Is This Any Better? And Believe it or Not … « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Is This Any Better? And Believe it or Not ...

What’s Up?

Saturday morning turned out a lot better than the weather forecast. It dawned sunny with a good breeze from the north that turned northeast before swinging to the northwest at about 9am. I found the baby cranes foraging with and getting fed by the adults in the same spot they have been every morning since I found them. I photographed them for a bit and then got back in my SUV to go hunting. I was rewarded by finally getting some really good images of the single surviving colt. I worked from my vehicle with the hand held 200-600 and the a1.

With light clouds moving quickly and partially or fully blocking the sun at times, Zebras saved the say. Working with shutter speeds between 1/1000 and 1/1600 second and the aperture set at either f/6.3 (wide open) or at f/7.1 (stopped down 1/3-stop), the ISOs varied with almost every frame I kept ranging from ISO 500 with the sun fully out to ISO 1250 when the sun was totally obscured.

On the EVF-BO front, I am glad to report that the a1 has not blacked out in more than a week.

I got a ton of work done on the Zoom Webinar presentation I will be doing for the South Shore (Long Island, NY) Camera Club on April 7th. It is entitled Designing and creating pleasing and dramatic natural history images. I should have it pretty much completed by today but usually wind up changing around a slide or two ten minutes before the presentation.

Today is Sunday 4 April 2021. The forecast for ILE this morning is for partly cloudy skies with north/northeast winds at 10mph. I will head down to the lake early to see if I can locate the baby crane nest … Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took almost two hours to prepare and makes 103 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts. And doing so often earns my great appreciation.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).

You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The basics of grabbing a bird’s eye from one frame and using it in a second frame (as with Image #1A below), are detailed in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. This guide also includes all of the clean-up techniques that I use on most every image that I create and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques along with all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail. (Note RAW conversions in Capture One RAW Conversions) are not covered in DB II. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my MacBook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop, may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: all of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About two years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One Pro 12 and continue to do so today.

To purchase Capture One, please use this link. Then you can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.

This image was created on 30 March 2021 at Stick Marsh, Fellsmere, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 344mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. Auto ISO set 640. Exposure determined with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. Multi-metering +2.3 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (S) mode. AWB at 7:31am with clouds on the eastern horizon.

Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly.

Image #1: Roseate Spoonbill SQUARE landing blur

Yesterday …

In yesterday’s Three Squares a Day blog post here, many folks were partial to Image #1, the Roseate Spoonbill SQUARE landing blur. But nearly everyone wished that the eye (and the face?) were sharp or at least sharper …

Carol Nichols Comment: April 3, 2021 at 12:48pm

I also love the first image, but would prefer a sharp eye and bill. Would that even have been possible? If so, what could you have done to get that result? Thanks.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART Response: April 3, 2021 at 1:06pm

Good question, Carol. At times, when creating blurs of flying birds at shutter speeds between 1/30 and 1/125 second (or even as slow as 1/15 second), it is possible to get the face and eye sharp or even very sharp if you pan smoothly and your panning rate exactly matches the speed of the bird in flight and, if the birds head is not moving up or down. In other words, it ain’t easy. with love, a

ps: there are, of course, Photoshop option …

Carol Nichols Reply: April 3, 2021 at 1:11pm

Thanks for the explanation.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART Reply: April 3, 2021 at 1:36pm

YAW. And stay tuned for the ps: PS option. with love, a

This image was created on 30 March 2021 at Stick Marsh, Fellsmere, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 344mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. Auto ISO set 640. Exposure determined with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. Multi-metering +2.3 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (S) mode. AWB at 7:31am with clouds on the eastern horizon.

Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly.

Click on the image to see a slightly larger, slightly sharper (?) version with the much sharper eye.

Image #1A: Roseate Spoonbill SQUARE landing blur with the eye replaced

Is This Any Better?

To create Image #1 A above, I grabbed the sharp eye from yesterday’s Image #3 via a Quick Mask, moved it into place with the Move Tool (V), and used the Transform command to warp, rotate, and re-size it. As it looked just a bit too sharp, I softened it a bit by applying a one pixel Gaussian Blur. I re-learned a long forgotten lesson: when working on tiny selections we need to use very low pixel values when applying a Gaussian blur. I typically use a 65 pixel Gaussian blur to soften problematic backgrounds.

Is this better or does it need the face (and bill) sharper too?

This image was created on 31 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 3200. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:40am on a clear morning.

Click on the image to enlarge it and see if you can figure out what bugs me …

Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and somewhat amazingly, performed perfectly.

Image #2: Sandhill Crane chicks — little chicks in a big world

The Full Frame Original

Little chicks in a big world was the consensus pick of the litter in the Little Chicks in a Big World, My Favorite Crane Chick Perspective, and Clambering Around at 1/1000 Second blog post here. I liked all three images equally.

I asked what bugged me about the image.

Kathy J Kunce Comment: April 2, 2021 at 11:53am

Head angle (of the left-hand bird) is a little off, and the head is a bit soft focus.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART Response: April 2, 2021 at 12:06pm

One out to two ain’t bad … with love, a

See my additional comments below.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and somewhat amazingly, performed perfectly.

Image #2A: An unsharpened 96.5% crop of the Sandhill Crane chicks — little chicks in a big world image

What Bugged Me …

The only thing that bugged (and still bugs) me about this image is the head angle of the chick on our left. Close examination shows that it is pretty much perfectly parallel to the imaging sensor. But that is not good enough. As stated here often, the best head angle (for a side shot), has the bird’s head turned one to three degrees toward us. Let’s call it two degrees on average. For tight shots, this puts the bill tip on the same plane as the birds eye so that lack of depth-of-field is less of an issue. But more importantly, a slight head turn toward the viewer creates a connection between the subject and the viewer.

Note: Image 2A represents only 3.5% of the original pixels! How’s that for image quality?

Believe it or Not …

Believe it or not, as I framed up the image with the hand held 200-600 at 600mm, I was begging the left hand chick to turn its head just a bit toward me. After I made four quick images, I uttered a sharp kweek, kweek in hopes that the offending chick on my left would give me what I wanted. It did not work. The cute side-by-side pose had lasted only about four seconds. With most bird photography, it pays not to tarry. And that goes quadruple when trying to create nice juxtapositions invoking two live subjects!

The Lesson

Head angle matters even with tiny-in-the frame subjects.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and somewhat amazingly, performed perfectly.

Image #2B: SONY a1 Animal Eye Face Tracking AF image

SONY a1 Animal Eye Face Tracking AF

In yesterday’s blog post, I mentioned that with Image #2, the AF system — for whatever reason — could simply not recognize and track the plainly visible eye of the handsome spoonbill. But I also mentioned that the performance of Animal Eye Face Tracking AF with the a1 was almost always superb.

With a relatively tiny-in-the-frame subject, the performance of Animal Eye Face Tracking AF with this image is nothing short of astounding. How in the world could the system detect and track the face and the eye of a tiny crane chick more than 100 feet away?

Sony Alpha a1 AF Magic …

The AF system of the a1 — set up as detailed in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group, continues to amaze me. Early on there was lots of discussion within the group with many preferring multiple back button approaches. For me a simple shutter button approach with the right AF settings that yield 99% sharp on the eye images is best. By far. Super-simple and mega-effective. Note: info on the program that I use to ascertain SONY AF point information is detailed in one of the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mails. I plan on making that information available here soon for all SONY camera users.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based advice. We are now up to 20 folks. Early on, we discussed the best AF options. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem. There will be more on that topic here soon.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 Paypal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, you can call Jim weekday afternoons at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails summarizing all previous discussions.

Typos

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

10 comments to Is This Any Better? And Believe it or Not …

  • Hey Art, I was curious… did you know you can set-up the R5 to do one button on the fly blurs? Meaning, shooting normal high speed action, then by simply holding a button switch over to a setup that is useful for blurs. Then let go and you are back to your normal setup. Obviously, it can be setup for other things as well. One thing to note is, because you have to hold the button down changing exposure settings doesn’t seem to be an option, so set your EC to the expected situation. I’m using Tv, EC 0, 1/80th (might nudge this further down). Its in the Customize button feature set and has an ambiguous, but accurate name, “Register/Recall Shooting func”.

    • avatar Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

      Hi Mike,

      Having to press and hold down a button is against my religion. I use C1 and C2 as detailed in the R5 guide to switch from fast to blurs.

      with love, a

      ps: if you are shooting blurs with the EC at zero in pre-dawn/low light, then most of your images of birds against sky or water will be at least two stops under-exposed …

  • Howdy Artie
    Stopping by to say Happy Easter!
    I love #2 the little chicks, shows life and brings a smile.
    I’m just getting out of the hospital now after you dumping Sony and shooting Canon now! LOL
    Always with love b

  • avatar Esther Corley

    I believe the head, etc, not being totally sharp, fits in very well with the “unsharpness” of the wings and the blur. If the head and eyes, etc, were sharp, it, in my opinion, would not fit the rest of the image.

  • The sharper eye helps, but even a little more sharpening in the area around the eye including just a bit of bill base would be good for me. However that sharpening might mean getting too out of sync with reality with too much difference between sharp and blur? Do the sharpened eye without Gaussian blur but add Gaussian to the surrounding sharpened area?

  • avatar Frank Sheets

    Hi Artie, I would agree that with the spoonbill blur a sharper face/bill would be better. And with the crane chicks, have you considered more of a pano crop with the same width. Just a thought.

  • avatar Maggi Fuller

    From one who does not like blurs in general, Image 1 is fantastic, spoilt only by the blurred head and bill. Replacing the eye doesn’t go far enough in my opinion, sorry! It has to be the whole face and bill too.

Leave a Reply to Elinor Osborn Cancel reply

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>