Wanted to Buy
If you have a Canon EOS R5 MkII (in Excellent plus or better condition) and the matching battery grip BG-20 sitting on a shelf gathering dust and would like to sell it for a fair price, please get in touch me via e-mail and I will put you in touch with the interested party.
What’s Up?
After flying from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada to Orlando International Airport with lots of Canon gear, Mishael Voisin arrived at ILE safely on Monday afternoon for a week of photography instruction; he heads to Miami and Grand Cayman after our morning session on Friday. As it was cloudy after our early pool deck dinner, we began with a long afternoon session that went quite well and ended with a decent sunset. Tuesday morning was fabulous as the pier crane colts fed in the shallow bay left of the pier. That afternoon, our chances were looking slim at best until we found the three recently hatched Killdeer chicks near the Lakefront Pavilion. After several days of torrential rain, the 100% guaranteed Black-bellied Whistling Ducks abandoned SOP (South-of-Pier) Bay to feed in the flooded North Field. Bummer on that.
Today is Wednesday May 14, 2025. We headed down to the lake at 6:15am and enjoyed yet another successful session. Whatever you choose to do, I hope that you opt to enjoy life and have a wondrous day. There is still AirBnB room at Jacksonville from Thursday 26 June until 1 July. If you would like to change your life, please get in touch via e-mail. You can see the complete trip info here.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or especially, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro tripod head -— for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. If you are making a major purchase from B&H be sure to get in touch with me via e-mail if you would like to learn how to save some serious dollars on a B&H transaction. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. You cannot get your free guides if you make a phone order. Once you have an item in your cart, you must complete the order within two hours. Huge thanks!
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. But when I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
Bedfords Amazing BAA Discount Policy
Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, prior purchases.
Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
|
|
This image was created on 11 May 2025 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the front seat of my SUV in a driving rain, I used the BLUBB--supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 5000: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was 1 1/2 stops too dark. AWB at 6:37:53am on a dark, stormy afternoon. Wide/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed adequately. Click on the image to see a larger, sharper high resolution version Image #1: Photo Mechanic Screen Capture for the Great Blue Heron with Atlantic Needlefish image |
I Could Barely See the Bird Thru the Torrential Downpour
Would you try to optimize the raw file above?
It was raining. A brisk wind below from the west. It was very dark and getting darker. I was photographing the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks frolicking in the deluge. I am not sure what made me look across the breadth of the bay to the south of the pier, but to my surprise, I spotted a Great Blue Heron with a fish in its bill about 60 yards away. Reluctant to go below 1/250 sec. or above 5000 ISO, I knew that the image would be under-exposed. It was. I created more than 500 photos in a very few minutes despite that fact that I knew the heron’s head was angled away in most every frame. I got luck with this one.
I was sure that I was looking at a needlefish but was pretty sure that the live only in saltwater. AI Overview turned up this:
“Atlantic needlefish (Strongylura marina) can be found in freshwater in Florida, according to the Fisherman and the Florida Springs Institute. While they are typically marine and estuary species, they are known to venture into freshwater rivers, streams, and springs in Florida. Research also indicates that they can spawn in both freshwater and saltwater habitats.”
Live and learn. Thanks to blog regular David Policanksy, AKA Dr. Fish, for confirming the ID.
|
Image #1A: Great Blue Heron with Atlantic Needlefish image |
The Optimized .TIF Master File
After increasing the exposure by 0.70 stops and moving the contrast slider to +59, most of the rest of the image optimization was straightforward as detailed in both the Digital Basics II PDF and the Digital Basics III Video Series. You can learn more about these offerings or purchase them here.
Considering the abject conditions, I was quite happy with the final result. See below for the single negative.
|
Image #1B: 100% crop of the Great Blue Heron with Atlantic Needlefish image |
The Big Problem with an ISO 5000 Under-exposure
The single biggest problem with being 1 1/2 stops too dark with an ISO 5000 raw file is the almost complete loss of fine feather and other detail. I tried to rectify that to some degree by selecting the subject, taking the image back into Adobe Camera Raw, adding Grain, applying a bit of Sharpening under the Detail tab, and moving the Dehaze slider to +8. As you can see, those effort were not very successful as the bird’s feathers look quite like wax.
|
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 techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. 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.
Please note: the Divide and Conquer technique was inadvertently omitted from DB II. It is detailed in a free excerpt in the blog post here.
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: most 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 three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. 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. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.
|
The Digital Basics III Video Series |
The Digital Basics III Video Series
I realized more than a year ago that my digital workflow had changed significantly and was toying with the idea of writing a Digital Basics III. More recently, I learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.
As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
I always make those high ISO under exposed image s. Thank goodness for software