There are no images to accompany this post. Why? When I first started digital photography in September, 2002 (not 2001 as I have written before…), I did not realize that it was important to save each RAW file. Each RAW file is the digital negative for an image that represents an irreplaceable moment in time. Note that I did know enough at the time to use RAW not JPEG capture. But once I converted the RAW files and optimized them I simply discarded them. Ooops.

I learned how bad the situation in those early years actually was while working on the 13,000+ image file that I mentioned in the Gems Found, the Sunday evening post. I came across many images that needed additional Photoshop work. We do not always realize it, but over the years our optimization skills will increase by leaps and bounds. There were many dozens of images that I opened in Photoshop and worked on for a few to ten minutes using skills that I did no possess back then. In addition, there were more than a few excellent images that screamed for me to start over with the RAW file and process them again using the Photoshop skills that I had honed over the past decade.

Here is the e-mail conversation with Jim Litzenberg that followed:

Jim, Please do a search for the following RAW files: 279T9135, T9J5688, 123F4928, and L8X2290. Thanks, artie

Boss, I found many optimized TIFFs and several JPEGs for each of the file numbers above but there were no RAW files. Jim

Jim, Thanks. That’s what I figgered might happen…. artie

Here are some details on the missing images that I wanted to re-do:

123F4928: Snow Geese, silver yellow sunrise, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. December 2, 2002. EOS-1D. This was the image that–with help from Rich Steel– fueled my digital epiphany.
279T9135: Roseate Spoonbill, Lake Martin, LA. April 7, 2003. EOS-1D. This image has helped to sell more than 3300 copies of Digital Basics.
L8X2290: Snow Geese, blast-off pano, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. November 19, 2005. EOS-1Ds. A three-layered cropped pano that is one of my very favorite all time Bosque blurs.

All three of the images listed above plus another dozen or so that I e-mailed Jim about would have benefited greatly from being re-converted and re-worked. However, no RAW files, no can do.

Interestingly enough, when I arranged the files by date I learned that the images from the trip to Tanazania that I made in January of 2003 with Patti and the late Wes Ardoin were all labeled January, 1980….

Lessons for you (including those that I have learned the hard way):

1: You will get smarter and you will become better at optimizing your images.
2: Use only RAW capture 100% of the time. If you need JPEGs, simply set your camera to Large RAW plus whatever sized JPEGs you would like. If you set your camera to JPEG capture for whatever frivolous reason or reasons rest assured that you will forget to switch backs to RAW and will encounter a great situation while shooting only JPEGs. Usually small JPEGs….
3: Come up with a workflow that allows you to save and archive all of your RAW files even after they are optimized.
4: Back up your images daily while you are in the field and once a week once you have the images on your home computer.
5: Be sure to set the date on your cameras properly and to check them regularly. And that goes double when you travel to a different time zone.

Those who would like to improve their Photoshop skills more quickly than I did should get themselves a copy of our Digital Basics. This PDF is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens and dozens of great Photoshop tips, and the personalized keyboard shortcuts that I use every day (as well as instructions on how to create them).

I must admit that for the first time about 10 weeks ago I received an e-mail from a guy complaining that Digital Basics was poorly written and was so complex that he could not follow any of the instructions. With more than 3,300 sold a single complaint is nothing to get too upset about, but needless to say I was somewhat mystified as I pride myself in taking great care with all of my writing. Especially with my how-to stuff. I answered the guy as politely as possible urging him to have another go at it and suggesting that he use Digital Basics exactly as he would a cookbook. About a month ago I got another e-mail from the same guy thanking me profusely for creating such a helpful, easy to read, and easy to follow guide.

As I say often, you gotta love it.

This image of a an American Oystercatcher chick with one parent was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1000 at f/9 in Av Mode. Lens/TC/Camera Body Micro-Adjustment: +3. The parent had just fed the chick a piece of a sand crab that the adult had captured down by the edge of the surf and brought to its youngsters.

Had I been lying flat on the ground I would have lost the feet and the bottom of the legs of both birds behind the front edge of the tire track….

Why Sit Down on the Job?

As regular readers here know, I love getting flat down on the beach or down and dirty in the mud. But there are times when I opt to sit behind my tripod with the legs shortened. When attempting to photograph birds or families of birds that are always on the move, it is faster to sit behind your tripod than it is to lie flat and it requires less physical effort as well. And getting up to follow the birds is easier and faster. When photographing a flock of roosting shorebirds I will usually opt to lie flat. But when I need to get up and down quickly and change position often, sitting works best for me. On rare occasion I will kneel behind my tripod (again with the legs shortened) but I have a tendency to develop cramps in my thighs when kneeling so I usually avoid that. Sitting yields a bit shallower angle of declination as well. (Simply put, that means that your lens is a bit lower when seated than when kneeling.) And when using a long telephoto lens with a teleconverter while seated your images may very look as if you were flat on the ground. Folks with 300 and 400mm lenses need to remember this general principle: the shorter the focal length of your lens the more important it is for you to get low or super-low.

The image of an American Oystercatcher chick in very low light was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the 2X III teleconverter (hand held at 380 mm), and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6 set manually after histogram check. Lens/TC/Camera Body Micro-Adjustment: -4. Manual flash at 1:8 with the Canon 580 EX II Speedlight. (Using the Canon external battery pack allows for more consecutive flashes and faster recharging times; see additional details in the Shopper’s Guide below). You can learn everything that you need to know about using flash for nature photography (including Fill Flash, Flash as Main Light, and Manual Flash) in the Flash Simplified section of The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages on CD only).

We noticed that right around sunset the oystercatcher chicks became bolder and bolder. Rather than trying to get into position with my much heavier and bulkier tripod-mounted 800mm lens, I simply grabbed my 70-200 II with the 2X III TC with the flash right on the camera. I was easily able to move along with the chicks and sit. When they moved, I stood up and moved trying to position myself ahead of their predicted movements. Above it worked to perfection.

As usual you can learn a ton by studying the screen capture of the original image. Note that I chose an off-centered AF sensor and that despite the low light and the complete lack of contrast it performed perfectly. Note that the TC severely threw off the Subject Distance; I was not 42 meters from this little fluffball. Check out the excellent histogram with data well into the fifth box; I am constantly preaching ETTR. Lastly note as well the small crop and the fairly extensive beach clean-up (as detailed in Digital Basics). I used a series of small Quick Masks and the Patch Tool.

The next time that you are afield, consider getting your butt dirty; sitting down on the job often offers the very best perspective for nature photographers.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our recently revised Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon 1.4X III TC This new TC is is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot with the 1.4X III TC.
2X III teleconverter. This new TC is noticeably sharper than the 2X II TC.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My workhorse professional digital camera body. I own two.
Canon 580 EX II Speedlight. This is Canon’s most powerful, top of the line flash.
Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Pack. Powers the flash. Allows for more consecutive flashes and faster recharging times.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
4th Generation Design Integrated Flash Arm. This will elevate your flash about 8 inches and except in very low light eliminates flash eye, steel eye, red eye, and purple eye.
Promaster Flash Cord (for Canon or Nikon). This dependable flash cord allows you to get your flash up onto your flash bracket.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable. Clicking on the link below will bring you to the Delkin web site. There is lots of great stuff there. If you see a product that we do not carry let us know via e-mail; we will be glad to have it drop-shipped to you and save you a few bucks in the process.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gift with each order over $50.

Think Tank Free Offer

This image of a displaying Great Egret was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the EF 1.4X III TC, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -2 stops: 1/1250 sec. at f/11 in Manual Mode after histogram and blinkies check. With all that black it was obvious that I needed lots of under-exposure to keep from burning the WHITEs. In order to achieve the framing that I wanted it was necessary to bend the lens; see more on that below. AI Servo AF with rear focus.

Optimism Increasing

Even though I knew that I was getting out of the hospital today I was a bit down in the dumps all morning. Is the hand still infected? Why is the back of the hand still so swollen? Why does flexing the left middle finger as instructed practically bring me to my knees in pain? It was not a long road from there to thoughts of becoming the world’s best one handed bird photographer…. I did the Work on my runaway thoughts (TheWork.Com: “Who would you be without your story?” Byron Katie) and that helped a bit but it was not until spoke to Dr. Puopolo that my spirits were lifted.

“The infection is likely gone. If not, the oral antibiotic that you will be on after being discharged should do the job.” (Just for the record books: Zyvox (linezolid), $3,400 for 24 pills. Bargain price for me: $965 co-pay . Hope that the stuff works at those prices. The ID doc asked me if the price as OK. I said to him, “Heal my hand by tomorrow and I will gladly write you a check for $50,000.” He smiled.

“The back of your hand is still swollen because you had extensive surgery just four days ago. The hand looks great and your incisions are healing beautifully. You do not have to push the flexion so hard this weekend; just open and close the fist without using your other hand to force it. We needed to do that to prevent any scarring following the surgery. You will begin the really hard rehab work after the stitches are out.”

Optimism increasing.

Why Bend The Lens?

This is a screen capture of the BreezeBroswer Main View for the RAW image. Note the placement of the central sensor on the edge of the bird’s neck and then keep reading below. (Note; with the 800, the 1.4X III TC, and the MIV only the central AF sensor was active.) Note the Lens Micro-Adjustment of +3. Note also the significant data in the fifth or highlight box of the histogram, just as I teach it.

Why Bend The Lens?

I was positive that I had written about bending the lens in The Art of Bird Photography II (ABP II: 916 pages on CD only) but a quick Adobe Acrobat Reader search revealed that I had not…. Every tripod head–be it the Mongoose M3.6 Action Head that I use or the Wimberley V-2 that many others prefer for big glass–has some play in it, even when both the horizontal pan and vertical pan locking knobs are fully tightened. By bending the lens I mean pressing somewhat forcefully on the top, bottom, or side, or heck, anywhere on the lens barrel as needed to fine-tune the framing. If the bird is too close to the left frame edge, pressing on the right side of the lens will give the subject more room. And so on and so forth. Because I tend to shoot locked down a great deal of the time, I use this technique quite often, most often with verticals. In addition to enabling you to come up with the precise framing that you desire, bending the lens is will result in sharper images as described in “Essential Sharpness Techniques” (pages 461-470 in ABP II–916 pages on CD only).

When I created the Great Egret image here, I remember bending the lens almost frantically in an effort to keep the sensor on the bird’s neck. Of about 15 frames, this was my favorite.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above (along with some related items). Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon 1.4X III TC. This new Series III TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My workhorse professional digital camera bodies.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gear bag with each order over $50.

Think Tank Free Offer

This mega-high key image was first inspired by a Todd Gustafson Cheetah image that he intentionally over-exposed four stops on a bright sunny day. All that you saw against the over-exposed background were the eyes, the bright pink gums,. and the yellowed teeth–everything in shadow. When I shared a Laysan Albatross image of the same ilk at the introductory Midway slide program everyone loved it. Then Paul Mckenzie suggested that the same approach might work well with a White Tern on a bright sunny day. So I tried it.

This image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, a 25mm Extension Tube, the 1.4X III TC, and the
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at +2 stops: 1/400 sec. at f/11 set manually.

The original image was intentionally over-exposed at creation and lightened further during conversion. I did lots of bill clean-up as the bird’s beak was a mess.

Note: if you put the extension tube in front of the TC as I did here you will be able to focus closer than if the TC were mounted in front of the tube. You will however need to focus manually. These situations are discussed in detail in ABP II (916 pages on CD only).

Minor Surgery…

Knowing that I had to get up early, I was asleep on Monday evening by 9pm. Still a bit jet-lagged from the Midway trip, I woke wide awake at 10pm, my body thinking that it had had a nice nap. I read for 90 minutes and then slept fitfully for a few hours, finally getting up for good at 2:50 am completely awake…. Jim had his alarm set for 4:45 am and we both were in the car right on schedule at 5:15am Tuesday morning and headed north. Jim drove and I finished editing the Midway To Transfer folder. I created about 5,000 images on the trip. After my daily first edits that was down to about 1500. After additional culling I began this morning with 994 images. Right now I am down to 426 keepers. I will do one more edit before moving the folder onto the main computer.

We arrived at the Orlando Surgery Center a few minutes before 7am. After the required paperwork was filled out I was called in, changed into hospital gown, head net, and sock-slippers. An IV line was inserted and I spoke to a nurse and to the anesthesiologist, and then Hand surgeon George White stopped in for a chat. I was wheeled into the OR where they put a tourniquet on my left arm and started the dream sleep drip. I awoke in what seemed like minutes to learn that everything had gone just fine. The rather simple A-1 pulley surgery to repair the trigger finger–middle flinger left hand–was a 20-minute success. Left hand bandaged and left arm in a sling to keep it elevated we headed home, stopping at CVS to fill a pain-killer prescription that it seems I will not need. I have felt great all day and am–at 8:02 pm, just starting to get feeling back in the middle finger, numb all day from the local anesthetic. I gotta say that it feels great. I have been icing the hand off and on and making a fist many times each hour as instructed.

Cards, flowers, and sympathy are not required.

Tomorrow afternoon I drive up to the 9th Annual Florida’s Birding & Photo Fest in St. Augustine (scheduled for April 27-May 1, 2011). Click here for details. It is not too late to attend and there are a slew of great presenters and field trips. My field trips are all sold out.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear mentioned in today’s post and some other stuff that I use regularly to keep my sensors clean. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
25mm Extension Tube. This vaulable accessory allows for closer focusing.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Leve.l You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am on a tripod and not using flash.
Delkin Sensor Scope. This cool, indispensable device allows you to see sensor dust so that you know where to clean.
Lens Pen Combo Kit. The answer to your sensor cleaning problems. Use the small pen on your sensor, the larger one on your lenses and teleconverters.
Giotto’s Super Rocket Blower. Don’t waste your time with smaller versions; you need to power of this large blower to clean your sensor successfully.

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gear bag with each order over $50.

Think Tank Free Offer

Sensor Cleaning Update with a Surprise!

On my recent trip to Midway I left my sensor cleaning kit at home to save a few ounces in my luggage; in retrospect, this was a bad move. And I had had some nasty sensor dust on my EOS-1D Mark IV EOS-1D Mark IV bodies is micro-adjusted for the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens–both the 1.4X III TC and the 2X III teleconverter require separate micro-adjustments, and my other Mark IV is micro-adjusted for my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II–and again, both the 1.4X III and the 2X III teleconverter require separate micro-adjustments.)

To about the Lens Align Mark II and to read the tutorial on how to micro-adjust your lenses and cameras, click here.

I any case I spent a lot of time cleaning dust bunnies off my best Midway images. One of the first things that I did when I got home was to clean the sensor on my 70-200 2.8 Mark IV. The first step of course was to find my sensor cleaning kit. Try as I might, I could not find it. Jim–who helps me find everything–is not here on the weekends so I grabbed a brand new Delkin Sensor Scope, a Giotto’s Super Rocket Blower, and a Lens Pen Combo Kit from stock. When I opened the Sensor Scope I had a pleasant surprise. First off the Sensor Scope now comes in a neat, zippered, protective pouch. And in instead of having to press and hold a flat switch to keep the light on, you now press an on-off button; press it once and the lamp stays on. (Do remember to turn the lamp off when you are done.) Best of all, the lamp is brighter.

Next I followed the detailed instructions as per the sensor cleaning guide that we send to everyone who purchases a Lens Pen Combo Kit from us. To the letter. After the first cleaning I had eliminated 99% of the dust spots. Note: there are a lot more dust spots in the image than you can see in the before JPEG above. Those are the big ones. There were dozens more smaller ones; I call those f/22 dust bunnies as they are evident only when you have worked at tiny apertures and then only when you blow the image up to 100% in Photoshop. And they are much softer/fainter/less noticeable than the big ones. It took me six more cleanings (ten minutes total) to achieve f/22 perfection and even then there was one tiny, faint dust spot in the top left corner that I could not eliminate…. The idea is to get the sensor a lot cleaner than it was when you began.

The procedure that we use and recommend is simple and safe. Thousands of folks have adapted our method with great results and a perfect safety record. We offer a complete package with all of the sensor cleaning gear that I use here.

This Laysan Albatross image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at +1 2/3 stops off the sky: 1/640 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. (Early morning light.) I tried hard to get at least a strip of the lagoon in the image to add interest. The waves in the distance are breaking on the reef that surrounds the atoll. Working with a camera with a clean sensor is a pleasure as you do not waste time during image optimization having to clean dust spots. I use the Spot Healing Brush to clean dust spots from uniform areas. For complete details and lots more check out our Digital Basics File.

BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #371

BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #371 is on-line now and can be accessed here.

FEATURES

• THE MIDWAY TRIP REPORT
• MIDWAY e-MAIL AND FUTURE MIDWAY TRIP?
• MAY 15th CONNECTICUT PROGRAM
• POSSE NEWS/DENISE IPPOLITO
• IPT UPDATES

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear mentioned in today’s post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot–depending on the situation–with the 1.4X III TC.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
2X III teleconverter. The new 2X III TC is sharper than the older 2X II version.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Leve.l You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am on a tripod and not using flash.
Delkin Sensor Scope. This cool, indispensable device allows you to see sensor dust so that you know where to clean.
Lens Pen Combo Kit. The answer to your sensor cleaning problems. Use the small pen on your sensor, the larger one on your lenses and teleconverters.
Giotto’s Super Rocket Blower. Don’t waste your time with smaller versions; you need to power of this large blower to clean your sensor successfully.

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gear bag with each order over $50.

Think Tank Free Offer

This Laysan Albatross image was created at Rusty Bucket on Sand Island, Midway with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 in Av Mode. Flash as main light in Manual mode at 1:1 with the
Canon 580 EX II Speedlight.

Silhouette Flash Lessons

This image was created only a few minutes after the image that I shared with you yesterday here. The sun had slipped below the horizon and the color in the sky had lost its glow and its intensity but the varying shades of orange and peach were still quite lovely. I had brought my flash along but did not have my external battery pack (the Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Pack), my flash cord, the Integrated Flash Arm for my Mongoose, or my Better Beamer. Though ill-equipped, I thought that lighting the (effectively) shadowed side of the bird was worth a try. I knew that with the flash mounted on the camera that severe flash eye/silver eye would be the result but that I could deal with that easily during image optimization.

(Using an external battery pack allows for more consecutive flashes and faster recharging times. A flash cord allows you to mount the flash off-camera on a flash bracket. Using a flash bracket allows you to mount the flash well above the central axis of the lens thus eliminating or reducing problems with red-eye, flash-eye, steel eye, purple eye with birds and green eye with many mammals. With the flash mounted on camera the light from the flash reflects off the subject’s retina causing a variety of problems. Using a Better Beamer concentrates the light from the flash and yields an increase in flash output of about 2 2/3 stops, allows you to work at greater distances with smaller apertures, reduces battery drain, weighs just 2 1/2 ounces, and holds the Fresnel lens in place with no sagging or flopping. It fits in your pocket and set up and removal is quick and easy.)

When you are lighting the shadowed side of the subject you are effectively using Flash As Main Light Techniques; you want to fully illuminate the dark side of the subject. Experience with flash told me that I would need lots of flash as the bird was about 79 feet from me so I immediately went to maximum flash, manual flash at 1:1. The image on the LCD looked pretty bright so I cut back to 1:2 for the second test frame but the histogram was nowhere near the fifth box so I went back to 1:1. To learn about flash as main light, fill flash, and manual flash, see the Flash Simplified section in ABP II (916 pages on CD only).

This JPEG represents the converted RAW file, in effect, the original. Note the horrific flash eye Note the grass clean-up done using the techniques described in Digital Basics File (an PDF sent by e-mail).

To eliminate the huge flash eye problem in the original image above I painted a Quick Mask of the pupil, hit Control U (Hue/Saturation) on a layer, reduced the Saturation, moved the Lightness Slider to the left, added a Layer Mask to the QM layer, and painted away the mask to reveal the catch light. For complete details and to learn all of my Digital Eye Doctor techniques, check out our amazing Digital Basics File (an PDF sent by e-mail). Digital Basics also includes my complete digital workflow from capture through image optimization and dozens and dozens of great Photoshop tips.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My workhorse professional digital camera bodies.
Canon 580 EX II Speedlight. This is Canon’s most powerful, top of the line flash.
Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Pack. Powers the flash. Allows more consecutive flashes and faster recharging times.
Better Beamer. Using a Better Beamer concentrates the light from the flash and yields an increase in flash output of about 2 2/3 stops, allows you to work at greater distances with smaller apertures, reduces battery drain, weighs just 2 1/2 ounces, and holds the Fresnel lens in place with no sagging or flopping. It fits in your pocket and set up and removal is quick and easy.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Mongoose Integrated Flash Arm. Lightweight yet fully functional. This accessory allows you to mount the flash well above the central axis of the lens thus eliminating or reducing problems with red-eye, flash-eye, steel eye, purple eye with birds and green eye with many mammals.
ProMaster Flash Cord. This flash cord is sturdy and reliable.
Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.

I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0 rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0 for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gear bag with each order over $50.

Think Tank Free Offer