Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

I enjoyed a nice swim but otherwise spent a good part of the day relaxing in front of the TV. I was glad that Notre Dame edged out a very game South Carolina team in the Women’s NCAA basket ball tournament. The Irish scored the winning basket with about ten seconds left in the game. Two Gamecock stars were left sobbing for a a good while after the final whistle. It is halftime in the second semi-final as I type with Connecticut up by 11 over Maryland so it looks like a Connecticut vs. Notre Dame final on Tuesday night. It is hard to imagine Connecticut losing.

In the Men’s final I am going with Wisconsin over Duke on Monday night.

This blog post was published very early on Monday morning while I slept. This one is 88 straight.

This in-camera HDR image was created at Morro Bay with the hand held Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens (at 16mm) and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop yielded a base exposure of: 1/100 sec. at f/22 in Av mode. AWB. With the 77mm Singh-Ray warming circular polarizer set to dark. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF one-third of the way up the rock on the right side and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image: Morro Rock with fog.

The Situation

At about 9:30am some heavy localized fog appeared in the immediate vicinity of Morro Rock. By 10am we were ready to head back but as we got in the vehicles some patches of blue sky began to show above the Rock. I thought that there might be a shot with some purple flowers in the foreground but that one did not work out; when we stopped we saw that there was a snow fence, too many signs, and a parking lot in the way. A few of the folks on the Canon Destination Workshop requested a potty stop. That brought us the parking lot just to the east of Morro Rock. By now only a bit of fog was left to crown the 21 million year old volcanic plug, one of the Nine Sisters formation.

The Problems

It was now 10:20am and the sun was out at full strength. The light was harsh, far less than ideal for landscape photography. But I had a plan to combat the contrasty light. I grabbed the 16-35mm, screwed on the Singh-Ray warming circular polarizer and set it to dark, and set up to make an in-camera Art Vivid HDR. Working a bit off sun angle I knew that the polarizer would juice up the sky nicely and that the warming filter would tame the harsh light just a bit. And the in-camera HDR would reduce the contrast by evening out the exposure.

As far as framing, when you photograph Morro Rock at close range you still have to deal with all manner of telephone poles, signs, cars, light stanchions, and the restrooms. If you head into town you face the same distractions and in addition you need to deal with a harbor full of fishing boats, sailboats, and other water craft. I got pretty close to the rock, zoomed out to 16mm, and opted to include the roof of a car in the lower right corner so that I could maximize the size of the green patch in that same corner.

HDR Tips

When hand holding for HDR remember to make sure that Auto Align is set to enable or your images simply will not align properly. And realize that when Auto Align is enabled that the image will be cropped about 4% from what you see in the viewfinder. Thus, you must frame a bit wider than if you were working on a tripod with Auto Align set to Off.

The Image Optimization

I brought the JPEG into Photoshop and executed the planned for crop from below and the left. Next I reduced the YELLOW saturation 10 points to negate a bit of the over-the-top colors that often come with an Art Vivid HDR. Next I ran my NIK Color Efex Pro 50-50 recipe to the whole image and painted out the effect on rock only at 33% via a Regular Layer Mask. Then I ran a layer of Filter > Blur > Surface Blur on the whole image, added a Hide-All (or Inverse) Layer Mask, and painted the effect in on the sky and the fog only, again with a large, soft brush. I eliminated a few patches of really bright Western Gull whitewash with the Patch Tool or the Spot Healing Brush. Not bad for bright sun and harsh light in mid-morning.

Image Question

Why should I have been on a tripod? (One reason is obvious, the other not so obvious.)

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s image is covered in detail in our Digital Basics File–written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style. Are you tired of making your images look worse in Photoshop? Digital Basics File is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, details on using all of my image clean-up tools, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, Contrast Masks, Digital Eye Doctor techniques, using Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, a variety of ways to make selections, how to create time-saving actions, the Surface Blur (background noise reduction) settings, and tons more.

APTATS I & II

Learn the details of advanced Quick Masking techniques in APTATS I. Learn Advanced Layer Masking Techniques in APTATS II. Mention this blog post and apply a $5 discount to either with phone orders only. Buy both APTATS I and APTATS II and we will be glad to apply at $15 discount either with phone orders or here in the BAA Online Store. For phone orders, call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays.

Clockwise from upper left to center: Snowy Egrets/breeding plumage pair, American Alligator with egret feather on head, Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (with fill flash), large Snowy Egret chicks, displaying gator, Wood Stork in flight carrying nesting material (fill flash), begging Snowy Egret chick, another Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (with fill flash), and Great Egret chick.

Date Change: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 4-6, 2015.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 4-6, 2015. TWO FULL and TWO 1/2 DAYS: $1099. Limit 8/Openings 5.

St. Augustine in early May is a bird photographer’s paradise. With any luck we should have chicks of all sizes in the nests ranging from newly hatched Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons to nearly fledged Great Egrets. More than a few pairs of Roseate Spoonbills have nested at the Alligator Farm for the past several years. Photographing the spoonbill chicks in the nest is a huge challenge…. With any luck we will encounter a few Snowy and Cattle Egrets in stunning breeding plumage. We should have lots of flight photography ops especially late in the day. We will enjoy extra early entry on our three mornigs. Folks who will need a photographer’s pass ($89.95 includes full season early entry and late stay and submission fees for up to 5 photos in their annual contest; this works out to cheaper than four separate entry tickets). We will have those ready for pick-up on the first afternoon.

Clockwise from upper left: flash-as-main light Great Egret chick begging, breeding plumage Cattle Egret w/fill flash, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret chick in nest begging, Cattle Egrets copulating, Wood Stork with nesting material, another Wood Stork with nesting material, and breeding plumage Snowy Egret displaying.

What You Will Learn

On this IPT you will the learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure and how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure. You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior and to see and understand the light. You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system and how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). Most importantly, you will learn to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective. Rookeries are crowded, cluttered, white-washed places. Most folks who visit have no clue as to the difference of an image with tons of distractions and one with a clean line of sight and the best possible distant background. Join me and I will teach you to see like a pro.

I will be bringing my flash to the Alligator Farm (gasp!) I have not used flash for at least a year. I will be teaching you how to use flash as fill and how to use flash as main light. In addition, I will be reviewing the flash flight techniques that I developed at St. Augustine more than a few years ago.

Clockwise from upper left: gator back, Great Egret returning to mate (with fill flash), Roseate Spoonbill with bill open, Roseate Spoonbill chick begging, Roseate Spoonbill 11am silhouette, large Great Egret chicks in nest, and bill of Roseate Spoonbill.

Whats the Rest of the Deal?

Afternoon session on Monday, May 4. Then two full days with a morning and afternoon session each day, May 5 & 6. Then our last morning on May 7. At lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday (included) we will review my images; folks learn a ton watching me edit–why keep this one and delete that one? If you opt to bring your laptop, we can take a look at five of your best images from the morning or another session. We will process a few of my images in Photoshop after converting them in DPP. That followed by Instructor Nap Time.

A $499 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. Your balance–$600, payable only by check, is due immediately. Please include a separate check for $89.95 so that we can purchase your pass in advance. Please click here to read our cancellation policy before committing. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork linked to here and get it to us. You can register by calling Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 and arranging for your deposit of $499. Balances are payable only by check. I hope to see you there.

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We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

What’s Up?

Swim and ice bath. More IPT-related travel agent chores taken care of. Started working on second image edits for several trip folders; I need to get a ton of images transferred from my Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro Notebook Computer with Retina Display (Mid 2014) to the office computer. Sent 79 e-mails by 8:43pm. This blog post took about 1 3/4 hours to prepare. It is scheduled to be published very early on Saturday morning. It will be the 87th straight day with a new educational blog post.

BAA Bulletin #473

BAA Bulletin #473 is online and can be accessed here.

• Is this Image Worth Optimizing?
• Date Change: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 4-6, 2015.
• 7D Mark II User’s Guide
• The Blog is the Bomb!
• Used Photography Gear for Sale
• BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) Info
• South Georgia October 2015
• Affiliate Stuff

Item 1 above,”Is this Image Worth Optimizing?” might very well be of interest to those who visit the blog regularly.

This image was created at Alafia Banks with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X . ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. One AF point to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Brown Pelican, intentionally mis-framed to allow room for the hoped for head throw.

Puzzling Mystery

In the blog post here, I asked about the image above:

Why in the world would someone intentionally frame an image with the pelican so low in the frame? Can you come up with the number one reason? Or was this possibly simply a bad framing error?

See the next image for the answer….

This image was created at Alafia Banks with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X . ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. One AF point to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). It fell on the white band at the base of the neck. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Brown Pelican, fully extended head throw.

Just Barely In…

By pre-planning the image, I was just able to avoid clipping the pelican’s bill at the peak of the head throw. I made about 8 frames in a single sequence when the bird was close to full extension. The entire sequence was comprised of about 30 images all made in a very few seconds. I will share two more of those in a blog post soon.

How understanding one simple principle can improve your bird photography…

Here is the principle: bird behavior is often repetitive.

I liked this pelican from the get-go: a handsome bird on a pretty darn clean perch with a relatively distant background. Just what I look for. I added the teleconverter in an effort to create a striking full frame vertical portrait. When the bird did a head throw I was taken totally by surprise and was so tight that I did not even bother pressing the shutter button. But since I know that bird behavior is often repetitive, I simply moved back carefully. And then I moved back some more. And then I moved back a few more steps to the spot where I made the image above.

After about ten minutes my hunch and my patience paid off. And I did not even have to resort to praying….

When the bird began its head throw I pushed and held the shutter button for about 30 frames as noted above. For whatever reason or reasons, this was the sharpest of the eight frames that I created when the bird was near or at full extension.

Perspective Question

From Image #1 to Image #2 did I move to my right or to my left? How do you know?

All of the images in the bear boat card above were created in Katmai National Park during the month of September.

Bear Boat/Bears Catching Salmon IPT: September 1-8, 2015 from Kodiak, AK/6 FULL & 2 1/2 DAYS: $6699. Happy campers only! Maximum 8/Openings: 3. Plus the leader: Arthur Morris.

This trip is a go.

Join me in Katmai National Park, AK for seven days of photographing Coastal Brown Bears (grizzlies) catching salmon, fattening up for the long winter. Other subjects will include Mew and Glaucous-winged Gulls in flight and dip-feeding on salmon roe. Did I mention that we live on a boat and that the food is great? Most of our photography will be done in a variety of famed locations: Geographic Harbor, Kinak Bay, and Kukak Bay. We once had 39 bears fishing the creek at Kukak….

It is mandatory that you be in Kodiak no later than the late afternoon of August 31, 2015 September to avoid missing the float planes to the boat on the morning of September 1. With air travel in AK being what it is, with the chance of fog or other bad weather–being on Kodiak on August 30 is an even better plan). I will be on Kodiak on August 30 to avoid any potential disaster. That said in my nearly a dozen bear boat trips I was delayed only once but since I was day early as noted above there was no harm, no foul.

We will take one or more float planes to the boat mid-morning on September 1. We will photograph bears fishing that afternoon and every day for the next six days (weather permitting of course). We should have bears catching salmon every day. In addition, we will get some nice stuff on Mew Gull and Glaucous-winged Gulls dining on roe and the remains of predated salmon. We may–depending on where the concentrations of bears are–get to photograph Harbor seals and some hauled out Steller’s Sea Lions (an endangered species). Halibut fishing (license required) is optional. On September 8, our last morning on the boat, those who would like to enjoy one last photo session will do so. The group returns to Kodiak via float plane midday. Most folks will fly to Anchorage and then continue on red-eye flights to their home cities.

The eight days will consist of six full days (Sept 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7) of photography featuring lots of Coastal Brown Bears catching salmon as above plus a variety of other natural history subjects plus some nice scenic photography that I forgot to mention above. Plus the first afternoon and the last morning.

What’s included? 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS on the boat as above. All meals on the boat. (The food is quite excellent.) National Park fees. One night’s double occupancy lodging on Kodiak; arrive: Sept 1/depart: Sept 2. The thank-you-in-advance dinner on Sept 1. In-the-field photo tips, instruction, and guidance. An insight into the mind of a top professional; I will constantly let you know what I am thinking, what I am doing, and why I am doing it. Small group image review, image sharing, and Photoshop instruction on the boat.

What’s not included: Your round trip airfare to and from Kodiak, AK (almost surely through Anchorage). All necessary lodging other than the cost of your double occupancy room on the night of August 31 should you opt to arrive early–we can arrange that in advance for you. We will let you know the cost of a single supplement for the one night if so desired. The cost of the round-trip float plane to the boat on September 2 and back to Kodiak on September 9. The cost of a round trip this year was $500. The suggested crew tip of $210.

Is this an expensive trip? Yes, of course. But with 6 full and two half days, a wealth of great subjects, and the fact that you will be walking with the bears just yards away (or less….) it will be one of the great natural history experiences of your life. Most folks who take part in a Bear Boat IPT wind up coming back for more.

A $2,000 per person non-refundable deposit by check only made out to “Arthur Morris” is required to hold your spot. Please click here to read our cancellation policy. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork here and send it to us.

Your deposit is due immediately. That will leave a balance of $4699. The next payment of $2699 will be due on February 15, 2015. The final payment of $2000 is due on May 1, 2015.

I hope that you can join us for this wondrously exciting trip.

By e-mail from Bill Keown, veteran of three bear boat trips!

Hi Artie, What a great trip! With the exception of the one bright sunny day it was just great. Very different from my first trip in June where we only had the bears clamming; the fishing bears were amazing! As always I learned a lot and enjoyed the group immensely. All the Best, Bill

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Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

What’s Up?

Not much. I enjoyed a tremendously relaxing do-nothing day yesterday; see below for details. I did my swim before the Klein family arrived and enjoyed an ice bath at 6:30pm. This blog post took about 1 1/2 hours to prepare and was published from my home at ILE, FL on the morning of April 2. Today marks 85 straight days with a new educational blog post. I would like to wish everyone a belated happy April Fool’s Day….

Retirement Reactions & Revelations

Everyone who knows me at all realized almost instantly that yesterday’s retirement was an April Fool’s prank. I will not be retiring. Not now. Not ever. Bird photography is in my heart and in my soul. It is my passion and my reason for being. And the same goes for teaching others. As long as I have my health, my retirement will come when they nail the box shut. In addition, I would never ever think of hanging the folks signed up for future IPTs out to dry….

I have long dreamed of being a professional golfer, but I have a very big handicap in that area: a severe lack of skill. As the commercials say, “Those guys are good!”

Some folks got snagged. All were quite gracious once they learned that they had been April-fooled. Many sent clever replies via e-mail. Some of those left me laughing out loud for several minutes.

Multiple IPT veteran and good friend Dick Curtain sent this:

Art, Best wishes on your retirement!!! I just placed a $100,000 gear order with B&H but didn’t use your link as I knew that it would not be active now that you are retired… Best, Dick
ps: happy April Fool’s Day to you too!

By e-mail from Chuck Hooker

Dear Artie, I was thrilled with your announcement this morning. So much so, that I walked into my manager’s office and tendered my resignation, effective immediately. When he picked his jaw up from his desk, he looked at me in bewilderment. I showed him your email. I said, “this is the opening I have been waiting for. It’s time I claim my place as the next Arthur Morris. I’m going to Florida to take over where he’s leaving off.” I showed him an image I made this morning of bluebirds at the feeder, shot with my iPhone. He just shook his head in disbelief.

I’ve contacted Nikon about beginning the process of becoming a Nikon Ambassador, which will let me rub shoulders with some of my mentors like Ami Vitale and Moose Peterson. I’m sure they’ll jump on it, since when I post the first few Nikon made images and all the BAA devotees dump their Canon gear and switch over to Nikon, their sales will be such that it will finally put them in the black.

Unfortunately I find Florida a little too warm for my taste (and I have an aversion to sinkholes), so I’ll be relocating BAA to Seattle, where there is great birding and great coffee. I hope your daughters won’t mind the move – you can come too if you like – or they can just telecommute. I know it’s Passover and all, but I’ll try to be there this weekend to try and make the transition a smooth one. Thanks, cheers, and Happy April Fools to you! Chuck

E-mail exchange with Frank Sheets

Artie, Sorry to see you hanging it up, but I can completely understand. I keep trying to do it but my wife, ten years younger than me, a type “A” personality, and way too overworked, keeps telling me, I’m not retired, just “redirected” (by her I might add). I live on a golf course here in the high desert of Southern California and the more I am out there, the happier I am, but she keeps dragging me into the house to do a little consulting. Honestly, although I gripe, its not a bad gig and keeps me involved in my original field of work and the people and relationships. You may want to consider that option.

Anyway, for the short time I have been subscribed to your blog I have enjoyed it immensely and thanks for that. I keep looking at your bird
photos and keep asking myself what makes these wonderful as compared to the vast number of bird pics on the internet that in no way compare. As such, you have helped me set some bird photography goals. I hope to reach some of those as I continue to photograph for many more years.

I will miss your posts. Hopefully you (or your daughter) will keep your website up so we can continue to look at your inspirational bird photography. RE your golf game, remember, “What do you see when you look up? A bad shot.” Hey, I know that, from experience. Best of luck and thanks again.
Frank

ps: I knew your cap was on your head. I am getting more and more experienced along those lines as well. #$%^@$#

am: Thanks for you kind words. BTW, happy April Fool’s Day 🙂 No retirement here 🙂 Gotcha! later and love, artie
ps: thanks for the personal sharing and best of luck.

FS: You, you, you, you…….SOB. You really got me. I can’t wipe the grin off my face. YOU……YOU……YOU SOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t stop laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Frank T. Sheets

Patrick Sparkman

You should have mentioned that you we moving to San Diego to take up the Triathlon with me! Thanks for the laugh! I needed it! My Mom is quite ill. Patrick

Henry Posada

LOL. I really fell for that one big time!!!

Ron May

The subject line of Ron May’s e-mail said it all best and succinctly: Retirement–Yeah, right!!!

From left to right, Dave Klein, yours truly, younger son Ian (15), Dave’s lovely and charming wife Ingrid, and older son Brendan (17, on the deck of the Digital Basics pool. Photo courtesy of and copyright 2015: Dave Klein. Because I ruined the best 20-second timer image by squinting, I used two small Quick Masks refined by warping the selection via the Transform Command. The basics of this technique are described in Digital Basics and APTATS I.

A Relaxing Day by the Pool with Friends

Yesterday I had the pleasure of having multiple IPT veteran and friend Dave Klein and his family over for lunch and a swim. We were joined by my older daughter Jennifer, husband Eric, and their two kids, Sam and Maya. As always my right hand man Jim Litzenberg joined in the fun by helping out tremendously. One of the prime topics of the day was the NHL. Granddaughter Maya is a huge Chicago Blackhawks fan while Dave’s two boys are equally fanatic about the Minnesota Wild who are doing quite nicely of late.

After lunch I took the Klein family down to the lake where Dave got some nice images of both adult and colt Sandhill Cranes.

An E-mail from Dave Klein

Dear Artie,

Thank you for offering us the opportunity to visit with you, Jim, Jennifer, Eric, Sam and Maya at your home today. Going for a swim in your pool was fantastic as well. Thanks for bumping the temperature up from your usual 76 degrees! The lunch was great and we enjoyed meeting everyone and sharing stories around the table. We truly appreciate your hospitality and friendship. Enjoy your time at home until your photographic adventures take you on the road again. Our visit was a definite highlight of our week spent in Florida and you all made us feel very welcome. Thanks so much for such a great day!

With appreciation and love from your Minnesota friends,

Dave, Ingrid, Brendan and Ian Klein

ps: Having followed you for years and having tried to do my best to learn from you as well the visit for me personally was a real thrill. You have my sincere thanks 🙂

Clockwise from upper left to center: Snowy Egrets/breeding plumage pair, American Alligator with egret feather on head, Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (with fill flash), large Snowy Egret chicks, displaying gator, Wood Stork in flight carrying nesting material (fill flash), begging Snowy Egret chick, another Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (with fill flash), and Great Egret chick.

Date Change: St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 4-6, 2015.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 4-6, 2015. TWO FULL and TWO 1/2 DAYS: $1099. Limit 8/Openings 5.

St. Augustine in early May is a bird photographer’s paradise. With any luck we should have chicks of all sizes in the nests ranging from newly hatched Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons to nearly fledged Great Egrets. More than a few pairs of Roseate Spoonbills have nested at the Alligator Farm for the past several years. Photographing the spoonbill chicks in the nest is a huge challenge…. With any luck we will encounter a few Snowy and Cattle Egrets in stunning breeding plumage. We should have lots of flight photography ops especially late in the day. We will enjoy extra early entry on our three mornigs. Folks who will need a photographer’s pass ($89.95 includes full season early entry and late stay and submission fees for up to 5 photos in their annual contest; this works out to cheaper than four separate entry tickets). We will have those ready for pick-up on the first afternoon.

Clockwise from upper left: flash-as-main light Great Egret chick begging, breeding plumage Cattle Egret w/fill flash, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret chick in nest begging, Cattle Egrets copulating, Wood Stork with nesting material, another Wood Stork with nesting material, and breeding plumage Snowy Egret displaying.

What You Will Learn

On this IPT you will the learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure and how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure. You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior and to see and understand the light. You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system and how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). Most importantly, you will learn to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective. Rookeries are crowded, cluttered, white-washed places. Most folks who visit have no clue as to the difference of an image with tons of distractions and one with a clean line of sight and the best possible distant background. Join me and I will teach you to see like a pro.

I will be bringing my flash to the Alligator Farm (gasp!) I have not used flash for at least a year. I will be teaching you how to use flash as fill and how to use flash as main light. In addition, I will be reviewing the flash flight techniques that I developed at St. Augustine more than a few years ago.

Clockwise from upper left: gator back, Great Egret returning to mate (with fill flash), Roseate Spoonbill with bill open, Roseate Spoonbill chick begging, Roseate Spoonbill 11am silhouette, large Great Egret chicks in nest, and bill of Roseate Spoonbill.

Whats the Rest of the Deal?

Afternoon session on Monday, May 4. Then two full days with a morning and afternoon session each day, May 5 & 6. Then our last morning on May 7. At lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday (included) we will review my images; folks learn a ton watching me edit–why keep this one and delete that one? If you opt to bring your laptop, we can take a look at five of your best images from the morning or another session. We will process a few of my images in Photoshop after converting them in DPP. That followed by Instructor Nap Time.

A $499 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. Your balance–$600, payable only by check, is due immediately. Please include a separate check for $89.95 so that we can purchase your pass in advance. Please click here to read our cancellation policy before committing. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork linked to here and get it to us. You can register by calling Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 and arranging for your deposit of $499. Balances are payable only by check. I hope to see you there.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

What’s Up?

Just so you know, I sent 79 e-mails today…. Plus swim, core exercises, and a trip to town for grocery shopping. At 7:00pm I enjoyed a very cold ice bath; the water temp was only 58.6 when I got out. I am shivering hard as I type. In all, this blog post, the 83rd in a row without missing a day, took about 3 hours to prepare and was published from my home at ILE at 12:01am on Monday. While I slept. Got nine hours last night.

After a great first half by the Dayton Flyers–it seemed that they could not miss–the juggernaut Lady Huskies of the University of Connecticut, who trailed by one after the first 20 minutes, romped in style. I do not think that they will be beaten…

Azizen Pesach to all of our good friends at B&H

Order Soon to Avoid Lengthy Passover Delays/Please Of Course Use Our B&H Affiliate Link(s)

If you are in a hurry to get some new photo gear, please note that you must place your order before noon on Thursday, April 2. Orders received before then will shipped before the holiday closing. Be sure of course to use our generic B&H link here in the right hand column of the blog or to click on one of our product-specific links. Many thanks for that.

Orders placed after the deadline will not ship until Monday, April 13.

This image was created on the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition. Note the perfect framing and the perfect head angle, one to two degrees toward us. Just like I taught him 🙂 Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Michael Hercules Viljoen Image #1: Adelie Penguin flapping in place

Meeting and Working with Micheal

I first met Michael Viljoen (say FILL-yoon) on a BAA Katmai Bear Boat IPT about 8 years ago. Even going back that far I remember him sitting next to me aboard the Coastal Explorer soaking up Photoshop, watching me choose my keepers, sharing his best bear images with me, and asking dozens of questions. Not much has changed since then. On our last of many trips together, the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition, Michael hung with me even more than the eager beginner, Sally Sue South.

Michael, who has lived his whole life in South Africa, was a good photographer when we first met in Alaska. Over the years he has developed into a superb, world class photographer. If you think that I am exaggerating, check out his portfolios here and let me know what you think. With my rather slow connection, each portfolio took a while to load and view, but each was well worth my while. Michael is great technically and has the eye of an artist. His stuff from Africa is among the best in the world.

This image was also created on the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition. I was exhausted and simply did not have the strength to stay up for the New Year’s celebration. I missed nature’s celebration…. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Michael Hercules Viljoen Image #2: Icebergs, sea ice, and moon at midnight.

Michael’s BAA Group Comments

I have been privileged to have been on two great Cheesemans’ Southern Oceans trips and did my booking both times through BIRDS AS ART. So what are the advantages of signing up to be part of the BAA group?

It does not cost you a penny more and there are many benefits. Artie has a lot of experience in the Southern Ocean and an uncanny ability to remember the different landing sites and where the best photo opportunities are at those landings. Prior to each landing he does do a full briefing with his group, advising them on what equipment they need to take for the landing and where they need to be for the best photo opps. He normally does a slide show for the group to highlight what can be expected at the different landings. This is crucial because the time at landings whizzes by, especially at South Georgia where one can be overwhelmed by the numbers and magnitude of the wildlife and easily walk around aimlessly for hours. There is just too much to take in.

Everyone visiting South Georgia wants to optimize the time on the landings rather than wasting time trying to figure out where to be or struggling either because of not having the right lens at hand or having brought too much equipment along. On the landings, artie is always glad to share and to teach. On the last trip, few in the group took advantage of artie on the landings. Folks would see something great and get lost in their own worlds.

Another plus is that artie always keeps an eye on the stern. Whenever there were seabirds following the ship, artie would find the individual group members and alert them. In addition, he is a pretty smart guy. After extensive delays due to high winds we were very late getting to Right Whale Bay. Artie who was late getting to the Zodiacs said to me, “It is getting dark. By the time we land it will be time to head back to the ship.” We grabbed our tripods and 70-200 f/2.8s and photographed very successfully for 90 minutes from the decks of the Ortelius….

Between landings and on navigations Artie normally stakes out spot or a corner where he can be found with at his computer, editing or processing images. Anyone who knows artie knows that he cannot help himself–he has to teach. He is always glad to explain his Photoshop workflow and answer any photo-related questions that one might have. And he is always glad to have a look at your keepers and to comment on the goods and the bads.

You can spend as little or as much time sitting next to him as you wish. The more time you spend with him the more massive your learning experience will be. If you have plans to go to South Georgia, book through BAA – there will be a lot of great photography and learning and laughter.

This image was also created on the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Michael Hercules Viljoen Image #3: King Penguin rookery, Salisbury Plain, South Georgia.

South Georgia October 2015

Do consider joining me in South Georgia next October for the trip of a lifetime. If you would like 20+ hours of free Photoshop tutoring and image review click here.

If you are thinking of joining me on the next Cheesemans’ South Georgia expedition, be sure to check out Michael’s penguin portfolio here.

This image was created on the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Michael Hercules Viljoen Image #4: small blue iceberg

About Michael Viljoen

Michael Viljoen, wildlife photographer, was born and bred in South Africa, is truly African at heart, and has a deep-seated love for the last remaining true wilderness areas and it’s animals. He uses his photography to express this passion while at the same time trying to create awareness of the urgency of conservation efforts and the need to protect both wildlife and wild habitat.

Michael’s passion often takes him to places far removed from the normal pathways, to remote and less travelled destinations, in order to capture animals in their natural environment. This regularly puts him in a situation where he is up close and personal with wild animals and that is why his photos often arouse feelings of intimacy. His images strive to portray another world, one of drama and poignancy where the very souls of the animals seem to be revealed…. with the aim not to only exhibit their beauty but also to highlight their fragility in a world where they are struggling against powerful forces. The human population has an insatiable hunger for land, water and food and is competing with wild animals for these finite resources, often putting whole ecological systems under threat. In Africa especially, poaching is rampant, not only for bush meat but also for ivory and Rhino horn. We are at a crossroads and the sad truth is that if more is not done to save our environment, many of the animals depicted in Michael’s photographs will not be there for our children to see and experience.

This image was created on the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Michael Hercules Viljoen Image #5: Black-browed Albatross: courting pair

About Michael Viljoen continued…

From an early age Michael was exposed to wildlife and hunting and has spent lots of time in the bush. He has always been a conservationist at heart and transformed from hunter to photographer years ago. His photography is self-taught and he will be the first to tell you that it is a continual learning experience. It is his means to interact with nature and wildlife and his knowledge and understanding of animal behavior gained over many years, give him an edge in capturing photographs with a different and fresh approach. The patience required for wildlife photography is legendary but the allure of capturing a moment of beauty and observing unusual behavior is more than enough motivation for the many hundreds of hours waiting in the bush for the right light or the right moment!

Michael has done work for African Parks, a non-profit organization that is currently managing seven parks totaling 4.1 million hectares in six countries in Africa, with plans to expand to more countries. Working with African Parks, his photographs have been exhibited at prestigious venues in order to raise awareness and also to help with fundraising for conservation projects.

Additionally he has photographed for The Peace Parks Foundation that has played a big role in the creation of various Trans-Frontier Parks in Southern Africa. Currently they are using some of his rhino photographs in the fight against Rhino poaching. Action is needed to preserve our natural world and Michael’s hope is that his photographs will inspire people everywhere to join the cause and to help stop the senseless destruction of life and beauty before it is too late.

This image was created on the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Michael Hercules Viljoen Image #6: Weddell’s Seal in heaven look

Michael’s Southern Ocean Gear Bag

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender Michael was kind to loan me his 2-4 on occasion.

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens Great for flight from the ship.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Both Michael and I used this lens extensively on the trip with the 7D II often with either the 1.4X III or the 2X II TC.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens We often mixed and matched our short zooms as I had both the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS and the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II along.

Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) and the Canon 2x EF Extender III (teleconverter). At one point one of Michael’s 1.4X III TCs failed so I loaned him one of my three for the duration of the trip.

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Like me, Michael used his 7D II almost exclusively for birds and wildlife and his 5D III for scenics. And like me he rarely used his 1D X on the trip.

This image was created on the Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean 2014/2015 Expedition. I like Michael’s creativity here. He inverted the image in Photoshop to turn the BLUEs to Penguin Poop Krill Pink. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Michael Hercules Viljoen Image #7: Ice patterns, color inverted from blue in Photoshop

Best of All…

Best of all, Michael Viljoen is a really sweetie, a died in the wool happy camper. The only thing more persistent than his cough was his warm, friendly smile. I am trying to convince him to re-up for the 2015 voyage and to bring his son along as well 🙂

All of the images on the card were made on South Georgia. This remote wilderness island offers both spectacular scenery and hordes of tame wildlife and birds. From top left clockwise to the center: Southern Elephant Seal, courting King Penguin pair, King Penguin abstract, Grey-headed Albatross, King Penguin rookery on Salisbury Plain, Macaroni Penguin head portrait, King Penguin molting Okum Boy, Macaroni Penguin pair, King Penguin preening, Southern Elephant Seal yawning, the view of Gold Harbour from a Light-mantled Sooty Albatross nest. Click on the image to see an extra large version.

The Southern Ocean

South Georgia Expedition Voyage

I’ve been blessed. I’ve now made four trips to the Southern Ocean, three expeditions that visited the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula, and one to the Falklands and South Georgia. Each was a truly amazing experience. South Georgia has been the star of the show each time: rugged snow covered peaks, tame and abundant wildlife including Southern Elephant Seal and Southern Fur Seal, and penguins: more King Penguins than you could ever have dreamed of. Gentoos. And my favorite, the golden-yellow spaghetti-topped Macaronis. With four trips to South Georgi under my belt, I have a pretty good idea about how to make great images at each of the iconic landings. In addition, we should have some pretty good flight photography sessions from the stern of the ship. I would love the chance to share my knowledge with you.

Going Light

On my recent trip, I found myself going with shorter lenses and lighter gear than on any previous Southern Ocean Expedition. In part that was due to the crop factor of the 7D Mark II, in part because going light makes life (and landings!) much easier. I made many landings with just the 7D II and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. I refined the way that I got my gear safely from ship to shore. Lots more on that here soon.

Cheesemans’ Well Deserved Kudos

I know from personal experience that if you are a photographer who is going to invest in Southern Ocean voyage, you will want to put your money on Cheesemans’. No other tour company goes as far out of their way to ensure making every possible safe landing. And no other tour company will have you spending more time on land. Michael Viljeon from South Africa was aboard the Ortelius on a Southern Oceans voyage that preceded the Cheesemans’ trip that we were both on. As we headed back to Ushuaia, he said, “The folks that ran that first trip were pathetic. Too rough. No landing today. Surf too high today. No landing. Wind wrong direction. No landing. Cheesemans’ routinely and safely gets folks on land in conditions where the leaders of other tour companies do not even bother getting out of their bunks.”

Here, from the” Way to Go CES! (Cheeseman’s Ecology Safaris)” blog post here, is one of my favorite Cheesemans’ stories:

The landing at Bailey Head, Antarctica, was especially rewarding to me as I had been sitting in a zodiac 100 yards off shore on my 2007 trip when the zodiac in front of mine swamped and the captain of the ship called off the landing…. Early that day it looked as if my weather Karma might not be working. Ted’s “Good morning shipmates” was followed by the news that we would not be able to land at Bailey Head that morning as the swell was too big. The beach there is sloped tremendously and the sea strives to pull the zodiacs back into the ocean before folks have gotten off with their gear. Tom Murphy had said to me several days before, “We will get you on the beach at Bailey Head.” Ted concluded his morning greetings by saying, “We are sending out a scout team to see if landing is possible.”

After breakfast I was thrilled to hear Ted’s voice again on the PA, “We will be landing at 8am.” Afterwards folks noted that it was the calmest landing ever at this amazingly beautiful spot. My good weather Karma (courtesy of late-wife Elaine) had come through one last time. Along with St. Andrews Bay, it was one of my two favorite super-great once-in-a-lifetime days of the trip. And we even got to enjoy three additional hours at Hannah Point, Antarctica before calling it a wrap and heading for the feared Drake Passage. All thanks to Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris.

Important Notes

#1: If you register directly with CES you MUST remember to let them know that you would like to be part of the BIRDS AS ART group.

#2: Joining the BIRDS AS ART group as above will not cost you one penny.

The Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris South Georgia Expedition Voyage

An in-depth Adventure aboard the Ortelius: October 29 to November 17, 2015

From the CES website:

We are very excited to be able to bring this special in-depth expedition to you. This is a product of years of experience leading voyages to South Georgia and a passion for everything found here. Our itinerary is specifically designed to take advantage of the vibrant early season on South Georgia when snow blankets the mountains and early summer brings special wildlife treats seldom experienced. We will explore vast colonies of King Penguins, elephant seals in their peak of breeding activity, and colonies of Wandering, Gray-headed, Light-mantled, and Black-browed albatross. This cruise allows us many days to explore this truly unique island, the crown jewel of the Antarctic. The landscape filled with expanses of glaciers pouring into the sea provides rare beauty and photogenic impressiveness that words cannot convey. We will enjoy about nine days in the midst of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich island on the planet! Exceptional leadership expertise will enrich your experience throughout the voyage. Our priority on this special expedition is to give you the maximum time possible in the field so you can explore at your own pace during a special time on South Georgia. Come explore South Georgia with us!

I can personally attest to the accuracy of everything above. 🙂

More CES Kudos

From multiple IPT veteran Alan Lillich who (along with wife Pat) was in the BAA group on a 2012 CES voyage with me:

Start with some of the world’s best alpine landscapes, add an overwhelming abundance of tolerant wildlife, and finish with tour operators who put you there and give you the freedom to explore. It doesn’t get any better.

Questions?

I’d be glad to answer all of your Southern Ocean/Falklands/South Georgia/Antarctica questions. Please leave a comment if you’d like to learn more.

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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 :).

What’s Up?

I enjoyed a relaxing 1/2 mile swim and and an ice bath today. BTW, go Wisconsin! I felt like a travel agent arranging my flights to Santiago, Chile and Stanley in the Falklands (where I will board the Ortelius for my next Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition) and to Tokyo for the sold out Japan in Winter IPT. Lots lots more healthy eating. And I enjoyed another great night’s sleep on Friday with just one pit stop. This blog post took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare and was published from my home at ILE, FL very early on Sunday morning. Today marks 81 straight days with a new educational blog post.

Canon 600 mm f/4L IS II Lens

David Ramirez is offering a used Canon EF 600mm f/4 L IS II in excellent plus condition for $10,499.00. The sale includes the Lenscoat cover in Max-4, the rear lens cap, the front lens cover, the lens trunk, the lens strap, the original box, the lens manual, and both the original lens foot and the 4th Generation Design replacement low foot CRX-5 (a $122 value). Insured shipping via UPS Ground is also included. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact David by e-mail ­­­­­­­­or by phone at 541-892-3726 (Pacific Time).

As the lens sells new for $11,999 you can save a cool $1500 by grabbing this one now.

I currently own and use the 600 II as my go-to super-telephoto lens when I need reach. It teams well with any camera body and offers amazing reach with the new 7D II (960mm at f/4!). I use it often with my 1DX with both TCs especially the 2X III. as I recommend and use the Mongoose M3.6 I use the CR-X5 Low Foot as the plate. Some young strong folks hand hold the 600 II for long flight and general bird photography shooting sessions. I can hand hold it only for short periods unless I am seated. It is a killer lens when using your car as a blind with the lens supported by a BLUBB.

South Georgia October 2015

Do consider joining me in South Georgia next October for the trip of a lifetime. Click here for complete details.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 1-4, 2015. TWO FULL and TWO 1/2 DAYS: $1099. Limit 8/Openings 6.

Two folks have signed up for this IPT that was announced only yesterday. Scroll down here for complete details.

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To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please remember: no phone orders: web orders only!

Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. 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 we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

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This image was created at 8:19am on the cloudy morning of March 22, 2015 at Alafia Banks with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 640: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6. AWB. AI Servo Zone/Shutter Button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure; see the DPP 4 screen capture below for the active points. Click on the image to see the spectacular larger version.

Manual Mode a Must!

Those who persist in working in Av mode in all situations for a variety of reasons (and all the rest of you as well) are invited to estimate the correct amount of positive or negative Exposure Compensation (EC) that should have been shown on the analogue scale at the moment of exposure to result in a perfect exposure.

To simplify the question, what would the right EC have been if you had been working in Av mode?

Either way, the answer will be the same. We can make it a multiple choice question to encourage more folks to participate:

a: +2 stops
b: +1 stop
c: +1/3 stop
d: -1/3 stop
e: -2 stops
f: -2 2/3 stops

Be sure to let us know why you chose your answer.

Exposure Fine Points

#1: if you are photographing a species of a given tonality in flight (working correctly in Manual mode as you should be for most flight situations) and the bird lands, it is generally best to open up 1/3 stop (usually by slowing down the shutter speed one click). Why? Though theoretically the light falling on the subject is roughly the same whether the bird is in flight or on the ground my experience is that “it is lighter up there.” That is, the land absorbs a bit of the light. Does this really make sense to me? No. Does it work? Yes.

#2 is a principle that we teach whenever we are photographing a variety of birds in flight in the same light: to get the right exposure for subjects of varying tonalities you need to adjust your shutter speed for light and dark birds. Again, it is almost always best to do that by adjusting the shutter speed. At the defaults, with Canon gear, that means turning the Index Finger Dial clockwise for a faster shutter speed and counter-clockwise for a slower shutter speed.

Here is how that works at Alafia Banks:

a: Figure the correct exposure in a given lighting condition via experience and a histogram check. Make sure that you have no blinkies on the subject and that you have data well into the fifth (highlight) histogram box on the right. On a clear sunny morning at ISO 400 this usually work out to 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3.

b: If a Great Egret comes along, go one click clockwise with the Index Finger Wheel to 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3. Why? Great Egrets are well whiter than the brightest WHITEs on a spoonbill. Remember this principle: Whites and light tones need less light to be properly exposed than middle tones.

c-If a Great Blue Heron or a Brown Pelican flies by go one click lighter (slower shutter speed) than you are for a spoonbill. Why? The WHITEs on these two species are not as bright as the WHITEs on a spoonbill. This would put you at 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3.

d-If a dark morph Reddish Egret (darn close to a middle tone) comes into range go only another click lighter? Why? You need to guard against getting blinkies on the pink of the bill which can be very bright in full breeding plumage… You will wind up at 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3.

e: If a Double-crested Cormorant flies by open up only four clicks from the spoonbill settings. Though it is a black bird, you still need to guard against toasting the bright orange bill. You will correctly be at 1/1250 sec.

f: If a Fish Crow (basically all BLACK) is the subject, open six clicks from the spoonbill settings to 1/800 sec. (if I have done the math correctly.

We do the exact same thing at Bosque with the geese and cranes, we vary the shutter speed to come up with a good exposure for birds of varying tonalities while working in Manual mode when the light is constant.

The DPP 4 Screen Capture

Zone AF

As careful readers have been noticing, I have been working more with Zone AF in recent months. While I almost never rely on Zone AF for flight, I have been trying it for action shots and also with somewhat static stuff. I chose it for today’s pelican image in an effort to move the bird back in the frame. The relatively wide coverage of center AF zone allows for that with large birds. When the pelican raised its wings to take off and kicked up some sand in the process I simply fired off several frames. As you can see by the screen capture above, Zone AF did an excellent job of picking AF points that resulted in a sharp-on-the-eye image.

All in all AF Zone has performed quite well in a variety of situations. For flight however, I will be sticking with center AF point/Expand AF… And of course, my new old friend, Shutter Button AF.

Before and After Image Questions

What are the two main differences between the original image (as seen in the screen cap) and the optimized version that opens this post? Eagle-eyed readers will be able to come up with at least three differences.

The DPP 4 Screen Capture

Though you cannot see the Brightness slider, I moved it to +.67 as the original was about 2/3 stop underexposed. I moved the Highlight slider to -1 (as I often do) to assure lots of detail in the brightest highlights, in this case, the light yellow atop the pelican’s head. I moved the Shadow slider to -1 to darken the background; this is something that I do only rarely.

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s image is covered in detail in my Digital Basics File–written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style. Are you tired of making your images look worse in Photoshop? Digital Basics File is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, details on using all of my image clean-up tools, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, Contrast Masks, Digital Eye Doctor techniques, using Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, a variety of ways to make selections, how to create time-saving actions, the Surface Blur (background noise reduction) settings, and tons more.

APTATS I & II

Learn the details of advanced Quick Masking techniques in APTATS I. Learn Advanced Layer Masking Techniques in APTATS II. Mention this blog post and apply a $5 discount to either with phone orders only. Buy both APTATS I and APTATS II and we will be glad to apply at $15 discount either with phone orders or here in the BAA Online Store. For phone orders, call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays.

You can order your copy of “The Photographers’ Guide to Canon Digital Photo Professional 4.0” (aka the DPP 4 Raw Conversion eGuide) by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris by clicking here.

The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF)

The Ideal Companion to the 7D Mark II User’s Guide

Learn how and why I and many other discerning photographers choose and use only DPP 4 to convert their Canon RAW files in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly. The latest version supports all of the newer Canon camera bodies and several older models including the EOS-7D and the EOS-1D Mark IV. A free update that will cover most of the newly added cameras will be sent in a week or two. See upcoming blog posts for exact details.

Clockwise from upper left to center: Snowy Egrets/breeding plumage pair, American Alligator with egret feather on head, Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (with fill flash), large Snowy Egret chicks, displaying gator, Wood Stork in flight carrying nesting material (fill flash), begging Snowy Egret chick, another Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (with fill flash), and Great Egret chick.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 1-4, 2015. TWO FULL and TWO 1/2 DAYS: $1099. Limit 8/Openings 6.

St. Augustine in early May is a bird photographer’s paradise. With any luck we should have chicks of all sizes in the nests ranging from newly hatched Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons to nearly fledged Great Egrets. More than a few pairs of Roseate Spoonbills have nested at the Alligator Farm for the past several years. Photographing the spoonbill chicks in the nest is a huge challenge…. With any luck we will encounter a few Snowy and Cattle Egrets in stunning breeding plumage. We should have lots of flight photography ops especially late in the day. We will enjoy early entry. Folks who will need a photographer’s pass ($89.95 includes full season early entry and late stay and submission fees for up to 5 photos in their annual contest; this works out to cheaper than four separate entry tickets). We will have those ready for pick-up on the first afternoon. All will need to bring a $5 bill for the staff tip for each of our 3 extra-late stays.

Clockwise from upper left: flash-as-main light Great Egret chick begging, breeding plumage Cattle Egret w/fill flash, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret chick in nest begging, Cattle Egrets copulating, Wood Stork with nesting material, another Wood Stork with nesting material, and breeding plumage Snowy Egret displaying.

What You Will Learn

On this IPT you will the learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure and how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure. You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior and to see and understand the light. You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system and how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). Most importantly, you will learn to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective. Rookeries are crowded, cluttered, white-washed places. Most folks who visit have no clue as to the difference of an image with tons of distractions and one with a clean line of sight and the best possible distant background. Join me and I will teach you to see like a pro.

I will be bringing my flash to the Alligator Farm (gasp!) I have not used flash for at least a year. I will be teaching you how to use flash as fill and how to use flash as main light. In addition, I will be reviewing the flash flight techniques that I developed at St. Augustine more than a few years ago.

Clockwise from upper left: gator back, Great Egret returning to mate (with fill flash), Roseate Spoonbill with bill open, Roseate Spoonbill chick begging, Roseate Spoonbill 11am silhouette, large Great Egret chicks in nest, and bill of Roseate Spoonbill.

Whats the Rest of the Deal?

At lunch (included) we will review my images; folks learn a ton watching me edit–why keep this one and delete that one. If you opt to bring your laptop, we can take a look at five of your best images from the morning session. We will process a few of my images in Photoshop after converting them in DPP. That followed by Instructor Nap Time.

A $499 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. Your balance of $600, payable only by check, is due immediately. Please include a separate check for $89.95 so that we can purchase your pass in advance. Please click here to read our cancellation policy before committing. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork linked to here and get it to us. You can register by calling Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 and arranging for your deposit of $499. Balances are payable only by check. I hope to see you there.

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We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

What’s Up?

Another nice swim and an ice bath today. And lots more healthy eating (for a change). Amazingly, I slept eight 1/2 hours on Wednesday night with just one pit stop. This blog post took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare and was published from my home at ILE, FL early on Friday morning. Today marks 79 straight days with a new educational blog post.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Short-Notice Spoonbill and Wading Bird Chicks IPT: May 1-4, 2015. TWO FULL and TWO 1/2 DAYS: $1099. Limit 8/Openings 6.

Two folks have signed up for this IPT that was announced only yesterday. See the previous blog post for complete details.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please remember: no phone orders: web orders only!

Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

This image was created at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (hand held at 205mm), and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/4.5. AI Servo Zone/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). For this image, the AF system activated two AF points one of which caught the left side of the bird’s neck and resulted in a sharp eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Single King Penguin emerging from surf

King as Dirt Bird, Dirt Bird as King

dirt bird (dûrt bûrd) noun: a bird species so common, so numerous, or so nondescript that it is often overlooked or ignored by serious birders

Nobody in their right mind would describe King Penguin as nondescript, but with about one-quarter million nesting pairs in the South Georgia archipelago, folks who are blessed to be able to visit the incredible wildlife spectacle that is South Georgia often quickly begin to take them for granted. Not me. And not most photographers.

King Penguins are gorgeous birds. They are tame. And they are curious, often approaching humans. And they often gather in huge groups weaving tapestries of black, white, silver, gray, yellow, gold, orange, and pink across hillsides and flat areas. Interwoven among the masses of brightly colored adults are rows and rows of Oakum boys, the brown young of the previous year.

This image was created at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (hand held at 98mm), and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/4.5. AI Servo Zone/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). For this image, the AF system activated two AF points below the center AF point and with the relatively short focal length a sharp image was the result. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: King Penguin group emerging from surf

King Penguin Exposure Challenges

As with all birds that offer large areas of white and black, the trick with this species is to push the WHITEs to the edge of blinkies to ensure getting sufficient detail in the BLACKs and the other dark tones of the face.

Static or Action?

King Penguins will often stand in the same spot for an hour allowing you to create a variety of tight abstracts. And on many South Georgia landings, it is easy to find a spot where they are coming out of the surf in large numbers, either singly or in groups. These exiting birds provide almost endless opportunities to photograph them in action.

Where?

Many South Georgia landings are at sites that feature large King Penguin colonies. These include Right Whale Bay (where I was blessed with a fresh snowfall on my last early season visit), Salisbury Plain (60,000 pairs), Fortuna Bay with its relatively small but photogenic colony, St. Andrews Bay (upwards of 150,000 pairs), and the spectacularly scenic Gold Harbor (25,000 pairs).

All of the images on the card were made on South Georgia. This remote wilderness island offers both spectacular scenery and hordes of tame wildlife and birds. From top left clockwise to the center: Southern Elephant Seal, courting King Penguin pair, King Penguin abstract, Grey-headed Albatross, King Penguin rookery on Salisbury Plain, Macaroni Penguin head portrait, King Penguin molting Okum Boy, Macaroni Penguin pair, King Penguin preening, Southern Elephant Seal yawning, the view of Gold Harbour from a Light-mantled Sooty Albatross nest. Click on the image to see an extra large version.

The Southern Ocean

South Georgia Expedition Voyage

I’ve been blessed. I’ve now made four trips to the Southern Ocean, three expeditions that visited the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula, and one to the Falklands and South Georgia. Each was a truly amazing experience. South Georgia has been the star of the show each time: rugged snow covered peaks, tame and abundant wildlife including Southern Elephant Seal and Southern Fur Seal, and penguins: more King Penguins than you could ever have dreamed of. Gentoos. And my favorite, the golden-yellow spaghetti-topped Macaronis. With four trips to South Georgi under my belt, I have a pretty good idea about how to make great images at each of the iconic landings. In addition, we should have some pretty good flight photography sessions from the stern of the ship. I would love the chance to share my knowledge with you.

Going Light

On my recent trip, I found myself going with shorter lenses and lighter gear than on any previous Southern Ocean Expedition. In part that was due to the crop factor of the 7D Mark II, in part because going light makes life (and landings!) much easier. I made many landings with just the 7D II and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. I refined the way that I got my gear safely from ship to shore. Lots more on that here soon.

Cheesemans’ Well Deserved Kudos

I know from personal experience that if you are a photographer who is going to invest in Southern Ocean voyage, you will want to put your money on Cheesemans’. No other tour company goes as far out of their way to ensure making every possible safe landing. And no other tour company will have you spending more time on land. Michael Viljeon from South Africa was aboard the Ortelius on a Southern Oceans voyage that preceded the Cheesemans’ trip that we were both on. As we headed back to Ushuaia, he said, “The folks that ran that first trip were pathetic. Too rough. No landing today. Surf too high today. No landing. Wind wrong direction. No landing. Cheesemans’ routinely and safely gets folks on land in conditions where the leaders of other tour companies do not even bother getting out of their bunks.”

Here, from the” Way to Go CES! (Cheeseman’s Ecology Safaris)” blog post here, is one of my favorite Cheesemans’ stories:

The landing at Bailey Head, Antarctica, was especially rewarding to me as I had been sitting in a zodiac 100 yards off shore on my 2007 trip when the zodiac in front of mine swamped and the captain of the ship called off the landing…. Early that day it looked as if my weather Karma might not be working. Ted’s “Good morning shipmates” was followed by the news that we would not be able to land at Bailey Head that morning as the swell was too big. The beach there is sloped tremendously and the sea strives to pull the zodiacs back into the ocean before folks have gotten off with their gear. Tom Murphy had said to me several days before, “We will get you on the beach at Bailey Head.” Ted concluded his morning greetings by saying, “We are sending out a scout team to see if landing is possible.”

After breakfast I was thrilled to hear Ted’s voice again on the PA, “We will be landing at 8am.” Afterwards folks noted that it was the calmest landing ever at this amazingly beautiful spot. My good weather Karma (courtesy of late-wife Elaine) had come through one last time. Along with St. Andrews Bay, it was one of my two favorite super-great once-in-a-lifetime days of the trip. And we even got to enjoy three additional hours at Hannah Point, Antarctica before calling it a wrap and heading for the feared Drake Passage. All thanks to Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris.

Why Sign Up Through BIRDS AS ART?

If you have been thinking and dreaming of finally visiting South Georgia, this is the trip for you. Quit dreaming and act now. Though I will not be an official leader on this trip, those who have traveled with me know that I cannot help but teach. I will make pre-trip gear recommendations. I will hold informal pre-landing briefings. In the same vein, everyone will receive a free copy of our Antarctica Site Guide once they are paid in full (July 2, 2015). I will be available on the ship to review your images,, answer questions, and conduct informal over-the shoulder Photoshop sessions. And best of all, everyone who signs up under the auspices of BAA are invited to tag along with me on the landings where I will be glad to offer invaluable in-the-field advice. And the same goes for the ship-board birds in flight and marine mammal photography opportunities.

Do join us. To learn how to be part of the BAA group please e-mail me with the words Antarctica/Extended Expedition BAA Info Please cut and pasted into the Subject line.

Important Notes

#1: If you fail to e-mail me as noted directly above, and register directly with CES you MUST let them know that you would like to be part of the BIRDS AS ART group.

#2: Joining the BIRDS AS ART group as above will not cost you one penny.

The Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris South Georgia Expedition Voyage

An in-depth Adventure aboard the Ortelius: October 29 to November 17, 2015

From the CES website:

We are very excited to be able to bring this special in-depth expedition to you. This is a product of years of experience leading voyages to South Georgia and a passion for everything found here. Our itinerary is specifically designed to take advantage of the vibrant early season on South Georgia when snow blankets the mountains and early summer brings special wildlife treats seldom experienced. We will explore vast colonies of King Penguins, elephant seals in their peak of breeding activity, and colonies of Wandering, Gray-headed, Light-mantled, and Black-browed albatross. This cruise allows us many days to explore this truly unique island, the crown jewel of the Antarctic. The landscape filled with expanses of glaciers pouring into the sea provides rare beauty and photogenic impressiveness that words cannot convey. We will enjoy about nine days in the midst of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich island on the planet! Exceptional leadership expertise will enrich your experience throughout the voyage. Our priority on this special expedition is to give you the maximum time possible in the field so you can explore at your own pace during a special time on South Georgia. Come explore South Georgia with us!

I can personally attest to the accuracy of everything above. 🙂

More CES Kudos

From multiple IPT veteran Alan Lillich who (along with wife Pat) was in the BAA group on a 2012 CES voyage with me:

Start with some of the world’s best alpine landscapes, add an overwhelming abundance of tolerant wildlife, and finish with tour operators who put you there and give you the freedom to explore. It doesn’t get any better.

The Pull is Too Strong…

The pull is too strong. I need to go back. And I am. Do join me for an unparalleled wildlife and scenic photography experience. Please e-mail for additional information.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

What’s Up?

Things got back to normal today with a nice swim, my core exercises, and an ice bath. Though I was a bit jet-lagged by mid-morning I got lots of stuff done. This blog post took about 3 hours to prepare (including the four image optimizations) and was published from my home at ILE, FL early on Wednesday morning. Today marks 77 straight days with a brand new educational blog post.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please remember: no phone orders: web orders only!

Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

This image was created at Morro Bay with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 148mm) and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 640. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/30 sec. at f/5.0 in Tv mode. Color temperature: 9000 K. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Western Gull pre-dawn blur

Low Light Pleasing Blur Techniques are Easily Learned

As I do at Bosque and other locations, I taught a large group of folks to create pleasing flight blurs in the predawn by working in Tv mode as above, working in Auto ISO (or setting ISO Safety Shift as I do with all of my camera bodies), and adding from one to nearly three stops of light to the exposure (depending on the tonality of the background–the lighter the background, the dumber the meter is and the more light you need to add to get data well into the fifth histogram box). If there is even a hint of color you can set your color temperature to Kelvin and dial in anywhere from 7000 to 10000 K to juice things up a bit.

Many of the Canon Morro Bay Destination Workshop participants created some really nice pleasing blurs on our first morning after only three minutes of instruction….

This image was created at Morro Bay with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 100mm) and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop of the pale blue sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Western Gull adult in flight

AF Expand for Flight

I am quickly coming to realize that AF Expand is the best AF Area Selection mode for me when it comes to photographing birds in flight. If you are more skilled than I am at keeping the active AF point on the bird’s eye, face, or even neck then central AF point (manual selection) might be best for you. Note that what I call AF Expand (for simplicity’s sake), Canon calls “AF Point expansion:top/bottom/left/right.”

This image was created at Morro Bay with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 188mm) and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops off the pale grey sky: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: California Gull adult in flight

AF Expand for Flight/Image Sharpness

My custom AF Case setting–I re-do Case 3 as I see that as the least useful of the six for bird and nature photography–contributes quite a bit to the consistent sharpness that I am getting with the 7D II/100-400II combo. For a free excerpt from the 7D II User’s Guide that deals with AF point auto switching issues, see the blog post here. Those who own the 5D III User’s Guide or the 1D X AF Guide will also benefit from a careful reading of the material covered there. I advise a careful reading as several folks have written asking whether 0, 1, or 2 is best for them… As the excerpt states, it depends on your skill level. I have surprised myself to some degree by achieving consistently sharp images with AF point auto switching set to 0.

Morro Bay’s March Gulls

There are many hundreds if not thousands of Western Gulls in the region in March along with a smattering of Ring-billed Gulls. The Westerns breed on Morro Rock. Surprisingly, California Gull is typically hard to find and photograph both in Morro Bay and in San Diego. I did see and photograph a single Heerman’s Gull in Morro Bay; they will arrive in numbers as summer begins.

This image was created at Morro Bay with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 200mm) and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop off the pale grey sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #4: Ring-billed Gull adult in flight

Background Considerations

As the birds came down to our proffered offerings I suggested to folks that they try and time the shutter release so as to include the distant fog-enshrouded hillside. As I did here.

Your Favorite?

Please keep the blog interactive and leave a comment as to which of the four featured images you like best and be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

The 7D Mark II User’s Guide is now available. You can purchase your copy right now in the BAA Online Store here for $59.

7D Mark II User’s Guide

The long-awaited 7D Mark II User’s Guide was published 15 days ago. Nearly 300 have been sold to rave reviews. You can purchase your copy right now in the BAA Online Store here for $59. This is the highest priced user’s guide ever, surpassing the 5D II User’s Guide that is priced at $50. Why? I did twice as much work preparing the 7D II Guide. It required many days of writing, many dozens of hours of study and research, not to mention hundreds of hours in the field trying to figure out the best 7D II setting while doing what I love to do best, photographing birds and nature. The camera is quite complex. Many thanks to both Rudy Winston and Chuck Westfall of Canon USA for their help in getting me through the stickiest parts.

The guide contains 23,196 words in 516 paragraphs. There are 24 photos and screen captures interspersed in the main body of the text and a gallery of 23 additional 7D II images that show what the camera is capable of with a variety of lens and lens/TC combinations. We would love your feedback.

The Great Strength of the 7D Mark II User’s Guide

The very great strength of the 7D Mark II User’s Guide is the coverage of the autofocus system. I review in detail all of the items on the five pink AF Menus. Most important of these is the Custom Case setting (at AF 1) that I have developed over time and currently use for all of my bird photography. On the recently concluded Hooptie Deux Spoonbills and more IPT John Johnson of Naples, FL mentioned that he was having trouble producing sharp flight images. I set up my Custom Case on his camera, and within minutes he was amazed at the sharp results that he was getting…. While skill, strength, fine motor control, and superior hand eye coordination are all factors that will influence your success as a flight photographer, you can have all of the preceding in spades but if your camera is not set up properly much of your effort will be in vain….

What Else is in the Guide?

In the 7D Mark II User’s Guide you will learn everything that I know about the important topics listed below, and better yet, I explain the options for each along with my reasons for choosing a specific setting in a specific situation.

5D III exposure fine points
Handling the WHITEs
The top LCD and all camera control buttons
7D Mark II drive modes
How to manually select an AF sensor
Choosing an AF Area Selection Mode; how and why (includes extensive detail)
Moving the AF point or Zone
The creation of in-camera Multiple Exposures and in-camera HDR images (includes extensive detail)
Live View Shooting and AF choices (all new in the 7D II)
Menu Item Access
Coverage of almost all Menu Items and Custom Functions including the following: Image Quality, Auto Lighting Optimizer, Lens aberration corrections settings, Highlight Tone Priority, AF Configuration Tool (as above, this includes details on the custom setting that I use), Acceleration/deceleration tracking, Tracking sensitivity, Lens drive when AF impossible, Orientation linked AF point (I love this feature), Highlight alert, Histogram display–do you know how to access both histograms at once?, Auto rotate, Image Jump, LCD Brightness, Info button display options, Custom Shooting Modes set-up, ISO Safety shift, using the Q button, setting up rear focus, and setting up your My Menu feature (among others).

The guide is–of course–written in my informal, easy-to-follow style.

Please note: Some Menu items are not covered in this guide for one of several reasons:

They deal only with the creation of movies (not covered)
They are irrelevant to nature photography.
After spending hours studying the 7D II Instruction Manual and consulting others I have no clue as to the purpose or the reason for the existence of a given feature.

Though I recommend that the irrelevant and confusing items be left at the default settings, I do, in most cases, I refer you to the relevant page in the 7D II Instruction Manual. If you follow up, it just might turn out that you are a lot smarter than me. In those cases I would love to hear from you via e-mail. So far none of the above have prevented me from creating many spectacular images with my 7D II.

Please note that this guide does not contain a table of contents or an index. To search the document for a given topic simply hit Control F to search. When the Find box pops up, simply type the term that you are looking for into the field and hit Next. This will allow you to find what you are looking for quickly and efficiently.

If you purchase the 7D II UG and it helps you to create better images, please feel free to send no more than two 1200 pixel wide or 900 pixel tall sharpened JPEGs to me via e-mail along with your comments. I will be glad to do a short critique if so requested.

Otherwise, feedback via e-mail or blog comment is always appreciated.

A Guide to Pleasing Blurs

Pleasing blurs are not, as some folks believe, out of focus mistakes. If you would like to learn how to create these increasingly popular images, get yourself a copy of “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs” by Denise Ippolito and yours truly.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

What’s Up?

Despite the preponderance of tame Long-billed Curlews, Marbled Godwits, and Western Gulls in gorgeous breeding plumage, the folks on the Morro Bay Canon Destination workshop were a bit tuckered out from our long Saturday beach walks. And they wanted some variety. In search of that, we spent about two hours with a very handsome and very cooperative male Anna’s Hummingbird. Nobody was bored.

I pack tonight. I will be getting up quite early as my Monday flight to Phoenix departs San Luis Obispo at 6:20am. From there it is on to MCO where Jim will be picking me up at about 4:30pm. Good luck with my 40 minute connection time….

This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and was published at 9:02pm on Sunday, two minutes past midnight on Monday on the east coast. Good night.

Image #1: Rock Rose 3X2

Lens Quiz

Both the 3X2 image above and the square crop below were created from the same RAW file. The 3X2 is a minuscule crop from the original.

What lens or lens/TC combination was used to create the original image?

a-Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens
b- Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens
c-Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III
d-Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens
e-some other lens/TC combination; if this, which?

Note: the flower was about two and one-half to three inches in diameter.

Image #2: Rock Rose Square

Image Preference

Which of the two images above do you like best, the 3X2 version or the square crop. Please let us know why.

Please

Please remember to use our affiliate links especially for you major gear purchases. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

Stuff

I enjoyed a great morning at Morro Bay with two private clients, Bill Goodhew and Dwayne Marrott. The curlews and godwits and Willets and Western Gulls were all in fine form and the light was sweet. The afternoon, with a bit of fog thrown in, was fair to good. It got so foggy in the end that we wound up creating pleasing blurs.

I met the Canon Destination Workshop group at 7pm for our introductory session. Everyone in the group was nice and there were lots of good questions; everyone seemed eager to learn. Several folks borrowed 200-400 (with Internal TC) lenses. This blog post took 1 1/2 hours to put together and was published from my hotel room in Morro Bay, CA at 9:40pm.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please remember: no phone orders: web orders only!

Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

This image was created at Morro Bay on the morning of March 20, 2015 with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400: 1/1600 sec. at f/9. Center AF point (by necessity)/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button AF, focus lock and re-compose. See below for details. Click on the image to see a larger version. Surf Scoter in surf

AF-On Button for Focus Lock

Having come almost full circle, back to using Shutter Button AF more than 90% of the time, I now set the AF-On button to be my focus lock (AF-Off). To create the image above I focused with the shutter button, pressed and held the AF-On button to lock focus, quickly re-composed, and created two images in rapid succession. Using this technique was necessary as no AF point in the array could put the bird in the corner of the frame where I wanted it. Using rear focus would actually have been easier in this instance. But with the method above there is no need to switch from Shutter Button to Rear Focus AF when you need to re-compose.

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We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

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Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

What’s Up?

Wow. Just got back from an amazing afternoon. Canon Live Learning Morro Bay Destination Workshop assistant Aidan Briggs suggested a new location and it paid off in spades. Images, including a killer flapping after bath Long-billed Curlew here soon. I am planning on hitting the sack at 9:01pm….

This blog post took about 1 1/2 hours to prepare and was published from my hotel room in Morro Bay, CA at 9:07pm.just after midnight on the east coast.

If you would like to join us in Morro Bay this coming weekend scroll down for details. All you need is a 100-400 II and a 7D II.

Please remember: no phone orders; web orders only!

For the past week, a brain typo by yours truly resulted in a grievous error; the section below stated “Phone orders only!” Thanks a stack to Robin Harrison who kindly pointed out the error. This is of course correct: Please remember: no phone orders: web orders only!

Many thanks to all who continue to support my efforts here on the blog by using our affiliate links.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please remember: no phone orders: web orders only!

Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

This image was created at Morro Bay on Tuesday March 17, 2015 at 7:01pm with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 248 mm) and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 800 (should have been ISO 400). Evaluative metering -2 1/3 stops: 1/2500 sec. at f/22. Color temperature: 9000K. Zone/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). It selected two AF points along the right center edge of the rock. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Bird Sh*t Rock/Starburst at the eyebrow

f/22 for the Starburst Effect

With many lenses photographing the sun just above the horizon or peeking out from the edge of a rock or a tree at f/22 or smaller apertures will often produce lovely starbursts. Understand that with today’s two images the moving a fraction of an inch in either direction will have large effects on the image. Even at -3 stops the sun will register as over-exposed with RGB values of 255, 255, 255. No worries. If you work in Manual mode and set an exposure dark enough to avoid blinkies on the sun you will have a black rock in a black sky…. Much better to toast the sun and to avoid underexposing the sky at all.

This image was created at Morro Bay on Tuesday March 17, 2015 at 7:07pm with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens(at 256mm) and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 800 (should have been ISO 400). Evaluative metering -2 2/3 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/22. Color temperature: 6100K. Zone/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). It selected two AF points just below the “nose” on the right side of the rock. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Bird Sh*t Rock/Starburst in the mouth

What Do You See?

Bird Sh*t Rock is the local name of the small outcrop just to the north of the much larger Morro Rock. I believe that both species of cormorants nest on this rock and it serves as an evening roost for those two species as well as decent numbers of Brown Pelicans. What do you see when you view the shape of the rock? Does anyone see a horse’s head?

This image was created at Morro Bay on Tuesday March 17, 2015 at 7:44pm, well after sunset. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 263 mm) and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 2500. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/15 sec. at f/5.6. Color temperature: 9000K. Center AF point AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The active AF point fell on the rock between the nose and the mouth. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Bird Sh*t Rock/Starburst with landing pelicans

Image Question

Why so little minus exposure compensation with this image as opposed to the first two?

4-Stop IS Rocks the Rock at 1/15 sec.

This image represents a bit more than true four-stop IS. Half of 263 is 131.5. Half of that is 65.75. Half of that is 32.875. And half of that is 16.4375. So 1/15 sec. at 263mm is a bit more than four times better than the old recommendation of 1 over the focal length. IAC, it is quite amazing.

Your Preference?

Though the three images are quite similar, there are differences. Which of today’s three images do you like best? If you do have a strong preference, be sure to let us know why.

Morro Bay offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects in a variety of attractive settings. Do consider joining me there on the March 20-22, 2015 Canon Destination Workshop. Complete info and register here

Morro Bay Pre-Canon Destination Workshop In-the-field Day

The Morro Bay Canon Destination Workshop March 20-22, 2015 now has only three slots open. To encourage folks to sign up I have planned the following:

Morro Bay Pre-Canon Destination Workshop In-the-field Day. Friday March 20: $399.

This in-the-field workshop includes a 4-hour morning photo-session that begins in the pre-dawn, a 2 hour afternoon photo session (3-5pm or so), and a working lunch with image review and some Photoshop. We will finish up in time to attend the Friday evening program that opens the Destination Workshop. At present only two folks are signed up for the day so you will surely receive all of the one on one guidance that you can handle.

Though you not need to be registered for the Canon event to join me on Friday, doing so would make a lot of sense to me. The Friday evening program is of course open only to those who are signed up for the Destination Workshop. See immediately below for details on that.

BIRDS AS ART Morro Bay, CA Canon Live Learning EOS Destination Workshop
March 20-22, 2015: $1050

You must register soon to get in on the fun and learning!

Borrow great Canon gear. Head home with a print or two. Learn from the best.

Click here for complete info or to register.

Click here to see the course agenda.

Join me in one of the most beautiful and scenic places on the planet to photograph a large variety of birds of the sea and shore. The star of the show will be the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. There will be lots of Marbled Godwits and Willets as well as lots of the smaller shorebird species. Black Oystercatcher is likely and we should get to photograph large flocks of Western Sandpipers in flight over the bay; with any luck we should enjoy some great sunrise and sunset photography. There are lots of gulls including Western, California, and Mew. There is one good location where we should get to photograph Western, Clarke’s, Eared, and Pied-billed Grebe, Lesser Scaup, and Common Loon–you will be able to borrow a long lens from Canon along with various camera bodies. We may get to photograph some passerines including Anna’s Hummingbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, and White-crowned Sparrow. And we have a chance for several species of raptors. Yikes, I almost forgot California Poppy. And California Ground Squirrel. Sea Otters are also possible.

Folks who register after seeing this notice are asked to shoot me a copy of their BIRDS AS ART Morro Bay Registration Confirmation via e-mail.

See lots more Morro Bay images here.

Facebook

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Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

…..

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).