeding station to give guests a chance to see these incredible birds up close, so I decided to stop by on my last day here. Hummingbirds are very curious, confident creatures, they often come and buzz around visitors — it almost feels like they’re coming to meet you.


How did you achieve the shot? Hummingbirds have a metabolic rate 77 times faster than humans — the highest of any animal — which allows them to process their high-sugar diet. In the forest, they get this from the nectar in flowers, whereas at Mashpi, this is supplemented by the feeders, which contain sugar water. These stations make it possible to capture such fast-moving animals in action. It’s not easy, but it can be done: very fast shutter speeds are needed, and with that, ideally a wide aperture lens and high ISO capability. I used a Nikon 80-400mm lens, mounted on a Nikon Z6 II, at F/5.6, with an ISO1600.


What were the challenges at play on this assignment? I travelled to Ecuador for this editorial guide. The brief asked for a wide range of work — shooting aerial views with a drone, capturing the local cuisine with a macro lens, photographing the architecture of hotels and cathedrals with a 19mm perspective control lens. I took pictures of the people we met and of a fire-lit shamanic ceremony at 3am, plus all the general travel and landscape shots needed to tell the story. In an ideal world, I would have liked to take about 10 lenses, but as often happens, I had to compromise — four, plus a drone and two cameras, is what I could physically carry on my shoulders.


Why should photography enthusiasts visit Ecuador? The country is such a wonderful destination for a photographer. With so much geodiversity, you can shoot the coast, the high Andes and the rainforest all in a short period of time. Not that I would recommend this approach — give yourself time to get under the skin of the place. On a fast-paced assignment like this one, I had one or two days in any given location to shoot all the requested photography, but somewhere like Mashpi, well, I could have stayed for weeks, learning the rhythms of the cloud forest and the fauna within.


benpipe.com @benpipephoto


I SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY FOR CONSIDERATION AT PHOTOGRAPHY@NATGEOTRAVELLER.CO.UK 50 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/TRAVEL


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