Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Mallard drake on ice, Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash with Better Beamer at -1 stop. There were lots of gulls and Mallards on the pond right outside my Mom's kitchen window in Holbrook. As I approached carefully, every bird but this one walked or flew away.

I am posting this morning from MacArthur Airport in Islip, New York (with free WiFi).  I love Southwest Airlines for a variety of reasons including lots of computer station plugs and comfortable leather chairs with outlets.  No charge for bags, and no ridiculous change fees.  (I changed this flight four times without hassle.)

BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #311 is on-line.  You can access it here: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn311.htm

Here are the features:

HOLIDAY BEST WISHES/BAA CLOSED TILL 2010!

JIM LITZENBERG KUDOS

ROBERT O’TOOLE: PHOTOGRAPHER, PHOTOSHOP GURU, & GROWTH AS A TRIP LEADER

THANK YOU TEACHER

LONG ISLAND WINTER HOTSPOT: MORTON NWR

SAN DIEGO IPT LATE REGISTRATION DISCOUNT

I made it out onto the Barnegat jetty twice more on this visit.   Conditions on the middle of the three visits were not as benign as they had been on my first visit but the jetty is a relatively safe one as long as you are careful with each step and avoid wet rocks at all costs.  Many of the huge flat boulders near the end of the jetty, the last 100 yards or so, that had been covered with dried seaweed and were perfectly safe on that first afternoon, were–with the wind more from the south–wave splashed and slick on that second afternoon. 

On my third afternoon visit, the wind howled from west at about 25 knots and a bit surpisingly, the end of the jetty was again wave-splashed and dangerous.  There were hundreds of sea ducks with many of them at fairly close range, but photography was extremely difficult as they bobbed up and down in the choppy water.   Species included Harlequin Duck, White-winged Scoter, Common Eider and Long-Tailed Duck (formerly Oldsquaw).

The drake Surf Scoter was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 800. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop (to save the whites). The hardest part of the whole deal was simply getting the central sensor on the ducks as they bobbed up and down violently in the chop.

Thanks for dropping by.  I will be back soon.

ps: Thanks to Ray Wilsson and Gene Herzberg for the ID/brain typo correction on the “White-winged Scoter.”

This image of a Northern Cardinal was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 320. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/11 set manually. (Should have been +1 2/3 stops....) Fill flash at -1 stop.

Morton NWR is located in Noyac, Long Island.   I was amazed to learn last year that bird feeding there is not only permitted but encouraged.   After Saturday’s blizzard I was anxious to get out in the snow and put some of what I had learned from Alan Murphy’s “Guide to Songbird Set-Up Photography” to good use.  Heading out to eastern Long Island on Sunday would have been borderline suicidal so I passed on that.  I woke early on Monday, packed my gear and warm clothing, and headed to the refuge.   Thinking that I might need to dig my way out at some point, I threw my Mom’s long-handled spade into the back seat of the car.   It took me a shade more than an hour to make the trip but when I arrived, I noted that the road into the parking lot had not been plowed.   I got my warm coat on, took the long-handled spade out of the back seat, and started digging my own parking space.  After about 30 minutes (when I was about half finished with my one car parking lot) I was wishing that I had brought my Mom’s real snow shovel.   

I stopped one guy with a plow on the front of an SUV; he stopped and was very nice but explained that it was his bosses truck and that he was forbidden to plow anything.   So back to work I went.  After another 15 minutes I was about 3/4 done when I spotted a bobcat with a snow plow on the front.  I waved the guy down and he stopped.  I asked him if I could pay him to finish plowing my spot.  He said, “No.  I will do it for free.”  One, two three and there was a beautiful practically effortless parking spot big enough for two cars.  I tried to give the guy a ten-spot for breakfast but he refused and drove off.

I wound up photographing for more than 7 hours.  I created the cardinal image above just before I left at 4pm.  By that time, my feet were frozen blocks of ice.  I was able to utilize many of the tips in Alan Murphy’s Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography to help me create better images.   The woodpecker image that follows was just one of many of those.   Be sure to click on each image to see a larger sharper version.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 100. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/320 sec. at f/8 set manually. Fill flash at -1 stop.

Tips:  When I am working with songbirds at close range I remove my Better Beamer to avoid over-flashing the birds.   When working in bright sun I use more fill flash than I usually do.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/11. Fill flash at -1 stop.

This is another one that was created by following  Alan’s directions explicitly.   His tip on the exact piece of equipment used for placing and adjusting the position of your selected perches is priceless.  You can learn more about Alan’s book or order a copy here:  https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=33

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with a 25mm Extension tube and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/13 set manually. Fill flash at -1 stop.

OK, you have read this far; now we will share some tips for photographing in the snow.   If you are photographing during the height of the storm, always use flash as light levels will be very low.   Once the weather clears, you will often have bright blue skies and northwest winds.  Be sure to select a location that is sheltered from the wind, especially in the mornings when a wind from the north or west can kill you.    During the short days of winter the sun is so low in the sky in the northeast that you can photograph in nice light all day long. 

In places like Morton where the birds are accustomed to being fed, it is fun to create some images of them on the fresh snow.   Do not scatter the seed about as the individual kernels will be distracting.   Instead, poke a small hole in the snow and fill it with seed.  Attempt to photograph the birds as they come to the seed hole or wait their turn.

Wear your warmest boots and clothing.   Hand-warmers can save the day if it is in the low 20s or the teens.  Work right down sun angle.  In addition to Alan’s techniques, I used many of my own from the Practicalities chapter of “The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages on CD only):     https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32

Important BAA Note:  

HOLIDAY BEST WISHES/BAA CLOSED TILL 2010!

First off, Jim Litzenberg, older-daughter Jennifer Morris, and I would like to wish each of you a safe and enjoyable holiday season.  With luck it will be filled with friends, family, good food, and at least a bit of photography.

Jennifer is flying to Islip on X-mas Eve day with husband Erik and children Sam and Maya to join the rest of the family that includes my Mom, my two sisters, her Mom, and her younger sister Alissa and her family (husband Ajiniaz and two sons, Ilyas and Idris).  And me <smile>

Jim will be in the office until noon on Thursday, DEC 24th and is then taking a rare and much needed vacation.  He will be able to ship or mail any order received before the close of business on Wednesday, DEC 23.   Both Jennifer and Jim will be back in the office on Monday, January 4, 2010.  PayPals and BAA On-Line Mail Order store orders will be processed and shipped on either January 4th or 5th. 

I will be back soon.

Purple Sandpiper is another rock loving winter species that is most easily photographed on rock jetties where they spend nearly all of their time when away from the breeding grounds. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stops: 1/320 sec. at f/5.6. (DPP conversion.)

For those who thought that my warnings about jetty safety might have been a bit exagerrated, check out this link: http://www.howardsview.com/Jetty/Jetty.html.  It was posted by Dave Blinder in the BPN “First Mid-Atlantic Get Together” thread.  The  photographer came within a hair’s breath of buying the farm and was extremely lucky to get out alive.

After reading the tale above and seeing the accompanying images I am betting that you will not be doing any jetty photography without having a photo buddy along….

Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens with a 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/8 set manually. One-shot AF and recompose with the central AF sensor. As always, click on any image to see a larger, sharper version.

God bless my sister Arna.  She skipped out of work early today so that she could take our Mom to therapy.  That allowed me to head down to Barnegat Inlet.  It was 164 miles from Holbrook to the motel in Ship Bottom, NJ;  it took me almost exactly three hours with two pits stops.   I arrived at Barnegat Lighthouse at about 2:30 pm and was headed to the jetty with only the tripod-mounted 800 f/5.6 and a Mark III soon after that.  The 1.4X II TC was in my jacket pocket. 

The wind was 20-25 from the north northwest with higher gusts.  After reading the posts here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?p=405212#post405212 about the planned Saturday BPN get-together (the weather may cancel it….)  I was a bit apprehensive about the condition of the jetty.   Having actually been there this afternoon for the first time I must report that the warnings were over-stated.   I am a veteran jetty fisherman and while all jetties can be dangerous the jetty at Barnegat is rather tame.   It is wide and the rocks are fairly flat.   There were very few puddles and only a few rocks near the end were covered with (dried) seaweed.   Those can be very slick when wet.   I did not see any slick black rocks; those can be lethal and are to be avoided at all costs.  With any wind out of the north or west the jetty should remain dry (and relatively safe).  

The air temp was about 30 degrees.  I wore my warmest coat, lined pants, rain pants to cut the wind, and my hiking boots with a pair of NEOS (also to cut the wind and to provide an layer of insulation).  I was over-dressed on the way out but glad to be warm on the long walk back into the wind.

When photographing on a rock jetty it is vitally important to be careful.  Look at where you are putting your feet with each step; do not look for or at the birds unless you stop.   One mis-step can be quite costly in terms of broken bones, broken equipment, broken skulls and possible concussions, and even death should you hit your head or fall into the water.  If you are at all in doubt about the safety of a given step, turn around and go back.   Be especially careful near the edges of a jetty.  Never step on a rock covered with wet seaweed.  Avoid stepping in a puddle as they are almost always slippery, especially if the water has been standing for any period of time.  And never ever even consider stepping on either a wet rock that slopes toward the water or a slimy black rock.  Excpetions to any of the above rules should be made only by folks wearing ice-creepers or similar footwear designed for traversing slick jetties.

Be vary careful when putting your tripod down.   No matter how beautiful an image you think that you might miss, be sure to level the tripod platform by raising or lowering the individual legs as needed (or by pulling out the leg tab and changing the angle of one or more legs to achieve the same results).   When adding a teleconverter or handling any small pieces of equipment such as bubble levelsor batteries, be sure to remove your heavy gloves and to hold on to each item firmly.  If you drop something and it falls between the rocks you will most likely never see it again. 

The rewards of photographing from rock jetties in winter can be great, but no image is worth a serious injury;  as Sgt. Phil Esterhaus used to say on Hill Street Blues, “Be careful out there….”

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1600 at f/5.6. I had originally set +2/3 stop exposure compensation but after seeing some substantial flashing highlights on the image on the camera's LCD, I backed off to +1/3 stop.

I have been at my Mom’s  in Holbrook, Long Island, NY for almost a week now.  It has been very cold.  I was getting cabin fever so I went to the local golf course to photograph some Canada Geese.  (As always you can click on the image to see a larger, sharper version.)

With the relatively new Canon EOS-7d proving to be a popular camera and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV about to begin shipping, lots of folks are just plain stuck when it comes to converting the RAW iamges from these two cameras.   It is my understanding that even when the ACR plug-ins for these cameras become available, only folks with CS-4 will be able to use them.  And again, as far as I know, 7D conversions are not yet supported by Breezebrowser.   Mark IV images will not be supported by Breezebrowser for many months. 

That leaves folks using these new cameras with Digital Photo Professional, the software that comes in the box with your new camera.   It had been quite a while since I used DPP for my RAW conversions and when I opened some 7D images in DPP I was pretty much lost <smile>   Jerry Ward., Pro Market Specialist for Canon USA who joined us at the recent Albuquerque program, alerted me to a great DPP tutorial on the Canon Digital Learning web site.  

The tutorials, expertly prepared by Elizabeth Pratt  of Canon’s Professional Products Division, can be found here:  http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=1228&fromTips=1.   They are based on DPP v3.2.   DPP v3.7.1.1 shipped with the 7D. 

These are the individual tutorials:  What is DPP?, Main Window, Preferences (note:  To set your preferences in v3.7.1.1 you will need to click on Tools/Preferences or hit Control K), Organizing Images in the Main Window, Quick Check Tool, Batch Rename Tool, Edit Image Window, Tool Palette: RAW Image Adjustment Tab, Tool Palette: RGB Image Adjustment Tab, Tool Palette NR-Lens Tab, Trimming Tool (for cropping), Stamp Tool (dust delete data or dust spotting),  Comparing Images, Recipes, Batch Processing, File Saving Options, Printing Contact Sheets, Printing Directly from DPP, and Workflow Demonstration. 

If you are new to DPP, it would be wise to listen to all of the tutorials a time or two before beginning.   I found these two tutorials most helpful and continue to review them: RAW Image Adjustment Tab and Tool Palette: RGB Image Adjustment Tab.

The Canada Goose image was processed with DPP and I was extremely pleased with the results.    I will continue to share what I learn about DPP both here and in future BAA Bulletins.

BAA Bulletin #308 is available on-line here:  http://www.birdsasart.com/bn308.htm. 

Features include: HAPPY HOLIDAYS, HOLIDAY GIFTS FROM THE BAA ON-LINE STORE, ONE IMAGE/SO MANY LESSONS, EDUCATIONAL CD UPDATES, SCOTT BOURNE ON THE CANON EOS 7D, The SAN DIEGO IPT, and BIRDS AS ART FINE ART CANVAS PRINTS.

The DEC 12, 2009 BAA Notes can be found here: http://www.birdsasart.com/notes120809.htm.  Be sure to check out this great feature: FREE ACR CONVERSION TIPS EXCERPT ON BPN THREAD.

Continue to enjoy the holiday season.  I will visit again soon.

I will be presenting “Lenses for Nature Photography BIRDS AS ART-Style for the Nature and Wildlife Photographers of Long Island group in Bayshore on December 8, 2009 at Bayshore High School.  After a short break I will present an optional Photoshop session for those who wish to stay on.   For directions click here: http://www.nwpli.com/photo/calendar/#directions.  This program is free and open to the public.  Hope to see you there. 

Please click on this image so that you can see it larger!

 BAA Bulletin #307 is on-line and can be viewed here:  http://www.birdsasart.com/bn307.htm

I am posting this from the Orlando Airport (free internet; yipee!),  Headed for Long Island and my Mom.  Be back soon.

In response to this question from Maruthy:   A very good example to understand and learn the value of pushing the histogram to the right ! Thanks for sharing !  Would it be possible for you to share the histogram of the original, to help better understand the concept ?  Thanks, Maruthy

Surely.  Here is the histogram as seen in Photoshop:

Note that the histogram is pushed almost completely to the right without showing any over-exposure.

There is tons of great  info on evaluating, understanding, and adjusting the histogram as needed in ABP II:  https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32

I had fun in the snow on the early morning of Sunday, November 30. Photo copyright and courtesy of Robert O'Toole.

It is 6:50 am on Wednesday, December 2 and I am sitting in the Albuquerque Airport headed for Denver/Orlando.   I will be home for four whole days before heading to Long Island for the NWPLI program on December 8th and three weeks of winter photography and visits with my Mom and my two wonderful daughters and their families. 

It snowed fiercely on Sunday morning past and I struggled to find some geese in the predawn.   I added two stops of light to my exposure to push the histogram to the right.   Here is what the image looked like on the camera’s LCD:

Many folks would simply delete the image, especially if they were not aware of the amazing potential of digital image files.  Below is the optimized image.  As always, click on the image to view a larger, sharper one. 

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/50 sec. at f/6.3 in Tv Mode.

Simple Levels, Curves, and Hue-Saturation adjustments after an ACR conversion (as detailed in our Digital Basics File: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32) transformed the image as I knew that it would.  I wish that the wind had been from the east/northeast rather than from the northwest as I would have preferred the birds flying towards me rather than away. 

Gotta go!  We are taking off now.  I actually had an internet connection while sitting on the plane!    I made some corrections and updated the post in the Denver airport.