In the golden late-afternoon light high at Mirador Barlovento above Pradera in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, this female White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) suddenly landed on a vibrant green stem just four meters away. She settled into a perfect profile pose and I knew the moment was fleeting.
The R5 was already set to 1/1500 second to freeze any sudden movement, with the RF 100-500mm lens wide open at f/6.7 for maximum light and beautiful subject separation. When she landed I quickly dialed the ISO up to 3200, locked focus, and fired. The camera handled the high ISO with impressive cleanliness, delivering tack-sharp detail on every iridescent green scale and the delicate speckling across her throat and breast while turning the forest background into creamy bokeh. The crisp white belly and striped tail popped beautifully against that soft backdrop.
The combination of the R5’s high-ISO performance and the RF 100-500mm’s reach at 500mm let me work handheld, stay completely unobtrusive, and still capture the scene ethically in rapidly fading light. These are exactly the situations where this gear setup shines for conservation fieldwork.
©2026 Adam Rainoff Photographer
