Photography Tips « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Archive for the ‘Photography Tips’ Category

Blacklit Images

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

Blacklit Coastal Brown Bear, Katmai National Park, AK. See the image below for the techs. And do click on each image to view a larger version. I created the opening image from the image below.

This image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 640. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop (to preserve detail in the rim-lit fur): 1/200 sec. at f/9.

The second image represents what I saw in the field, the first image is the one that I visualized. It is much better to create an image with the histogram well to the right (as in the second image) than to try and create the opening image in camera. Your files will contain much more info by following this approach.

Here is how I created the opening image. First, I converted the RAW file in ACR. (When you do this, be sure that the rim-lit fur is not flashing.) Next, I did a Levels adjustment by pulling the left-hand slider far to the right while holding down the Alt key (until the shape of the bear appeared almost solid black). Then I moved the middle-tone slider to the right to make the image even darker. I do these two things often to create blacker SILHs. Then I added Black to the Blacks and to the Neutrals in Selective Color as described in Digital Basics: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=252.

This particular image was inspired directly by Miguel Lasa’s BBC honored blacklit Polar Bear image. (I thought that it deserved top honors….) You can see Miguel’s winning image (in the Creative Visions of Nature category) here: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/photo.do?photo=2428&category=50&group=1 It would be interesting to see the RAW file.

I first came across the term “black light” in Andy Rouse’s latest and highly inspirational book, “Concepts of Nature.” The opening image is a combination of Andy’s “Black Light” and his “Atmospheric Ring of Fire” concepts. You can learn more about this great book here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=53. I have long pitched the idea that in order to improve folks need to look at as many great natural history images as possible, and in Concepts of Nature Andy has made that easy to do. I was so taken with the words and the pictures that we ordered fifty copies of Concepts of Nature so that the serious photographers on this side of the pond could take advantage of Andy’s brilliance.

Here is an abstract blacklit image of the backlit hump and back of a big bear. It was created with the same gear as the image above. ISO 500. Evaluative metering -2 1/3 stops, again to prevent flashing highlights in the rim-let fur: 1/800 sec. at f/11.

I take pride in the fact that I have coined many terms commonly used by today’s nature photographers. Even though the opening image was jointly inspired by MIguel and Andy I will take credit for coming up with the term “blacklit.” I will be back soon to share more images from my Alaska trip.

Posted in Book Info, Books & Educational Materials, IPT Reports, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photography Tips, Photoshop Tips, Product Info and Tutorials, Workflow Tips | No Comments »

Planes, Boats, and SUVs….

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

This coastal Brown Bear was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIII (while I was lying flat on my belly in the mud). ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/8. When working large subjects with large subject-to-camera distances the wide open aperture will offer sufficient depth-of-field; when working with small subjects close to minimum focusing distance you need to use smaller apertures in order to attempt to have enough depth-of-field to cover the entire subject. This grizzled old boar with a muddy forehead showed lots of character. As always you can click on each image to see a larger version.

Well, the bear boat trip turned out to be quite a travel adventure. We awoke at 3:30am on June 4 to catch the 6:15 am flight to Kodiak where we would meet the boat. We took off on time. It was very foggy in Kodiak but as the plane descended we were thrilled to see the ground, but seconds later the pilot pulled up and began to circle; he had been unable to see the runway in front of him. We went round and round for about 25 minutes before heading back to Anchorage. We all got on the 3:00pm flight, but it was put on a weather hold. We finally departed at 4:15 pm, made it through an opening in the fog, and landed on Kodiak a bit after 5pm. By 6pm we had all of our bags and gear in an SUV and were headed for Anton Larson Bay to meet the boat.

After about 30 minutes of driving we were about 3 miles from the dock when the engine of the SUV simply quit. We spotted some folks down the road apiece and they agreed to ferry us and our gear for $100. It would have taken them about 3 or 4 trips as they had only a small vehicle, but just after they left for their first run our captain/guide Chuck and his girlfriend Olga drove up looking for us as we had been seriously delayed. We packed everything into the back of his pickup, climbed in, and headed for the boat.

By 8pm, after a great dinner, we were in the skiff photographing otters. All was well with the world. We photographed the otters again the next morning and then crossed the Shelikof Strait. It was quite windy and several of us wound up feeling a bit queasy. Multiple IPT veteran and dear friend Jim Heupel did get seasick, that after surviving a Drake Passage crossing with 40 foot waves this past winter. Go figure! Once we got into the bay at Katmai things calmed down and we wound up photographing two four or five five year old bears playing.

Skip ahead a few days. Our group of five and Chuck were surrounded by several coastal Brown Bears when we noticed that the wind had picked up considerably. Chuck had anchored both of his 65 foot boats—his next group was nine and he would need both boats—on a single anchor. He mentioned that he was a bit concerned that the boats might drag the anchor in the high winds but that he knew that his mate would have alerted him had there been a problem. (His radio, however, had been turned off….) A while back, I had noticed the mate and our cook in the skiff nearby and thought nothing of it, but when Chuck mentioned his concern I told him that his crew was in the skiff right offshore of where we were. He walked very quickly to the skiff, climbed aboard, and headed for the two boats.

We were able to see the two vessels through our long lenses and it looked as if they were in great danger. Had they come hard aground after smashing into each other? As it turned out, the anchor had dragged but the boats were both in navigable waters without any damage to either one. Whew!

On our next to last morning I realized, as I stepped off the skiff at high tide, that I had forgotten to put my NEOS overshoes on. As Chuck pulled away in the skiff I noted that I would be pretty much stuck in one spot as I would be unable to cross any of several fairly deep streams. I raised Chuck on the radio and asked him to bring me a pair of hip waders and he said that he would. Within 20 minutes he was back with the waders. He left the skiff, ran to shore to hand me the hip boots, and made his way back to the skiff. The only problem was that the tide had been dropping so fast the skiff was now barely afloat as the tide steamed out. I quickly put on my boots and joined Chuck in attempting to push the huge (about 25 feet) skiff into deeper water. It was rough going for several minutes as we strained with all of our might, Chuck having a lot more might than I. The boat was actually on the bottom several times and we had to push from the rear while lifting the skiff; finally the boat was floating with Chuck at the helm. (I knew that Chuck had a ton of work to do that day; if the skiff had been grounded we would all have been stuck there for about ten hours until the tide came back in.) Whew again!

On 10 June, as we started our long journeys home, our bags—as a result of float plane delays—did not get to the Kodiak airport in time for our 4:45pm Alaska Airlines flight. All five of us were switched to the 7:45 ERA flight and will make our red-eye connections later tonight. Our plans to grab a day room at the Dimond Center Hotel for a quick shower and a nap did not materialize. All of us (but for George Brunt, who is laying over in Anchorage) are looking forward to getting home safely on the eleventh.

It is now the morning of 11 June and I am sitting bleary-eyed in the lounge at the Minneapolis airport after the red-eye flight from Anchorage. I will be back soon with tales of bears and eagles and of course, with more new images.

This adult Bald Eagle was photographed with the Canon 800mmm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 400. I metered the blue sky just above the horizon and added 2/3rds of a stop of light: 1/2000 of a second at f/7.1 set manually. A quick check of the histogram showed a perfect exposure. We had many great opportunites to photograph eagles on this trip.

Posted in General, IPT Reports, It Ain't Just Birds, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photographic Locations, Photography Tips | 1 Comment »

Los Madrones

Friday, April 24th, 2009

This Golden-cheeked Warbler was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, a 25mm extension tube (to allow for closer focus), and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/300 sec. at f/9. Fill flash at -2 2/3 stops with the Better Beamer.

Chris and I arrived at Mike and Julie Murphy’s Los Madrones Ranch on Tuesday afternoon. As with most new places, it took us a while to figure the place out but we wound up getting some great images of many species that we had seen or photographed (or both!) for the first time. Texas’s top birder and one of (if not the) best bird photographers in the state, Greg Lasley, helped us track down our number one target species, the Golden-cheeked Warbler, a gorgeous bird that nests only in Texas Hill Country. Six to seven pairs of this endangered warbler nest on the Murphy’s beautiful 400 acre ranch. We stayed in the lovely Casita with all the comforts of home and photographed from three of the four photo blind/feeder set-ups that Mike has constructed.

Los Madrones is located in western Travis County, TX. If you would like to photograph some of the species below (and more), you can contact Mike Murphy to arrange a vist by cell phone at 512-925-6902 or via e-mail to mike@losmadrones.com. You can learn more about the ranch here: http://www.losmadrones.com/Los_Madrones/Home.html

Rufous-crowned Sparrow is common at Los Madrones but it was a challenge to get one to sit on the right perch as it came to the feeders. This bird was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/8 just before it hopped down onto the feeding tray.

There is a great section in “The Art of Bird Photography II” (916 pages on CD only) on selecting perches and creating a feeder set-up that will work for photography. You can learn more about ABP II here: http://www.birdsasart.com/ABPII.htm.

This Ash-throated Flycatcher, the western counterpart of the Great-crested Flycatcher that breeds in the woods next to my home in central Florida, was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/10 set manually. Manual fill flash at 1:8 power.

This Western Scrub Jay was photographed with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/300 sec. at f/10. Fill flash at -2 2/3 stops with the Better Beamer.

As regular BIRDS AS ART Bulletin readers know I am a huge fan of cloudy-bright days. They offer much reduced contrast, great color saturation, amd images without shadows. And most importantly, they allow you to work well off light angle. The two images above were created as the birds sat on natural perches well off to the side of our set. Had it been a clear sunny day, each would have been about 40 degrees off of the proper sun angle and I would not have even pointed my lens at them.

Thanks to Mike and Julie for their generous hospitality and for hosting our visit to Los Madrones.

Posted in Book Info, Books & Educational Materials, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photographic Locations, Photography Tips, Product Info and Tutorials, Travel Tips and Site Guide Info | No Comments »

Farewell to Dauphin Island

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

This adult male Indigo Bunting was photographed on a perch that I found along the roadside and set up at a feeder. The image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, a 25mm extension tube, and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/8. This image was created after our set-up had fallen into shadow. I much prefer this image to those created in the late afternoon light. Once I switched to digital, cloudy bright days and shaded subjects became my very best friends. This image was my last Dauphin Island keeper....

The hospitality that Chris and I encountered on Dauphin Island was incredible. First we met Mike Rogers, a contractor from Mobile, who invited us to the beautiful home on the bay that he built with his Dad and served us a great crab and shrimp dinner. He introduced us to his friend Terry Hartley and the two of them went out of their way to show us the best spots. On day 2 they brought us to the home of John and Jennie Stowers who just happened to be serving a sumptous lunch to more than 100 folks who were attending the Alabama Ornithological Society’s spring meeting. That night Mike took us out to dinner! We had to work hard for each image as we did not encounter any fallouts of major proportions. Mike and Terry introduced us to Chris and Michele Steber who served us a great lunch on their deck and allowed us to remake their yard in an effort to photograph the great birds at their feeders. Again, it required a lot of work as the birds were quite shy. We achieved success on our last afternoon on Dauphin after erecting a makeshift blind using a blanket that I keep int the back of my SUV to keep the gear covered. We hung the blanket between two trees (secured by gold-colored horsehoes), left it in place for a day so that the birds could get used to it blowing in the wind, and finally got to stand behind it while photographing Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, and Red-breasted Grosbeak.

We awoke before 3am on Tuesday, left just after 3:30, and made it to Hill Country near Austin, TX 12 hours later with Chris doing the bulk of the driving. As always, you can click on each image to enlarge it.

Three happy campers. Mike, center, was thrilled to hang with us and we did our best to help him become a better photographer. This image was created by Dick ??? who had been with me on a Point Pelee Instructional Photo-Tour about six or seven years ago. Chris Dodds is on your right.

This Northern Parula was attracted to our position by playing a tape of its call. The image was created with the Canon 800mmm f/5.6L IS lens, a 25mm extension tube for close focus, and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/100 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -2 2/3 stops with the Better Beamer (to concentrate the flash).

The Better Beamer is designed to be used with telephoto lenses with equivalent focal lengths of more than 300mm: learn more here: http://www.birdsasart.com/accs.html#BEAMER. In the original image here, the bill tip of the singing bird was–as expected because of the slow shutter speed–quite blurred. I created a Quick Mask of the sharp lower mandible from the previous frame, moved it to this image as an layer mask, and then, using the techniques described in APTATS, warped the lower mandible to create a perfect (and sharp) match. You can learn the basics of Quick Masking (plus tons more) in our Digital Basics File (http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm) and learn the advanced techniques from the APTATS CD here: http://www.birdsasart.com/aptats.htm.

This adult male Blue Grosbeak was photographed on a natural perch with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II teleconverter, a 25mm extension tube, and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/9. With the blowing grasses about ten feet behind the perch, they created a pleasing background. It is the distance between the perch and the BKGR that is most responsible for creating the out-of-focus backgrounds that I prefer.

This adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was photographed on a natural perch above the feeders with the same gear as the rest. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/8.

This adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was photographed on a natural perch above the feeder with the same gear as the rest. No flash. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/8.

I removed a secong hanging vine from the background here using a variety of techniques described in Digital Basics.

Though we did not get to enjoy a major fallout, Chris and I made some great images on Dauphin Island and had an overall great time. I particularly enjoyed taking my health walks on the seaside golf course. We offer our heartfelt thanks to all of the folks who made our trip more enjoyable and productive.

Posted in Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photographic Locations, Photography Tips, Photoshop Tips, Product Info and Tutorials | No Comments »

Challenging Start to Warbler/Songbird SUV Trip

Friday, April 17th, 2009

Well, Chris and I were supposed to be on Dauphin Island on Thursday afternoon but slept in the Brandon, FL motel that night. I brought my Toyota Sequoia in for the 90,000 mile service even though I had only 80,000 miles on the vehicle. I figured that it would be a good idea bring it in before the long trip, but worried that they would somehow screw up a good thing; the SUV had run perfectly for all 80,000 miles with only oil and filter changes at the local Jiffy Lube. Well, the service with the timing chain and a new water pump ran just a shade under $2,000.

We sailed on Tampa Bay for spoonbills with Captain James Shadle on Wednesday morning and then headed to the motel to pack the car. Just a few miles from the motel every warning light on the planet came on in the vehicle that followed by strange sounds from the engine and that by plumes of steam and smoke. The short story is that the hose to the thermostat was put back in place but that the mechanic neglected to clamp it…. A temperature sensor in the engine computer sensor was burned out. We were not supposed to get my truck back until late Friday at the earliest but miracale of miricles, it by Thursday night and we were good to go in the morning and will be leaving for Alabama at 5:30 am. Yes, I am an early riser.

The mishap with the vehicle allowed us to spend a great afteroon at Fort DeSoto on Wednesday and Thursady morning with Jim Neiger on Lake Toho in search of Snail Kites.

As always, you can click on the image to see a larger version.

This Roseate Spoonbill image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark III body. ISO 500. Evaluative Metering +1 stop off the sky set manually: 1/1250 sec. at f/8. Whenever I am trying to create flight images I stop down a bit to f/7.1 or f/8 if I have enough light for a bit of extra depth-of-field.

This image of a dancing fishing Reddish Egret was created with the handhled Canon 400mmm f/4 IS DO lens and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3. I find it much easier to handhold when trying to follow erratic action than to work off a tripod and in addition, it is easier to move side to side to stay on sun angle. I used 45-Point AAFPS to make it easier to hold focus as the bird veered and twisted about.

This young male Snail Kite image was created witht the Canon 800mmm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/9. The key to create this image was using 45-Point AAFPS so that I could acquire focus with the bird in the center of the frame and then recompose without losing focus.

Instead us allowing a challenging situation to get us really angry we saw it as an opportunity to explore new options and create some great images.

Posted in General, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photographic Locations, Photography Tips | No Comments »

Do As I Say…. A weather story

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Despite a somewhat scary weather forecast, I photographed this morning at Fort DeSoto Park south of St. Petersburg, FL with Chris Dodds (www.chrisdoddsphoto.com) and Linda Robbins, the Hummingbird Queen. It was cloudy and dark so we were all using high ISOs and fill flash. By about 9am a huge black cloud was creeping up on us from the west, from out over the Gulf. We knew that we would need to exit soon and quickly. After concentrating on our avian subjects for a while, we all glanced up at the sky just as we decided to high-tail it back to the cars. We were stunned by what we saw. Just offshore of the park was the strangest, most beautiful cloud formation that any of us had ever seen. There were huge , angled, diagonal clouds that were oriented more vertically than horizontally. They had white borders and were changing shape each moment. They seemed almost alive, to be gaining strength with every passing seonnd. We all thought that we were witnessing the birth of a tornado. Linda was well ahead of Chris and me. Then, Chris and I had the same thought at the same time: “Let’s photograph this now and run for our lives later.”

In both “The Art of Bird Photography” and in ABP II (on CD only) I am pretty sure that I wrote something like this: “You should never be afield without a short zoom lens in your vest. On those days when you get lazy and leave it in your car, you will surely regret it.” Well, there we were, two professional photographers out on the beach without a single short lens between us. “OK, we’ll run back to the car, grab a short lens, head back out to the beach, photograph those amazing clouds, and then run like hell.” As we ran, the cloud formation seemed to be gaining on us, and as we appoached the restrooms it began to hail and the wind began to scream. The temperature seemed to have dropped 30 degrees in seconds. I had the fleeting thought that I was might die in a tornado. By the time that we reached the car it was pouring, but the wind had subsided a bit so Chris and I grabbed the short lenses and ran the hundred yards back to the beach only to be greeted by a sky filled with boring gray clouds, a sky completely devoid of drama.

As the title of his post says, do as I say….. Not as I do. Chris and I spent the rest of the day talking about what we had seen and eventually agreed that it was likely that the experience had surely been better than the images would have been.

Below is my favorite image from our too-short morning.

This worn first winter Herring Gull was scavenging a long-dead saltwater catfish. The image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark III. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 set manually. Fill flash with Better Beamer at -1 2/3 stops.

As always, click on the image above to see a larger version.

The trick to using fill flash is to set the correct ambient exposure (the ambient light is the existing natural light) and then dial back the flash, usually to somewhere between -1 and -3 stops. A perfect result is an image that features additional sharpness, balanced, natural looking color, clean whites, and most importantly, an image in which the use of flash is not obvious. What you are looking for is just a splash of flash. With this image I love the sharpness, the perfect use of fill flash, and the carefully designed composition with the bird’s angled body entering the frame exaactly from the upper left-hand corner. And the perfect head angle.

Posted in Book Info, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photographic Locations, Photography Tips | No Comments »

Should Diagonals Enter the Image from the Corner?

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

There is often much debate as to whether or not diagonal elements of a composition should enter the frame from one of the corners. As the images below show, I strongly believe that they should. Your compositions will be more interesting and more powerful.

Click on each image to see a larger version.

This Great Blue Heron with nesting material image was created with the handheld Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens and the EOS 50D. ISO 400. 1/1000 sec. at f/8. Central sensr AI Servo AF. At the moment of capture the sensor was not on the subject but the focus held. Note that I composed the image so that the heron's breast angled into the frame from the lower right corner.

This image of a Great Blue Heron with nesting material was created with the handheld Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens and the EOS 50D. ISO 400. 1/1000 sec. at f/8. Central sensor AI Servo AF. At the moment of capture the sensor was not on the subject but the focus held. Note that I composed the image so that the heron's breast angled into the frame from the lower right corner. The DO lenses are great when working from small watercraft as I was here.

Same bird, same composition, different light. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS 1D MIII. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/5.6. It is important to use the RGB histogram when creating silhouettes to avoid burning the RED channel.

Same bird, similar composition, different light. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS 1D MIII. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/5.6. It is important to use the RGB histogram when creating silhouettes to avoid burning the RED channel.

Posted in Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photography Tips, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

More DeSoto Images As Promised & Some Head Angle Fine Points

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

As mentioned in the last post, the wind and weather on the morning of the 3rd made it one very tough morning. With the wind quite strong from the west, there were fewer birds on the exposed beach, and most of the birds were taking advantage of the small bit of shelter offered by the beach vegetation. After I assessed the situation, I know that I would be able to create some images in which the vegetation played at least as important a part of the image’s success as the bird….

This was the first habitat image that I created. My eye was attracted by the somewhat sweeping pattern of the vegetation. If I had gotten closer I would not have been able to include all of the plant behind the bird. I used the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6. With the rather fierce wind, I raised the ISO to ensure a fast-enough shutter speed. Fill flash at -1 1/3 stops with the Better Beamer. The most important thing to note as far as the image design is that I was careful not to clip the tallest bit of vegetation on our left.

In this version, I eliminated the o-o-f vegetation in the u-r-c. Which version do you prefer?

Here, note how I have carefully chosen my prespective to frame the Royal Tern against the sand. I made several images once I got into position but knew that this one, with the bird looking out of the frame (for the best compositional balance with the vegetation on my left), would be my favorite. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIII. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -1 1/3 stops with Better Beamer.

This and the next image were created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D MIII body. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -1 1/3 stops with the Better Beamer. In this image, the bird's head is turned just a bit away from the imaging sensor. This head position is far from ideal.

This and the image below were created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D MIII body. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -1 1/3 stops with the Better Beamer. In this image, the bird's head is turned just a bit away from the imaging sensor. This head position is far from ideal.

This image features a pretty much perfect head angle with the bird's head turned a very few degrees towards me. You need to be aware of the head angle before you press the shutter button!

To learn more about proper head angle see the Head Angle Police thread on BirdPhotographers.Net here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7781 And while you are there, be sure to check out the other great tutorials in Educational Resources here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=30 See you all soon.

Jeez, I keep forgetting to mention: if you will be visiting Fort DeSoto, do check out our Fort DeSoto Site Guide here: http://www.birdsasart.com/siteguides.htm

Posted in BirdPhotographers.net Info, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photographic Locations, Photography Tips, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Using All Focusing Points for Erratic Flight and Action

Monday, March 30th, 2009

When attempting to photograph erratic flight or action, I will often choose AAFPS, All AutoFocus Points Selected as in most cases this make it easier to track the bird or to maintain focus on two birds that are interacting. On my last trip with James Shadle on the Hooptie Deux, we were headed back to the dock at Gibsonton at about 10:15 am when we passed some feeding pelicans. I arose from my stupor and screamed, “Stop the boat!” James did and we spent almost an hour with the diving birds. The neatest thing was that they stayed in a relatively small area, the area that held the shcool of bait!

James did a great job of keeping the boat in perfect position relative to the wind and the light. After trying central sensor only for a while, I switched to AAFPS; with the 50D, this entails activating all 9 AF sensors. Nikon users should try Dynamic in these situations.

If you would like to get out on Tampa Bay with James, try e-mailing him at james@wildflorida.net or james@birdphotographers.net. James is the BAA Nikon Answer-Man and will be glad to answer your Nikon-related questions via e-mail. He takes dozens of folks out each spring aboard his photo-customized pontoon boat. To learn more about James and his spoonbill trips, click here: http://www.wildflorida.net/

Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens handheld with the EOS-50D. ISO 400. Evalutive metering +2/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 confirmed via histogram check.

Click on the image above to see a larger version. David Kennedy made that possible with a telephone lesson! Thanks David. David is a graduate student at the University of Missouri pursuing a masters degree in photojournalism. You can learn more about David here: http://www.david-kennedy.com/blog/?page_id=2 or check out his informative blog here: http://www.david-kennedy.com/blog/ Both David and Dad Keith (killer macro insects) are multiple IPT veterans and skilled photographers.

Posted in Links to Blogs, Photographers, and Web Sites, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photography Tips, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Canon EOS-50D Set-up

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

We have had many requests recently to publish the settings that I use with my two Canon EOS-50D bodies so here goes. Bulletins readers will note that they are almost identical to the settings that I used with my Canon EOS-40D body. I have, however, added explanations here where applicable. While some of these settings are camera specific most are generic and a good read may yield some worthwhile info for Canon users and general and even for Nikon or other brand users as many of the options are similar.

Menu Items (Shown for the most part only if settings are different from the default settings).

Red Menu 1.

Quality: RAW. All serious photographers should be using RAW capture.

Red-eye: Off. Turn this on only when photographing people in low light situations.

Beep: On. I find the focus confirmation beep helpful.

Shoot w/o card: Off. Setting this to “On” can only lead to disaster. Why not take advantage of idiot-proofing?

Review time: 8 seconds. This is entirely personal preference. As I use the vertical grip with the two batteries battery life is not an issue.

Peripheral illumination correction. I do not concern myself with this at all as it prevents vignetting only with JPEGs and is much more of a problem when using full frame cameras with long lenses and wide open apertures. Various methods of dealing with vignetting in both Photoshop and in ACR (during conversion) are covered–along with tons of other great techniques and info and our complete digital workflow–in our Digital Basics File. Learn more here: http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm

Red Menu 2.

Color Space: Adobe RGB.

Picture Style: Neutral, customized as follows: Sharpness: 3, Contrast: 0, Saturation: -1, Color Tone: +1. With the Sharpness set at 3, I have never encountered a situation where the image is over-sharpened after conversion. The settings for Saturation and Color Tone are brand new changes that I hope will deal with the Red/Magenta cast in some images. the +1 Color Tone setting adds more Yellow (and possibly less Red). Others have had large Red/Magenta color casts; I wonder what there settings here are? Another important point, unless you are using DPP or Breezebrowser to convert, these settings are meaningless as they only affect JPEG images. If you convert with DPP or Breezebrowser the Picture Style settings are applied. If you convert with ACR (or anything else) they are not applied.

Blue Menu 2.

Highlight Alert: Enable. Working without Highlight Alert Enabled is like buying a Corvette without an engine. Your goal should be to have just a very few flashing highlights with each image; this assures that you will be exposing to the right as you should be. JPEGs show more than RAW files and a few apparently overexposed pixels can easily be recovered during the conversion process.

AF Point display: Enable. This is strictly personal preference.

Histogram: RBG. While I use the RGB histogram all the time, it is most important to utilize it when creating images of colorful sunrises and sunsets. At such times, it is easy to over-expose the red channel; you must guard against this and you can do so by taking a good look at the Red channel on the histogram. Of course it would be a lot easier to read and evaluate the histograms on all Canon cameras if they would put a light colored border around the histogram (as I and others have been suggesting for several years at least).

Yellow Menu 1.

Auto Power Off: 30 minutes. Lots of folks set this at 1 minute or 2 minutes thinking that they will save their batteries. Over the course of a lifetime they would save about 2 cents worth of electricity while missing dozens of great images as they wait that fraction of a second for the camera to wake up. Even worse are those who turn the cameras off constantly to save battery power….

File Numbering: Continuous.

Auto Rotate: ON/computer. This allows me to see verticals full frame on the back of the camera but see them rotated (and therefore smaller) on the laptop.

Yellow Menu 2.

LCD Brightness: one notch below the brightest. Folks think that this may make the image look over-exposed. You need to be judging your exposures by looking at the histogram, not at the back of the camera. A bright setting here helps me to view the histogram in sunny conditions. Oh for that yellow box around the histogram…

Date/Time: Make sure that the date and the time are set accurately at all times even when you travel to new time zones. It will make various aspects of your photographic life simpler and easier.

Custom Functions (Shown only if settings are different from the default settings).

C Fn I-group (Exposure).

C Fn I-3/ISO Expansion: 1: On.

C Fn-I-6/Safety Shift: Enable (TvAv). This will keep you in the ballgame when working in Av or Tv mode in rapidly changing lighting conditions.

C Fn II group (Image).

C Fn II-1/Long exposure noise reduction. I leave this on all the time as it will kick in only for the long exposures (that usually only occur when I am creating scenics, bird scapes, or intentional wind or waterfall blurs.

C Fn II-2/High ISO noise reduction. I leave this on Standard because running NR with the higher ISOs does not reduce the size of the buffer anywhere near as much as it does with the EOS-1Ds Mark III. My gut feeling with this and the previous setting (C Fn II-1) is that in-camera NR is to be preferred to any other type of NR, either during or after conversion.

C Fn II-3/Highlight Tone Priority: Enable. As far as I know, there is no reason to leave this off as enabling it increases both highlight detail and dynamic range for tones lighter than a middle tone.

C Fn III group( Autofocus/Drive).

C Fn III-1/Auto focus/Drive/Lens may be helpful to some when photographing birds in flight at a relatively consistent distance. If there are birds flying close by and others at a distance, the lens will not even attempt to focus when switching from the close birds to the more distant subjects, so with C Fn III-1 set to 1: Focus search off, you will need to pre-focus manually in most cases. Why go to all this trouble? Once you have locked focus with C Fn-1:1 set, the AF system is supposed to be less likely to drop the subject and search for a different subject if the sensor momentarily falls off the subject. This was and is an important issue with the EOS-1D MIII bodies, but the 50D does such a good job of focus tracking that I rarely switch from the default setting, C Fn-1: 0.

(Folks interested in the details involved in setting up C-Fn III-1, C Fn IV-1 and C Fn IV-2 are referred to the Mark III User’s Guide: http://tinyurl.com/2pumhq

C Fn III-2/Lens AF stop button function. I only recently began setting C Fn III-2: 2 when I had a problem while handholding my 400mm f/4 IS DO lens (especially for flight or action photography). The index finger of my left hand, which I use to support the lens barrel, would inadvertently press the focus stop button that is located just this side of the lens hood. (Others using this lens may or may not have this problem depending on how exactly how they hold the lens when handholding.) In any case, with C Fn III-2: 2 set, accidentally depressing the AF stop button will lock the exposure rather than stopping focus.

C Fn III-6/Mirror Lock which is enabled only when needed, most often with macro work and/or long exposures.

C Fn III-7/AF Micro-adjustment. I have been happy with the AF accuracy if my 50D that I have not found it necessary to perform these adjustments. Again, users who would like to learn to do there adjustments are referred to the MIII Users Guide: http://tinyurl.com/2pumhq

C Fn IV group (Operation/Others).

C Fn IV-1/Shutter Button/AF-ON Button: 1 Metering + AF start/AF stop. Inspired by Jim Neiger, I have been using this set-up for quite some time now but still do not have 100% confidence in it. It is sort of the opposite of the old CF-4-3 setting that I used to use on occasion and that some good photographers use full time. With C Fn IV-1 set to 1, I keep AF set to AI Servo AF. The shutter button controls metering and AF, If you press the shutter button you get the exposure data and as long as you keep the shutter button half-way down, AF will be active and the camera will focus track. Now here is the key with these settings: Rather than having to switch to One Shot AF for static subjects when you need to lock focus and recompose, you can focus on the bird’s eye and hold down the star button to lock focus. (Be sure to see the next item so that you understand why you are pressing the star button rather than the AF ON button.) Now you can recompose the image by shifting the lens as need be; the point of focus will not change as long as you keep your thumb on the star button. It takes some practice but can be quite useful.

C Fn IV-2/AE-ON/AE lock button switch: 1: Enable. The functions of the AE-ON button and the star button are switched. Now, whether you are using the star button as AF-ON or as AF-OFF (as with C Fn IV-1 immediately above) you do not have to arch your thumb to reach the AF-ON button. In addition, these functions were always assigned to the star button on previous cameras and the star button was has always been in the same position, just to the left of the AF Grid button.

Posted in Books & Educational Materials, Photographic Equipment Info and Tips, Photography Tips, Uncategorized | 15 Comments »

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART