Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Streak Continues: 336

Gotta run. It is just after 6am here in St. Pete Beach and I need to meet private client Greg Gulbransen in the lobby in 12 minutes…. We are heading to DeSoto. Today’s blog post, the 336th in a row, took me about 2 hours to prepare.

Please Help Support My Work on the BAA Blog

Thanks a Stack! October was a Great Month.

Even without the numerous EOS-7D Mark II sales made with our BAA Affiliate links–pre-orders are not credited until the item ships–October was a very rewarding month. Thanks a stack to all who used our B&H links for purchases large and small.

To show your appreciation for my 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 check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

If what you learned here on my blog about the Canon EOS-7D Mark II has inspired you to purchase this great new camera body, please consider using the logo link above to support our efforts here in bringing you the latest, greatest educational materials on daily basis.

Out and About Early

I was out at about 7:15am on Friday morning after an early breakfast. I was glad to see some clouds for the first time in weeks. There were lots of cranes but a black bird is a better high ISO test subject than a grey bird so when I saw this TV sitting on the ground near a Cabbage Palm I approached it slowly. The exposure trick with this species is to avoid all but a few blinkies on the white tip of the bill. I did some fancy dancing during the image conversion in DPP v4.01.0. I went with -0.17 on the Brightness slider, +5 on the Shadow slider, and -5 on the Highlight slider. With most RAW converters the +5 and the -5 values are surefire ways to destroy image quality. But, as noted in the new DPP 4 eGuide, that is not the case with DPP 4. In addition to the yeoman’s work I did on the Perform basic image adjustment tab I did pretty darned well on the Adjust image detail tab as well. I overrode the suggested Luminance and Chorminance NR settings by working at 200% in Before/after layout and eyeballing the settings. See the 100 and 200% views below for a look at the high ISO noise levels.

The 100% View

The only noise reduction was that applied during the RAW conversion in DPP v4.01.0. To my eye, the results at ISO 6400 are quite good. It seems evident that DPP 4 is vastly superior to dpp v31.14.41.0. In this image the background noise is barely noticeable.

If you regularly view your images at 100%, do let us know what do you think of the ISO 6400 noise.

The 200% View

Even at 200% background noise is not much of a problem al but there is some color (chrominance) noise evident in the BLACKs as is to be expected at ISO 6400. In this image the tonal range was close to being too much for the camera to handle. Even though the bill tip had some blinkies on it there were extensive Shadow clipping warnings. Fortunately DPP 4 nailed the conversion as noted above.

If you regularly view your images at 200%, let us know what do you think of the ISO 6400 noise in today’s image.

Canon EOS-7D Mark II ISO 6400 Ugly?

Only the Turkey Vulture is ugly. Not really. The noise at ISO 6400 looks pretty fine.

Used Photography Gear Listings

If you are looking for some great used cameras and lenses that are priced to sell you can see all of the listings here.

New Used Gear Listing

Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens

George Snyder is offering a used Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM lens in like new condition for $879. The sale includes the tripod ring, the front and rear lens caps, the tough fabric case, the original box and lens manual, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. Your new gear will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made. You can contact George via e-mail or by phone at 715 359-2929. Central time.)

The 300 f/4 is a great starter lens for bird photography, a great, lightweight flight lens, and with its great minimum focusing distance, a fine macro lens for medium sized subjects like flowers and frogs. It will be just fine with a 1.4X TC with the new 7D II….

Great 7D II/DPP v4.01.0 News

An updated version of Canon Digital Photo Professional 4 that supports RAW files from the EOS-7D Mark II is available for download the Canon USA website. Though some folks had trouble getting access to the Mac version of DPP v4.1.0.1 I was able to download and install it easily yesterday evening. Hint for Mac folks: after you double click on the downloaded zip file you need to go to your desktop and click on the icon that was magically created there in order to begin the installation.

To download DPP v4.1 first click here and then click on Drivers and Software and follow the prompts.

The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF)

BIRDS AS ART is proud to announce the release of The Photographers’ Guide to Canon Digital Photo Professional 4.0 by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris: $40.

Artie first went to DPP because he was not happy with the colors he was getting with 1D X and 5D III images from ACR (Adobe Camera Raw). Though less than intuitive, he found it fast and easy to use once he mastered the basics. He collaborated with Arash Hazeghi on the first DPP RAW Conversion Guide. Do understand that the DPP RAW Conversion Guide details the use of various iterations of DPP 3. He calls those the DPP 3.whatever versions. The latest version is DPP 3.14.41.0.

Some time ago Canon released DPP 4.0, completely and utterly new and different from DPP 3. When it was introduced DPP 4 worked only EOS-1D X, EOS-5D Mark III, and EOS-6D images and that is still the case today. It will not work with RAW files from older Canon digital camera bodies. Both authors are hoping that a new version of DPP 4 that will convert EOS-7D Mark II images will be released soon.

In the meantime, DPP 4 performs superbly with his 1D X and 5D III images. When he first opened DPP 4 he felt as if he were in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 and was being asked to fly it. There were so many tabs and buttons and controls that he simply closed the program. He immediately called Arash and asked him if he wanted to work together on a DPP 4 guide. After 100s of hours of work the guide is now ready to teach you to conveniently and easily use DPP 4 to create the finest possible image files from your 1D X, 5D III, and 6D image files. Basically, Arash sent artie a sophisticated outline that he re-crafted into a clear, concise, easily understood, and easy to follow how-to guide written in the BAA style. Arash created all of the charts, diagrams, and graphics.

His charts with recommendations for both Chrominance and Luminance Noise Reduction values for each of the 3 covered cameras at various ISO settings are alone worth the price of the book. He spent many dozens of hours experimenting with high ISO RAW files and shares his findings with you in the DPP 4 Guide. Folks will surely want to create some sort of easily accessible quick reference on their laptops and home computers.

DPP offers a host of great features some but not all of which are reminiscent of ACR. These include the following: Multi-image display, the extremely valuable Before/after Comparison layout, Highlight/shadow warnings, White Balance, and the eight RAW Conversion tabs that include sliders for Brightness, Highlights, Shadows, Contrast, Hue-Saturation, Color Tone, Sharpness, Noise Reduction, HSL (Hue/Saturation/Luminance), Lens Corrections, and Digital Lens Optimizer among others. We teach you how to best utilize each of those and many more. We share our slightly different DPP workflows and dozens of tips that will simply make your life easier. Arash uses DPP4′s rating system for choosing his keepers while artie continues to rely on BreezeBrowser Pro for that. DPP offers a variety of sorting filters. We explain all of the options. In addition, we teach you how to set your preferences and how to arrange your workspace for the greatest efficiency.

Both authors firmly believe that the manufacturer’s conversion algorithms will always out-perform 2nd party software when it comes to preserving image quality, fine detail, and accurate color rendition.

The authors wish to thank Chuck Westfall and Rudy Winston of Canon USA for their help; they are always available to answer our nit-picking questions. Sincere thanks also to Ken Kovak, Bob Schwartz, Dane Johnson, and John Stuhlmuller for their thoughtful and substantive reviews of late drafts of the DPP 4 manuscript.

You can order your copy of the DPP 4 Guide for $40 through the BAA Online Store by clicking here, by calling Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 with credit card in hand, by sending us a check made out to “Arthur Morris” or a money order for $40 to BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855, or by by sending a Paypal for $40 to e-mail. IN the latter two instances be sure to note DPP 4 Guide so we know what you are ordering :).

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 :).

The Streak Continues: 334

Yesterday was another day of trying to deal with the challenges of transitioning from a PC to a MAC while at the same time dealing with a nasty Trojan horse virus on my ASUS PC. This blog post, the 334rd in a row, took me about 3 hours to prepare. It was published at about 7:15am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL.

Congrats to both the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals for a great World Series. The whole MLB post season was wonderfully exciting, and Joe Buck was superb. His Dad, the legendary broadcaster, the late Jack Buck, would have been quite proud of him.

Please help us out…

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask 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 check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

If what you learned here on my blog about the Canon EOS-7D Mark II has inspired you to purchase this great new camera body, please consider using the logo link above to support our efforts here in bringing you the latest, greatest educational materials on daily basis.

Stars of the Show

The target species for nearly all avian photographers visiting bird-rich Morro Bay, CA is North America’s largest most spectacular shorebird, Long-billed Curlew. With their long decurved bills, these birds are adept at crabbing sand crabs on the edge of the surf (as above) and probing deep into wet sand and mud to extract fiddler crabs from their burrows. The bills of the females, which often exceed nine inches in length, are longer than the bills of the males.

At Morro Bay they are fairly common and are often easily approached.

Sit or Lie Flat

When photographing shorebirds, it is almost always best to sit down behind your lowered tripod or to lie flat down on the sand or mud. If the latter, you can splay the legs of your tripod or mount you lens on either a Panning Ground Pod or a Skimmer Ground Pod II. I prefer the former for gravel or fairly firm mud and the latter for soft sand.

In general, images made while you are lying flat will be more intimate with more pleasing backgrounds. But most folks including me will not be able to easily follow walking or running shorebirds. And photographing an incoming bird in flight while prone is pretty much impossible for all but the most skilled photographers. Those tasks are relatively simple when you are sitting behind your lowered tripod.

Assuming a constant subject size, remember that the longer your equivalent focal length, the farther you will be from the bird, and the lower your angle of declination to the bird will be. That will usually yield a more pleasing image. Score another one for the 7D II….

400 DO II/7D II Combo a Deadly One…

Several folks have pre-ordered this combo using our BAA B&H affiliate links, Many thanks there. Expected availability for the new 400 DO is November 2014. Hey, that’s soon.

Either 400 DO with a 7D Mark II will give you an equivalent focal length of 640mm in an easily hand holdable package that will produce sharp, high quality image files when in competent hands. 640 hand held will be perfect for the crane pool flight outs at Bosque… Add a 1.4X TC and that gets you to 896mm. Again, easily hand holdable for most, but you will need to employ excellent sharpness techniques (as detailed in ABP II). Put the lens on a tripod with a Mongoose M3.6 and you will be at 1280mm with the 2X III TC where the need for perfect on-a-tripod sharpness techniques will be even greater.

Sunrises, Sunsets, and Image Design Principles

Pink/purple/blue earth shadow sunrises (see the middle image on the Morro Bay card below) and red/orange/yellow sunset (and sunrises) are fairly commonplace at Morro Bay. And there is a great variety of silhouette-able subjects ranging from single shorebirds, flocks of shorebirds both in flight and on distant mudflats, ducks and egrets and gulls and pelcans, and flocks of cormorants.

Note how I placed the curlew in the lower right of the frame to balance the knight-shaped rock in the upper left. Learn more about advanced composition and image design in The Art of Bird Photography II. ABP II: 916 pages on CD only.

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 :).

The Streak Continues: 332

Yesterday was a another day of crossing things off my long to-do list as two months away from home (but for three days in early December) looms closer and closer…. I did make time for my morning meditation and for an easy 3/4 mile swim followed by ten minutes of forced laughter. This blog post, the 332nd in a row, took me about 3 hours to prepare. It was published just before 4:30am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I was up very early today :).

Why the Canon EOS-7D Mark II AF System is Better

The beta version of the 7D II does an excellent job of acquiring and maintaining accurate focus in extreme low light, low contrast situations. In an effort to understand exactly why, I came up with the following:

Each 7D II AF point is a cross-type AF point with most lenses f/5.6 or faster. This means that subjects with at least some horizontal or vertical detail can be quickly acquired by the AF system. The cross-type sensors double the chance of focusing on subjects with little detail or texture. The 7D II also has a high-precision diagonal cross-type central sensor when used with f/2.8 or faster lenses. In addition, as we have learned here already, the center AF point will continue to work with extenders down to f/8. In other words you will have AF at f/8 with an f/5.6 lens like the EF 400mm f/5.6 L and a 1.4X TC and also with an f/4 lens like the EF 600mm f/4L IS II lens and a 2X TC. You also have the option it utilize the AF Expand Area Selection Mode when you are at f/8 effective maximum aperture.

Was every image that I created on that no light, no contrast morning as razor sharp on the eye as today’s image? No. But it was obvious that the 7D II did a better job of in this difficult situation than any previous Canon digital camera body. And some of the misses were due to operator error.

Another 7D II Advantage

I had been using the 300mm f/2.8L IS earlier on that morning but found myself having to back up often as the birds were too large in the frame. So I grabbed the 70-200 II and went to work. Being able to go to a physically smaller, lighter lens makes it easier to hand hold and easier follow the action. Going to the zoom of course allowed for nearly infinite framing options. It is easy to come to love this 1.6 crop factor camera for birds and for wildlife.

MAC Attack

Several times over the past two weeks I have opened my new Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro Notebook Computer with Retina Display (Mid-2014) determined to process a new image and create a blog post on this new laptop. Until today, those efforts ended in failure with me stopped cold by something seemingly so simple. Today? Success.

Older daughter Jennifer has been a huge help with both setting up the MacBook and learned to navigate my way around the various programs, windows if you would :). As Parallels was included in my B&H purchase, BreezeBrowser is running smoothly on the Mac and transition from it to various Mac OS programs is pretty much seamless. Though I still struggle with some simple things I am sure that in two weeks time I will look back with a chuckle.

My MacBook Pro is light as a feather and lightning fast. And the screen is both gorgeous and incredibly sharp.

If you know the keystroke commands for “go to the beginning or end of a line of type” I would appreciate your sharing them with my by leaving a comment. And how about “refresh page” in Chrome?

Great 7D II/DPP v4.01.0 News

An updated version of Canon Digital Photo Professional that supports RAW files from the EOS-7D Mark II was made available for download the Canon USA website. Though some folks had trouble getting access to the Mac version of DPP v4.1.0.1 I was able to download and install it easily yesterday evening. Hint for Mac folks: after you double click on the downloaded zip file you need to go to your desktop and click on the icon that was magically created there in order to begin the installation.

To download DPP v4.1 first click here and then click on Drivers and Software and follow the prompts.

The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF)

BIRDS AS ART is proud to announce the release of The Photographers’ Guide to Canon Digital Photo Professional 4.0 by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris: $40.

Artie first went to DPP because he was not happy with the colors he was getting with 1D X and 5D III images from ACR (Adobe Camera Raw). Though less than intuitive, he found it fast and easy to use once he mastered the basics. He collaborated with Arash Hazeghi on the first DPP RAW Conversion Guide. Do understand that the DPP RAW Conversion Guide details the use of various iterations of DPP 3. He calls those the DPP 3.whatever versions. The latest version is DPP 3.14.41.0.

Some time ago Canon released DPP 4.0, completely and utterly new and different from DPP 3. When it was introduced DPP 4 worked only EOS-1D X, EOS-5D Mark III, and EOS-6D images and that is still the case today. It will not work with RAW files from older Canon digital camera bodies. Both authors are hoping that a new version of DPP 4 that will convert EOS-7D Mark II images will be released soon.

In the meantime, DPP 4 performs superbly with his 1D X and 5D III images. When he first opened DPP 4 he felt as if he were in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 and was being asked to fly it. There were so many tabs and buttons and controls that he simply closed the program. He immediately called Arash and asked him if he wanted to work together on a DPP 4 guide. After 100s of hours of work the guide is now ready to teach you to conveniently and easily use DPP 4 to create the finest possible image files from your 1D X, 5D III, and 6D image files. Basically, Arash sent artie a sophisticated outline that he re-crafted into a clear, concise, easily understood, and easy to follow how-to guide written in the BAA style. Arash created all of the charts, diagrams, and graphics.

His charts with recommendations for both Chrominance and Luminance Noise Reduction values for each of the 3 covered cameras at various ISO settings are alone worth the price of the book. He spent many dozens of hours experimenting with high ISO RAW files and shares his findings with you in the DPP 4 Guide. Folks will surely want to create some sort of easily accessible quick reference on their laptops and home computers.

DPP offers a host of great features some but not all of which are reminiscent of ACR. These include the following: Multi-image display, the extremely valuable Before/after Comparison layout, Highlight/shadow warnings, White Balance, and the eight RAW Conversion tabs that include sliders for Brightness, Highlights, Shadows, Contrast, Hue-Saturation, Color Tone, Sharpness, Noise Reduction, HSL (Hue/Saturation/Luminance), Lens Corrections, and Digital Lens Optimizer among others. We teach you how to best utilize each of those and many more. We share our slightly different DPP workflows and dozens of tips that will simply make your life easier. Arash uses DPP4′s rating system for choosing his keepers while artie continues to rely on BreezeBrowser Pro for that. DPP offers a variety of sorting filters. We explain all of the options. In addition, we teach you how to set your preferences and how to arrange your workspace for the greatest efficiency.

Both authors firmly believe that the manufacturer’s conversion algorithms will always out-perform 2nd party software when it comes to preserving image quality, fine detail, and accurate color rendition.

The authors wish to thank Chuck Westfall and Rudy Winston of Canon USA for their help; they are always available to answer our nit-picking questions. Sincere thanks also to Ken Kovak, Bob Schwartz, Dane Johnson, and John Stuhlmuller for their thoughtful and substantive reviews of late drafts of the DPP 4 manuscript.

You can order your copy of the DPP 4 Guide for $40 through the BAA Online Store by clicking here, by calling Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 with credit card in hand, by sending us a check made out to “Arthur Morris” or a money order for $40 to BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855, or by by sending a Paypal for $40 to e-mail. IN the latter two instances be sure to note DPP 4 Guide so we know what you are ordering :).

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 :).

The Streak Continues: 330

Yesterday I took it pretty easy and fell off the wagon in the afternoon with more than a few M&Ms Peanuts borrowed from Jim…. I made lots of IPT motel reservations and purchased my San Diego and Galapagos flights as well. I did make time for my morning meditation, an easy 3/4 mile swim followed by ten minutes of forced laughter, and an ice bath. This blog post, the 330th in a row, took me about 2 1/2 hours to prepare. It was published just before 7:30am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL.

Please help us out…

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask 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 check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

If what you learned here on my blog about the Canon EOS-7D Mark II has inspired you to purchase this great new camera body, please consider using the logo link above to support our efforts here in bringing you the latest, greatest educational materials on daily basis.

Two Hours Down the Drain

I spent an hour yesterday morning photographing a large pine cone with the super-versatile Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens with the three different camera bodies: the 7D II, the 1D X, and the 5D III. The tripod was locked down tight, I focused carefully, and tried to ensure that nothing changed as I switched camera bodies. All this was done in an effort to create three virtually identical images and then to compare image quality and noise at ISO 1600. As I have noted before, that ain’t easy. Then I spent another hour last night converting the images in DPP v3.14.41.0 and trying to follow these simple directions: “Crop the images from the full frame bodies to the same subject size as in the crop (7D II) body. And then compare them.” Trying to execute the crops so that the subjects lined up pixel for pixel was impossible. And again it seemed that there were differences in the accuracy of focus. (Using Live View to focus on a pine cone did not make sense to me.) Not to mention that when you crop the two full frame images to the same approximate subject size the JPEGs are of different sizes…. Any advice there is welcome as long as I can understand it :). I do have three pretty nice Stop Sign in the Water images that I may take one last crack at. I tried and failed with an earlier series of those….

After many serious but failed attempts in Photoshop to get things right with the pine cone images, I simply deleted them all and went off in search of a nice 7D ISO 3200 Sandhill Crane image for today’s blog post.

The Simplest Thing for Me to Do…

At this point it seems that my original approach to things is best: make lots of images in lots of different situations with the beta version EOS-7D Mark II and evaluate those images. In that vein I must say that today’s featured image looks pretty darned good for ISO 3200. And it was exposed well to the right.

Your Call?

How does today’s optimized image look to you?

The DPP v3.14.41.0 Screen Capture

The main point of this screen capture is to show the AF points (illuminated in red) that were selected by the Zone AF Area Selection Mode and active at the moment of exposure. I am using and liking Zone AF more and more as it seems to be greatly improved as compared to previous generation camera bodies. Zone AF, like 65-point Automatic Selection and Large Zone AF, features AF sensors that are selected by the system and dance across the viewfinder as they change from moment to moment. These three AF Area Selection Modes are the only three that utilize the new iTR Face Detection technology. See here for more on that.

With this pose and subject-to-imaging sensor orientation the side of the bird’s upper breast is on the same plane as the bird’s eye. In this case I much prefer focusing just forward of the bend of the wing than trying to focus on the bird’s eye or face as in the latter case maintaining focus is a lot more of an iffy proposition.

Note that after exposing well to the right to produce a high quality image file that I darkened the image 2/3 stop by moving the Brightness slider to the left to -0.67. Note also that I used a Quick Mask to cover the distracting element in front of and slightly below the bird’s raised foot. See more on the image optimization below.

This is the before and after animiated GIF of the 100% view.

The 100% View

The noise at ISO 3200 in this light toned, exposed to the right image file is noticeable but as we have seen before, 7D II noise is smoother and finer grained as compared to the noise in previous camera bodies. Note how much better the eye and face look after the image optimization.

The Image Optimizations

Today’s image was converted in DPP v3.14.41.0. First I painted a Quick Mask of the pupil and darkened it by pulling down the curve. Next I selected and worked on the red crown. With that on its own layer I worked on the color with Hue-Saturation, Selective Color, and Curves adjustments. Then I ran a Contrast Mask to selectively sharpen the crown only. That followed by a bit of bill and neck clean up. Next I selected the WHITEs with Select > Color Range and to bring some detail back into them I ran a layer of NIK Detail Extractor and a small Linear Burn. These changes were fine-tuned with a Regular Layer Mask. Lastly I applied a healthy dose of Filter > Blur > Surface Blur to the whole image and working large and carefully painted the effect away on the bird by adding a Regular Layer Mask.

Note by viewing the animated GIF what a great job Surface Blur did in eliminating BKGR noise.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here. The current guide will teach you how to best convert all of your Canon images in all 3 point something versions of Canon Digital Photo Professional including the current v.3.14.41.0.

Coming on Monday: The DPP 4.0 Guide by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris. The more that I use DPP 4.0 for my 1D X and 5D III RAW conversions–I remember those–the more I learn about it. And the more I learn about it the more I am impressed with it. Note: at present, DPP 4.0 will work only with 1D X, 5D III, and 6D images. I am hoping that at some point Canon will release a new version of DPP 4 that will support 7D II images.

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s images 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 (including the recommended Surface Blur settings as taught to me by Denise Ippolito), 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, using Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, a variety of ways to make selections, how to create time-saving actions, 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 with phone orders only. Please call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays to order.

The 200% View

In the 200% view we note as expected some noise on the subject. In addition we see again how effective Surface Blur is in eliminating BKGR noise. I used the Clone Stamp Tool to eliminate the white blob by the bird’s left leg.

Yesterday I Wrote:

Amazing 7D Mark II Confession/Screw-up?

At some point about three days ago when studying the complex 7D II menu items, I noted that Small Raw plus JPEG was set on My Menu 2. I was somewhat aghast :). I was sure that the first thing that I had done when I got the camera in my hands was to set RAW only. But I had my doubts…. As I worked backwards with the images from October 21 and 20 I saw that they were captured as Small Raw plus JPEG. As I continued, I was glad to see that all of the images prior to October 20 were full sized RAWs. I am somewhat chagrined that I did not catch this inadvertent error after the first day….

Note that at 200% there is virtually no evident noise with this ISO 1000 image. How could this be true if we had previously seen some noise with ISO 800 images? The answer is that the exposure for this image was pushed well to the right with some blinkies on the water. The best way to minimize noise at any ISO is to expose well to the right with a good amount of data in the rightmost histogram box. With subjects darker than the backgrounds a few blinkies on the BKGR never hurt as they are easily recovered in DPP.

In Part I Was Wrong…

I spoke with the brilliant Arash Hazeghi by phone last night putting the finishing touches on our marketing campaign for the soon-to-be-released DPP Guide that we co-wrote. I asked him about Small RAW captures and noise. He said, and I quote: “When you create small RAWs, the camera takes four pixels and blends them into one. This reduces noise while also smoothing out fine detail.”

I considered the possibility of that yesterday and had even typed a sentence or two on the subject, but wound up deleting them and then asking Arash. Why Arash? Aside from being a digital photography expert, a skilled bird photographer specializing in hand held flight photography with big lenses, and a moderator in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographers.Net, he is a Ph.D. and a senior electron device engineer. He received his MS.c. degree and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering in 2006 and 2011, respectively from Stanford University, Stanford, California. His pioneering research on carbon nanotubes and quantum capacitance have been cited many times. He is currently focused on the development of cutting edge memory technology.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 14-28, 2015 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $12,499. Limit 14 including the leader:/Openings: 4.

My two-week Galapagos Photo-Cruises are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with eight Galapagos cruises under his belt. Pre-trip and pre-landing location-specific gear advice. In-the-field photo instruction and guidance. Jeez, I almost forgot: fine dining at sea!

The great spots that we will visit include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway. We will also visit Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour and Isla Lobos for nesting Blue-footed Booby (most years), South Plaza, Floreana, and Urbina Bay, all spectacular in their own right. We visit every great spot on a single trip. Plus tons more. And there will he lots of opportunities to snorkel on sunny mid-days for those like me who wish to partake.

We will be the first boat on each island in the morning and the last boat to leave each island every afternoon. If we are blessed with overcast weather, we will often spend 5-6 hours at the best sites. And as noted above, mid-day snorkeling is an option on most sunny days depending on location. Note: some of the walks are a bit strenuous. Great images are possible on all landings with a hand held 70-200mm lens and a 1.4X teleconverter. I bring a longer lens ashore on most landings as that fits my style. I generally work with either the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS or the Canon 200-400mm f/4 L IS with Internal Extender.

Do know that there is a NatureScapes Galapagos trip: one week for $8495. Thus, my trip represents a tremendous value; why go all that way and miss half of the great photographic locations?

The Logistics

Fly to Guayacil, Ecuador on July 12, 2015. Travel insurance/rest day: July 13 (We may or may not offer a photo outing on the 13th). Fly to the archipelago on July 14 and board the Samba. Get off the boat on July 28. Fly to Guayacil that afternoon. Fly home on the early morning of July 29 unless you are staying on or going elsewhere (or catching a red-eye flight on the evening of the 28th).

$12,499 includes just about everything: all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, transfers and ground transportation, your flights to the archipelago, and three nights (double occupancy) in a top notch hotel in Guayacil. If you are good to go, a non-refundable deposit of $5,000 per person is due immediately. The second payment of $4,000 is not due until 11/1/14. The final payment of $3449 per person will be due on 2/1/15. A $200 discount will be applied to each of the balances for couples or friends who register at the same time.

Purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of our cashing your deposit check is strongly recommended. On my past two cruises a total of 5 folks were forced to cancel less than one week prior to the trip. My family and I use Travel Insurance Services and strongly recommend that you do the same.

Not included: your round trip airfare from your home to and from Guayacil, beverages on the boat, phone calls, your meals in Guayacil, personal items, and a $600/person cash tip for the crew and the guide—this works out to roughly $40/day to be shared by the 7 folks who will be waiting on us hand and foot every day for two weeks. The service is so wonderful that many folks choose to tip extra.

Please e-mail for the complete itinerary and for additional info and images. Please cut and paste “Galapagos 2015 Info Please) into the Subject line.

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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 :).

The Streak Continues: 328

Yesterday was a typical day of work at BAA for me. As is usual, I made time for my morning meditation, an easy swim followed by ten minutes of forced laughter, and an ice bath. This blog post, the 328th in a row, took me more than 5 hours to prepare including the time spent on preparing today’s images and the two cards. Throw in another five hours planning the Hooptie ITP but heck, that’s on me :). This blog post was published just after 6:15am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL.

Please help us out…

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask 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 check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

If what you learned here on my blog about the Canon EOS-7D Mark II has inspired you to purchase this great new camera body, please consider using the logo link above to support our efforts here in bringing you the latest, greatest educational materials on daily basis.

ISO 3200 Spoonbill

After our great, hour-long experience with a single, rather gorgeous spoonbill, the group was thrilled when a flock of a half-dozen more flew in at dusk. If you missed “The EOS-7D Mark II Does Pink” blog post, which described our experience with that beautiful lone spoonbill, you can check it out here.

Working at an equivalent focal length of 960mm made it relatively easy to isolate a single bird while I was standing behind my tripod. If I had gotten down on one knee I would have introduced background birds into the image design; getting low is not always the best way to go.

This animated GIF represents the views at 200%.

The Image Optimization

In the animated GIF above, note the ISO 3200 background noise in the original and the compare that to the smooth background in the optimized image. After converting the RAW file in DPP v.3.14.41.0, I brought the image into Photoshop and ran a healthy layer of Filter > Blur > Surface Blur on the whole image. This of course destroyed significant detail on the bird so I added a Regular Layer Mask and painted away the bird at 100% working carefully at fairly high magnification along the edges. Lastly, I hit X, changed the opacity of my brush to 33%, and painted back in 1/3 of the noise reduction on the face while avoiding the edges.

It is very likely that you can do something similar with some type of third party NR (including and especially NIK Dfine which I have not tried yet). I plan on trying Dfine in the near future. IAC, NR properly applied to the background only makes high ISO noise a non-issue.

Note that the noise at ISO 3200 is not excessive and that as we have seen before with 7D II images, it appears smoother than noise in previous cameras.

In addition to the NR I selected and sharpened the face with the Quick Selection Tool and applied both a Contrast Mask and my NIK 25-25 recipe. Then, using Digital Eye Doctor Techniques I painted a Quick Mask of the pupil, put the selection on a layer, and darkened it by pulling down the curve. Then I selected all the pink feathers, again with the Quick Selection Tool, and applied my NIK 25-25 recipe to that layer.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here. The current guide will teach you how to best convert all of your Canon images in all 3 point something versions of Canon Digital Photo Professional including the current v.3.14.41.0.

The DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris will likely be offered for sale here tomorrow. The more that I use DPP 4.0 for my 1D X and 5D III RAW conversions–I remember those–the more I learn about it. And the more I learn about it the more I am impressed with it. Note: at present, DPP 4.0 will work only with 1D X, 5D III, and 6D images. I am hoping that at some point Canon will release a new version of DPP 4 that will support 7D II images. Do understand that if it comes to be that DPP 4 does eventually support 7D II image files that the NR in DPP v4.whatever will be much more effective than the NR in DPP v.3.14.41.0.

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s images 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 (including Surface Blur settings), 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, using Surface and Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, how to create time-saving actions, 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 with phone orders only. Please call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays to order.

The Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbills and More Instructional Photo-Tour via pontoon boat. 4 1/2 DAYs: $3200. SUN FEB 22 thru lunch on THUR FEB 26, 2015/Strict Limit: 6 photographers/Openings 3.

Meet and greet on the evening of SAT 21 FEB. Two great leaders: Captain James Shadle (Nikon) and Canon Explorer of Light Emeritus Arthur Morris.

Roseate Spoonbill is one of if not the most sought after avian photographic subjects in Florida. They are generally hard to find and somewhat difficult to approach. They are relatively easy to find at Alafia Banks—heck, you can’t miss seeing them, but even there they can on some days be somewhat difficult to approach. On some days we may be able to get ridiculously close to them. The huge incentive to get out to Alafia Banks in mid-February is the chance to photograph this species at the height of its spectacular breeding plumage….

Weather permitting there will be nine boat trips: 5 mornings and 4 afternoons! Mornings to Alafia Banks for spoonbills and Brown Pelicans (with lots of flight photography with the birds likely carrying nesting material), cormorants, ibises (both Glossy and White in breeding plumage. Many of the White Ibises will be sporting their spectacular, distended, red, naked (un-feathered) throat pouches—typically larger in the females. In addition we will get to photograph egrets including Great and Reddish, both in full breeding plumage, shorebirds, and more. There will be lots of flight photography opportunities. Afternoon trips either to Alafia Banks for spoonbills and more or to a more sheltered inland rookery location for a variety of nesting birds. In the event of horrific weather artie will either take the group to Fort DeSoto or will conduct an image review/Photoshop session. This IPT includes five lunches that will be followed by small group image sharing and review and some over-the-shoulder Photoshop instruction.

Important Notes

We stay in Brandon, FL for this IPT. From our hotel there it is is only about 20 minutes to the dock. The plan is for all nine sessions to be by boat. For the Alafia Banks segments, Captain Shadle provides light weight chest waders as much of the photograph will be done while we are standing in fairly shallow water behind our tripods. We help you get in and out of the boat with your gear. This is likely not the best trip for folks with balance problems. Note however that some folks may opt to stay on the boat. They usually have lots of chances for flight photography of spoonbills and other species but are almost always pretty far away from the spoonbills that land.

I recently saw a similar trip advertised two months too late for breeding plumage spoonbills (and two months too late for most of the rest of the species in breeding plumage). 5 Days: $3200. With only four boat trips…. The Hooptie IPT represents an incredible opportunity and with 3 slots filled already the remaining three spots should fill very quickly. We hope that you can join us. Scroll down for registration info.

Hooptie IPT Registration Info

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 11/22/2014. 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. If 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.

Fort DeSoto Add-on Mini IPT: $349. Two shooting sessions: the afternoon of THUR FEB 26 and the morning of Friday FEB 27, 2015. Limit 12 photographers. One great leader: Arthur Morris.

Shorebirds, wading birds, terns, pelicans, gulls and more. Includes lunch on Friday and small group image sharing and Photoshop session on Friday. Payment in full for this one-day IPT is due upon registration either by check or credit card. If the former, please e-mail us immediately so that we can save you a slot.

2015 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT): FEB 1 thru the morning of FEB 5, 2015: $1799 (Limit: 8/Sold Out)

Please contact us via e-mail if you would like your name placed on the waiting list.

Coming Soon

More 7D II ISO 3200 will be featured in an upcoming blog post here soon.

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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 :).

The Streak Continues: 326

I photographed at DeSoto yesterday morning with client-friend Bill Eaton who drove over on Sunday afternoon from his home in Stuart FL. (See more on Bill below.) Despite what most would rate as dismal conditions, we had a great morning and we both learned a ton. We used lots of high ISOs and Bill learned to expose to the right to produce the highest quality image files with the least noise. I have several new high ISO images to share with you and more than a few good flight images as well, the latter despite limited chances. I will do that asap.

This blog post, the 326th in a row, took me about 1 1/2 hours to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization in DPP v3.14.41.0. It was published just before 5:30am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL.

Please help us out…

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask 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 check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

Canon EOS-7D Mark II Mystery Image

What does this look like to you? Is it the bill of a tropical bird? If so, what family? What species? If not, what is it?

Bill Eaton

After joining us last weekend for the sold out DeSoto ITF Meet-up session and all day on Saturday, Bill joined me again yesterday. Bill kindly shared four of his images with me last night including the lovely first winter Greater Yellowlegs. In addition to photography lessons Bill got shorebird ID and natural history lessons as well. He did a great job with all four images.

Here is the e-mail that I received from him after what turned out to be a one on one morning for him.

Hey Art, I just wanted to take a moment and offer a heartfelt THANKS for a wonderful day at Ft DeSoto!! Your tips kept coming one after another and your obvious interest in my learning curve was wonderful and very well received by this amateur behind the camera. Four hours seemed to fly by in a matter of minutes. I especially enjoyed learning to push my histograms to the right. The soft light this morning and the gentle wavelets on the water yielded wonderful images with a fantastic water color effect. Not to mention that going to the high ISOs allowed me to consistently create sharp, high quality images. Good stuff!!

From angle of light to exposure tips to composition thoughts to getting in the right position relative to the flocks for flight photography made for a really a great day. It was also a pleasure to trade stories of places we have been and some of our experiences ranging from those truly special images to the dumbest of mistakes. All is all it was a great day! Best Wishes and good shooting at Bosque.

Shorebirds/Beautiful Beachcombers

If shorebirds confuse you at all, get yourself a copy of my Shorebirds/Beautiful Beachcombers. Includes ID tips, shorebird biology, migration, and tons more. All in my simple-to-read easy-to-read style.

Used Canon EOS-1D Mark III Digital Camera Body

Price reduced $251 on 10/22/2014!

Michael Zajac is offering a Canon EOS-1D Mark III professional digital camera body in Excellent condition for only $999. The sale includes the battery charger, one battery, the original paperwork, the camera strap, the original box, and shipping to the continental US.

Please contact Michael via e-mail or by phone at 732-979 -6644. Photos are available upon request.

I have seen lots of great flight images that Michael made with this camera. This body features a 1.3X crop factor sensor and is a great step-up for someone who wants to move to a pro body. It’s powerful battery drives AF much faster than the pro-sumer bodies especially with f/4 lenses and either a 1.4X or 2X teleconverter in place. As you can see with Bill Eaton’s image above, high ISO performance is excellent as long learn as you learn to expose well to the right. I have a great 1D III image of a gator swallowing a young Brown Pelican that was made at ISO 6400. It made the finals of the BBC contest several times. With the price drop this body is a steal.

Used EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Camera Body

Marc Lombardi is offering a used EOS-1D Mark IV digital camera body in excellent condition for $2699. The body has one minor cosmetic scratch on top. The sale includes the charger and two batteries, a RRS plate, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only. Your camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Marc via e-mail or by phone at 610-585-3500 (Eastern time).

Two Mark IVs served as my workhorse bodies for more than three years.

Ship-date News

Amazingly, both B&H and Amazon.com are showing 30 October as the revised ship-date for the about to be released EOS-7D Mark II. I e-mailed Chuck Westfall of Canon for confirmation and addition details. I will update asaihfh (as soon as I hear from him).

This just in…

This just in via e-mail from Chuck Westfall:

Shipment of the 7D Mark II from our warehouses to authorized US dealers will begin on October 30th. It will probably take at least a day or two for the shipments to arrive at the dealers.

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, ay, 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 wrote.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).

The Streak Continues: 324

Yesterday was more work, more swim, an ice bath, and NFL on the tube. Arash should be just about finishing the final PDF of the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide as I type on Sunday evening. We should have it for sale this coming week. This blog post, the 324th in a row–that’s a lot, no?, took me about 3 1/2 hours to prepare including the time for image optimizations. I completed it at 6:00pm on Sunday night and am publishing it from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL, early on Monday–2:59 am to be exact. Next I finish packing the car and head over to Fort DeSoto for a short busman’s holiday.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask 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 check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

Super Short Notice Fort DeSoto In-the Field Tuesday Morning Offering

DeSoto has been great. I know where the birds and where and when the best opps are. I will be driving over to DeSoto very early on Monday morning. I will be photographing on Monday morning, Monday afternoon, and Tuesday morning and then heading back to ILE.

If you would like to join me and learn a ton, here are your remaining options:

Monday afternoon only, one 3+ hour photo session: $125.
Tuesday morning, one 3+ hour photo session: $150.

Both are quite a bargain. The limit is 6. I have one for Tuesday morning. If you would like to join me please call Jim or Jen at the office on Monday morning at 863-692-0906 to register. In addition, please shoot me an e-mail, and include a call back number. I hope that you can join me. If you are desperate at the last minute try my cell at 863-221-2372 and leave a message if I do not pick up.

A Note on the Three Image Optimizations

All of today’s images were converted in DPP v.3.14.41.0 using the recommended settings for both Chrominance and Luminance noise reduction. Looking at the noise in the large crops makes it hard to believe that the optimized images look so darned good. I am very proud of how I handled the BLACKs on the oystercatcher, the pink of godwit’s bill, and the cranes RED crown. All is detailed in Digital Basics. See below for info on DB.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here. The current guide will teach you how to best convert all of your Canon images in all 3 point something versions of Canon Digital Photo Professional including the current v.3.14.41.0.

Coming next week: The DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris. The more that I use DPP 4.0 for my 1D X and 5D III RAW conversions the more I learn about it. And the more I learn about it the more I am impressed with it. Note: at present, DPP 4.0 will work only with 1D X, 5D III, and 6D images. I am hoping against hope that at some point Canon will release a new version of DPP 4 that will support 7D II images.

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s images 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 (including Surface Blur settings), 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, Digital Eye Doctor, using Surface and Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, how to create time-saving actions, 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 with phone orders only. Please call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays to order.

The 100% AMOY Crop

Everything looks pretty good here but for some Chrominance noise in the BLACKs DPP 4 does well with color noise; in DPP 3 point whatever it is terrible–it destroys fine detail. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 100%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 1600.

The 200% AMOY Crop

With the relatively huge crop here we are seeing some degradation of feather detail but all in all, not too bad. Do take a look at the optimized image above. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 200%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 1600.

Marbled Godwit

When I saw a young Marbled Godwit on the South Flats of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge some 37 or 38 years ago I had no idea that the experience would change the course of the remainder of my adult life. But it did just that in many ways. All for the good.

The 100% MAGO Crop

Everything here looks great with some nice feather detail and a nice sharp eye. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 100%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 1600.

The 200% MAGO Crop

With the relatively huge crop here we are seeing significant Luminance noise on the bill and in the background. But as others have noted the noise seems relatively smooth, much less harsh than with images from previous camera bodies. With all three images here a dose of Filter > Blur > Surface Blur applied to the backgrounds only does wonders. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 200%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 1600.

65-point Automatic Selection with iTR Face Detection

Here again we see how well the 65-point Automatic Selection AF Area Selection Mode works in conjunction with iTR Face Detection. I was somewhat remiss in the blog post here by not mentioning that iTR (( Intelligent Tracking and Recognition) ain’t just for faces. That it can detect shapes and colors and patterns and not just eyes and skin tones makes it relevant for bird and wildlife photography. After it detects what it detects it tells the AF system not to wander thus producing images like the one above that are sharp where you want them to be sharp. Is it perfect? No. But it is significantly improved from the iTR in the 1D X.

The 100% SACR Crop

REDs are tough as they often come out of the camera either a bit over-saturated or a bit funky. They require special handling. DPP 4 has an HSL (Hue/Saturation/Luminance)tab that will make things easier. Everything else looks pretty good for ISO 1600. I will share my tips for handing the REDs when we take a close look at the image optimization here in a day or two. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 100%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 1600.

The 200% Crop

With the relatively huge crop here the feather detail here is at least decent. We are seeing significant noise in the background. A nice a dose of Filter > Blur > Surface Blur applied to the background only as detailed in my Digital Basics File rendered the BKGR here smooth as a the proverbial baby’s tush. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 200%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 1600.

The Image Optimization

We will take a close look at the before and after versions of this image in a blog post here in a day or three. Yes, all ISO 1600 images are going to exhibit some significant noise. But dealing with that noise is not rocket science.

“Love Affair with Bosque.” Sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. Friday, NOV 21, 2014; 1:00 to 2:40pm. Free, at the Bodega Restaurant, Socorro.

A slide program by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. Limit 200. Please see the important registration information below.

Arthur Morris first visited Bosque del Apache Refuge in December, 1992 while on sabbatical with his late-wife Elaine While leading his first Bosque del Apache photographic workshop in December, 1994, quite soon after Elaine’s death, he created two iconic Bosque images. His “Blizzard in Blue” was honored in the prestigious 1998 BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. “Fire in the Mist” was similarly honored in the 2001 BBC competition and soon thereafter was featured as wrap-around cover art on the coffee table book, Life on the Earth, a celebration of 30 years of the best images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competitions. Those two images laid the foundation for his more than two decade love affair with the refuge. He has returned every year since then at the Thanksgiving season while leading BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. In addition, he has two February visits along with two September visits, the latter visits in conjunction with the Bosque del Apache Open Windows Volunteer Program that he founded. Join us for Artie’s photographic celebration of his “Love Affair with Bosque.”

Even though this is free event, you need to click here to register.

Bosque del Apache 2014 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). NOV 29 (afternoon photo session)-DEC 3 (morning session), 2014. Totaling 4 FULL-DAYS: $1449. Leaders: Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 7:00pm on Saturday 11/29. Limit 16/Openings: 1

Once again, there is a single opening due to a cancellation.

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 6th 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 (11/29 through 12/2), 4 morning (11/30 to 12/3) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on Saturday, 11/29, 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 7/25/2014. If 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.

Bosque del Apache 2014 A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART “Creative Photography Instructional Photo-Tour.” (IPT). NOV 24-25, 2014. 2-FULL DAYS: $729. Leaders: Denise Ippolito & Arthur Morris. Introductory Slide program: 7:00pm on Sunday 11/23.

Get Out of Your Box!

The Creative Bosque IPT is perfect for folks who want to learn to think outside the box, to create new and different images. This workshop is the perfect add-on for folks who are planning on attending the Festival of the Cranes. Learn to unleash your creative juices at the wondrous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, New Mexico with two great leaders including the amazingly talented and creative Denise Ippolito. In-the-field instruction will include tips on gear set-up, on creating a variety of pleasing blurs, on getting the right exposure, and on designing pleasing images. And lots more. From vertical pan blurs to subject motion blurs to zoom blurs to multiple exposures we will cover it all. If conditions are perfect, we will not hesitate to take advantage of them to do some traditional bird photography. This workshop will include an inspirational introductory slide program on Sunday evening, 11/23, after dinner on your own, two morning and two afternoon photography sessions, all lunches, a digital workflow and Photoshop session after lunch on Monday, and an image critiquing session after lunch on Tuesday.

A $329 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2014. If 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. If 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, ay, 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 :).

The Streak Continues: 322

Yesterday was work, swim, and ice bath. The pool is down to 76 degrees. It is time to turn on the heater. I sent the final edit of the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide to Arash this morning. One more short phone conference and Arash will be creating the final PDF. This blog post, the 322nd in a row, took me about 2 hours to prepare. It was published at about 5:45am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

The DPP v3.14.41.0 Screen Capture

The two AF sensors illuminated in red show what a great job the 65-Point AF Selection Area Mode did in helping me create the image design that I wanted. The new widest-ever AF array makes it easy to avoid winding up with the bird positioned too low in a vertical frame.

The Sandhill Crane here was watching several other cranes fly by.

Does EOS-7D Mark II iTR AF with Face Detection Actually Work with Birds?

While EOS iTR AF has been around for quite some time, EOS iTR AF with Face Detection was introduced in the EOS-1D X. This feature is not available in the EOS-5D Mark III. With iTR AF the camera’s metering system communicates with the AF system and helps it to better track the subject only when you are in an AF mode that offers automatic AF point selection. iTR with Face Detection takes things a step further. Here is how it works: the RGB metering system uses a combination of skin tone and facial detail and shape to recognize the subject as a human face. And the EOS iTR AF allows this face recognition system to “talk” to the AF system. I tried this new feature with the 1D X for creating tall-in-the frame vertical head and shoulders portraits similar to today’s featured image. It never really worked. Even if I started AF on the bird’s face (with the subject parallel to the imaging sensor), the system almost always shifted to sensors that were lower down, effectively shifted the active AF points to the bird’s torso (which being wider was closer to the camera).

My early impression is that 7D Mark II iTR ( Intelligent Tracking and Recognition) AF with Face Detection actually does work. If you select and start with a sensor that falls on the bird’s face it tends to stay on the face rather than shifting downwards. I have other examples–most notably with two Yellow-crowned Night Herons from the Fort DeSoto IPT–that I will share with you here.

Whaddya Mean BLUBB-supported/Hand Held?

When attempting to follow the action or when I need extra freedom of movement to get the exact framing that I want I will rest the hood of a big lens on the saddle of the BLUBB, my custom-designed, handmade Big Lens Ultimate Beanbag. I hold the camera body with my right hand with my finger on the shutter button. My left hand supports the lens just behind the tripod collar. It is much easier to frame an image using this technique than it is when the center of the lens is resting on the big beanbag. The latter, however, is best when working at shutter speeds below 1/250 sec.

The BLUBB

The BLUBB is made of durable nylon pack cloth and each section is individually hot-cut to sear the edges; this prevents raveling. As nylon can be rather noisy and slippery, the surface that the lens is placed on has a layer of heavy duty cotton duck fabric sewn on top of the nylon fabric. The entire upper surface of the BLUBB is concave so that the lens will stay put. The inner surfaces that are placed over the door-frame or car window have a large piece of Toughtek non-slip fabric sewn in place to help keep the bag from slipping, especially in vehicles where the driver’s window angles downward to the right. All of the fabrics have a water-repellent (but not water-proof) finish. The entire bag is sewn with nylon thread used in the parachute industry. The bag closes with a top quality YKK nylon zipper. All seams are sewn twice to help prevent failure. The bags are made in the USA and each is individually hand-sewn to extremely high standards.

Beware of smaller, cheaper, far-inferior imitations :). As is usually the case, you get what you pay for.

The Image Optimization

After converting the image in DPP v3.14.41.0 I brought the image into Photoshop. I applied an 80% layer of NIK Color Efex Pro Detail Extractor to the WHITEs only that had been selected with the Quick Selection Tool. Then I painted a Quick Mask of the pupil and put it on its own layer. To darken the pupil only I pulled down the Curve (Ctrl + M). Then I selected the background only with the Magic Wand Tool, ran Select > Refine Edge, placed the selection on a layer, and applied a very small amount of Filter > Blur > Surface Blur to remove the noise that was barely noticeable at 200% in the ISO 400 image.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here. The current guide will teach you how to best convert all of your Canon images in all 3 point something versions of Canon Digital Photo Professional including the current v.3.14.41.0.

Coming very soon: The DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris. The more that I use DPP 4.0 for my 1D X and 5D III RAW conversions the more I learn about it. And the more I learn about it the more I am impressed with it. Note: at present, DPP 4.0 will work only with 1D X, 5D III, and 6D images. I am hoping against hope that at some point Canon will release a new version of DPP 4 that will support 7D II images.

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s images 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 (including Surface Blur settings), 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, Digital Eye Doctor, using Surface and Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, how to create time-saving actions, 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 with phone orders only. Please call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays to order.

2015 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT): FEB 1 thru the morning of FEB 5, 2015: $1799 (Limit: 8/Openings: 3)

Meet and Greet after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on JAN 31

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red bill pouches; Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormorants in breeding plumage with their amazing crests; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions likely; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice landscape opportunities as well.

Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?

This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, five lunches, after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions, and two fine dinners. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility.

A $499 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to use at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 12/1//2014. If 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. If 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. 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.

San Diego Natural History Museum Program & The Birds of the World Exhibit

On Saturday morning, February 7, 2015 I will be presenting “A Bird Photographer’s Story” at the San Diego Natural History Museum to kick off the Birds of the World photographic exhibit that will feature the images of about a dozen of the world’s top avian photographers. This program,which is being generously sponsored by the Canon Explorers of Light program, will be free and open to the public. I am proud to say that both Denise Ippolito and I will have images hanging in the show. The exhibit opening is scheduled for later that same day, February 7, 2015. (Times TBA).

Folks on the IPT who wish to stay over and attend the program and the exhibit opening on Saturday are invited to join me for a photo session on Friday morning as follows:

Friday Morning Add-on Photo Session: February 6, 2015: $299.

This workshop includes 3 hours of in-the-field pelican photography instruction and brunch with image review and Photoshop instruction. For now, this session is open only to folks attending the IPT.

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, ay, 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 :).

The Streak Continues: 320

I spent a full day in the office yesterday and got back to my usual routine: swim, healthy eating, and ice bath. Today and tomorrow I will be working on getting the DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide ready to send to Arash. I hope to get the final PDF from him no later than Monday. Exciting times.

This blog post, the 320th in a row, took me about 2 1/2 hours to prepare. It was published just after 7:30am from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

One Problem With the EOS-7D Mark II

One problem with the EOS-7D Mark II is that you will often find yourself with too much reach. To fit the whole bird in the frame with a nice border for this image I needed to back up about fifteen yards. Here is a tip on moving back safely: turn around and walk back or at least turn sideways otherwise you might trip on something and wind up flat on your back with damaged gear…. The situation is even more dangerous when you are working in a foot or two of water so use extreme care when doing so. And that applies whether you are backing up or getting closer.

Having too much reach is a nice problem for most bird photographers. Those who go over to the 7D II will like want one on their big tripod-mounted lens and another on a Black Rapid RS-7 Strap on their shoulder with a 70-200 II or the promised 100-400 II….

A Note on the Image Optimization

I painted a Quick Mask of the sandy triangle at the bottom of the frame, put that on its own layer, and applied a 100 pixel Gaussian Blur to give the sand the same dreamy quality as the rest of the background. In addition, some distracting shells and pebbles disappeared as well.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here. The current guide will teach you how to best convert all of your Canon images in all 3 point something versions of Canon Digital Photo Professional including the current v.3.14.41.0.

Coming very soon: The DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris. The more that I use DPP 4.0 for my 1D X and 5D III RAW conversions the more I learn about it. And the more I learn about it the more I am impressed with it. Note: at present, DPP 4.0 will work only with 1D X, 5D III, and 6D images. I am hoping against hope that at some point Canon will release a new version of DPP 4 that will support 7D II images.

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s images 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 (including Surface Blur settings), 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, Digital Eye Doctor, using Surface and Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, how to create time-saving actions, 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 with phone orders only. Please call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays to order.

The 100% Crop

Note here especially the virtual lack of noise in the black legs. The dark areas are always most susceptible to noise. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 100%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 800.

The 200% Crop

With the relatively huge crop here we are beginning to see some significant noise in the darker yellow tones and for those with excellent close-up vision, in the pupil. To my eye, the noise in the background and the white feathers is minimal. With all three images here a dose of Filter > Blur > Surface Blur applied to the backgrounds only would render them smooth as a baby’s tush.

If you are familiar with viewing your images at 200%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 800.

Light Makes Right

I’d much prefer to photograph this species in its loverly breeding plumage in early spring but the sweet light of late afternoon got me to overcome my reluctance. Part of the key to success here was making images when the bird was perfectly parallel to the back of the camera. F/8 and working at 1.6 crop factor distance yielded more than enough depth-of-field while still leaving the image with a pleasingly blurred background.

The 100% Crop

Note the incredible sharpness achieved with an equivalent focal length of 1344mm. This represents 26.88X magnification. Image quality on the bill and the eye looks fine, less so on the bird’s feathers, the latter in part due to mild over-saturation of the REDs from the rich late afternoon light.

If you are familiar with viewing your images at 100%, please feel free to share your thoughts on the noise and the image quality here at ISO 800.

The 200% Crop

With the relatively huge crop here we see some loss of fine feather detail and the appearance of some background noise as well. The latter is easily dealt with by applying Filter > Blur > Surface Blur to the background only. I am confident that if DPP 4 eventually does support 7D II images that controlling the noise during the RAW conversion will yield improved results as DPP 4 allows photographers to deal with both chrominance and luminance noise. In DPP 3 we recommend never using any luminance noise reduction.

If you are familiar with viewing your images at 200%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 800.

Noise Primer

Here is a small excerpt from the DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide that I added last night while putting the final polish on the text:

Your digital camera’s sensor is made up of millions of tiny pixels. Each one of those pixels is incredibly small. The tinier they are, the less surface area there is to collect light. Smaller amounts of light mean less information to work with and less information to work with leads to errors. Some of the pixels might register the wrong color (resulting in color or chrominance noise). Others wind up with the wrong quantity of light (resulting in luminance noise). As the amount of light diminishes, both types of noise increase with the darker tones being more susceptible than the lighter tones.

The Torso Shot

Many Great Blue Herons have ratty-looking faces in summer, late fall, and winter. What to do? Concentrate on making close-up images of their necks and chests which always feature a collection of beautifully colored and detailed feathers and patterns.

The 100% Crop

Here again we see a smattering of noise in the darker feathers but not much background noise. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 100%, please feel free to share your thoughts on the noise and the image quality here at ISO 800.

The 200% Crop

With the relatively huge crop here we again see the somewhat expected loss of fine feather detail; background noise looks pretty good to me. Please realize that all of the the 100% and 200% crops here are straight out of camera with nothing but a tiny amount of capture-sharpening applied in DPP v3.14.41.0 during the RAW conversion. If you are familiar with viewing your images at 200%, please feel free to let us know what you think of the noise and the image quality here at ISO 800.

7D Mark II RAW File Offer

If you would like to receive a download link to the RAW file for one or more of today’s featured images for inspection and study only, please send a Paypal to us at birdsasart@verizon.net for $5.00 each, or $10 for all three, (to cover our handling costs) or give Jim or Jennifer a buzz at 863-692-0906 during weekday business hours with a credit card in hand. Whether by Paypal or phone be sure to specify exactly which image or images you want. We will send your link or links via Hightail. You can then download and save the RAW file. Note: you may need to download and install DPP v3.14.41.0 in order to view the images and you will surely need to have that on your computer if you wish to convert them. Thanks to all who ordered yesterday’s RAW file. I will be offering additional high ISO RAW files in the coming days and weeks. Please note that all rights remain with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.

Bosque del Apache 2014 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). NOV 29 (afternoon photo session)-DEC 3 (morning session), 2014. Totaling 4 FULL-DAYS: $1449. Leaders: Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 7:00pm on Saturday 11/29. Limit 16/Openings: 1

Long sold out, the 4-DAY Bosque IPT has a single opening due to non-payment of balance.

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 6th 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 (11/29 through 12/2), 4 morning (11/30 to 12/3) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on Saturday, 11/29, 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 7/25/2014. If 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.

Bosque del Apache 2014 A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART “Creative Photography Instructional Photo-Tour.” (IPT). NOV 24-25, 2014. 2-FULL DAYS: $729. Leaders: Denise Ippolito & Arthur Morris. Introductory Slide program: 7:00pm on Sunday 11/23.

Get Out of Your Box!

The Creative Bosque IPT is perfect for folks who want to learn to think outside the box, to create new and different images. This workshop is the perfect add-on for folks who are planning on attending the Festival of the Cranes. Learn to unleash your creative juices at the wondrous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, New Mexico with two great leaders including the amazingly talented and creative Denise Ippolito. In-the-field instruction will include tips on gear set-up, on creating a variety of pleasing blurs, on getting the right exposure, and on designing pleasing images. And lots more. From vertical pan blurs to subject motion blurs to zoom blurs to multiple exposures we will cover it all. If conditions are perfect, we will not hesitate to take advantage of them to do some traditional bird photography. This workshop will include an inspirational introductory slide program on Sunday evening, 11/23, after dinner on your own, two morning and two afternoon photography sessions, all lunches, a digital workflow and Photoshop session after lunch on Monday, and an image critiquing session after lunch on Tuesday.

A $329 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2014. If 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. If 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.

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Typos

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The Streak Continues: 318

Today is get-away day for me. After packing I head to Fort DeSoto for a busman’s holiday. Then lunch and the 2 1/2 hour drive home. Apologies to those who are waiting on replies to their e-mails or to have new gear listed. I will be catching up over the next few days. This blog post, the 318th in a row, took me a bit less than 2 hours to prepare. It was published just before 4:45 from my soon-to-be former motel room in St. Petersburg Beach, FL.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, 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.

The Situation

I had the group at one of my very favorite afternoon spots. We had been talking about Roseate Spoonbills, hoping for might be a better way to put it, when a single bird flew in and landed on the far side of a nice flock of Marbled Godwits, Willets, Laughing Gulls, terns, and a few smaller shorebirds. Not to mention a dark form Reddish Egret. I approached slowly hoping to get a head portrait with the 600/2XIII/7D II combo but I took one step too many and the bird flew. But is flew only 30 yards or so to the next spit on our right. I said, “I am gonna get that bird right now. You are all welcome to come with me. Nobody came.

In two minutes I was in half way decent position. I got down on the ground, seated behind my tripod, created a few images, and butt-advanced my way closer and closer. I invited the group more emphatically this time and they all came. Within a few minutes everyone was snapping away as we talked about exposure and image design. Having the bird completely isolated was a huge plus as were the green marsh grasses in the distant background. Eventually, birds from the larger flock spread out and surrounded everyone’s favorite Florida avian subject.

Problems

1-The image is not level.
2-The bird is a bit too big in the frame.
3-There is too much room behind the bird and not enough room in front of the bird.

My Mistake

I simply got too close. When the bird leaned forward and ruffled I did point the lens to the left but did not want to clip the tail. That is why I wound up with a too-centered composition….

The Image Optimization

1-I leveled the image using Image > Rotate > Arbitrary.
2-I filled in the long skinny triangles using John Haedo Content Aware Fill. It worked perfectly.
3-I added some blank canvas in front and above the bird by dragging the crop tool love handles.
4-Using the Rectangular Marquee Tool I selected a top to bottom swatch in front of the bird that included about an inch of the bird’s bill. I put that on its own layer, hit Control + T for the Transform Tool, and then stretched the layer about 40%. The trick is to stretch the canvas judiciously. Then I added a Regular Layer Mask and erased the stretch bill. That revealed the original below perfectly.
5-I added some blue sky above in the same manner.
6-I cropped from the rear.
7-I darkened the pupil using digital Eye Doctor techniques/
8-I selected the bill and the lores and the face and applied a Contrast Mask at 15/65/0.
9-I boosted the REDs using Selective Color and then increased the Vibrance.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here. The current guide will teach you how to best convert all of your Canon images in all 3 point something versions of Canon Digital Photo Professional including the current v.3.14.41.0.

Coming soon: The DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris. The more that I use DPP 4.0 for my 1D X and 5D III RAW conversions the more I learn about it. And the more I learn about it the more I am impressed with it. Note: at present, DPP 4.0 will work only with 1D X, 5D III, and 6D images. Scroll down for the latest DPP/7D Mark II info.

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 (including Surface Blur settings), 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, Digital Eye Doctor, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, how to create time-saving actions, 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 with phone orders only. Please call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 weekdays to order.

Palouse #1. The Palouse A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. May 29-June 2, 2015/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12 photographers/Openings: 0.

Due to a recent cancellation, we now have a single opening on Palouse #1. Please see the details below.

The Palouse A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 5-9, 2015/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12 photographers/Openings 1

Rolling farmlands provide a magical patchwork of textures and colors, especially when viewed from the top of Steptoe Butte where we will likely enjoy spectacular sunrises and possibly a nice sunset or two. We will photograph grand landscapes and mini-scenics of the rolling hills and farm fields. We will take you to some really neat old abandoned barns and farmhouses in idyllic settings. There is no better way to improve your compositional and image design skills and to develop your creativity than to join us for this trip. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Photoshop and image sharing sessions when we have the time and energy…. We get up early and stay out late and the days are long.

After 6 days of back-breaking scouting work in early June 2014 we found all of the iconic locations and, in addition, lots of spectacular new old barns and breath-taking landforms and views. We will teach you what makes one situation prime and another seemingly similar one a waste of your time.

What’s included: In-the-field instruction, guidance, lessons, and inspiration, our newfound but very extensive knowledge of the area, all lunches, motel lobby breakfasts, and Photoshop and image sharing sessions when possible.

You will learn and hone both basic and advanced compositional and image design skills. You will learn to get the right exposure every time. You will learn to develop your creative eye. You will learn the basics of HDR (high dynamic range) photography. You will learn a variety of in-camera creative techniques; Canon 5D Mark III bodies are a plus. And most importantly you will learn to see the situation and to create a variety of top-notch images. Do see both of our blogs for lots more on that in the coming weeks. You will learn how the quality and direction of light combine to determine the success of your images. And–please don’t gasp–we will be working quite a bit with sidelight when creating landscapes. Lastly, we will be touching on infrared photography.

A non-refundable $699 deposit is due now. The balance will be due on January 29, 2015. Please let me know via e-mail if you would like to join us. Then you can either call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 during business hours with a credit card in hand or send us a check; the latter is preferred.

Please send your deposit check made out to “Arthur Morris” to us at Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. You can also contact denise via e-mail here

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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, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂