Good Photoshop News
Huge thanks to longtime friend Tim Grey. Tim is one of the top educators in digital photography and imaging, offering clear guidance on complex subjects through his writing, speaking, and training. Tim explained that the Denoise AI feature had not been eliminated in ACR 17.5. They simply changed the implementation (but did not bother explaining anywhere to anyone). The new version is actually a bit of an improvement as compared to the old Enhance method. I will begin working on the first volume of the Digital Basics IV Video series this afternoon. The use of new Noise Reduction feature will be covered in detail. Volume I should be in the BAA Online Store no later than Monday.
Good a- II News
On Wednesday, I updated one of my two a-1 ii bodies to Firmware 3.00 as several folks who purchased their new camera body received theirs with the latest firmware installed. Now they are good to go and will easily be able to get all my setting on their a-1 ii bodies and receive both the Buttons and Dials guide and the INFO sheet so that they can head out and begin making great images from day one. Use one of my affiliate links to purchase your a-1 ii and get everything above free. Using one of my links never costs you one penny more and if you get in touch via e-mail, I may be able to save you some money.
What’s Up?
I have been finding some stuff to photograph here at ILE for the past few days. On Tuesday morning I had a young female Anhinga on The Perch II. The next morning there was a preening young Great Egret that was evicted by a young male Anhinga. And this morning, I worked the cranes for a bit. One family was scavenging what I thought might have been a mower-killed skink about eight inches long. I sent a bunch of screen grabs to my herp-friend, Matt Milnes. He wrote:
“It a Glass Lizard, Ophisaurus ventralis. They are one of several species of legless lizards that are native to the southeast. The common name comes from the fact that they readily drop their tail when handled. They have external ear holes and movable eyelids, like other lizards, whereas snakes lack external ear holes and have a clear fixed scale that covers their eyes.”
Today is Thursday 18 September 2025. What you choose to do today, I hope that you too opt to have a wonderful blessed day.
If an item — a Delkin flash card or reader, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro, or a Wimberley lens plate or low foot — 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 or beat any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedford 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.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BirdPhotographer’s.Net, 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.
Don’t Just Shoot: Learn
If you are interested in changing your life and becoming a better photographer by joining me on the Extended IPT at Sebastian Inlet for Ospreys and more (SEPT 25 to NOV 24, 2025), in San Diego for Pacific-race Brown Pelicans and more (JAN 6 to FEB 2, 2026), or for Roseate Spoonbills at Stick Marsh (March 2026), please e-mail for dates, rates, terms, and additional information. Or shoot me a text to 863-221-2372. Some offerings include options for shared AirBnB lodging and meals. Ground transportation during your stay is a possibility at times.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but using my affiliate links is greatly appreciated. And, with B&H, 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!
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1-ii from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1-ii Info and Updates Group, a roughly $225.00 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 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. Using either my affiliate links is greatly appreciated and will often earn you free guides or discounts.
Bedfords Amazing BAA Discount Policy
Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can always 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 when your product ships. 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, or prior purchases.
You can 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 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates on 15 April 2025. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 2500: 1/1600 second at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was 1/2 stop too dark. AWB at 8:32:42am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1: Solitary Sandpiper |
Photographing a New Species Well
Solitary Sandpiper, related to the yellowlegs, is a rare bird at Indian Lake Estates. I have seen it only once here in a quarter century. As its name implies to some degree, it is not seen in large numbers anywhere. I once saw three in the same spot on Staten Island early on a fine morning in May. Anyhoo, it is always a thrill to make a decent image of new species.
Solitary Sandpiper Species Account from Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers
Tringa solitaria
True to its name, the Solitary Sandpiper is usually seen alone, It is extremely rare to see a group of more than three or four. Solitaries bob up and down as they search deliberately for aquatic insects and small crustaceans along the edges of shallow freshwater pools or along the shores of woodland ponds or streams. The presence of a fly-over Solitary Sandpiper is often revealed by its shrill “”peet weet” call.
This species is dark-brown above, lightly spotted white. It has greenish legs, a fairly short, straight bill, and a prominent, complete eye-ring. The throat, neck and breast are streaked dark brown. All plumages are similar, but in fresh juvenal plumage the spotting is brighter and more evident. Amazingly, this species nests in trees in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska, frequently using the old nests of Rusty Blackbirds, robins, grackles, and waxwings. Solitary Sandpipers migrate south across a broad front, primarily east of the Rockies. A few winter in the southern United States, most in the Caribbean region and from Central America south to Argentina.
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This image was created less than two minutes after Image #1 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates on 15 April 2025. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 2500: 1/2000 second at f/8 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 8:32:42am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #2: Solitary Sandpiper jumping forward |
Getting An Action Shot of a New Species
Getting a decent action shot of a species that you have never photographed before is the icing on the cake. Before you scroll down, see if you can figure out what I don’t like about Image #2. Clue — with a breeze from the southeast the thing that bugged me was 100% bad luck.
Image Color Question
I optimized Image #1 this morning while Image #2 had been processed about 5 months ago. Do you like the warmer color tones in Image #1 or the slightly cooler look to Image #2?
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This image was created less than two minutes after Image #1 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates on 15 April 2025. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 2500: 1/2000 second at f/8 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 8:32:42am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #3: Solitary Sandpiper jumping forward (with head replaced) |
Photoshop Hanky Panky
Bad luck resulted in the bird’s head being turned slightly away in Image #2. So, I painted a Quick Mask of the same bird’s head on Image #1, moved it roughly into place on Image #2, refined the placement and warped the layer, and then added and refined the Regular Layer Mask that I had added. As the head was now held much higher, I needed to remove parts of the bill (and a bit more) that had not been covered by the Quick Mask. The last step was to select the formerly masked area with the Quick Selection Tool and reduce the saturation so that the replaced head matched the rest of the bird.
And no, I will not be entering Image #3 in any contests.
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Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers |
Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers
Written for naturalists and birders, the text tells you everything you’ve always wanted to know about North America’s sandpipers, godwits, yellowlegs, phalaropes, plovers, avocets, stilts, and oystercatchers. Topics covered include identification and aging, shorebird behavior, their incredible migrations, feeding and diet, mating and breeding strategies, eggs, nests, and young, conservation efforts, and shorebirding tips. Also included are approximately 50 species accounts covering all of the regularly occurring North American shorebird species. With 70 of Arthur’s images and 26 more by some of the world’s best nature photographers, this book, at publication, contained the finest collection of shorebird photographs ever published in a single volume.
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Composite #1: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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The a-1 ii for General Bird Photography
I have found that eye-tracking for general bird photography with the a-1 ii is far, far better than with the original Sony a-1. It grabs the eye and tracks it faster and far more consistently and focus is rarely lost, even with backgrounds other than sky.
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Composite #2: All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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The a-1 ii for Birds in Flight
For birds in flight, the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body has no equal. As Arash Hazeghi says, “It is better than the a-1.” When I am late getting on a bird in flight, I have consistently been amazed at how often the AF system of the a-1 ii finds and tracks the bird’s eye.
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Composite #3: All the result of using Pre-Capture with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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Pre-Capture with the Sony a-1 ii
When it comes to Pre-Capture with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body, Arash and I agree 100%. And with my slower reflexes, Pre-Capture is more important for me than it is for Arash. Understand that in each of the images in Composite #3, I did not push the shutter button until after the bird took flight!
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All with the a-1 ii Mirrorless Camera body.
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Purchasing or Upgrading to a Sony a-1 ii
The Sony a-1 ii e-Mail Set-up and Info Guide
I now own and use two Sony a-1 ii bodies. Every day that I use them, the more I am amazed by speed and accuracy of the Bird Face-Eye tracking in AF-C and the overall performance of the camera.
Aside from the improved ergonomics as compared to the a-1, other nice features include the fact that the rear screen tilts both ways — the lack of a tilting rear screen on the original a-1 always ticked me off. Pre-capture has proven to be a huge plus almost exclusively for take-off flight images. In my opinion, the Speed Boost feature is a total waste for bird photography because you should always be utilizing the maximum frame rate. In addition, the resolution on the rear monitor has been improved dramatically. I must mention again that Bird Face-Eye tracking on the a-1 ii is vastly improved as compared to both the a-1 and the a9 iii and that the 51MP files are to die for.
So, the big question is, is the a-1 ii “worth” a gear upgrade. Remembering that I can never know whether or not something is worth it to you, I can say that I was not floored when first using my a-1 ii. The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, seemed to be neither huge nor eye-opening. But over time, I have come to realize that I was 100% wrong. The huge difference between the new camera body and the a9 iii is, of course, the 51MP a-1 raw files (as compared to the 24MP files rendered by the a9 iii).
The price of a new a-1 is $5,898.00. The price of a new a-1 ii is $1,100.00 more: $6,998.00. As the a-1 ii is clearly far superior for bird photography to the original a-1, the choice for folks new to Sony or for those upgrading from lesser Sony camera bodies is an easy one. Prices for used a-1 bodies has not dropped drastically as I anticipated. At this point, a-1 folks who like showing flight and action and can afford an a-1 ii, are advised to purchase an a-1 ii. Please remember that life is short; we only get one ride on the merry-go-round.
If you do purchase an a-1 ii, be sure to use one of my two affiliate links so that you will receive my a-1 ii settings (in the form of a CAMSEa1ii.DAT file), the Buttons and Dials Guide, and an Info Sheet for free. Using my links will never cost you one penny and may actually save you some money. Folks who do not purchase their new a-i using my B&H link or from Bedfords here and entering the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout will be able to purchase the a-1 ii guide for $244.93. If you are at all confused and do not want to screw up your order, please get in touch via e-mail. If you would like to chat about upgrading, shoot me a text to 863-221-2372 and LMK a good time to call you.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Artie, I like the head position in #3, yet with the replacement also came a bit of “haloing” around the head because of some of the light colors in the water (at least to my eye). In regard to tone, I like the warmer colors on the bird, the cooler colors on the water…but that’s just me.
I like #3, the cooler image, not so much for the cooler tones but with the slight head turn that gives the image additional depth to my eye. Thanks for sharing.