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All four images were created on 12 June 2025 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, New York with the Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. Common Tern originals |
The Four Originals
Click on the composite above to see a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Before you scroll down, ask yourself, “How would I crop and optimize each of them?”
Your Call?
Which of today’s four featured images is the strongest? Why did you make your choice? In addition, to maximize your learning, check out the to three Image Questions below. I will share my thoughts and answers to the Image Questions with you in the next blog post.
What’s Up?
Sunday morning down by the lake near my home in Central Florida was excellent with clear skies early and a NE breeze. Monday morning was even better! Photos and details at some point. Thanks for all the comments on the last blog post; you can read all of them and see my responses here. My favorite image was #4, Anke Frohlich’s Least Tern chasing a dropped Sandeel.
If you would like to join me in Jacksonville for part of the Now-Practically-Free Royal Terns and More Extended IPT (arriving in one week on 29 June) please get in touch immediately (for the amazing details) via e-mail or shoot me a text to 863-221-2372.
Today is Tuesday 24 June 2025. I will of course be heading out early to check out the lakefront. Whatever you do, consider choosing to have fun.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro 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. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
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In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
If an item — a Delkin flash card, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate — 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. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Don’t Just Shoot: Learn
If you are interested in changing your life and becoming a better photographer by joining me on an Extended IPT at Sebastian Inlet for Ospreys and more (SEPT 25 to NOV 24, 2025) or in San Diego for Pacific-race Brown Pelicans and more (JAN 6 to FEB 2, 2026), or for Roseate Spoonbills at Stick Marsh mid-March 20260, please e-mail for dates, rates, terms, and additional information. Or shoot me a text to 863-221-2372. All offerings include options for shared AirBnB lodging. Ground transportation during your stay is a possibility.
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B&H
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Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.
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This image was created on 12 June 2025 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, New York. Seated on dry sand I used I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 2500: 1/4000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: AWB at 6:44:52pm on a variably hazy/variably sunny, variably cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #1: Common Tern wheeling in flight |
The Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM Lens at Nickerson
Because I flew to Long Island, I brought only three lenses with me:
Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E)
Sony FE 400-800mm f/6.3-8 G OSS lens (Sony E)
I only used the 300 only twice, about 10% of the time. In cloudy conditions, it shines because of its wide apetrture: f/2.8 with the bare lens alone; and f/4 with the 1.4X TC in place. I probably went with the 600 and a tripod about 40% of the time — always in low light. And half the time, I enjoyed the pleasure of being on the beach with just the handheld 400-800, usually in sunny or cloudy bright conditions. With my Delkin Devices 960GB BLACK CFexpress Type A 4.0 Memory Card there was no need to carry my card wallet with an extra card. And no need to bring a tripod. So I hit the beach most of the time with just a single extra battery in my pocket.
On June 12, I grabbed the 300 and both TCs but wound up using the 1.4X TC on occasion — never needed the 2X.
Image Question
See the original above; would you have cropped this one differently?
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This image was also created on 12 June 2025 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, New York. Seated on dry sand I used I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 2000. 1/4000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead-solid perfect: AWB at 7:00:18pm on a variably hazy/variably sunny, variably cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #2: Common Tern braking to land at small colony |
The Walkway
There is a small satellite colony consisting of about 10 Common Tern nests fairly close to the dunes at west of the East Colony at Nickerson Beach. If you sit by the ropes, the birds will rise up to peck your head even if you stay well back. So move in, get your spot, and the birds will be back on their nests in a minute or two. There is a blue walkway that runs right by this small roped off area so on busy beach days, the birds will spend plenty of time defending their nests. You can see the walkway at the top of this image. Any wind with some west in it on most afternoons will provide lots of flight opportunities; sitting is just fine.
Image Optimization Note
Check out the original image above for this one and you will see that this one required lots of work in Photoshop.
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This image was also created on 12 June 2025 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, New York. Seated on dry sand I used I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 1600. 1/4000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead-solid perfect: AWB at 7:02:16pm on a variably hazy/variably sunny, variably cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #3: Common Tern with chick and egg in scrape |
The Nest Scrape
Both sexes create the nests by shaping a scrape with their bottoms and kicking sand out with their feet. They often line the scrape with grasses, small pebbles, and bits of shell. In the little satellite colony, bits of wooden scraps and driftwood are often employed. Much it out comes from the remains of decaying snow fencing. It is common to see one of the terns picking up bits of shell and tiny twigs and tossing the items behind it toward the nest as they walk away from it. Strangely, though they do this quite often, none of that material ever seems to make its way to the nest.
The Pano Crop
For this one, the pano crop seemed obvious the blank sand above and below did not add anything.
Image Question
Do you like the beach plant in this image?
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This image was also created on 12 June 2025 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, New York. Seated on dry sand I used I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 3200: 1/4000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: AWB at 7:07:21 pm on a variably hazy/variably sunny, variably cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Image #4: Common Tern on two eggs in scrape nest |
Image Question
Click on the composite that opens this post. Why did I move the out of focus piece of wood in the background to the left side of the frame?
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For those who did not use my link to purchase their Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, you can order your a copy here for $209.93. Click on the image to enlarge and to be able to read the fine print. |
The BAA Sony 300mm f/2.8 Lens Guide
Impressed by my (or Pat’s) Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) images? Use either my Bedfords or B&H affiliate link to purchase your Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens and shoot me your receipt via e-mail and request a copy of the first-ever BAA Lens Guide. I thought that it would take only minutes to create this guide, but I was dead wrong. In the process of creating it, I learned a ton about the lens. And even better, I discovered a simple yet potentially fatal flaw that was resulting in sporadically unsharp flight images. The set-up fix is simple. Just be sure to use one of my affiliate links and get the guide for free.
If not, you can purchase a copy here for $209.93. Yes, it never hurts to use my links and it never costs you one penny more. And if you contact me via e-mail before you make a major purchase, I can often save you some money.
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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 routinely convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with the latest version of 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.
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The Digital Basics III Video Series |
The Digital Basics III Video Series
I realized well 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.
You can purchase the Digital Basics III Video Series by clicking here. 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 liked your cropping choices except that I would have kept the landing post in #2. Loved the beach plant in #3!
Thanks, Nelson. And welcome to the blog 🙂
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