Beggar: a Tricolored Heron Fledgling. The Keep-out Fence and the Rocks. The Incredible a1 Image Quality (and AF!). Repairing Ov-Exp Pixels. And a New Topaz DeNoise Trick! « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Beggar: a Tricolored Heron Fledgling. The Keep-out Fence and the Rocks. The Incredible a1 Image Quality (and AF!). Repairing Ov-Exp Pixels. And a New Topaz DeNoise Trick!

What’s Up?

Clemens Van der Werf and I went down to the lake early. It dawned totally foggy, but the sun broke through quickly. The stilt nest with four eggs was predated. There were raccoon tracks in the mud. You could see from the South Peninsula that one of the adults was always sitting on that nest. The pretty nest with two eggs has survived so far despite some fairly heavy rains. And despite the fact that there is rarely an adult sitting on that nest. Go figure. All of the crane families are doing quite well. We photographed the two now pretty large colts early, and then found and photographed the two now pretty large chicks. Clemens headed home at about 9:30am. We had two good two days photography. I will be sharing some more of Clemens fabulous R5 images with y’all here soon.

Have I mentioned that summer has come to Central Florida with a vengeance — hazy, hot, and humid is now the norm. I have been checking the new The Perch once or twice a day when I have been home. So far, the only birds to land on it have been Boat-tailed Grackles. I do, however, have faith.

Today is Sunday 6 June 2021. The forecast for ILE is for partly cloudy with a very light breeze from the east-southeast. I will be headed down to the lake early. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took about an hour to prepare, and makes 162 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great if you opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Estero Lagoon Least Terns?

If you have been photographing the Least Tern colony at Estero Lagoon and would like to share info with me, please LMK via e-mail.

This image was created on 3 June 2021 at a fabulous rookery in north Tampa. Standing at full height, I used the Induro GIT 304L/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:03pm on a cloudy afternoon.

Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure performed almost perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Image #1: Tricolored Heron — fledged chick just of the nest — begging

The Keep-out Fence and the Rocks

At the south end of this small rookery, there are some rocks and a fence that extends into the water to keep folks out of the abutting neighbor’s backyard. On my last visit, as many as three fledgling Tricolored Herons stood on the fence for much of the afternoon. They had all disappeared when this fresher bird, looking as if it had just left the nest, landed on a rock right in front of me and began begging to be fed. I acquired focus and made about four images in less than a second knowing that the bird was not gonna stay long. It did not. You can see the full frame original in the AF point screen capture below. I am happy with the crop. In addition, there was a small white patch of over-exposed feathers as I followed my own oft-given advice: push the button now so that you do not miss the shot. See more on that in the RawDigger screen capture below.

As for me, I am glad that I pushed the shutter button pretty much instantly! And I wound up getting my best stuff ever on a just fledged Little Blue Heron that landed on the same rock and posed for me for ten minutes. You will meet that handsome bird here at some point.

Click on the screen capture to see a larger version.

Image #1A: AF point for the Tricolored Heron — fledged chick just of the nest — begging image

Almost Perfect

The a1’s AF system missed the eye by just a bit, the image was incredibly sharp right out of camera. See the next screen capture for proof. Folks who join the SONY a1 Info and Updates group receive a link to the great free plug-in that allows you to see the artie AF point or points after the fact from the raw (.ARW) files.

Click on the screen capture to see a larger version.

Image #1B: An unsharpened tight crop of the face of the Tricolored Heron — fledged chick just of the nest — begging image

Incredible Image Quality

Sharp 51 MP a1 image files will take your breath away when viewed at high magnification. If you are so impressed by the Image Quality here that you decide to purchase an a1 (they are still hard to come by), be sure to use one of my two affiliate links — B&H, or Bedfords to save 3%. Either way, you earn a free pass into the SONY a1 Info and Updates group …

Click on the screen capture to see a larger version.

Image #1C: RawDigger screen capture for the Tricolored Heron — fledged chick just of the nest — begging image

An Easy Save

Note the pink over-exposure warning — 2000 OvExp pixels only in the G channel, on the white feathers of the flank just above the base of the folded near-wing. Normally OvExp pixels in a single channel can easily be resolved during the Raw conversion. In this case, the WHITEs still looked a bit hot, so I painted a Quick Mask of an area of white feathers that had detail, placed the selection on its own layer, moved it over the hot spot, painted it completely away, and then — working large, painted the patch in with a soft brush.

Click on the screen capture to see a larger version.

Image #1D: Topaz DeNoise screen capture for the Tricolored Heron — fledged chick just of the nest — begging image

Topaz DeNoise AI

A New Trick…

As with almost every image I process, this image was run through Topaz DeNoise AI as the first step after being converted. I used DeNoise, now called Standard, with a twist. Checking the Comparison View, I liked Standard a bit better than Low Light. Just for the heck of it, I reduced the Auto setting for Remove Noise from 8 to 2. As you can see, the noise was completely eliminated.

Compare this screen capture with Image #1B and note that I eliminated the single white feather on the fledgling’s forehead using the Patch Tool and Content Aware Fill. All as detailed (plus tons more) in the hugely popular Digital Basics II.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

3 comments to Beggar: a Tricolored Heron Fledgling. The Keep-out Fence and the Rocks. The Incredible a1 Image Quality (and AF!). Repairing Ov-Exp Pixels. And a New Topaz DeNoise Trick!

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