Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

This Sandhill Crane was photographed in early morning light with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop off the yellow grasses: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6. Be sure to click on each image to see a larger, sharper version.

Overall, photographic conditions at Bosque del Apache NWR during the second half of November, 2009 were poorer than I have ever experienced in my 15 consecutive visits at this season.  That said, the two crane pools (Ed Cranepool to the south, and Harry’s Crane Pool to the north), have consistently offered excellent photographic oppourtunities virtually every morning and on some late afternoons as well.  And those who worked hard and put their brains in gear were able to make some good images away from the crane pools.  The huge problem is that there is no corn by the Farm Loop Road.  Various explanations are about:  a farmer quit; a farmer was sick;  root grubs ruined the entire crop and spraying to control them was not feasible.  With more than 20,000 geese present, there have been some decent morning fly-outs but those massive, loud, and thrilling mid-morning blast-offs from the corn fields have been missed by all.  And that includes birders, photographers, and the folks attending the Festival of the Cranes. 

Though we had some great pre-dawn color, the birds were still sleeping. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/60 sec. at f//5.6.

I remember the good old Phil Norton days when every festival was attended by huge flocks of geese roosting and feeding close to the tour loop road.  This year mid-morning and afternoon trips around the refuge often resulted in very few geese (if any) seen at all and those from great distance.  The present management has stated that there will be lots of corn planted near the road next year.  

There were some issues last year when a woman photographer walking absent-mindedly on the railroad tracks west of the North Railroad Pond was almost struck by a maintainence vehicle.   Understandably the railroad had a cow.  The solution was to leave the usually productive pond dry.  Last year the main impoundment was, for the first time in probably 14 years, plowed.  The large expanses of blue water were a photographer’s dream.  In just a year the main impoundment became totally overgrown and worse yet, the spent sunflower stalks along the western shore of the impoundment south of the Flight Deck were not cut as they had been last year.   This impeded views of the pre-dawn fly-ins and fly-outs and caused over-crowding on the Flight Deck. 

And for whatever reason–possibly the cold weather–the geese took flight quite late each morning.  We had some very nice sunrises (and one spectacular one) but the color always faded before the birds took to the air en masse.   My IPT group was great, and understanding.  And we had some great chances with the ducks at various off-refuge locations.  See BAA Bulletin #307 coming soon for the complete IPT report and news of the Bosque Site Guide update.

This drake Wood Duck was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-7D. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/7.1. Fill flash at -2 stops with Better Beamer.

BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #306 is on-line here:  http://www.birdsasart.com/bn306.htm with lots of great images from my San Diego/Del Mar trip. 

800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the Canon EOS-7D. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6.

I finally got a chance to try the relatively new Canon EOS-7D and I gotta say that I was most impressed, especially with the all new AF system.  Focus on any subject with the central sensor and recompose and the system switches sensors to stay with the originally selected subject.  You can actually see the active sensor or sensors change as you track the subject.  AF is fast and sure; I never once lost focus on the cranes in flight.  And best of all, the resulting images are tack sharp.  In the image above I started with the central sensor and the bird in the middle of the frame.  Even though I moved the bird back in the frame and several other birds flew by, the AF system was not fooled into losing the original subject.

This image was created at ISO 1000.  There was a bit of noise that was easily controlled with Photoshop CS3’s noise reduction.   As always, the best way to combat noise with any camera is to push the exposure to the right as far as possible without getting any blinkies.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 set manually.

AI Servo AF tracking is fast and accurate even with birds flying right at you.  The noise at ISO 400 is not a problem at all.  And with 18 million pixels and the 7D’s superb image quality even substantial crops will yield superb optimized files.

This is the original capture for the image above.

To remove the two cranes in the background, I used the protect and defend cloning techniques.  To level the image quickly, I used my personal Keyboard Shortcuts (as taught to me by Robert O’Toole).  To smooth out the background bushes, I used the Patch Tool.   To sharpen the eyes and face I used the Eye Doctor techniques along with a contrast mask.  All of the above techniques are described in the recently revised, re-organized, and updated Digital Basics Flie: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32

You can learn more about the 7D here:  http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=314&modelid=19356

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 2/3 stops: 1/30 sec. at f/16.

Not to beat a dead horse, but the all new 7D AF system is superb.

Overall conditions at Bosque are fair at best but the crane pools have been superb in both mornings and evenings.  If you will be visiting Bosque this season, you will surely want a copy of your Bosque Site Guide: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=19.  I will be sending a free update no later than very early December detailing the current conditions and hotspots.

Here is a comment from Scott Bourne on the capabilities of the 7D: “Canon is light years ahead of Nikon in the VIDEO department; the 7D produces video files as good as those from great costing many tens of thousands of dollars.  I will try to post either some of Scott’s Bosque video or a link to same here soon.

This Willet was photographed at LaJolla, CA with the handheld Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens and the EOS 50D. ISO 200. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/4 set manually.

Aside from working on the eyes of most of my avian subjects, I often spend considerable time cleaning a bird’s bill.   I work large, often at 500 to 800%.  Tip: hit “Z” for the Zoom Tool and then click-draw a box around the area that you wish to work on.  To eliminate sand, dirt, birts of food (if I opt to do so), specular highlights (I hate bill shine!), and or small areas of discoloration or damage, I usually use the Patch Tool and the Clone Stamp Tool (that often in cases where I wish to divide a larger problem area into two sections before using the Patch Tool.  A times I use a Quick Mask or two and more rarely, the Spot Healing Brush.  Detailed instructions on using these tools can be found in Digital Basics: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32

This tight crop shows extensive areas with specular highlights.

(As always, you can click on any image to see  a larger version.   I’ll be back soon!

Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens handheld with the EOS-50D. ISO 250. Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5. Be sure to click on each image to see a larger version.

Wow, I was beyond swamped last week getting ready for my trip to San Diego and getting things in order at the home office or–to put it more accurately, the office home.  I will be adding two rooms on the western end of the house: an exercise room and a 3rd bedroom that will serve as a storage area for prints and product.  We have slowly outgrown the house so there is no choice but to enlarge it. I apologize for having been away for so long.

I did a program and a live demo on Saturday and on Sunday at Photo Expo West in Del Mar, my appearance sponsored generously by Canon USA/Explorers of Light.  All of the programs were well received.  I did get out each morning and created the image above on Saturday in LaJolla.

Three Marbled Godwits flew in and landed in front of me while I was photographing a Western Gull at close range with the 800 and the 1.4X II TC,  head portraits actually.  The godwits were feeding on a limestone shelf about three feet high.  There was a narrow gap between that shelf and another almost adjacent one.   My hiking boots, the ones that I will be using at Bosque in the afternoon, were protected from the salt water with my NEOS so I simply walked into the narrow gap to get right on sun angle.  Then I either kneeled or sat if there was a convenient rock available to get right down to the bird’s level.   A big wave splashed over the top of the NEOS on my left foot and another soaked my butt while I was sitting.  If I had had only the 800 lens with me I would have had to move way back and up the sloping beach;  even if I had kneeled behind my lowered tripod I would have still been well above the birds and the resulting images would not have been anywhere as pleasing or intimate as this one.    The background is the Pacific Ocean.

Canon 800mm f;5.6L IS lens with a 1.4X II TC and the EOS 1D MIII. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/14 set manually.

This gull was sitting peacefully on a rock.   While standing behind my tripod the background was a mix of yellowish sandstone and breaking waves.  To attain the Pacific-blue background that I wanted, I lowered the tripod so that the lens was about 2 feet off the ground.  I was hoping that the bird would yawn but that was to no avail.

As you can see, the tripod-mounted 800 f/56. and the handheld 400 DO complement each other beautifully.

Yikes; I should have mentioned that BAA Bulletin #305 can be found online by following this link:  http://www.birdsasart.com/bn305.htm

Here are the featured items:

COMMON SENSE PHOTOGRAPHIC ETHICS

ON-THE-ROAD AGAIN

TRIPOD HEAD HELP AND INFO

PHOTO EXPO WEST APPEARANCE/NOV 15/16

ALBUQUERQUE APPEARANCE/DEC 1

LONG ISLAND APPEARANCE/DEC 8

ROBERT O’TOOLE’S APTATS II/Pre-Publication Discount Offer

CANON 600 IS FOR SALE

SAN DIEGO ITP

POSSE NEWS/ROBERT AMORUSO

IPT UPDATES

Item 1 is particularly interesting.

I will be back soon.  And I head to Bosque on Thursday November 19th.