Stuff, and the 2017 Bear Boat (Bear Cubs) IPT Report
I had not realized that my ORD > MCO flight had been moved back an hour so I got into Orlando at about 3:30pm (instead of at 2:30pm) on Tuesday afternoon. Jim picked me up right on the money. After a stop at Publix for restocking the cupboard, we got home to ILE just before 6pm.
The 2017 Bear Boat (Bear Cubs) IPT was a strange one in several ways, mainly involving the weather. As regular readers know it was looking as if we might not make it to Katmai on schedule but the weather cleared much earlier than expected. It was cloudy bright that afternoon Tuesday, July 18) and with less than ideal bear viewing tides we took a photographic ride in the spacious steel skiff. We got to photograph Harbor Seal, Red Fox (with only one x …), and a single bear, our first. The big surprise was that we got to photograph Orca (Killer Whale) at fairly close range. That was a first for me on my eight bear boat trips.
On Wednesday, July 19 we headed up to Hallo Bay fairly early and did well during the midday hours with a very cooperative mamma bear with two yearling cubs, again in ideal cloudy bright conditions. That is when I created today’s featured image. With a big storm that was supposed to last for several days headed our way we returned to the protected bay at Kukak to spend the night and ride things out. On Thursday morning, July 19, we woke to cloudy dark skies and high winds but no rain so we all got in the skiff and landed at the far end of Kukak Bay. As we came around a corner we spotted a blonde wolf. Those carrying their big lenses on their shoulders got off a few frames with IPT veteran Dave Romea getting the only decent image. Those like me and several other participants who favored long term shoulder health over preparedness came up empty-handed as the wolf disappeared into the hillside brush.
We photographed some nice wolf tracks in the mud and then I started poking around looking for some still wildflowers in the lee to photograph with my 100-400 II (without much luck). But I stumbled upon an apparently abandoned Black Oystercatcher nest with two eggs on the gravel. I photographed it for about and hour with a great variety of lenses and from a wide assortment of perspectives. The group spotted a bear but it went the way of the wolf … I shared some of my nest images with the group but only a few came back to the nest with me and those that did created only a very few snaps. My feeling is that if you have a nice subject that you should consider working it seriously. I will share my nest-with-egg efforts here with you soon.
It poured and blew hard all afternoon so I present a canned program on Composition and Image Design. That went well. The captain’s wife and our cook took great interest in the program and the group enjoyed it as well. The weather forecast was for two more full days of rain and northeast winds. The former is no fun to work in and the latter would have kept us pinned in Kukak as Hallo is wide open to the northeast winds with no place to hide for the night.
Several of us were up early on Friday July 21. With two more days of very harsh weather in the forecast, the leader — that’s me — was placed on suicide watch. Only kidding. But things were looking grim at that point. Our overnight anchorage in Kukak was so well protected that we did not realize that the storm had past. By 7am the good news was spreading; we were heading back to Hallo even though the forecast was not promising. Well, that turned out to be a miraculous turn of events as we got in a long session mostly in perfect cloudy bright conditions. Right off the bat we found the yearling cubs that we had worked with on Wednesday and again they were quite cooperative. Next was a big gold colored female bear with two spring cubs. She was so comfortable with us the I cannot quote any distances here in fear of starting a major ethical brouhaha (as I have done before). Suffice to say, we followed the rules; the bears approached us and we stayed tight as a group and still.
As conditions brightened a bit, all of us were thinking the same thing: “We have now been with this family for four hours. It is about time that the cubs nursed.” And then it happened, within yards of us. Momma laid down on her back and the two eager cubs began suckling and slurping. We were both amazed and in nature photography heaven.
That afternoon skies cleared and we enjoyed a skiff ride for Horned and Tufted Puffins. After dinner, Chuck took two of us out to try for some halibut. I had landed the only keeper of the season, a small chicken halibut, while fishing in the rain as we were anchored up. He took us in the skiff to a few spots that had been productive in the past. I was fishing an eight-ounce diamond jig with two strips of white fish skin as a teaser. I was concentrating really hard almost willing a fish to hit. One did, and it was a substantial halibut. Line peeled off the screaming reel as the fish made first one long run and then another. Twice it nearly jerked me off my feet as it pulled me from the back of the skiff to the front of the skiff.
I played the fish on light tackle for about 20 minutes. As I got it near the surface Chuck grabbed his harpoon. I had the spent fish lying perfectly flat on the surface next to the boat. Chuck fired and thought that he had missed. At that moment, the line broke and I pictured the huge, exhausted fish turning tail and heading back to the bottom of the bay. But the harpoon had struck home. With a bit of a struggle Chuck got a hand gaff into the fish and lifted my 55-pound halibut into the skiff where it protested for a while. We tried again the next day in the morning but my fish was it. We did enjoy several wonderful meals and I still wound up with about 15 pounds of halibut filets to bring home.
On Saturday, July 22, those of us who were up very early enjoyed a nice puffins on the water red silhouette situation while those who got up a bit later enjoy some nice pre-sunrise scenic photography; my best there were created with the the 11-24mm, my big sky lens. We were ashore by 8:30 and had an eagle and some bears on the extensive low tide mudflats. I did some sidelit pattern shots of the mud ridges and made a few blasting highlights scenics with the mud and a distant island. Once we started hiking and found the bears the light was very bright. I created many hundreds of image and kept only a handful. By the time we headed back to the boat we had been hiking for more than seven not very productive hours and had hiked more than 3.7 miles. In and out at Hallo on the lower tidal stages will do that to you. A great late lunch halibut meal was enjoyed by all. We tried for puffins again but with wind against sun that we a bust.
Sunday the 23rd dawned clear and bright so I went out on a limb. “We will head to shore at 4pm on the high tide, get dropped off up the river, and then work our way back to the boat as the light gets nicer and nicer.” We had lots of close encounters with several bear families for many hours and then found the three cub family trying to stay out of the way of several big boars. The female charged one of them and sent it off with its tail between its legs. When a larger male approached I made my best image of the trip and maybe my best bear image ever as (finally) seen in the Last Minute Magic/Bear Boat Single Favorite Image. By far … blog post here. After that we trudged back over the berm to find several bears doing some early season fishing. Those — including and especially me — who waded the channels had a chance to photograph several bears in really sweet light. All in all we saw well more than 20 bears that afternoon. Having been dropped off far up the river on high tide we walked only about two miles with our gear on Sunday. We did not make it back to the boat until after 10:30pm which was just after the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Then it was back to our protected anchorage at Kukak to spend the night. Most folks slept in. I am not capable of doing that …
On Monday morning some folks opted to head out for a two-hour skiff ride. I stayed aboard to pack. They had lots of eagles and a few bears on the skiff ride but apparently we had used up all of our skiff photography magic on that first afternoon. Two float planes got us back safely to Kodiak late on Monday afternoon where everyone began their long journeys home.
All in all the weather was varied and strange with lots of highs and lows. The odd thing about the group was that most of the boys and girls rarely asked any questions in the field. I felt pretty lonely out there. Apologies again for the half-day of technical problems on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Thanks again to Peter Kes for getting things up and running. Sometimes, there is a price to pay for progress. 🙂
I finished work on this blog post just now at about 7:30pm on Tuesday evening. That took two hours and I am very tired, hoping to be able to stay up until about 10:00pm and possibly avoid severe jet lag.
The Streak
Today marks three days in a row with a new educational blog post.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
Upper Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The AF system selected two points in the array, one fell on the bear’s right wrist, the other just caught the tip of its mouth or possibly the edge of the stick on the same level as the mouth. Both were pretty much on the same plane as the bear’s face. The featured image is a decent crop from all four sides.
Brown Bear yearling playing with log
Brown Bear yearling playing with divining log
This was one of two yearling cubs that were very accommodating; having been born the previous spring they they were about 16 months old. The young bear in this image was actually quite curious at times and needed to be shooed away several times over the next few days. On morning one both of them began playing with thus fairly large log and there were a few magical moments. And they often play-fought with each other as well. As this was our first pleasing bear encounter we got to talk lots about getting the right exposure on a relatively dark day. The young bears both looked dark that day as a result of their wet fur. Several folks made some really nice images of the wet bears that featured very special poses with the log.
Image Title?
If you can come up with a funny or interesting title for this image, please do share by leaving a comment. With love, artie
The Image Optimization
After converting the image in DPP 4, I brought the image into Photoshop and cropped it. I realized right from the get-go with this first shared image processing session that applying a layer of RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing was the way to go with bear images created in low light. This technique worked magic on every single bear image that I processed. With this image and most others I left the RGB Curves layer at 100% opacity. Next I selected the bears only with the Quick Selection Tool (W) and applied a layer of my NIK Color Efex Pro 30/30 recipe. Lastly I painted a Quick Mask of the face of all the bear and selectively sharpened it with a Contrast Mask (15, 65, 0) on its own layer.
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
I got four hours of solid sleep on my Anchorage to Chicago red-eye. I am in Chicago as I type and should be in Orlando by about 2:30pm.
Apologies for the problems with the images in the last two blog posts. Once I alerted Peter Kes he identified the problem and solved it in ten minutes. The man is a big-time genius 🙂 Thank you Peter.
You should now be able to see possibly my all time favorite Brown Bear image in last night’s Last Minute Magic/Bear Boat Single Favorite Image blog post here, and be able to see the two “imperfect rose” images in the blog post here. Both are worth a look 🙂
I wrote and published this blog post in the bar next to the Kodiak Airport, the Navigator Lounge — free wi-fi and free plugs 🙂 I did not imbibe. I am on the Ravn Air 7:15 flight to Anchorage. After a four-hour layover my flight to Chicago departs just after midnight; Jim is scheduled to pick me up in Orlando at about 2:30pm on Tuesday afternoon. Then Publix. Then home sweet home. More on the Bear Boat IPT in tomorrow’s blog post.
Do know that you have been missed 🙂
The Streak
Today marks two days in a row with a new educational blog post.
FYI on the Canon 7D Mark II Invisible Analogue Exposure Scale
Via e-mail from Larry Brown
Dear Art, When I first got my 7D Mark II, I did have difficulty seeing the scale. After installing the latest firmware, the situation is much improved. Larry
The latest firmware for any Canon camera can be downloaded from the camera-specific page for each body — including the 7D Mark II — on the Canon website. Find your camera here.
Professional Post Processing Guide NeatImage v8.2 Update
Thanks to the hard work of co-author Arash Hazehgi, the first and last update of the Professional Post Processing Guide is now available for folks who have previously purchased the guide and in addition, have purchased NeatImage v8.2. Those who own and use NeatImage v7.6 are fine with the original version of the guide. Folks who are using or attempting to use v8.0 are advised to update to v8.2.
Those who have previously purchased the Professional Post Processing Guide are urged to follow these simple directions to receive their free update.
2: Please cut and paste page 2 of your current copy of the guide or include your original purchase receipt for the guide into the body of your e-mail.
Additional Info
Folks who wish to learn more about or purchase the guide should click here.
Important note: the original Professional Photographers’ Guide to Post Processing was based on NeatImage v7.6. Late in 2016, NeatImage released a new version, v8.2, that is a bit more complicated than v7.6. artie continues to use v7.6 which is simpler and easier to use. As far as the quality of the results, v7.6 and v8.2 are indistinguishable.
New purchasers need to decide if they want to purchase the Pro Version of NeatImage v7.6 or the Pro Version of NeatImage v8.2. Once you have decided, click here to purchase the The Professional Post Processing Guide Based on NeatImage v7.6. Or click here to purchase the The Professional Post Processing Guide Based on NeatImage v8.2
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
Two AF points to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. As originally framed, the selected AF point on momma bear’s shoulder, just this side of the plane of the bear’s face.
Brown Bear mom with three cubs
Last Minute Magic/Bear Boat Single Favorite Image. By far …
We had lots of bears and lots of momma bears with multiple cubs. Either 2 cubs or three cubs. The problem was getting the stars — and the bears, lined up properly. At 8:57pm on our last night, the Universe was very friendly. I was in just the right spot when this mom and here three cubs spotted a big boar (male bear) coming towards them. My perfect situation last exactly a fraction of one second. I made only two frames before the danger party was over. In the next frame, the bear right in front of momma bear moved its head back just and inch so that it merged with the fur on the adult’s leg. I did not realize that I succeeded until I reviewed my images the morning after as we did not get back to the boat until 10:30pm, thirty minutes after sunset.
While I have some pretty good fishing bear images I believe that this is my very best-ever Coastal Brown Bear image.
The Image Optimization
After converting the image in DPP 4, I brought the image into Photoshop and leveled it. Next I applied a layer of RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing. This technique worked magic on every single bear image that I processed. With this image, however, I reduced the opacity to 50%. All of the others were perfect at 100% opacity. Next I selected the bears only with the Quick Selection Tool (W) and applied a layer of my NIK Color Efex Pro 30/30 recipe. Lastly I painted a Quick Mask of the faces of all three cubs and selectively sharpened them with a Contrast Mask (15, 65, 0) on its own layer.
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
I prepared this short blog post while still on Kodiak Island on the morning of Tuesday, July 18. We are scheduled to fly via float plane to the Bear Boat today. When this is published, I should still be at Katmai National Park photographing bears and should be returning to Kodiak to start the long journey home on Monday, July 24th. I will be back to Indian Lake Estates on Tuesday, July 25th after my red-eye flight from Anchorage to Chicago, that followed by my flight to Orlando where I will be picked up by my right-hand man, Jim Litzenberg. I hope that you all missed me and missed the blog.
Professional Post Processing Guide NeatImage v8.2 Update
Thanks to the hard work of co-author Arash Hazehgi, the first and last update of the Professional Post Processing Guide is now available for folks who have previously purchased the guide and in addition, have purchased NeatImage v8.2. Those who own and use NeatImage v7.6 are fine with the original version of the guide. Folks who are using or attempting to use v8.0 are advised to update to v8.2.
Those who have previously purchased the Professional Post Processing Guide are urged to follow these simple directions to receive their free update.
2: Please cut and paste page 2 of your current copy of the guide or include your original purchase receipt for the guide into the body of your e-mail.
Additional Info
Folks who wish to learn more about or purchase the guide should click here.
Important note: the original Professional Photographers’ Guide to Post Processing was based on NeatImage v7.6. Late in 2016, NeatImage released a new version, v8.2, that is a bit more complicated than v7.6. artie continues to use v7.6 which is simpler and easier to use. As far as the quality of the results, v7.6 and v8.2 are indistinguishable.
New purchasers need to decide if they want to purchase the Pro Version of NeatImage v7.6 or the Pro Version of NeatImage v8.2. Once you have decided, click here to purchase the The Professional Post Processing Guide Based on NeatImage v7.6. Or click here to purchase the The Professional Post Processing Guide Based on NeatImage v8.2
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets trip in a streetside garden on the east coast of Scotland with the hand held Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop in Av mode: 1/320 sec. at f/4 in in Av mode as originally framed. Cloudy WB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: zero.
One AF point up an one to the right of the the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point fell on the edge of the rose with the water droplets on it. This image was a small crop from all four sides with the largest amount off the bottom.
Pink and Red Rose
Imperfect Red and White Rose in the drizzle
When our Bass Rock landing trip was cancelled because the captain was hospitalized we scheduled a replacement gannet boat trip but that was cancelled because of a nor-easter. So we set out in the van and drove along the coast in search of some gulls and shorebirds. We did not find much in the way of avian subjects but we did come across some spent roses in a garden of a seaside home. In a light drizzle. I was glad that I had taken my 100 macro along.
Image Design/Framing Question
As presented here on the screen should I have pointed my lens 1/2 inch up, down, left or right? Justify your choice with at least one good reason.
Low Contrast AF Tip
When hand holding and working on a very low contrast subject you will find that AF often acquires, holds for a second or so, and then begins to search. What I have begun doing in such situations is to fire off a frame or three the instant that the system acquires focus. In most cases the first and sometimes the second frame will be sharp where you need it. Today’s featured image was the first in a short series. By the second frame the system had begun to search and the image was unsharp.
All of the above becomes moot if you are working on a tripod when you can use rear button focus or One-Shot AF or even focus manually (gasp!) I used this very specialized hand holding AF technique on a dandelion blossom on our Instructional Photo-Walk on the morning of July 17 in Kodiak. The results were quite similar — one sharp image followed by one or two unfocused images. Trust me: one sharp is way better than none sharp …
This image was created on our morning Instructional Photo-Walk in the harbor on our layover day in Kodiak on the 2017 Bear Boat IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 200mm) and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Cloudy WB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -2.
The center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was place on the right edge of the letter O.
boat name
Another Imperfect Red and White “Rose”
We began our Instructional Photo-Walk with a solid hour of exposure, histogram, and manual mode lessons. Everyone loved what they learned. We followed that up with an hour long walk amongst the boats. Everyone including me loved that and we all found some interesting things to photograph. As always, I enjoyed working tight, clean, and graphic. The moment that I saw the name of this old boat I knew that I would couple it with my favorite rose image from Scottish seaside garden.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
It is nasty and windy and raining here on Kodiak on the morning of Tuesday, July 18. I am not sure if the float planes will be flying today. If they are, and I hope that they will be, I will be offline until sometime on Monday, July 24. If you have any questions on the BAA Online Store or on an IPT or on anything BIRDS AS ART-related, you can call Jim or Jen weekdays at 863-692-0906 or shoot them an e-mail.
In the meantime feel free to surf old posts by clicking on the drop-down menu for Postlists on the orange-yellow tool bar above. Or, you can find several blog posts on the topic of your choice by entering it in the small, rectangular search box at the top right of each blog post and hitting Search.
With love till then, and best and great picture-making, artie
11:30am Update
The weather improved. Half of the group is en route to Katmai via float plane and the last three — including me — will be on the way in about two hours.
My flights yesterday were long and relatively painless. My flight from Anchorage to Kodiak was delayed an hour making my long day even longer 🙂 As I approached security at MCO for my flight to Seattle I was thinking how blessed I am. Blessed by relatively good health. Blessed to be going to yet another world class nature photography location. Blessed to be riding up front. And blessed to have TSA pre-check as always since I re-upped my Global Entry last year. So without looking at my boarding pass I got on the TSA-Pre line and handed my stuff to the agent. “Sorry Arthur. You do not have TSA-Pre today.” My blessed world was shattered. Actually not. I simply got into the regular line, pulled out my cell phone, and started reading yet another Jack Reacher novel via Kindle. And soon I was off.
I was at the hotel in Kodiak at about 8pm local time, midnight in FL. Sixteen hours in all from Orlando hotel to Kodiak hotel.
Apologies
Apologies if you perceived me as being too brusque in Sunday’s’ blog post. Do continue to revisit the comments and replies there to further your learning experience.
The Latest Streak is Ending Soon
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 29 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 It is very likely that there will be no new blog posts from this coming Wednesday, July 19, until midday on the following Monday. That in part so that the BAA Blog — my proudest accomplishment — can be moved to a new server, and in part so that I can enjoy a relaxing day in Kodiak today, Monday March 17.
Professional Post Processing Guide NeatImage v8.2 Update
Thanks to the hard work of co-author Arash Hazehgi, the first and last update of the Professional Post Processing Guide is now available for folks who have previously purchased the guide and in addition, have purchased NeatImage v8.2. Those who own and use NeatImage v7.6 are fine with the original version of the guide. Folks who are using or attempting to use v8.0 are advised to update to v8.2.
Those who have previously purchased the Professional Post Processing Guide are urged to follow these simple directions to receive their free update.
2: Please cut and paste page 2 of your current copy of the guide or include your original purchase receipt for the guide into the body of your e-mail.
Additional Info
Folks who wish to learn more about or purchase the guide should click here.
Important note: the original Professional Photographers’ Guide to Post Processing was based on NeatImage v7.6. Late in 2016, NeatImage released a new version, v8.2, that is a bit more complicated than v7.6. artie continues to use v7.6 which is simpler and easier to use. As far as the quality of the results, v7.6 and v8.2 are indistinguishable.
New purchasers need to decide if they want to purchase the Pro Version of NeatImage v7.6 or the Pro Version of NeatImage v8.2. Once you have decided, click here to purchase the The Professional Post Processing Guide Based on NeatImage v7.6. Or click here to purchase the The Professional Post Processing Guide Based on NeatImage v8.2
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the 2016 DeSoto Fall IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop in Manual mode: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: zero.
One AF point up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was just to our left of the bird’s face, close enough so that one of the assist point caught the face and held focus in a difficult situation. Dancing Reddish Egrets are aways a challenge as they employ their drunken sailor hunting tactics. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Nonbreeding white morph Reddish Egret dancing
Reddish Egrets at Fort DeSoto
Reddish Egret is practically guaranteed for those who know where to find them. We have gotten to photograph both light morph and dark morph birds in both breeding and non-breeding plumage on every IPT in recent memory. Right now there is nobody signed up for the Fall Fort DeSoto IPT and just one person for the In-the-Field session. While I will run the IPT with a single registrant it would likely be difficult to run it with nobody 🙂 At some point in late summer, I may be forced to cancel the whole party. If you are considering signing up of if you realize how great it would be to attend an IPT with a very small group, please act fairly quickly.
My Bad with regards to the exposure compensation/Manual mode issues
Sometimes teachers — me included — can be so tightly focused that they wind up confusing folks (even when they are trying to help and make things simple and clear). In that vein, IPT veteran Stu Hahn sent me the e-mail below. I took the liberty of amending the text for clarity while attempting to keep Stu’s message intact.
Hi Artie,
“In regard to the Exposure Compensation/Manual Mode issues, here is a thought.
I think that the confusion may be due in part to semantics and an unclear understanding of how the phrase exposure compensation is being used and how it is being defined in the particular context in question.
When you say the following: “Remember, even though there is no exposure compensation when you are working in Manual mode; you can, however, always note the position of the indicator on the analogue scale to determine where you are in relation to the metered exposure.”
I wonder if it would be less confusing if the sentence were changed to something like this: Remember, even though there are no automatic exposure changes when the background changes in tonality as you move the lens, you can, however, always note the position of the indicator on the analogue exposure scale to determine the difference in the exposure suggested by the camera and the exposure that you have set manually.
I think people are confused by what you mean when you use the phrase exposure compensation in this instance. I do not think using that phrase actually helps in getting across the concept that you are trying to get people to understand.
Just my 2 cents.” stu
Analogue Exposure Scale (for today’s featured image)
My Bad with regards to the analogue scale
Another common error that teachers — including me –often make is assuming that the students know more than they do, that they understand basic information that is needed to further understanding of the concept being explored. With regards to the exposure compensation/Manual mode issues, I assumed that everyone would know what the analogue scale is and understand its function. I am not even sure what Canon calls it or what Nikon calls it. It is likely that analogue exposure scale might be a better term.
In any case, all modern digital camera bodies have one. And the same was and is true with film cameras. With some camera bodies like my beloved 5D Mark IVs, it lies horizontally across the bottom of the viewfinder. On some bodies, it lies vertically on the right side of the viewfinder. That is where it is on the 7D Mark II; the problem however, is that it is at best very difficult to see, especially when working outdoors. It is a major flaw in an otherwise great product. Unless you hold your eye in precisely the right spot to the viewfinder you simply cannot see it. Just so you know I find the tiny analogue scales on Nikon bodies extremely difficult to work with. Many of the Nikon-using students whom I have worked with have had a great deal of trouble simply reading the scale, often unable to tell if they were adding or subtracting light …
In the screen capture above, the analogue exposure scale is laid out horizontally. The red line indicates the suggested or metered exposure. If you are working in an automatic mode like Tv or Av, the blue line indicates the exposure compensation. In the screen capture above, that would be +1 stop. If you are working in Manual mode it would show that the exposure that you have set is one stop brighter than the metered exposure. As Stu suggested above, I many have confused some of you by calling the +1 stop here the “exposure compensation.”
The screen capture also shows that when used properly Manual mode is exactly the same as Av mode. Why? You are using the exact same exposure settings with the exact same difference between the metered exposure and the actual exposure. In Av mode, you got there by entering +1 EC. In Manual mode, you got there by adjusting your exposure settings so that the analogue scale showed the very same +1 stop, just as with today’s featured image … It shows that as framed that the manual exposure was one stop lighter than the exposure suggested by the camera’s Evaluative metering system.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
For starters, for the first time in decades on a photo trip, I got down to only a single checked bag: 49.75 pounds. Why? There is a weight limit on the float plane from Kodiak to Katmai and I finally decided to comply. It was difficult, but I wound up not having to leave anything important behind. I make most trips with two 50 pound bags …
Second, I switched from my larger Think Tank Roll-aboard (the AIRPORT SECURITY™ V3.0) to the smaller one (the AIRPORT INTERNATIONAL™ V3.0). This on its own saved 1 1/2 pounds. Photographically I cut way down as well. I am taking the following: the 500 II, the 100-400 II, two sets of TCs, my 24-105, the 8-15 fisheye, and two 5D Mark IV bodies. Stuffed in between the gear were two extra sets of front and rear caps, four extra batteries, and my Delkin flash card tote with a single spare 128gb card. Total weight: 34 1/4 pounds, about ten pounds lighter than average. Note that the lens hoods for the 500 II and the 1-4II go in the checked bag along with the Induro GIT 304L and the Mongoose M3.6. That 1D X II is one heavy body …
To order a Think Tank bag, receive a free gift, and support the work that I do here on the blog, please click here.
I got lots of work done on the LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjusting Tutorial e-Guide on my flight from Orlando to Seattle and then again on my flight to Anchorage.
More Exposure and Manual Mode Learning …
If you wish to continue your education with regards to these two topics be sure to re-visit yesterday’s blog post here and read and study my replies to the many comments. Seriously.
Canon EOS 5Ds Digital Camera Body
Price Reduced $300 on July 16, 2017.
Robert Blanke is also offering a Canon EOS 5Ds body in like-new condition for $2249.00 (was $2549.00). The sale includes the original packaging, manuals, software, and cables, the SLR body, the body cap, the charger, and the LP-E6N battery that came in the box. Also included is insured ground shipping via UPS. Your items will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Robert via e-mail or by phone at (813) 417-8967 (Eastern time).
The huge, amazingly detailed image files from the 5Ds are ideal for serious portrait, corporate, landscape, and Urbex photographers; it does its best work in a studio environment. artie
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 29 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There may be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
65-point Automatic Selection/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The system selected an array of five AF points a bit less than half-way down the bird’s bill, on pretty much on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial.
Today I would have used Upper Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter button AF to ensure that the selected AF points were somewhere on the bird’s face. In fact, I do not keep 65-point AF active on any of my camera bodies because Large Zone AF is far superior. And with moving subjects, I now use shutter button AF 100% of the time.
Pacific race Brown Pelican scissors preening
Pelican Scissors Preening Perfection
The single most important factor having to do with the success of pelican scissors preening images is the orientation of the plane of the bird’s bill to the back of the camera. In today’s featured image that orientation is perfect with the plane of the bird’s bill 100% parallel to the imaging sensor. The second thing you are looking for is for the bill to be fully open. That’s another bingo for today’s featured image.
Carpet-Necked Pelicans
From gulls to shorebirds to pelicans and with many other bird families I have always enjoyed studying the various plumages. I find the color and patterns fascinating, and most of the time, these colors and patterns help you to age the bird and to better understand the plumage sequences. I created the phrase carpet necks several years ago as it perfectly describes the look of the back of the head and neck of adult pelicans that are molting from winter plumage (white hind neck) to breeding plumage (dark chocolate brown hind neck). The back of the heads and necks of these birds alway looked to me like a good piece of tightly woven slightly shaggy carpet.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
It is quite amazing that I am pretty much back to normal as far as sleep and jet-lag are concerned after returning from Scotland, five time zones ahead, just two days ago. Tomorrow I fly to Alaska to get four times zones behind. My poor body 🙂 I worked on this blog post while heading for my airport hotel on Saturday afternoon.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 28 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There may be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Backlit Incoming Puffin Save
Check out my repost of Mike Poole’s spectacular backlit landing puffin in the BirdPhotographers.Net (BPN) thread by scrolling down here. Amazingly, everything that I did to repair the mega-overexposed part of the bird’s head is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
These two baby puffin images were created late on our last landing on Inner Farnes after I got permission for our group to stay late. 🙂 I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. WB: K5200.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -7.
AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. For the left-hand image it was one AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point. For the right hand image it was simply one AF point above the center AF point. In both cases the selected AF point was on the bird’s face.
DPP 4 Screen Capture of Atlantic Puffin “puffling” swimming in dark water
Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Puffling in Dark Water …
I first photographed the baby puffin in the dark water at -2/3. I had a few blinkies on the bird’s breast so I upped the shutter speed from 1/200 to 1/250. From that moment on I knew –with the constant light — that the correct exposure for the bird with it’s white breast was ISO 800, 1/250 sec. at f/9. End of discussion but keep reading 🙂
This image was created at 16:07:06.
Note the RGB Values!
To create the DPP 4 screen captures above and below I placed the cursor roughly on the same spot on the baby puffin’s breast. In the dark water image the RGB values were 233, 235, 240. In the light water image the RGB values were 233, 238, 241. The values were nearly identical. This is 100% proof that the correct exposure for the puffin’s white breast in the dark water image and the correct exposure for the puffin’s white breast in the light water image were pretty much identical as well.
Note the two histograms!
If you take a close look at the two RGB histograms you will note the bulk of the data to the left in the first image. This represents the dark tones of the water (and of parts of the puffin). In the second image the bulk of the data is to the right representing the light-toned water. But note that on the right each of the channels end at pretty much the same spot. Why? Because you have properly exposed for the highlights.
These two baby puffin images were created late on our last landing on Inner Farnes after I got permission for our group to stay late. 🙂 I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. WB: K5200.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -7.
AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. For the left-hand image it was one AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point. For the right hand image it was simply one AF point above the center AF point. In both cases the selected AF point was on the bird’s face.
DPP 4 Screen Capture of Atlantic Puffin “puffling” swimming in light-toned water
Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Puffling in Light Water …
This image was created four seconds later at 16:07:11. Note that in those four seconds I moved the AF point one to the right. Note that the manual exposure settings remained exactly the same.
For the Zillionth Time!
For the zillionth time, there is no “exposure compensation” when you are working in Manual mode. Note in the dark water image that when I say “Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode” that I did not enter any exposure compensation. So where does the -1 stop come from? All good photographers (myself included) understand that when you are working in Manual mode that you can note the “exposure compensation” when you point the lens at something. If you are set up for a bird and you point the lens at the dark ground, it will show off scale minus, ie.e., a huge underexposure. With the puffling in dark water I noted that the analogue scale in the viewfinder was at -1 stop (as compared to the exposure that I had set manually, 1/250 sec. at f/9). When the bird swam into the very light water, I noted that the analogue scale in the viewfinder showed +1 2/3 stops (as compared to the exposure that I had set manually, 1/250 sec. at f/9).
Please notice and understand that the exposure settings never changed from ISO 800, 1/250 sec. at f/9. But as I followed the swimming bird by panning the lens to my left, the indicator on the analogue scale swung from -1 to + 1 2/3rds. If I had pointed the lens up to the sky it would like have showed something like +2 1/3 or +2 2/3.
If you are confused by the stuff above try this. Put an intermediate telephoto lens on your camera. Work in Manual mode. Point the lens somewhere with a large area of a single tone. Now null the meter by choosing an ISO, a shutter speed, and an aperture that results in the indicator on the analogue scale resting on the 0 (zero) mark. This indicates the suggested or the metered exposure. Now point the lens at something darker and note what happens to the indicator. It will move to the minus side of the scale. Now point the lens at something lighter and note what happens to the indicator. It will move to the plus side of the scale. Remember, that even though there is no “exposure compensation” when you are working in Manual mode; you can, however, always note the position of the indicator to determine where you are in relation to the metered exposure.
Which is the best mode when working in constant light with backgrounds of changing tonalities?
The best mode when working in constant light with backgrounds of changing tonalities is Manual mode. Once you determine the correct exposure for the subject you simply set it and forget it until the light changes. Working in Av mode would be nearly impossible as you would need to vary your exposure compensations often and drastically. In Manual mode you would be fine even if the puffling were in half white water and half dark water. Why? Because in constant light the right exposure for the bird is the right exposure for the bird. No matter the background.
So Many Manual Mode Misconceptions as to be Mind-boggling
As you can plainly see after studying the material above, the answers to the three questions that I posed in the original Puffling Exposure Questions blog post here two days ago, were straight-forward. I wrongly assumed that everyone who responded would nail each of the three questions. I was wrong. Way wrong.
I was buoyed when the first two folks to comment gave reasonable answers. But after that, it was pretty much downhill all the way. Below are some of those replies. The names of those who made the comments have been omitted 🙂
Huge Misconception #1:
With the dark bird and dark water I don’t see how you could be at minus.
The dark water causes the meter to open up, to go to a slower shutter speed. That would burn the whites on the puffins breast. You need minus exposure compensations in such situations, even in low light. Had the sun been out, I would have started at -2 stops … As early as the original The Art of Bird Photography I wrote often, sun out, white bird, dark blue water: -1 stop.
Huge Misconception #2:
Assuming it was cloudy day and the light did not change answer for both exposures would be +1/3..
It was cloudy and the light was constant but the above makes no sense at all as the background in one image was very dark and the background in the other image was very light …
Huge Misconception #3:
If you were in manual the exposure and compensation should have been the same for both.
Well, I was in Manual mode but the statement above shows zero understanding of how the indicator on the analogue scale works when you are in Manual mode …
Selling Books/Learning Exposure …
Do I like selling a few books? Absolutely. But there really is no reason for folks to struggle so much with digital exposure. If I have said it here once I have said it one thousand times, I can teach you to get the right exposure ten times out of ten in two minutes if you are working in constant light. All you need to do is work in Manual mode and adjust your settings until you have some data in the right-most box of the histogram. I have long recommended that serious photographers take the time to study and learn exposure theory. The best way to do that is to study the section on exposure theory in the original The Art of Bird Photography. Whether or not you wish to put in the time and the effort to do that, I would recommend that everyone study and master the section on Exposure Simplified in The Art of Bird Photography II (APB II: 916 pages, 900+ images on CD only or by download). You can save $10 by ordering the pair here.
Your Favorite?
Which of the two swimming puffliing images do you like best? Please let us know why and feel free to comment on the positives and negatives of each image.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
My jet-lag was much abated on Friday. I micro-adjusted a few wide angle lenses for my upcoming Bear Boat IPT trip, did some more work on the LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjustment e-Guide, and began packing as well. I head up to an airport hotel this afternoon, and fly all the way to Kodiak, AK on Sunday.
Just so you know, this seemingly simple blog post took more than three hours to create, most of that early on Saturday morning. Now that I have finished it I need to get packing 🙂
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 27 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There may be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART
Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to my terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily.
Used Gear Cautions
Though I am not in a position to post images of gear for sale here or elsewhere, prospective buyers are encouraged to request photos of the gear that they are interested in purchasing via e-mail. Doing so will help to avoid any misunderstandings as to the condition of the gear. Sellers are advised to photograph their used gear with care against clean backgrounds so that the stuff is represented accurately and in the best light; please pardon the pun :).
Important Note for Sellers on Cashier’s Checks
Do understand that getting a cashier’s check for your gear is no guarantee of anything. You need to get the check to the bank asap. Years ago I “sold” an EOS 1D Mark III for $3,000 to a guy in California. I tried Fed Ex collect. The driver handed the camera to the guy. The guy handed him what appeared to be a Bank of North America teller’s check. When we brought the check to BONA they said, sorry, it’s phony. I followed up with the Lake Wales police. They got in touch with the police in the guy’s home town. They did nothing.
I was out 3,000 bucks. Getting a cashier’s check for your gear is no guarantee of anything.
Used Gear Sales Testimonials
Unsolicited via e-mail from David Ramirez
Hi Artie, It’s been a few weeks but I just wanted to thank you for your Used Gear Sales service. I sold my 5DIII in no time at all for the excellent price you recommended. Thanks again, David
Handwritten note from Dr. Gil Moe
Dear Artie, Enclosed is a check for $401.40. You do such a great job with the used gear sales and pricing and make it so easy. Thank you, thank you! Regards, Gil
Unsolicited via e-mail from Tom Phillips
Artie, Well, that was awesome for us all. Roger received the 300mm today and is happy, and James bought the 1Dx Mk II and the 400mm within minutes of it being listed on the first Saturday! I know you have a lot of readers and followers but your advice on pricing was right on to sell and also allowed me to get a good price, make the buyers happy, and make you some money too. I want to thank you very much! Tom
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Gerry Keshka
Hi Artie, I wanted to share how much I appreciate your Used Gear “service.” You have posted how you help sellers, but the other side of the equations is how much this service helps buyers. I have purchased three lenses (Canon 200-400, 500 f4 II, and 70-200 F2.8) all lovely experiences and I saved almost $5K over retail. Each of the sellers was delightful, willing to help me assess if the purchase was right for me by sharing their experience with the lens. Each lens was in the condition advertised (or better), and typically included several “add-ons” that would have cost several hundred dollars.
Thanks for all you do for the photographic community Artie. Gerry
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Teresa Mabry Reed
Artie, Thanks for a positive experience in selling my used equipment. Best, Teresa
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from top BAA Used Gear seller Jim Keener
The BAA Used Gear Page is the best place I’ve found for selling my used cameras and lenses.
I used eBay and Craigslist until I began checking in at BIRDS AS ART. I saw the gear listed for sale at BAA and it struck me that the people who visit the site are like me in some important ways. We own high quality, often expensive gear. It’s important to us, and we likely take care of it. In other words, a good market exists. And I noticed how Artie marketed each item. Informative, without too big a push. That’s why I decided to try BAA.
The process was easy. I clearly accepted the terms of sale, fully and fairly described what I was selling and the good and bad. I listed the stuff to be included with in the sale. Then Artie came back with what he thought was a fair price, leaving it to me to determine the balance between urgency of the sale and receiving a high price. I’ve followed his lead.
The responses I’ve received from potential buyers have been reassuring. Each has been well informed and courteous. They have not expected perfection, but have fully expected fairness and clarity. I’ve found that providing many photographs of what I’m selling is very helpful in the completing the various transactions.
I’m writing this because of how glad I am to find a place where there is a good market for what I want to sell and what I want to buy — I just tried to buy a 300mm f/2.8 II, but it has sold. The buyers and sellers are informed and fair-minded. And artie offers friendly and experienced advice. I’ve enjoyed the process. The BAA Used Gear page is the best experience I’ve had buying and selling gear.
Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Owen Peller
I sold my 400 f/4 IS DO lens for the asking price. Thank you. Your service is truly better than any of the alternatives.
Artie, Thanks so much. I sent your check via my online banking. I never expected the 400 DO II and the 1DX II to sell within minutes of your posting the ad! I know that the 300 f/2.8 II is still up, but still, the results have been amazing. Another plus is that James McGrew is a professional artist and photographer and he was really looking and wanting that combo and is appreciative and excited to be able to find a great deal. Tom.
Recent Sales
Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges sold his Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens for Canon EF in near-mint condition for only $999, his Sigma Sigma TC-1401 1.4x teleconverter for Canon EF in near-mint condition for a ridiculously low $129, and his Induro CT 304 carbon fiber tripod in mint condition for only $199, all in early July.
Brooke Miller sold her Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS (optical stabilizer) lens for Canon AF in like-new condition for the giving-it-away price of $749 in early July.
Erik Hagstrom sold a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemprary lens for Canon EF in excellent plus condition for $699 in early July.
Multiple IPT veteran Dr. Gil Moe sold an Xtrahand Vest, size XL Plus for $249 in late June.
Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in near-mint condition and a Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens in excellent condition for the very low price of $1499. He also sold a Canon EOS 7D Mark II body in very good plus condition for the record-low BAA price of $839, a used Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens (the old 1-4) in excellent condition with extras for $599, and a Canon EF Extender 1.4X III in near-mint condition for $329. All on the first day the items were listed.
Tom Phillips sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $4,199 the day it was listed in mid-June.
Newest Listings
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens
Priced to Sell!
Dwaine Tollefsrud is offering a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II lens in excellent condition for the record-low BAA price of $3999. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the leather front lens cover, the lens strap, the original product box, a LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Dwaine via e-mail or by phone at 1-605-716-0847 (Mountain time).
The 300 f/2.8 autofocus lenses have long been the first choice for the world’s best hawks in flight photographers with and without a 1.4X TC. When teamed up with either the 1.4X or 2X TC it makes a great hand holdable walk-around lens. Dwaine’s lens will save you an incredible $2,199! I owned and used several versions of the 300 f/2.8 lens for many years until finally replacing my 300 f/2.8 II with the 400 DO II about a year ago. artie
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
100% crop of the original eye and face
The Big Problem
When creating today’s featured image (below), I remember waiting for the bird in the background to turn its head toward me so that I could fit it into the frame. When it did, I fired off two frames. The big problem, as you can see in the 100% crop of the original image (above), was that the nictitating membrane was just starting to close. That ruined the frame. In the next frame, the main subject — the puffin on our right — had turned its head a bit away from me. But, the visible eye was fully open. It was a simple matter of converting both images in DPP 4, painting a Quick Mask of the good eye, placing that on its own layer, and moving it roughly into position with the Move Tool (V). Then I reduced the opacity of the new eye to 50% and carefully positioned it with the Move Tool using the left, right, up and down arrow keys. I used the Transform command to rotate it as needed and the Warp command to shape it. Next I raised the opacity to 100%, added a Regular Layer Mask, painted away the whole layer, hit X, and, working large, painted back in exactly what I needed to complete the repair. Easy peasy.
One row up and four AF points to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point fell on the bird’s cheek just behind and right on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Atlantic Puffin, juxtaposed heads
Tips on Creating Pleasing Juxtapositional Images
There are so many puffins on the rocks at both Staple and Inner Farnes that isolating a single puffin can be a challenge. Long focal lengths can often help in such situations. But not always. At times, your eye can spot a potentially pleasing juxtaposition where the puffins (or puffins) in the background become a plus rather than a distracting element. The trick is to act quickly to choose the ideal perspective; in many cases the pleasing juxtaposition might last just a few seconds at most before one of the birds (or one of the animals) relocates. Once I noted the potentially decent situation seen here, I moved my tripod a mere 4 inches to my right, waited a bit, and then created today’s featured image.
Easy Image Design Question
To improve this image a bit should I have pointed the lens a bit to my right or a bit to my left? Why? (Hint: there are two good reasons why for the correct answer …)
The Additional Image Optimization Stuff
After replacing the bad eye, I did a bit of bill and cheek clean-up as the bird on the right was something of a mess. In addition, I did some Eye Doctor work on the new eye that included lightening and using Blur > Surface Blur on the iris. I added a bit of BLACK to the BLACKs and the NEUTRALs in Selective Color, and finished the image off with an unusually high (+75) increase in the Vibrance.
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Jim picked me up at Orlando Airport just after 6pm on Wednesday evening after my flights from Edinburgh and then Newark. We got home at 8pm and I was soon asleep. I got up at two, three, four, and five and felt like a zombie for most of Thursday — jet lag city! I did manage to micro-adjust my brand new 100-400 II after my second nap of the day.
I was glad to learn that the sales of multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges’s Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens for Canon EF and his Sigma TC-1401 1.4x teleconverter for Canon EF (both in near-mint condition) for $999 and a ridiculously low $129 respectively are pending.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 26 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There may be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens
Priced to Sell!
Dwaine Tollefsrud is offering a Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II lens in excellent condition for the record-low BAA price of $3999. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the leather front lens cover, the lens strap, the original product box, a LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Dwaine via e-mail or by phone at 1-605-716-0847 (Mountain time).
The 300 f/2.8 autofocus lenses have long been the first choice for the world’s best hawks in flight photographers with and without a 1.4X TC. When teamed up with either the 1.4X or 2X TC it makes a great hand holdable walk-around lens. Dwaine’s lens will save you an incredible $2,199! I owned and used several versions of the 300 f/2.8 lens for many years until finally replacing my 300 f/2.8 II with the 400 DO II about a year ago. artie
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. For the left-hand image it was one AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point. For the right hand image it was simply one AF point above the center AF point. In both cases the selected AF point was on the bird’s face.
Atlantic Puffin “puffling” swimming in small pond
Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.
Another New Bird-word
Before this year’s trip a baby puffin was a baby puffin. But the Farnes Island researchers came through again for me by sharing the new word puffling to describe a young puffin. In prior years we had always seen a few puffin chicks poking their heads out of the burrows, but that never happened this year. The local fishing fleet is no longer allowed to dump anything overboard –by-catch, fish carcasses, etc. — so the local Herring and Lesser black-backed Gulls have been relying more and more on baby Atlantic Puffins for sustenance. In addition, heavy rains flooded many nests and contributed to low survival rates for the puffin chicks. And thus, not many pufflings. Most baby puffins exit their burrows at night and jump off the cliffs into the North Sea below. They are only rarely seen on land or in small ponds. This is the second puffling that I have gotten to photograph on Inner Farnes. Both were swimming peacefully with about two dozen Black-headed Gulls, a few adults and more than a few fledged juveniles. Many of the gulls were bathing and flapping.
Puffling Exposure Questions
1- How much minus exposure compensation do you think that you would need for the image of the puffin in the dark green water?
2- How much plus exposure compensation do you think that you would need for the image of the puffin in the light-toned water?
3-Considering that these two images were made only seconds apart as the baby puffin swam from the dark water to our right into the light water on our left, would you have been better off working in Av mode or in Manual mode? Why?
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
The 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT ended with love, hugs, thanks, and kisses all around. There is nothing better than having a group of 100% Happy Campers. Though my good weather karma was at an all time low with one and one half missed landings and two cancelled boat trips in eight days, the good days were so excitingly perfect bird-wise and weather-wise that everyone went home thrilled. I even managed to make a wonderful image (see same below) at 10:58am on our single bright sunny day. I began working on this blog post on the flight from Edinburgh to Newark after getting some work done on the LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjustment e-Guide Tutorial.
I was glad to learn yesterday that the sale of Brooke Miller’s Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 APO DG OS lens for Canon AF in like-new condition for the giving-it-away price of $749 is pending.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 25 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There will be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
One AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF fell on a spot just below the base of the upper mandible where it meets the yellow/orange rosette.
Atlantic Puffin laughing
Lessons from the Laughing Puffin
#1: When the light is bright think tight.
#2: When the light is bright work right on sun angle. Notice the perfectly even lighting on the bird’s face and notice the complete lack of shadows. If you work off sun angle, parts of the bird, such as the bill, may cast shadows on the bird itself.
3-When working with a fixed focal length lens and the subject flaps or squawks or does anything erratic, press and hold the shutter button down while doing your best to frame the image. When this bird opened its bill quickly the head moved up and I did not think that I would be able to frame it properly. But I listened to my own advice and fired off a few frames. Two in the series of four were framed perfectly and this one, created at the peak of the yawn or call or laugh or whatever it was, was the best. (When working with a zoom lens zoom out if possible and then press and hold the shutter button down while doing your best to frame the image.
4-Pay attention to the subject. Concentrate. Be alert. And keep your eye to the viewfinder. Chatting and chimping are great fun but they will get you in the end …
5-Distant backgrounds are usually sweet.
The Image Optimization
After converting the image nearly straight-up in DPP 4, I brought the TIFF into Photoshop and did not do a whole lot. First I did a bit of Eye Doctor work by lightening the iris with my Tim Grey Dodge and Burn action; I lighten and darken with the Brush Tool in 10% increments. Then I selected the BKGR with the Quick Selection Tool and feathered and saved the selection. I put the BKGR on its own layer and applied the NIK Color Efex Pro White Neutralizer recipe; it really sweetened the distant blue water background turning it from a grayish blue to more of a sky blue color. Then I loaded and inverted the selection and ran my NIK 25/25 recipe on the bird only. I fine-tuned that layer with a Regular Layer mask by painting away some of the effect in the darker areas at 33%. Next I eliminated a few white specks from the black feathers with the Spot Healing Brush. Then a a bit of bill clean-up. Last was a Curves adjustment to deepen the BLACKs.
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
We had hopes of doing a second gannet boat trip on Tuesday morning but when we spoke to Captain Gordon on Monday evening he said that it would be too nasty to sail, that the big swells, a result of the northeast winds, would still be with us. Most everyone but me slept late. Several of us headed up to Musslelburgh just this side of Edinburgh in a light rain in search of alleged shorebirds. We did see one Eurasian Oystercatcher but other than that they were indeed alleged. We used a variety of lenses to photograph some pretty flowers that might or might not have been wildflowers. And some dead roses.
We have an early dinner planned for Wednesday evening as we will be leaving early for the Edinburgh Airport on Wednesday morning. Thus the IPT that began in the rain ended with the wind but was pretty much spectacular in between. Weather-wise, it turned out to be my toughest UK trip ever. By far.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 24 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There will be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am on the Bear Boat in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Booking.Com
When I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This in-camera Art Vivid JPEG was created on the last afternoon of the Seahouses portion of the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the hand held Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L fisheye USM lens (at 8mm) and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Auto Dynamic. Evaluative metering +2 tops as framed around a base exposure of 1/1600 sec. at f6.3 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
The center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure; depth of field with this lens is pretty much a moot point as everything will be in sharp focus at 8mm.
Inner Farnes Lighthouse with Round Sky
Lighthouse with Round Sky
It is fun to play with what I call “the circle lens” on cloudy days. It is pretty much impossible to use this lens on a sunny day. If you work with the sun behind you your shadow with be in the frame. And if you have the sun in the frame, you will get the most horrific flare you have ever seen. But using this neat little lens will get you to think creatively or you will go home hungry. To make today’s image I got away from the crowd and pointed the lens straight up. I never even saw the lighthouse in the frame until I viewed it on the laptop.
At 8mm on a full frame body you get the 180 degree circular view but you must remember to remove the lens hood. 🙂 . At 15mm, you get a true fisheye view and you can work with the lens hood on. If you work at a focal length other than 8 or 15mm with the lens hood on or off you will have black thingies poking into your frame from the corners (unless I am very confused …)
With a 1.6 crop factor body like the 7D Mark II the 8mm setting will give you a 15mm fisheye lens.
Circle Lens Question …
When you are using the circle lens at 8mm is there any need to use the viewfinder level? Why or why not?
Your Opinion is Valued
Please be frank and let us know what you think of today’s featured image. And be sure to let us know why you feel the way you do. No holds barred is best.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
We lucked out on weather again on Sunday enjoying two great sessions, the first on Staple Island in the morning and then another on Inner Farnes where I made this image in the afternoon. On Monday and now again on Tuesday we were bitten by a nor’easter: our Monday gannet boat trip and our Tuesday Bass Rock landing were both cancelled due to high winds on rough seas. Yesterday we visited the incredible Tantallon Castle and enjoyed a fine dining dinner at the Dunsmuir Hotel.
What’s the plan for Tuesday? I am not quite sure yet.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 23 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There will be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the fabulous last afternoon of the Seahouses portion of the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops as framed: 1/160 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -7.
Three AF points up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was just above and forward of the eye of the chick.
Common Murre chick on ledge, vertical front-end portrait
A Near-Jumpling. I love learning new words …
This Common Murre chick — Common Guillemot on this side of the pond — is less than a week from jumping off its nesting cliff into the North Sea about 200 feet below. Before it is capable of flying. When it jumps, it becomes a jumpling. I learned the term just a few days before from one of the young avian researchers on Staple Island.
And yes, I do love learning new words and occasionally making up new ones on my own when I need them. Soon I will share another new avian “-ling” word that I learned from the researchers with you here, along with an image.
There were two photographable murre chicks at my favorite spot on Staples. I alone created many hundred images of them with focal lengths ranging from about 200 to 1200mm. Today’s featured image is one of my very favorites. The rest of the IPT group probably created another few thousand. Nearly all of the images suffered from the fact that the chick’s dark slightly inset eyes were lost in the black feathers of the face. That’s why I made so many. 🙂 In today’s featured photograph the absolutely perfect head angle saved the image from the trash bin.
The Image Optimization
After converting the image nearly straight-up in DPP 4, I brought the TIFF into Photoshop and did not do much at all. First I painted a Quick Mask of the face, put it on its own layer, and applied the usual Contrast Mask. Next was a 60-pixel Gaussian Blur applied to the whole image. I added a Hide-all or Inverse or Black Layer Mask and painted the effect in on the background only with a relatively large soft brush (taking care not to get anywhere near the chick).
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
After a sunny Saturday the photography weather returned to perfect: completely cloudy bright skies with the best ever Black-legged Kittiwake nest with a fluffy white 2 1/2 week old chick in the nest with mom and a west wind in the afternoon. A baby puffin swimming in the same small pond where I had photographed one several years ago, put a fine ending to the Farnes Island portion of the IPT. With predation by the large gulls being at an all time high, it was the first one that we laid eyes.
Today, Monday, July 10, is a something of a get-away day for us; we leave our wonderful cottages in Seahouses, UK and head up to Dunbar, Scotland where we will be spending two nights before flying home on Wednesday. Weather permitting we will enjoy another session with the gannets before we depart for the other side of the pond.
I was glad to learn this morning that Erik Hagstrom sold his Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemprary lens for Canon EF in excellent plus condition for $699 in early July.
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports Lens for Canon EF
Price Reduced $200 on June 25, 2017.
Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges is also offering a used Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens for Canon EF in near-mint condition for only $999 (was $1199). The sale includes the original product box, a LensCoat, the instruction manual, the lens strap & hood, and insured ground shipping by major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Brent by e-mail or by phone at 770-565-5012 (Eastern time).
Lots of folks on recent IPTs have been using this relatively new Sigma lens with excellent results. artie
Sigma TC-1401 1.4x Teleconverter for Canon EF
Multiple IPT veteran Brent Bridges is also offering a used Sigma Sigma TC-1401 1.4x teleconverter for Canon EF in near-mint condition for a ridiculously low $129. The sale includes the original product box, and insured ground shipping by major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Brent by e-mail or by phone at 770-565-5012 (Eastern time).
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 22 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂 There will be few or no new blog posts for a week while I am in Alaska as we move the BAA Blog to a new server.
Via e-Mail from Warren Hatch
Hi Artie, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thanks for everything you’ve done to help my photography. The lessons I’ve learned from The Art of Bird Photography I and II, through your daily blogs, and on a pair of IPTs (spaced 20 years apart), have been invaluable. They’ve influenced my shooting profoundly and I know I am a better photographer as a result. This week one of my images won an Audubon award (People’s Choice in the 2017 photography competition). Your inspiration and teachings played as large a part in the formation of the image as my hitting the shutter button. At a minimum, the official scorer should show you with an assist. So, thanks! Hopefully it won’t take another 20 years before I capture something special again. Kind Regards, Warren
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the sunny Saturday afternoon of July 8 on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop off the blue sky 30 degrees above the horizon: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
iFrame.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: zero.
Though Center Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure no AF point or points were illuminated in red on the RAW file. This is due either to an anomaly or to a camera malfunction.
Atlantic Puffin landing with killer background
My Deteriorating Flight Photography Skills
Given the fact that this flight image is very sharp, nicely designed, and has a very pleasing background might lead some to think that the title of the subhead here, My Deteriorating Flight Photography Skills, is either inaccurate or something of a joke. It is neither. I made many hundreds of flight images on this trip that were simply nowhere near sharp. Why? I was simply unable to acquire the subject in the frame and unable to acquire and maintain focus as the bird approached. Why? The deteriorating strength, stamina, and hand-eye coordination that comes with age. For the non-believers, I will share a collection of such out-of-focus images with you here soon; most were made in absolutely perfect situations where more skilled folks would have cashed in on these outstanding flight opportunities.
I failed hand holding the 500 II with the 5D IV and the hood removed from the lens. I failed with the 500 II and the 1.4X III and the 5D IV on the tripod. I failed with either the 5D IV or the 1DX II on the hand held 100-400 II. And most surprisingly I failed with the 100-400 II with the 1D X II on the gannet boat; it would be difficult to find easier flight photography subjects than the gannets …
I did fairly well with the hand held 5D IV/70-200 f/4 L IS combo — can you say smaller and lighter ?
The truth, as I have been saying here for years, is that I have never been a very good flight photographer. My knowledge of the wind and the light and of the birds’ flight patterns and habits, along with a very large — make that huge — dose of determination, has usually enabled me to come away with a decent flight image or two from each good session. On this trip, my percentage of good flight images was noticeably pathetic at best.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
After three perfect photography days my weather karma got too good. We were somewhat cursed with clear blue skies and uncooperative wind directions, but the day was saved when I arranged for a late stay on Farnes with one of the captains. We wound up enjoying an extra 90 minutes of puffins and Razorbills in sweet light. It is early on Sunday morning, July 10 and — despite the partly sunny conditions at 6:00am, it is looking as if we will once again enjoy completely cloudy bright skies. Today is our last full day boat trip.
I had been eating too much until last night when the group enjoyed huge portions of take out fish and chips and I dined on a can of tuna 🙁
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 21 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂
Via e-Mail from Warren Hatch
Hi Artie, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thanks for everything you’ve done to help my photography. The lessons I’ve learned from The Art of Bird Photography I and II, through your daily blogs, and on a pair of IPTs (spaced 20 years apart), have been invaluable. They’ve influenced my shooting profoundly and I know I am a better photographer as a result. This week one of my images won an Audubon award (People’s Choice in the 2017 photography competition). Your inspiration and teachings played as large a part in the formation of the image as my hitting the shutter button. At a minimum, the official scorer should show you with an assist. So, thanks! Hopefully it won’t take another 20 years before I capture something special again. Kind Regards, Warren
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the fabulous gannet boat trip morning on Day 4 of the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens (at 169mm) and my favorite birds-in-flight camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the gray sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: zero.
Center AF point/Manual selection/AI Servo/Exand/Shutter button AF and was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on gannet’s tail yet the bird’s is relatively sharp as the AF system was tracking properly. Does that make a lot of sense to me? No. But it is what it is …
The original of the Northern Gannet braking before dive image
The Original Laughing/Braking Northern Gannet Before Dive
There are so many gannets in the air that isolating a single bird is quite difficult. And the boat is rocking so keep the horizon level is another challenge. But when I saw the original image above, I knew just what I wanted to do with it.
This image was created on the fabulous gannet boat trip morning on Day 4 of the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens (at 169mm) and my favorite birds-in-flight camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the gray sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: zero.
Center AF point/Manual selection/AI Servo/Exand/Shutter button AF and was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on gannet’s tail yet the bird’s is relatively sharp as the AF system was tracking properly. Does that make a lot of sense to me? No. But it is what it is …
Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a spectacular larger (and inexplicably sharper) version.
Northern Gannet braking before dive
The 70-200mm f/4 Advantage …
There are several big advantages that come with using the 70-200mm f/4L IS on the gannet boat or whenever you have non-stop, point blank flight photography action:
1-It’s light weight makes it much easier to hand hold than all but some of the micro-four thirds gear. Comparing it with the 70/200 f/2.8L IS lens with a 1DX II as far as weight is a joke. To quote Peter Kes, everyone using heavier combos were knackered after only 30 minutes of frantic photography. Most of them simply had to take a rest. First-timer Chris Loffredo took my advice and rented a 70-200mm f/4 just for the trip and was thrilled that he did.
2-The smaller, lighter f/4 version enjoys a full stop more of light than the 100-400 II.
3-Again as compared to the 100-400 II, many of my best images were created at focal lengths of between 70 and 99mm.
4-The zooming is amazing as just a single small twist of the wrist covers the full zoom range of from 70-200mm.
5-AF with this little-bitty lens and the 5D IV is lightning fast.
The Image Optimization for the Laughing/Braking Northern Gannet Before Dive Watercolor image…
After converting the RAW file in DPP 4 (which automatically corrects the f/4 vignetting) I brought the image into Photoshop and leveled it. Next I used John Haedo Content Aware Fill to fill in the long skinny triangles. I did need to use the Clone Stamp and Patch Tools to fill in a few weird areas. Then I carefully selected the bird using a new Lasso Tool trick that I will share here soon. After feathering the edges of the selection six pixels, I saved it and then placed it on its own layer and applied my NIK 30/30 recipe. I added a Regular Layer Mask and painted away the bird’s belly and breast at 100% as those areas looked a bit grungy. Then I used another new trick that I will share with y’all here soon to quickly select only the head. Once that was done I applied a Contrast Mask, added a Regular Layer Mask, lightened the image with Curves on a Layer, and then painted away the sharp edges with a 50% opacity brush. I achieved the watercolor look with the far shoreline by putting the whole image on a new layer and applying a 70% Gaussian Blur. Then I added a Regular Layer Mask and painted away the bird and the sky at 100%. Voila. I should have made an MP4 video of this one ..
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Just so you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
It’s nice when you make a plan and it works perfectly down to the very last detail. Based on the weather forecast, I switched our gannet boat trip from Thursday to Friday. As noted previously, Thursday afternoon was fantastic to say the least. And our gannet boat trip, with clouds thank you very much, was beyond anyone’s imagination. Jacke McCurdy (1000 images), here along with sister Arden (2000) –both real troupers!, described it well when she said, “Even though you told us what to expect, I’ve never seen anything like that in all of my 83 years. Good friend and BPN moderator Peter Kes, who has traveled the world photographing birds and animals, said that it was the most amazing wildlife spectacle he had ever seen. Peter created 6308 images in two hours. Newbies Tony Zeilinsky and Chris Loffredo made 2750 and 3500 respectively. Recidivist Phil Frigon made 5500 and multiple IPT vet Loren Waxman made “about 3,000.”. Anita North who has been on too many IPTs to count, was not feeling well and created a very low (for her) 3020. Having been several times, I wound up being somewhat more selective than most with only 1150 images, mostly of single gannets in flight and diving. When we return on Monday afternoon, weather willing, I will do some video.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 20 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂
Via e-Mail from Warren Hatch
Hi Artie, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thanks for everything you’ve done to help my photography. The lessons I’ve learned from The Art of Bird Photography I and II, through your daily blogs, and on a pair of IPTs (spaced 20 years apart), have been invaluable. They’ve influenced my shooting profoundly and I know I am a better photographer as a result. This week one of my images won an Audubon award (People’s Choice in the 2017 photography competition). Your inspiration and teachings played as large a part in the formation of the image as my hitting the shutter button. At a minimum, the official scorer should show you with an assist. So, thanks! Hopefully it won’t take another 20 years before I capture something special again. Kind Regards, Warren
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
I chose an AF point that was two to the right and two rows up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF and was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on eye of the fish behind and just below the (unseen in this image) base of the bill.
Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a spectacular larger version.
Atlantic Puffin with baitfish in heaven
Atlantic Puffin with baitfish in heaven
There is a wall around the lighthouse on Inner Farnes. At times, especially when it is cloudy, you can position the wall closest to you in front of a puffin sitting on a more distant wall. This can give you the puffin in heaven look. You will however need to choose the exact perfect perspective. I lucked out in that this bird with its huge beakful of fish was perched near the corner of the wall and when I got as tall as possible with my tripod, was just visible.
Depth of Field and Choosing an AF Point
Depth of field becomes most important when you are close to the minimum focusing distance of your lens and are at point-blank range with the subject. Here, I raised my ISO to 800 to maintain a decent shutter speed while stopping down to f/16. I focused just this side of the base of the bill, halfway between the plane of the puffin’s eye and the plane of the nearest fish tail. The depth of field was just enough to cover both.
Your Critique
What do you like about this image? What don’t you like about this image? Could I have done better in the field? Could I have done better with the processing? Feel free to be frank.
The Image Optimization
After converting the image in DPP 4, I worked on the snout of the last fish facing to our right, the one that I focused on just below and behind the base of the bill. The puffin had apparently ripped the nose off the fish as it was being captured. That it was hanging down seemingly no longer connected to its owner, really bugged me. I used the Clone Stamp Tool and a series of small Quick Masks to make the repair. One of those QMs needed to be flopped. I ran my NIK 25/25 recipe on the whole image; there was no need to worry about it affecting the 246/247/248 white sky that have been color corrected by decreasing the saturation of both the BLUE and the CYAN channels. The NIK 25/25 left the face just a bit too dark so I created a complete new lawyer, pull the curve up a bit, added an Inverse Layer Mask, and painted in the lighter WHITEs on the face as needed. Lastly I added two points of black to the Neutrals and added two points of black to the Blacks in Selective Color.
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Justso you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
As noted here previously, it was drizzling pretty hard on Thursday morning and even worse, the forecast was for two full days of rain — Thursday and Friday. After being unable to land on anywhere on Tuesday, the entire group was completely understanding — bad weather happens. We were critiquing the participants’ images when I felt it brighten outside, behind me. “Hold on a minute ,” I said, “I am gonna call Marta.” As things turned out we landed on Inner Farnes and enjoyed three hours of truly amazing bird photography — puffins in flight (hanging in the wind), puffins with fish, murres and Razorbills up the kazoo, and loads of ArctiC Terns in flight and with young and landing on folks’ heads.
Tomorrow we head up to Dunbar, Scotland, for a four hour Gannet “shoot till your arms fall off’ flight and diving photography session.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 19 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
Two AF points to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s chin just below the gape.
Common Murre with baitfish
Mega-cooperative Murre
This murre landed right in front of us with a very nice fish and held it gently in place in search of who knows what for nearly 30 minutes. It posed and posed and posed. Whenever it mingled with a friend for a minute or two, it was soon off on its own to find a clear spot on the cliff. A clear spot where it could pose unobstructed for us.
If you have ever enjoyed a miraculously tame bird that posed for you seemingly forever, please do share and let us know the bird and the location.
500 II versus 600 II for the UK Trip
In prior years I have always taken the 600 II on the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. This year, I dropped down to the 500 II. The 500 II is well lighter than the 600 II and it is far less bulky. Both of those factors make it much easier to travel by air with. For the landings, I pack the 500 II with a 5D IV mounted on it in the 3X Expandable Long Lens Bag to keep it safe on the boat trip. Then I remove the rig and secure the bag to a post near the landing and leave it there while I photograph. I have the 100-400 II on my right shoulder via a Black Rapid Curve Breathe Strap, often with the 1.4X III TC in place. I carry my Induro GIT 304L tripod in one hand, the big lens in the other. I grab the 500 II by the CR-X5 Low Foot.
With many of the birds being tame, being limited to 1000mm of reach (as opposed to 1200mm with the 600 II), is no big handicap 🙂 Lastly, I can hand hold the 500 II for flight for short sessions. I cannot do that with the 600 II …
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
On Wednesday, July 5, the IPT group enjoyed a perfect day for bird photography in Northumberland, UK. We had cloudy bright skies, dozens of tame Atlantic Puffins with fish, landing puffins, point blank Razorbills and Shags, and a single Common Murre that posed for 30 minutes with a lovely fish in its bill. Not to mention hundreds of Arctic Terns with young of all ages. I created just under 1,000 images and several of the participants did more than double that. The weather, which has basically terrible here for several weeks, is looking grim for both Thursday and Friday as the predicted fair weather high pressure system disintegrated upon the approach of another low front …
Ending the Free Update Confusion
When the publication of the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) was announced in the blog post here, and as it states plainly in the BAA Online Store, “DB II represents a stand-alone purchase; there will be no updates. From time to time however, I will share new Photoshop techniques on the blog that will be announced as a Free-to-All Digital Basics II Updates.” So when I ran the “Filling in Added Canvas by Judiciously Stretching the Pixels” item in yesterday’s blog post, that was exactly what it said, a free-to-all update.
Thus, there is no need to call Jim for your free update. The free update was there in the blog for all to enjoy. Thanks to the many who have purchased the new e-Guide.
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 18 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the same morning as the Snowy Egret with shrimp image shared here recently, both made on the 2106 Fort DeSoto Fall IPT, this one with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -5.
Two rows up and one to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo/shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was right on the young night-heron’s pupil.
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, head portrait of juvenile
In the “Free-to-all Update to the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II): Filling in Added Canvas by Judiciously Stretching the Pixels” blog post here, I posted this:
Photoshop Hanky Panky
Can you spot the Photoshop Hanky Panky? Once you do, be sure to include your proof with your comment.
Do note that Dave K. posted this comment:
I am going with the water droplet was added. Where the droplet is forming at the bill the line looks a little harsh and un natural to me. Also when I scroll over the picture it says “added bill tip and droplet” but you could be trying to throw us off 🙂
Others agreed that the drop was unnatural, that the drop was reflecting stuff that was not there, and that the drop should have reflected the photographer. Others were positive that the eye color was wrong, or that I had messed with the orientation of the eye …
This is a Photo Mechanic cut and paste of the RAW file for the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, head portrait of juvenile image …
The RAW File …
As anyone can plainly see by comparing the RAW file with the Photoshop Hanky Panky? image that I originally posted in the “Free-to-all Update to the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II): Filling in Added Canvas by Judiciously Stretching the Pixels” blog post here, was pixel for pixel identical to the RAW file.
It has always been my contention that when you are told what has been done where in Photoshop that everyone is a genius at spotting the telltale signs that a repair has been made. In this case, I purposely misled folks by captioning the image as I did, knowing that at least a few folks would be tricked. Several in fact took the bait. And again as I have long contended, when there have been no major repairs some folks will invent such repairs and gladly offer the “proof.” I once saw an image on BPN with a hard, straight line in the image, an obvious clone stamp mark. Obvious that it until I saw the RAW file. I apologized profusely. Simply put, it is very difficult today to know the truth of an image. That is why I — almost always 🙂 — let folks know what I have done with or to an image in Photoshop. In the future, folks will need to be wary of the Wickedly Tricky Blogger.
This is the optimized image that I created here in the UK early on the morning of July, 6, 2017.
The Optimized Image
After converting the RAW image in DPP 4, I did a bit of bill clean-up and then moved the bird back in the frame using one of the APTATS tutorials. That was about it. I did not monkey with the eye or the eye color and I added neither the bill tips or the drop of water. I tried to do the majority of bill clean-up work with Content Aware Fill but after 10 minutes I gave up and started from scratch working large and using mostly the Patch Tool and a bit of the Spot Healing Brush. Why did I quit with Content Aware Fill? I had made things a mess with Content Aware Fill …
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Justso you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
We eventually made it out on the boat on Tuesday. In the drizzle. At first, we were told that we would be able to land on Inner Farnes for two hours, but right before sailing we learned that the island had been closed (by the researchers). After a short discussion, we decided to take a photo cruise around the islands. Photography was difficult but we did have a few chances and got to talk about cloudy-day exposures. In addition, I was able to give the group the lay of the land as we passed close by the two landing spots.
On Wednesday morning, the weather is looking great for our full day sail.
Photoshop Hanky Panky/Answers Tomorrow
If you missed the big question on the Some of the Birds at Fort DeSoto are Tame. And Can You Spot the Photoshop Hanky Panky? blog post on Monday, you might wish to play detective here. Some folks are on the right track …
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 17 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the first full day of the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the hand held Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 2/3 stops of the gray sky: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
One AF point down from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the
side of the bird’s neck where it meets the upper breast directly below the center of the bird’s bill (as originally framed). As the bird was originally centered, I cropped this image for compoistion from below and from the left while maintaing the 3X2 proportion.
Razorbill swimming
Ask and You Might Receive
Common Murres are abundant on the Farnes while Razorbills are not so numerous. The boat was drifting near Staples Island with lots of murres swimming by at fairly close range. I noticed a few Razorbills just in front of the boat so I traded my 100-400 II for my 500 II with the 1.4X II TC in place. Just as I raised my lens, Captain Bobby put the boat in gear and headed towards Inner Farnes. I asked the mate if the captain could give us five more minutes with the swimming seabirds. When he did, I created the image above.
The Image Optimizations
The image optimizations for each of today’s two images were similar. Both were converted in DPP 4 and for both, I moved the color fine tune dot to the right a bit to get the WHITE RGB values almost perfect. I ran my NIK 30/30 recipe on the bird only in each image. With the Razorbill image I did some Eye Doctor work by judiciously lightening the iris and darkening the pupil and ran Neat Image noise reduction, less on the bird (35%) and more on the BKGR (90%). In the murre image (below) I used Content Aware Fill to eliminate a dark watch of water behind the bird.
Everything above plus tons more is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. Justso you know, the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
This image was created on the first full day of the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the hand held Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 2/3 stops of the gray sky: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
One AF point down from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s cheek just below the eye.
Common Murre swimming
The First Free Update to the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
Filling in Added Canvas by Judiciously Stretching the Pixels
Because I had chosen the AF point one below center, the bird in this image was a bit too low in the frame. There was not enough water below the bird. So I added canvas below using the Crop Tool as detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). Step one was to select the water from just below the bird to bottom of the frame with the Rectangular Marquee Tool. (Note: As I use the Marquee Tool infrequently I do not have a shortcut for it so I needed to go to the Tool Bar to activate it.) Once I selected the water below the bird being careful to select the full width of the frame, I released the cursor and then hit Control T to activate the Transform command. Then I grabbed the love handle along the bottom of the selection and pulled it down judiciously. This seamlessly filled in the added canvas. Be sure not to overdo things. Here I pulled down the love handle to add about 30% of the height of my selection …
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
The 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT is off to a great start. We photographed Bamburgh Castle with great clouds late on Monday afternoon. It is early Tuesday morning as I type and it looks as if our boat trip today will be called off because of a light drizzle. Better yet, was breakfast. I filled a coffee pot with water, figured out how to turn the burner on, and two minutes later noticed a huge toxic cloud over range. There was a boiling mass of plastic that appeared as a light grey cloud. The cottage was filled with the toxic fumes so after we got the coffee pot off the stove (with long strings of dripping black plastic hanging off it) we turned off the burner. The coffee pot was an electric one that is designed to be placed onto a heater base. Oops. It looks as if we will be able to clean the melted plastic off the range top; we are waiting for it to cool.
If you have ever had an embarrassing “duh!” moment, please do consider sharing by leaving a comment below.
Photoshop Hanky Panky
If you missed the big question on yesterday’s blog post you might wish to play detective here. Some folks are on the right track …
The Streak
Just in case you have not been counting, today makes 16 days in a row with a new educational blog post 🙂
Booking.Com
I could not secure the lodging that I needed for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT in Dunbar, Scotland, so I went from Hotels.Com to Booking.Com and was pleasantly surprised. I found the rooms that I needed with ease at a hotel that was not even on Hotels.Com, and it was a nice hotel that I had seen in person. And the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This image was created on the first afternoon of the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
Manual Selection single AF point/one row up and four AF points to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo/rear button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the center of the flower.
flower?
What is It?
The flowers smelled like licorice so we thought that it might be some type of anise but an online search came up empty. If you know what type of flower is featured in today’s image please do share. Is the flower a wild or a domesticated flower? I think the latter. And I think that it might be a composite type of flower that is made up of many tiny blossoms, or not. Any and all help would be appreciated.
Bingo!
Huge thanks to Iain Lowson for correctly identifying the plant as Echinops ritro. It appears that the plant grows wild in parts of Europe but is a common garden plant in the UK.
Echinops ritro is a clump-forming, 4-foot tall plant with golf ball sized blue flower heads atop stiff, rigid stems clad with deeply lobed, dark green, thistle-like foliage. Globular, thistle-like, deep steel blue flower heads (1-2” diameter) bloom at the stem tops in summer. Coarse, spiny, deeply-dissected, gray-green leaves are white tomentose beneath. Basal leaves grow to 6-8” long, but stem leaves grow shorter.
Genus name comes from the Greek words echinos meaning a hedgehog and ops meaning appearance in reference to the flower heads.
‘Veitch’s Blue’ grows slightly smaller (3-3.5’ tall) and features darker blue flowers and more abundant flowering than the species.
Seeing the Shot and the Right Tool for the Job
Several folks in the group got excited when we saw the stand of pink/purple blossoms so we hung a u-turn and got our gear. There were some nice backlit blossoms but the backgrounds were less than pleasing as there were none that were consistently sharp enough. I was glad that I had enough room to take the 100 macro. Several folks were using their 100-400 IIs. Many were hand holding so I suggested that in the low light a tripod would be a good idea. For my favorite image (above) I would up photographing a shaded flower with an asphalt road background …
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
