Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

This image was created on the 2013 Bosque IPT with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. I set the exposure manually at +1 1/3 stops off the light blue sky in late afternoon light. That worked out to +1 stop as framed here because the bird is somewhat darker than the sky. In the crane image below, +1 1/3 stops off the sky worked out to the metered exposure…. See more in the next image caption below. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the head of the crane active at the moment of exposure. But it is likely that one of the Surround AF points took over and just caught that bird’s head. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Manual… Av… Tv… Program… Which is The Best Shooting Mode?

This is one of the age old photography questions: what is the best shooting mode? There are many who state definitively: “Real photographers work in Manual mode 100% of the time.” Many who preach this as gospel are hard-headed, obnoxious, loud-mouthed, and ignorant. Others simply prefer to work in Manual mode most or all of the time but realize that other modes might be best for other photographers (or clients) in a given situation.

At present I work in Manual mode most of the time, probably about 80% I would guess. I often work in Av mode, probably about 15% of the time. I occasionally work in Tv mode, probably about 4% of the time, but more than that when I am at Bosque del Apache NWR late each fall. (BTW, happy winter; it began today just after noon on December 21, 2013, at 12:11pm EST.) And I actually work in Program mode on rare occasion.
So what is the best shooting mode? The best shooting mode is the one that works best for you in a given situation. I will share my Shooting Mode preferences with you here.

Manual Mode

As I mentioned above, I now work in Manual mode about 80% of the time on average. When photographing birds against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality or when that possibility exists, working in Manual mode is mandatory. This is such an important principle that I will state it again: when photographing birds against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality working in Manual mode is mandatory.

Why? If you are in an automatic mode like Av or Tv and the background goes from light sky to dark trees you are dead in the water. Nobody can change the exposure compensation (EC) from say plus 2 to minus 1/3 stop instantly. Not to mention the times when the framing might yield both sky and trees or mountains in varying proportions. To learn to work in Manual Mode click here.

Similarly, you must be in Manual mode when the size of a very light or very dark subject in the frame is changing. Why? Unusually light or dark subjects have a big influence on your camera’s meter.

This image was also created on the 2013 Bosque IPT with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at zero as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. The two crane images here were made about two minutes apart; the light on the subject was constant. I began by metering the sky and adding 1 1/3 stops in the late afternoon light. When working in Manual mode you strive to get the right exposure for the subject. That is what I did here. Note that the exposure for both images was 1/1000 sec. at f/9 at ISO 800. With the bird against the sky the exposure worked out to +1 as framed. With the bird set against the yellowish brown trees in the distance, the exposure worked out to the metered exposure, that is 0 EC or no exposure compensation. Understand that the exposure settings for each image were identical: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 at ISO 800. As the light on the birds was constant the correct exposure for the subjects were the same regardless of the background. Had I been working in Av mode at f/9 I would have needed to have been at +1 stop for the first image and then at zero for the image here. Changing the exposure compensation from +1 to 0 in less than an instant is simply not possible. That is why you need to learn to work in Manual mode whenever the background tonality might change. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird’s lower breast active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Manual Mode Misconceptions and Myths

One common Manual mode misconception is that when the light is changing from moment to moment that it is easier and better to work in Manual mode. This is definitely true when the background and the light are or may be changing quickly. But when the light is changing and the background is of uniform and constant tonality, working in Av (or Tv) is often simpler, better, and faster.

Let say that you are working at the beach and all of your subjects are on the sand and average to middle light in tonality. Most gulls and most shorebirds come to mind. Nothing is flying around. But the sun is peeking in and out of the clouds. As long as you understand exposure and the way that your camera’s meter works you may find it easier, more intuitive, and faster to work in Av mode: when the sun is out you make all of your images at 0 or +1/3 stop depending on your camera body. When the sun is behind a cloud you will set something like +1 2/3stops EC. For Nikon folks these values would likely be -1/3 or -2/3 stop when the sun is out and +1 stop or so when a cloud covers the sun.

This brings us to another Manual mode myth: “If you work in Manual mode you will always get the right exposure.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the statement is laughable. If you understand exposure it does not matter which shooting mode you are in. The fact is that Manual mode is Av mode is Tv mode as far as exposure is concerned. If you set your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture correctly in Manual mode so that you wind up with the right exposure and the analog screen in your viewfinder shows +2/3 stop, then you can simply work in Av or Tv mode and set +2/3 stop EC. As long as the framing and background remain the same the exposure will be identical.

Do not, however, forget the original premise above: When photographing subjects against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality working in Manual mode is mandatory. If you attempt to work in any automatic mode against backgrounds of changing tonalities you will wind up with many exposure errors.

This image of a pair of playful African Lion cubs was created with the Todd-pod mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera. ISO 800 Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6.in Av mode in soft morning light. One sensor below the central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the face of the closest cub active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. In situations where I happen to be in Av mode and I am absolutely sure of the correct EC (exposure compensation), it is faster and easier to continue working in Av mode than it is to switch to Manual mode. That was the case here as I knew that +1/3 stop would be perfect. It was. As always, getting the right exposure has nothing to do with what shooting mode you are in.

Getting the Right Exposure: Shooting Mode Does Not Matter!

The key to getting the right exposure depends on your knowledge of exposure theory, on understanding how to get the right exposure, on understanding how your camera’s meter works, on understanding the quality and direction of the light, and on knowing how to evaluate your histogram, check for blinkies, and adjust your exposure accordingly. Getting the right exposure has nothing to do with what shooting mode you are in. Again, do not forget the original premise above: When photographing subjects against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality or when light or dark subject size is changing, working in Manual mode is mandatory.

To learn exposure theory, to begin to gain an understanding of how to get the right exposure, and to learn to properly evaluate you histograms, check for flashing highlight alerts, and adjust your exposure parameters, we recommend getting a copy of The Art of Bird Photography (soft cover) with its classic treatment of Exposure Theory, and a copy of The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages on CD only). See and study the section on Exposure Simplified in the latter. You can save $10 by purchasing the 2-book bundle here.

This American Alligator with a Cattle Egret in its jaws was photographed at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (hand held at 111mm) and the EOS-40D (now replaced for me by the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1 stop as framed: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central Sensor AI Servo shutter button AF as framed. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version. When you have no clue as to what the situation might be, you are far better off being in Av mode than in Manual mode; you are never more than a few clicks away from the perfect exposure. See image next.

Av Mode

There are many situations where I find it best to work in Av mode. Most times when I am taking a walk with a long lens on my shoulder I set the camera to Av mode. If it is sunny, I set the ISO to 400. If it is cloudy, I set the ISO to 800. If it is cloudy dark I set the ISO to 800. I usually work wide open or close to it.

Why Av mode when taking a walk?

When I do not know what or where the subject might be and when I do not know if the subject will be in the sun or in the shade, I will always set Av mode so that I can quickly dial in something close to the correct EC and make an image or three. Note I: this is 100% dependent on having a thorough understanding of exposure. Note II: this same understanding is required to come up with the right exposure when working in Manual mode.

The classic example is as follows: I am at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I hear a woman scream. I have the 70-200 f/4L IS in my hands and start running. I see a big gator on the dirt in the sun with a Cattle Egret in its mouth. I instinctively dial in -1 stop EC as the gator is black and in the sun and taking up a good part of the frame and the egret is brilliant white. I make several images each with a good exposure. I see that the gator is heading under the boardwalk. I know that I will not need as much minus EC as the action will now be in the shade. I push the shutter button half-way and dial back to -1/3 stop with two counter-clockwise clicks of the thumb wheel. I make a few more images each with a perfect exposure.

This same American Alligator with a Cattle Egret in its jaws was photographed at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm only a few seconds after the image above was created. Again, I used the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (hand held at 70mm) and the EOS-40D (now replaced for me by the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop as framed: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central Sensor AI Servo shutter button AF as framed. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Had God been working in Manual mode not even he (or she) would have been able to make 14 the needed 14 clicks in the second it took this gator to slip from the bright sun into the shade of the boardwalk; if you are counting, that’s a difference of 4 2/3 stops….

If I had been working in Manual mode it would have taken 14 clicks of the shutter speed dial to come up with the right exposure. Nobody, not even the most obnoxious loud-mouthed Manual mode proponent could do quickly to get the right exposure when the gator slipped into the shadows.

While the above is an extreme situation it proves the point: when you are not sure what the situation will be Av mode is best. It allows you to come up with the right exposure quickly and easily, more quickly and easily than if you were working in Manual mode.

Similarly, as noted above in paragraph 3 in the Manual mode section, I often use Av mode when the light is changing and the background is of uniform and constant tonality.

Furthermore, if I happen to be in Av mode and I come upon a good situation where I am absolutely sure of the correct EC (exposure compensation) it is faster and easier to continue working in Av mode than it is to switch to Manual mode.

This image was created at the Willem-Alexander Pavilion at Keukenhof, Lisse, Holland with the tripod-mounted Canon Telephoto EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM Autofocus lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/20 sec. at f/13 in Av mode. Manual Focus on the tip of the pistil and re-compose. Click on the image to see a larger version. When photographing flowers in windless situations I find it easier and faster to work in Av mode than to work in Manual mode.

Av Mode Best for Flowers?

When photographing flowers in windless situations I also find Av mode best and more efficient than working in Manual mode. I found myself doing just that when photographing the tulips in Keukenhof Gardens, the Netherlands on last spring’s Tulip IPT.

I’d see and frame an image. Focus. Set Live View and the 2-second timer. Live View gave me mirror lock and the RAW RGB histogram. The 2-second timer assured sharp images at slow shutter speeds. Once I had fine-tuned the exposure I’d make a long series of images changing the aperture in one stop increments from wide open to f/22 or so. Once I had dialed in the right EC changing the aperture required only three clicks of the thumb wheel—the camera set the shutter speed each time. Had I been working in Manual mode I would have needed three clicks for the aperture and three more clicks the other way for the shutter speed. Where I come from six clicks is more work than three clicks. Working in Av mode made it fast and easy to crank out a series of images each with a different aperture….

Interestingly enough one image in a series would often stand out as clearly best.

Here is the principle that applies here: if the light and framing are constant and the only thing that you wish to change is the aperture it is faster and easier to work in Av mode. Can you do the same thing in Manual mode? Of course. But you will need to change more parameters than you would if you were working in Av mode. I prefer easier and faster 🙂

Tv Mode

As with Av mode, there are situations where working in Tv mode is far easier, far faster, far more intuitive, and far more efficient than working in Manual mode. For starters, one advantage of working in Tv mode is that it gives you absolute control of shutter speed.

This Snow Geese fly-in image was created at 6:21am on the early morning of November 27, 2013 at Bosque del Apache NWR with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 200mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop as framed in Tv Mode: 1/13 sec. at f/8. Color temperature 8000K. Tv mode +1/3 stop. ISO Safety shift. As described in the text below this is a simple recipe for creating pleasing blurs in the pre-dawn. Beginning and intermediate photographers would have a very tough time in situations like this if they were working in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround–Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Tv Mode for Blurs

As regular readers know, I love creating pleasing blurs, often in pre-dawn situations with beautiful color in the sky. Trying to create sharp images in these situations is almost always a huge waste of your mega-high ISO time. Working in Tv mode in conjunction with either ISO Safety Shift or Auto ISO is the way to go. You simply pick a slow shutter speed that is appropriate for the EV (light) level and the distance to the birds, dial in the right EC—usually +1/3 stop to +2 stops depending on the colors and tonality of the predawn skies, and fire away. The camera will set the needed ISO. As it gets brighter, the only thing that you need to do is pick the shutter speed that you want and dial in the right EC.

Teaching this method in the dark at Bosque allows even beginning photographers to create some wonderful images on their very first try.

Folks working in Manual mode in this situation need to change the ISO, the shutter speed, and the aperture every minute or two as the skies brighten. This is relatively easy for experienced photographers but working in Tv mode as described above is much easier and much more efficient for many folks.
To learn more about creating pleasing blurs see “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs” by Denise Ippolito and yours truly. This PDF is sent via e-mail and would make a great gift for all aspiring photographers,

This Steller’s Sea Eagle image was created on my first Japan trip with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 stop stop as framed: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 in Tv mode. I knew that +1 was right and I knew that I wanted a shutter speed of 1/500 sec. Tv mode was fast, simple, and perfect. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround–Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Tv Mode When You Need a Minimum Shutter Speed

There are many situations where you want to be sure of having a minimum shutter speed, often when working in relatively low light and often when working from some sort of water craft. Unlike many flight photographers I do not subscribe to the theory that you need a minimum shutter speed of 1/1600 sec for flight photography. In many situations I would rather work at 1/500 sec. than choose a higher ISO. I have made many sharp flight images at 1/500 second.

The single rejoinder is that the background be of fairly uniform tonality. If the tonality of the background is constantly changing then as above, it is imperative that you work in Manual mode.

On my last Japan trip we were working with Steller’s Sea Eagles in flight in pink pre-dawn light. Both the ice and the sky were of about the same tonality—light middle, and I knew that +1 EC would give me a pretty darned good exposure most of the time. So I set Tv mode and chose 1/500 sec. I dialed in +1 stop EC and let the camera set the ISO and determine the aperture (which would always be wide open or close to it). I created many fine images that morning. And I have done the same thing often on Galapagos trips in similar situations. Fast, simple, and easy.

This image of a Red-eyed Vireo was created on South Padre Island, TX with the predecessor of the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the 500mm f/4L IS lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens), the 2X II TC (now replaced by the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the full frame EOS-1Ds Mark II (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X). ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/160 sec. at f/9 in Program mode. When photographing songbirds in relatively low, changing light with fill flash I like to work in Program mode and simple dial in the correct EC if needed. Doing so prevents the problems that you might encounter using Av or Tv and is much faster than working in Manual when the light is changing. Fill flash with the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, the Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Pack (for faster recycling), and the Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord 3n a Better Beamer at -3 stops with the Mongoose Integrated Flash Arm. Central sensor (by necessity)/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird’s upper back active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Program Mode

“Program mode?” you ask. “Are you nuts?”

There are actually two situations when I find that program mode is the best mode. When photographing family parties or friends’ weddings indoors with on-camera flash, I get fairly consistent results by setting the flash to -1/3 or -2/3 stops, working in Program mode, and dialing in EC as required; usually some plus EC for overall light subjects and scenes and some minus EC for dark subjects with a few bright highlights. Happy birthday!

The other time that I’d use program mode is when photographing songbirds with flash in low, changing light. First, I simply dial in the flash exposure compensation (on the flash not on the camera), usually about -1 2/3 stops for fill flash, set my ISO, dial in the right EC (as always depending my understanding of exposure theory), and begin making images. After I am set up the only thing that I need to change is the exposure compensation. If you are working in Manual mode you will spend most of your time changing two or more of the exposure parameters as the light changes.

I have not photographed many songbirds in recent years but would not hesitate to work in program mode when the right situation arises. I should be so lucky.

Which is The Best Shooting Mode?

I am hoping that by now that everyone realizes that there is no single best shooting mode for all situations. Study hard and learn to get the right exposure in all lighting conditions. Learn to use each of your camera’s shooting modes. And learn when it is best for you to use Manual, Av, Tv, or even Program. You will become a much stronger photographer.

Reflections, and An Invitation

Those of you who missed my career celebration gallery in yesterday’s blog post may click here and then click on the gallery link to view it. Here’s the best news: after viewing the 120 images and picking your 5 or more favorites–most folks could not limit their choices to 5, you will not have to hit the back button 122 times

This image was created in Hokkaido, Japan on my first trip with the predecessor of the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, Mongoose M3.6 head, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X). ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops as framed: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central sensor expand to 45 point/AI Servo Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1

Red-crowned Crane Image–Need Your Help/Opinion

Do you like the pano crop above (Image #1) with room behind the right hand bird or the more traditional 3X2 crop below (Image #2)? Or something in between?

Do you like the more contrasty image above (Image #1) or the softer, less contrasty image below (Image #2)? Or something in between?

Do you like the richer colors above (Image #1) or the more muted colors below (Image #2)? Or something in between?

This is the same image re-converted in DPP and then optimized in a different fashion. To learn why I now convert all of my images in Canon Digital Photo Professional click here. Image #2

Little Estero Lagoon

Join us to learn the ins and outs of Little Estero Lagoon.

Little Estero Lagoon IPT: 2 full days–Sat/Sun: JAN 25-26 (Limit 14/Openings 12): $799. Introductory slide program: 7pm, FRI, JAN 24, 2014

Join Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris for four great photography sessions at one of the top bird photography hotspots in North America. Morning sessions: 6:15am to 10:30am. Afternoon sessions: 3:00pm till 5:45pm. Lunch included. Informal image review and Photoshop sessions after lunch. Call 863-292-0906 to registger; payment if full is now due so call with your credit card in hand. Please e-mail with any questions.

What you will learn:

When to be where and where to be when at Little Estero Lagoon to maximize the photographic opportunities.
Autofocus basics and correct camera and gear set-up.
How to get the right exposure with digital every time.
How and why to expose to the right.
How to create pre-dawn silhouettes.
How to design pleasing images.
How to find the best perspective.
How to make strong images in cluttered situations.
How to photography birds in flight.
In-the-Field creative techniques.

Monday: Jan 27: Optional Estero Add-on/morning only (Limit 14/Openings 12): $249

Adding the last morning as above is optional.

Do consider joining us for the all or part of the South Florida Composite IPT:

2014 South Florida Composite IPT: 6 1/2 days of photography spread over 9 days of learning, hanging out, and travel: $2644. (Limit 14/Openings: 12

Click here for complete details or to register. Please e-mail with any questions or leave a comment below.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

Time is Running Out!

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

The thumbnails in the screen capture above represent the last two decades of what has been an amazing career. Click here to see the BreezeBrowswer-created slide show. But see “Invitation” below for complete details. Click on the image for a better look at the thumbnails.

Reflections

Whenever I am looking at one of the many large Images for Slide Programs folders I am amazed. What a wonderful life and career I have had. And will continue to have. The places that I have visited. The birds and wildlife that I have seen. Wow! How blessed I have been.

Folks often ask, “Don’t you get tired of waking up in a motel room bed 180 mornings each year?” I chuckle when I hear that. Why? If I did not like all the travel I would simply stay home.

An Invitation…

All are invited to click on the gallery link here. I picked 120 of my all-time favorite images for a Canon project entitled “DreamLabo 5000.” To view the slide program simply click on the first image and then hit Next (above the image). Enjoy. All comments are welcome. If you would like to have some fun and help me out a bit, take the time to pick your five favorite images. You will find the file name as well as all the EXIF date below and to the left of each image. You can learn a lot by checking out the EXIF data for each digital image. There are very few film images in the slide program. Then cut and paste the file name without the number into your comment box. Each file name should look something like this: Northern Gannet male bringing nesting material to mate.

Image Questions?

If you have questions about an image or two feel free to ask them by leaving a comment. Please indicate the image you are referring to with the file name as described above.

BreezeBrowser Slide Program Feature

The HTML for the slide show linked to here was created in BreezeBrowser via Tools/HTML in about 2 minutes. It is a little-known and little used feature that works extraordinarily well. Regular readers know that I use and depend on BreezeBrowser every day of the year. It allows me to sort my keepers and deletes the rejects faster than any other Windows browsing program. We use it on the main computer in the home office to catalog our images file-drawer style. And the companion program, Downloader Pro allows me to download my images quickly and conveniently. It automatically adds my IPTC data and the shooting location. I have it set up to create a folder named by the Month/date/year. The Breezebrowser/Downloader Pro combo saves me many hours each week. To learn earn more or to purchase this great PC only program, click here. As far as the BreezeBrowser/Downloader Pro Combo goes, if you are using a Windows platform and are not using these two great programs you are at best, wasting your valuable time. My understanding is that Photo Mechanic is best for Mac-users.

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here for info on the Anhinga Trail IPT. Click here for info on the Estero Lagoon IPT. Click here for info on the just announced San Diego Short Notice IPT–only 2 slots left on that one. And click here to learn about the just-announced 2014 Bosque IPTs. You will find additional IPTs and general info here.

Great Buy: Used Canon 800mm f/5/6L IS Lens for Sale

Friend and multiple IPT-veteran Monte Brown is offering his lightly used Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens in excellent condition for sale for $9,500. Purchase includes the lens case and hood, the 4th Generation Design Low Foot, the original foot, a LensCoat, the original invoice and the original Canon shipping carton. The lens was purchased new from B&H in April 2009 and was recently underwent a pre-sale clean and check by Canon. The buyer pays insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. The lens will be shipped only after your check clears.

The Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens sells new for $13,223.00 so you will save a bundle on a great lens. No need to ever use a 2X…

If interested you can contact Monte by phone at 1-765-744-1421 or via e-mail.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

Time is Running Out!
BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition
The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

This mega-breeding plumage white morph Reddish Egret was photographed on a Southwest Florida IPT in 2006 with the with the predecessor of the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the 600mm f/4L IS lens) now replaced by the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens), the 2X II TC) now replaced by the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter)), and the EOS-1Ds Mark II (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X). ISO 250. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/640 sec. at f/13 in Manual. Color temperature: AWB. Central sensor/Rear Focus AF on the bird’s eye and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

You Should Be So Lucky

On the first morning of the first day of the 2006 “President’s Week Southwest Florida IPT this bird flew in and landed nearby on a foggy bright morning. I helped the group get into position. A few of us got to make a frame or two. And then the drop-dead gorgeous bird flew off and disappeared over the condos bound for who knows where?

Someone said, “We scared it away.” Nope I said, the birds here are all tame; but Reddish Egrets can be finicky.

Same time, same place, one day later. The same bird flew in at about 7:45 am on a clear morning, landed right in front of the entire group, and posed for about one solid hour. I urged folks to add and subtract their TCs. to use different lenses, to do some human zoomin’, and to change their perspective. The bright pink and ultramarine soft parts’ colors of white morph Reddish Egrets last for only a few days. And they only occur when the birds are actively involved with breeding. You can see the best of the several hundred images that I created of this most beautiful bird in The Art of Bird Photography II. ABP II, 916 pages, 900+ images, makes a great stocking stuffer.

If you live long enough and get lucky, you will get to photograph a bird just like this at least once before they nail the box shut.

This Snowy Egret was photographed in pre-dawn light at Little Estero Lagoon with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (at 100mm) and the EOS-50D (now replaced for me by the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop as framed: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. One-shot AF and re-compose. Talk about the old days–no rear focus…. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bird Photography Hotspot: Little Estero Lagoon, Fort Myers Beach, FL

The first time that I tried to find Little Estero Lagoon I had no luck at all. I drove to Fort Myers Beach in a ton of traffic and when I arrived all that I saw were hundreds of young kids walking around in bathing suits with a beer in one hand and a frisbee in the other. Those with a free hand were hauling coolers with more brews. I paid way, way too much to park, walked down to the beach, and saw a very few Laughing Gulls and about 10,000 folks getting sunburned.

Well more than two decades later, I know the ropes at Little Estero as well as anyone. Every year folks tell me, “There’s not much at Estero.” I go the next day and fill every flash card that I have. It’s all a matter of knowing where to be when. It is not uncommon to photograph all of the following species in a single day: Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, Reddish Egret (both color morphs), Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Ring-billed Gull, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Forster’s Tern, Black-bellied Plover,Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, Wilson’s Plover, Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Double-crested Cormorant, Mottled Duck, Brown Pelican, and Osprey. Wood Stork, Sandwich Tern, White Pelican, Black Skimmer, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Long-billed Curlew, Snowy Plover, Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Red Knot, Bald Eagle, and Roseate Spoonbill are all possible. And the best news is that nearly all of the birds are silly tame.

Being in the right spot at the right time while photographing a huge feeding spree in gorgeous light is for me the thrill of Little Estero.

Your Favorite?

Which of the two images above do you like best? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

Southwest Florida Site Guide

My Southwest Florida Site Guide includes detailed instructions for photographing at the great spots within an hour or two of Fort Myers, Florida. Included are Ding Darling NWR then and now, Blind Pass Beach, the Sanibel Fishing Pier, the East Gulf Beaches–great for Snowy Plover, Little Estero Lagoon, the Sanibel Causeway, Venice Rookery, my secret White Pelican spot–head shots with a 300mm lens plus flight and action, and the two best Burrowing Owl sites on Cape Coral. Learn more or purchase here.

Join us to learn the ins and outs of Little Estero Lagoon.

Little Estero Lagoon IPT: 2 full days–Sat/Sun: JAN 25-26 (Limit 14/Openings 12): $799. Introductory slide program: 7pm, FRI, JAN 24, 2014

Join Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris for four great photography sessions at one of the top bird photography hotspots in North America. Morning sessions: 6:15am to 10:30am. Afternoon sessions: 3:00pm till 5:45pm. Lunch included. Informal image review and Photoshop sessions after lunch. Call 863-292-0906 to registger; payment if full is now due so call with your credit card in hand. Please e-mail with any questions.

Monday: Jan 27: Optional Estero Add-on/morning only (Limit 14/Openings 12): $249

Adding the last morning as above is an option.

What you will learn:

When to be where and where to be when at Little Estero Lagoon to maximize the photographic opportunities.
Autofocus basics and correct camera and gear set-up.
How to get the right exposure with digital every time.
How and why to expose to the right.
How to create pre-dawn silhouettes.
How to design pleasing images.
How to find the best perspective.
How to make strong images in cluttered situations.
How to photography birds in flight.
In-the-Field creative techniques.

Do consider joining us for the all or part of the South Florida Composite IPT:

2014 South Florida Composite IPT: 6 1/2 days of photography spread over 9 days of learning, hanging out, and travel: $2644. (Limit 14/Openings: 12

Click here for complete details or to register. Please e-mail with any questions or leave a comment below.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

Time is Running Out!

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This Brown Pelican image was was created at LaJolla, CA with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/30 sec. at f/20 in Av mode. Central sensor/Rear Focus AF on the base of the bill less than one half inch in front of the eyes and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. The great 4-stop IS system of the 800 allowed me to make a sharp image at 1/30 at 1120mm with an effective magnification of slightly more than 29X! There is a great used 800 for sale below. Though I love my 600II there are times when I miss the 800….

Long Lens Depth-of Field Lessons from LaJolla, CA

Lesson I: Depth-of-Field with Long Lenses at Close Range is Miniscule

It is a popular misconception that depth-of-field is always 33.3% in front of point of focus and 66% behind the point of focus. That is true with short lenses like the 24-105 and is an important principle for landscape photographers. But with telephoto lenses depth-of-field is pretty much right on the button at 50/50. That is whatever depth-of-field you have will be spread out equally with 50% in front of point of focus and 50% behind. Not buying that? Want to learn a lot more about d-o-f? As I have suggested before you can learn a ton by visiting DOFMaster by clicking here.

A quick visit with regards to the image above show that the d-o-f is indeed 50/50 with .36 inches in front of and .36 inches beyond the point of focus being in relatively sharp focus. That means that the total d-o-f is less than three-quarters of a single inch. That at f/20! As I have been writing, teaching, and preaching, depth-of-field with long lenses when you are working near the lens’s minimum focusing distance is normally measured in fractions of a single inch. For the image above had I been working wide open at f/8 the total d-o-f field would have been slightly more than one-third of one inch…

Lesson II: Long Lens D-o-F Strategy

To maximize d-o-f, consider the 50-50 principle. For the image above I knew from experience that d-o-f would only be about an inch or less even at f/20 so I focused on the base of the bill less than a half-inch in front of the plane of the eyes. Doing that allowed me render the base of the bill and the eyes to be in relatively sharp focus. Though the d-o-f was so shallow, I was at least able to use it fairly effectively by knowing exactly where to focus.

If you have any d-o-f questions, please leave a comment and ask away.

Join me in San Diego for three great days of photography and learning. Click on the image to better enjoy a larger version.

Pelican Paradise

LaJolla, California is a pelican paradise. At the right time of year, most will be sporting their incredibly beautiful breeding plumage of white and yellow and deep chocolate brown. But it is the olive green and bright red bill pouches that grabs you by the throat and never lets go. One of my LaJolla film images was honored in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competitions. Today, I still don’t have enough pelican images. I’d love to make another BBC-worthy photograph on my upcoming trip. I hope that you can join me in the quest. See below for details.

I’ve been away from LaJolla for too long. I visited San Diego for photography (and until 2007, to visit my folks who lived in North
park; my war hero Dad died in 2001) every year for almost three decades. My Mom, now 91 and living in Holbrook, Long Island, NY, lived in San Diego until seven years ago. Whenever I walked into my parent’s home on Pentuckett Avenue the same conversation would take place:

Hazel Louise Morris: What are you gonna do tomorrow?
Arthur Edward Morris: Ma, you know what I am gonna do tomorrow.
HLM: What are you gonna do tomorrow?
AEM: Ma, I’m going to LaJolla bright and early.
HLM: What are you gonna do there?
AEM: Ma, you know what I am gonna do.
HLM: What are you gonna do there?
AEM: Ma, I’m going to photograph those beautiful pelicans.
HLM: Don’t you have enough pelican pictures already?
AEM: No Ma.

Announcing the San Diego Short-Notice Small Group IPT. January 15-17, 3-Full Days: $1049. Meet and Greet after dinner on your own at 7:30pm on Tuesday, January 14, 2014. Limit 6/Openings: 1.

We will get to photograph the California race of Brown Pelican in flight, resting, preening, cleaning their bill pouches, and talking to their neighbors by tossing their bills high in the air. The afternoon sessions will feature Marbled Godwits, several gull species, and Wood and Ring-necked Ducks. If we have a cloudy morning we will get to photograph Harbor Seals. You will learn to get the right exposure every time, to see the best situation, to think like a pro, to create sharp, pleasing images, and to understand the joint effects of light and wind on the birds. All in a small group with tons of individual attention.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance will be due no later than January 7, 2014. The balance is alo non-refundable. 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.

If you are planning to register please shoot me an e-mail.

Then 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.”) Though we prefer a check, 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

San Diego Site Guide

Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the San Diego Site Guide; it’s the next best thing to being on an IPT. Nearly 30 years of San Diego bird photography revealed in one fell swoop.

Great buy: Used Canon 800mm f/5/6L IS Lens for Sale

Friend and multiple IPT-veteran Monte Brown is offering his lightly used Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens in excellent condition for sale for $9,500. Purchase includes the lens case and hood, the 4th Generation Design Low Foot, the original foot, a LensCoat, the original invoice and the original Canon shipping carton. The lens was purchased new from B&H in April 2009 and was recently underwent a pre-sale clean and check by Canon. The buyer pays insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. The lens will be shipped only after your check clears.

The Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens sells new for $13,223.00 so you will save a bundle on a great lens. No need to ever use a 2X…

If interested you can contact Monte by phone at 1-765-744-1421 or via e-mail.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

Time is Running Out!
BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition
The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here to learn about the just-announced 2014 Bosque IPTs. And click here for the schedule and additional info.

Join Denise Ippolito and me for four great days of photography and learning at one of our soul places. Please click on the card to enjoy a larger version.

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

Tens of thousand 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 your own 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. 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.

Join Denise Ippolito and me for two great days of photography, fun, and learning at one of our soul places. We will surely be taking you out of the box on this workshop. Please click on the card to enjoy a larger version.

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.

Bosque 2013 Kudos

From Brent Schoenfeld who attended with his friend Claudia, via e-mail:

You and Denise are an amazing team and it was a treasured experience to learn from and photograph with you both. You have gifted me a new ‘exposure’ discipline, which has catapulted me up to the level I’ve wanted to be at. I had seen the value before, largely from following your blog, and had started to embrace it, but with the workshop I find myself solidly and confidently established in a new and photographically more powerful place. Thank you for your blog, as well. It is a great learning tool. I hope to do more workshops with you two! Thanks for everything. Ciao for now, B.

From Gretchen Cole in an e-mail to the group:

Hello All, I finally have images ready to share. I am still thinking of the trip to Bosque and am so glad I could get signed on late and meet all of you. What a fun, energetic, and talented group. This was my very first trip to Bosque, and I know I will be back. It has grabbed me and I am already formulating a plan to return. This also was my very first bird photography experience and it was fantastic to have such good leaders willing to help and share their knowledge. Enjoy the holidays and I hope we meet again. Thanks again to Denise and Artie for sharing your knowledge without restraint 🙂 Gretchen

From Dave Klein via e-mail:

I wanted you to know that both you and Denise are icons in my photographic journey. What I liked about the workshop was the blending of styles you two represent: technical, compositional and creative. Your vast experience with Bosque told us when to be patient with a situation and let the photographic opportunity present itself and when to quickly move on to another when the circumstances weren’t in our favor. Thanks so much Artie for your dedication to your workshop participants and your readership. I feel privileged to say that I am both. Kind regards, Dave

From Sue Eberhart’s e-mail to the group:

Happy Day After Thanksgiving to all, The experience at Bosque, for me, was a once-in-a-lifetime journey. Before leaving home, I knew that it would be special trip but upon arrival and experiencing just a few minutes with all of you, I knew I was into something extraoidinary. The group’s passion and talent was infectious. As we know, the setting was so very special and the birds outdid themselves.

I am always looking for inspiration and I found all of you inspiring in many ways. Denise and Artie were always patient and willing to share their knowledge, techniques and skills. What more could one ask for? Snow? Yep, even that was arranged for and delivered. Attached are 5 of my best images. I can hardly wait to get home and begin to practice with our shorebirds but nothing will replicate the Bosque experience with all of you. Happy Holidays to you all and I hope we will meet again someday. Sue

From Carl Meisel via e-mail:

Thanks so much for allowing us to experience a once in a lifetime event. I had a great learning experience and am going home with myriads of keepers. I think we lucked out with the days we chose as we saw numerous blastoffs and beautiful sunsets. Thanks again. Carl–from the old Brooklyn neighborhood

Questions

Which card do you like best, the straight photography card (upper) or the creative card (lower)? Which is your very favorite image? Be sure to let us know why.

Light on the Earth

The original Fire-in-the-Mist image was featured as wrap-around cover art on the inspirational Light on the Earth, a large coffee table book that featured 30 years of the best images from the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition.

Great buy: Used Canon 800mm f/5/6L IS Lens for Sale

Friend and multiple IPT-veteran Monte Brown is offering his lightly used Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens in excellent condition for sale for $9,500. Purchase includes the lens case and hood, the 4th Generation Design Low Foot, the original foot, a LensCoat, the original invoice and the original Canon shipping carton. The lens was purchased new from B&H in April 2009 and was recently underwent a pre-sale clean and check by Canon. The buyer pays insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. The lens will be shipped only after your check clears.

The Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens sells new for $13,223.00 so you will save a bundle on a great lens. No need to ever use a 2X…

If interested you can contact Monte by phone at 1-765-744-1421 or via e-mail.

Help Stop the Shooting of Snowy Owls at NY Area Airports

You might help stop the mindless shooting of Snowy Owls at Kennedy and other NY area airports by signing the petition here.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

Time is Running Out!

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This image was created on the Tanzania Summer Safari with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens (hand held at 65mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/16 in Av mode. Central sensor AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF on the bird and re-compose. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The 24-105

As regular readers know, I never leave home without my Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. It comes in handy for a great variety of images; see “A Fitting Ending/Short Zoom Lens Tips” here to learn more about this useful B-roll lens. Whenever I head afield without my 24-105 it is usually not long before I am wishing that I had brought it along….

The bird in the tree is a Striped Kingfisher.

This image was also created from the top of our safari van on the Tanzania Summer Safari last August with the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (with the internal TC in place at 345mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop as framed in Av Mode: 1/320 sec. at f/16. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround–Rear Focus AF on the bird and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Going Wide with the 200-400 with Internal TC

To create the second story telling image in this series I went with the 200-400 at 345mm. Many folks would ask, “Why did you need the teleconverter in place?” I didn’t. It was in place to give me additional reach if needed; as I zoomed to frame the image I simply pressed the shutter button once I was pleased with the composition.

Note that when creating vertical images of small-in-the-frame subjects that placing the subject near one of the corners is almost always the best way to go. Learn more about Advanced Composition and Image Design in The Art of Bird Photography II (ABP II: 916 pages, 900+ images on CD only).

This Striped Kingfisher image was also created from the top of our safari van, this one with the Mongoose M3.6 head on a Todd-pod along with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400: Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on bird’s eye and re-compose. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The Power of Twelve Hundred Millimeters

To create the relatively large-in-the-frame vertical image above I went with the 600II/2X III combo. Though many state openly that it is not possible to create critically sharp images with a 2X teleconverter I do just that consistently. For quite a while I worked at f/8 or f/9 with this combination (f/8 is wide open) but more recently I have begun stopping down to f/10, f/11, or f/13 when possible. To learn to make sharp images at long effective focal lengths see “Advanced Sharpness Techniques in The Art of Bird Photography II (ABP II: 916 pages, 900+ images on CD only). For those who as I have done gone completely to full frame bodies learning to work successfully with a 2X TC is huge advantage for both bird and wildlife photography.

Also relevant and of interest to many would be “Big Lens Choices for Canon and Nikon–As I See Them….” here.

The Image Optimization

After converting the RAW file in Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (click here to learn how and why I use DPP) I dust-spotted the image, eliminated several extraneous branches with a series of Quick Masks as detailed in APTATS I and regular layer masks, moved the bird up and a bit back in the frame using techniques from APTATS II, lightened the mask using Tim Grey Dodge and Burn techniques, and ran a 50% layer of my NIK 50/50 preset on the bird and the perch only. All the rest as described in detail in our in Digital Basics File, an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, several different ways to expand canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, image clean-up techniques, Digital Eye Doctor, and tons more.

I do realize that but for too much room at the top that the wider framing in the original post has merit.

Image Questions

#1- Which of these images do you think that I created first? Why?
#2: Why only +1/3 stop for all three of these images?
#3: Which is your favorite image? Why?

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari

If you are interested in joining us in Tanzania next summer please shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to forward you the PDF with dates, itinerary, and price. With Jean-Luc Vaillant already signed up, this trip is a go.

Coming Soon

Stay tuned for next year’s Bosque IPT dates with the promised reduced rates and info on the Bosque Site Guide Current Conditions Update. The latter, which should be available be the end of this week, will be sent at no charge to all who have purchased the invaluable Bosque Site Guide. It will also be available as a separate purchase.

Also in the pipeline is a brand new MP-4 Photoshop Tutorial Video on creating high quality animated GIF files and using the Text Tool to type on images. It will sell for $4 and will be the first of many new MP-4 videos. See here for the current library.

This Blog Post and College Football…

I started working on this blog post at 4:00am. After I take my 59 degree Fahrenheit ice baths before dinner each night I usually get to bed early so I get up earlier than most folks. I will post this at about 9:30am. Yesterday afternoon I was thrilled with Auburn’s amazing victory over Missouri in the SEC championship game. Auburn needed a victory by underdog Michigan State over Ohio State in last night’s Big Ten championship game to get to the national championship game. I taped that game on TiVo and watched it this morning while working on this blog post. I was rooting for Michigan State as I had fallen in love with Auburn’s amazing running attack the day before. Congrats to Michigan State for its gritty, come-from-behind victory and to Auburn for its upcoming trip to the national championship game against the surely to be favored Florida State Seminoles. I will be rooting for Auburn.

All in all I probably spent about four hours on this blog post. Each post is presented for your enjoyment, to teach you a few new things about nature photography, and hopefully, to inspire you. Everyone buys something from Amazon. Please get in the habit of doing all of your Amazon shopping (holiday and otherwise) by starting with our Amazon affiliate link immediately below or with one of our B&H affiliate links in and at the end of this blog post. Your purchases will not cost you a penny more and using our links is a great way to thank me for my work here and for my work on the BIRDS AS ART Bulletins. 🙂

Thanks for considering this request. No purchase is too small to be appreciated!

This Sandhill Crane flight image was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops off the sky in early morning light at 7:11am: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Color temperature: AWB. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF on the leg of the front bird active at the moment of exposure. See the BreezeBrowser screen capture below. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Multi-Subject Flight Photography Tips

Photographing Parallel-Flying Pairs

When photographing two birds flying parallel to the plane of your position, that is, from side to side, the best strategy is to place the active AF sensor on the trailing feet of the front bird. As you can see, that plan worked perfectly here and resulted in a balanced composition with the birds nicely back in the frame. If I had had the central sensor on the front bird I would have cut off a good part of the trailing bird.

As always for flight photography, once you have acquired focus with the bird or birds in the zone, that is, either flying parallel to your position or angling at least slightly towards you with a good light angle and decent subject size in the frame, it is always best to fire off several frames in rapid fire succession. The 1D X especially gives you a better chance to come up with a pair or perfect wing positions as I did here. This is the best of a 3-frame sequence; I kept all of them but this one is sheer perfection.

This is the BreezeBrowser Main View screen capture.

BreezeBrowser Main View Screen Capture

Above is the BreezeBrowser Main View screen capture for the opening image. Note that the illuminated red square shows that the center focusing sensor was active at the moment of exposure. In Breezebrowser you need to check “Show Focus Points” under View to activate this feature. To see the focus points in DPP check “AF Point” under View or hit Alt L. Hit Alt M to see Highlight Alert. To learn how and why I use DPP (Canon Digital Photo Professional) to convert my RAW files, see the info on our DPP RAW Conversion Guide here.

Regular readers know that I use and depend on BreezeBrowser every day of the year. It allows me to sort my keepers and deletes the rejects faster than any other Windows browsing program. We use it on the main computer in the home office to catalog our images file-drawer style. And the companion program, Downloader Pro allows me to download my images quickly and conveniently. It automatically adds my IPTC data and the shooting location. I have it set up to create a folder named by the Month/date/year. The Breezebrowser/Downloader Pro combo saves me many hours each week. To learn earn more or to purchase this great PC only program, click here. As far as the BreezeBrowser/Downloader Pro Combo goes, if you are using a Windows platform and are not using these two great programs you are at best, wasting your valuable time. My understanding is that Photo Mechanic is best for Mac-users.

1D X AF Guide

To learn everything that I know about the great 1D X AF system check out our 1D X AF Guide here.

This image was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 3200. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Color temperature: AWB :7000. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. See the BreezeBrowser screen capture below. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Beating the Dead Horse

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: “As always for flight photography, once you have acquired focus with the bird or birds in the zone, that is, either flying parallel to your position or angling at least slightly towards you with a good light angle and decent subject size in the frame, it is always best to push the shutter button, hold it down, and fire off several frames in succession.”

Note that that does not mean that you acquire focus while the bird is a mile away, mash down on the shutter button,, and keep making images until the bird is well past your position flying away from you. Proper technique is to make 3 or 4 images when the bird is in the zone as described above. I swear that I have seen folks make 100 images as a bird flies by, no doubt in an effort to impress someone….

With the image above, I created a three frame sequence and got lucky in capturing a neat juxtaposition of the two geese, in part due to the fast frame-rate of the 1D X. Pushing the shutter button when the birds are tiny in the frame, well off light angle, or flying away from you is simply a waste of time and pixels. On the other hand, if the birds are in the zone, push the button whether or not you like the way the birds are arranged in the frame. You cannot react fast enough when you see a pleasing image in the viewfinder. Sometimes you can anticipate a good image, but usually that is not possible.

For the last time, when the birds are in the zone, push the button and create 3- or 4-frame sequences.

This image was created from the image below with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the far wing of the middle bird active at the moment of exposure. But it is likely that one of the Surround AF points took over and just caught that bird’s head. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

A Primer on Exposing Correctly for Bright Whites in Full Sun and a Note On Sunny F/22 White Exposures

First off, as you might have suspected the original capture here (see below) was created as part of a rapid fire burst–this one a 4-frame sequence. I will say no more. 🙂

Most film folks are familiar with the Sunny f/16 guideline–1 over the film speed will give a good exposure for a middle-toned subject at f/16. That from John Shaw’s classic The Nature Photographer’s Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques. (I lost my signed copy years ago when moving to Florida….) Most folks, however, never turned the page after reading about Sunny f/16. If I recall correctly, what follows is Sunny f/22 for Whites. This premise states simply that if you know the correct exposure for a middle-toned subject (f/16) then you need to shoot one stop darker for white subjects (f/22). This simple principle is not understood by most nature photographers, heck, by most photographers. The point is hammered home in the Exposure chapter in the original The Art of Bird Photography. Few folks now that ABP was inspired by John’s Amphoto book.

Important Note

After totally screwing up the math when I first posted this, I decided to re-write it correctly. That re-write begins below.

OK, so now let’s do the math and see how it applies to digital. At ISO 400 1/film speed is 1/400 sec. John states that the correct exposure for bright whites in full sun with film is 1/400 at f/22. That extrapolates to 1/800 sec. at f/16 and then again to 1/1600 sec. at f/11. For the Snow Goose trio image I was actually 1 stop lighter than the Sunny f/22 for Whites guideline–1/1600 at f/8 is one stop lighter than 1/1600 sec. at f/11 as suggested by Sunny f/22 for bright whites.

Why? Obviously digital is better able to hold the detail in the highlights than film at a given exposure level.

Here’s the rub, I thought that I had been at 1/1600 at f/9 but I must have inadvertently hit the thumb wheel. Why do I like 1/1600 sec. at f/9 (1/2000 sec. at f/8) for bright whites in full sun? I like to bring my Whites into Photoshop without any RGB values above 235 or so. For the Snow Goose trio image above I needed to do some extra work to restore detail in the brightest WHITEs: I applied an 18% layer of Linear Burn to the WHITEs that I had selected using Select/Color range and followed that with NIK Detail Extractor at about 25% painted in using a Hide-All Layer Mask.

The bottom line is that my baseline exposure for bright whites in full sun with digital at ISO 400 is 1/2000 sec. at f/8 or 1/1600 sec. at f/9. If, in extremely bright sun I run into a few blinkies on the the subject I will go 1/3 stop darker to 1/2500 sec. at f/8 or 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (for flight photography). These bright whites in sun value hold pretty well across all camera bodies and systems though you may have to tweak things 1/3 stop either way after you check the histogram and most importantly, for blinkies.

Kudos to those who e-mailed and left comments noting my math error. What’s my excuse? It’s been a long, long time that I have thought in terms of Sunny 16 in any form. With digital the rule is to get some data in the rightmost box of the histogram and let ’em fly.

The fact is that very few folks know or understand that WHITEs need one full stop less light then middle-tones to be exposed correctly. And BLACKs need 2/3 to a stop more light than middle-tones to be properly exposed. Note that in nearly all cases we need to expose for the highlights and avoid significant blinkies on the subject.

How do I know that most folks do not understand these concepts? I ask the question all the time at seminars, in-the-field workshops, on IPTs, on BPN, and whenever I see someone using an incident meter. The failure rate is 99.9%…..

I am sorry for my careless error. I hope that I got it right this time. 🙂

The Art of Bird Photography II

You can learn a ton about getting the right exposure with digital every time whether the sun is out or it is cloudy in the “Exposure Simplified” of ABP II (916 pages, 900+ images on CD only). If you have no clue as to what I am talking about with regards to exposure or if you would like a complete bird photography education here then you will surely want to order the 2-book combo.

Digital Basics

All of the above is of course described in detail in our in Digital Basics File, an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, several different ways to expand canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, image clean-up techniques, Digital Eye Doctor, and tons more.

This is the original Snow Goose Trio capture.

As above, the original capture shown here was the best of a 4-frame sequence. It featured three very nice wings-up positions. The problem was that the third bird in the formation was too low. I used a series of Quick Masks as learned in APTATS I and techniques that I learned while editing APATATS II for readability to seamlessly move the bird up in the frame.

Your Favorite?

Take a moment and leave a comment letting us know which of the images above is your favorite. And be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition
Time is Running Out! The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail

or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This Blog Post…

Like yesterday’s blog post, this post took a bit more than four hours to prepare. Each blog post is presented for your enjoyment, to teach you a few new things about nature photography, and hopefully, to inspire you. Please consider doing all of your Amazon holiday shopping by starting with our Amazon affiliate link immediately below or with one of our B&H affiliate links in and at the end of this blog post. Your purchases will not cost you a penny more and using our links is a great way to thank me for my work here and for my work on the BIRDS AS ART Bulletins. :).

Thanks for considering this request. No purchase is too small to be appreciated!

This image was created at Bosque del Apache NWR in San Antonio, New Mexico with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (at 100mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body ISO 100. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops as framed: 1/30 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode with the Hoya 77mm Neutral Density (ND) 0.9 (3-stop) Pro 1 Digital Multi-Coated Glass Filter Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus/Suround AF on the nearest geese and re-compose. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The Calm Before the Storm

The image above was made on November 24, 2013, our great snow day at Bosque only a few minutes before I created the video below. The calm before the storm indeed.

You Gotta See This: First Ever Published BAA Video

Our day in the snow at Bosque was so spectacular (see here and here) and we had so, so many blast-offs, that I set up the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III on the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod with the Mongoose M3.6 head and shot lots of video.

ISO 100. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/30 sec. at f/13 in Manual Mode. I used central sensor Surround rear focus AF on the near edge of the flock and re-compose before going to Live View. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial.

The Video

The original 15-second video is a relatively huge 166mb file. It looks truly spectacular at 1920 x 1080. My original plan was to post the video on the blog so that all could enjoy it. With help from Peter Kes of course. Peter immediately informed me that the file was way, way, way too large and that it would jam up our server. He agreed to try it anyway in a draft. After 15 minutes of attempted downloading I told Peter that we needed a better solution. 🙂 In short order he down-sized the video to 2.7mb/729 pixels wide “while retaining some quality.”

You can view the video above by pressing the Play arrow. Unless you have a really fast connection, your first attempt to play the video will be accompanied by skipping and fits and starts. After it finishes playing give it a minute or so and then press Play again. Things should go smoothly then. Note: if you give the video a minute or two to load you should enjoy seamless viewing the first time you play it. The quality, however, is only fair but it is the best that we could do given the size and server constraints. I am pretty sure that everyone will get the idea. If you have never experienced a blast-off at Bosque and/or have never experienced snow at the refuge you will surely be impressed.

Great News

Those who wish to enjoy the beyond-spectacular full-screen 166mb original video capture (at 1920 x 1080 pixels) and those who would like to see the fantastic quality of a well-made EOS-5D Mark III video may purchase the full-sized original Movie file for only $5.00. A link to download the file will be sent to you via HightailIt.com. After you save the file to your computer and double-click on it you will be able to view the video full screen in your default viewer whether you use Windows of MAC.

You can purchase your copy at the BAA Online Store by clicking here or by calling Jim at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

Catching Up

This Torrent Duck chick image was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the front of the wing stub active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger, cuter version.

Torrential Miracle

In the November 12 Torrential Miracle post my favorite image by far was the one of the chick above made with the 600 II, the 2X III, and the 1D X. Why? The cuteness, the duckling’s expression, and the incredible sharpness.

I also asked, “In the second image, the one of the hen with the two chicks, why should I have added 2/3 stop more light than for the image of the drake?” Joel Haas was correct in part when he said, “Because the overall tonality of the background was much lighter than the background in the image of the
drake, and you wanted to properly expose the birds.” David Policansky added more important information when he commented “I’d have added more light to the hen and chicks because with the drake you had that brilliant white on its head that you didn’t want to blow out. The hen and chicks don’t have that.” I’d like to add that the background was darker and the WHITEs brighter in the image of the drake because the sun was much stronger than in the image of the hen with the two chicks. As I say and write often, “When the sun is at or near full strength, the meter does a pretty good job. When it is cloudy of overcast the meter is dumb. You need to add a lot more light with scenes that average to well lighter than a middle tone.”

Folks who have no clue as to how to get the right exposure are directed to the Exposure Simplified section of ABP II and the chapter on Exposure Theory in ABP. Best advice: save $10 by purchasing the two book combo here and start studying. Getting the right exposure with digital should be the easiest thing in the world; all that you need to do is make sure that you have data in the right-most histogram box without any blinkies on the subject or important parts of the background….

Creating Black-Lit Magic

In the Creating Black-Lit Magic post I was surprised to learn that most folks preferred the white rim light to the red rim-light. I will take that into account when I process more images from that series. And I may redo some of the images that were posted there.

This image was created with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) (at 180mm), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body ISO 50. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/13 sec. at f/14 in Manual mode, with the Hoya 77mm Neutral Density (ND) 0.9 (3-stop) Pro 1 Digital Multi-Coated Glass Filter Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus/Suround AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #5

Beyond Spectacular Part I

In the Beyond Spectacular Part I post my very favorite image from the snow day was Image #5 above. Why? The surreal look and the sublime mountain background. Wish this one luck in the next BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition…

A Name for this Image…

If you have a creative name for this image I would appreciate your leaving a comment.

Image Questions

I also asked the following questions:

1-Why was I using the Hoya 77mm Neutral Density (ND) 0.9 (3-stop) Pro 1 Digital Multi-Coated Glass Filter for images #1 and #5?

I use the 3-stop ND filters so that I can work at wider apertures. You spend a lot less time cleaning dust spots at f/8 than you do at f/22. In addition, in bright conditions, the 3-stop ND filters allow me to get to the very slow shutter speeds that I sometimes like to employ, shutter speeds in the range of from 1/4 to 1/15 sec. In bright sun you cannot achieve those speeds even at ISO 50.

2-Why was f/16 a poor choice in Image #3?

There was no need to stop down so much if at all. Why? Depth-of-filed with short lenses is great, especially with relatively distant subjects. A much wider aperture, perhaps one like f/8 or even f/5.6, would have yielded a faster shutter speed. The distant subjects and the 1/400 sec. shutter speed allowed me to get lucky.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

Time is Running Out!

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This Blog Post…

This blog post took more than 8 hours to prepare. Each blog post is presented for your enjoyment, to teach you a few new things about nature photography, and hopefully, to inspire you. Please consider doing all of your holiday shopping by starting with our Amazon affiliate link immediately below or with one of our B&H affiliate links at the end of this blog post. Your purchases will not cost you a penny more and using our links is a great way to thank me for my work here and my work on the BIRDS AS ART Bulletins. :).

Thanks for considering this request. No purchase is too small to be appreciated!

This image was created on November 25, 2013, our snow day at Bosque with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) (at 280mm), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body ISO 100. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/13 sec. at f/18 in Manual mode, with the Hoya 77mm Neutral Density (ND) 0.9 (3-stop) Pro 1 Digital Multi-Coated Glass Filter Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus/Suround AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1

Beyond Spectacular Part II

If you missed Beyond Spectacular Part I, click here. What can I say? 2028 images created. 480 first edit keepers. Denise Ippolito and I stayed at the refuge from 6am till 5:30 pm. With this actually being my twentieth straight year here at the Thanksgiving season, November 24, 2013 was my best day ever at Bosque.

Here’s another one from our great day in the snow. This Snow Goose in flight image was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Color temperature: 7000K. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2

600II/1.4X III/1D X for Flight

The 600mm f/4L IS II lens, the 1.4X III telecovnerter, and the EOS 1D X are an incredible combo for tripod-mounted flight photography. Others stronger and younger than I use the same combo effectively for hand held flight photography. In either case, the snow reflected light up onto the undersides of the geese and cranes giving the birds a pleasing snow glow. Note that it is important to add lots of light in these conditions to produce a proper exposure with data into the right-most histogram box.

This 3-frame Art Vivid HDR image was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 282mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops as framed yielded a base exposure of 1/200 sec. at f/7.1. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround–Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3

Mountains, Mountains, Mountains

The background mountains are an important compositional element in each of the first two images presented here. In the image directly above they are the subject. The dusting of snow makes the image that much more attractive. My understanding is that Chupadera Peak is the largest peak in the range to the west of the refuge but that the other peaks are not formally part of a Chupadera range. Therefore the low mountains seen in the image above are not really the Chupaderas though pretty much everyone refers to them in that way.

This birds in a snowy cornfield image was also created at Bosque del Apache NWR on the very early morning of November 22, 2013 with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (with the internal TC in place at 315mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 stops as framed in Av Mode: 1/60 sec. at f/18. Color temperature 8000K. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround–Rear Focus AF on the row of resting Snow Geese and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #4

Snow at Bosque

The combination of snow, geese, cranes, and a cornfield is a powerful one for most folks, and irresistible one for me. Here I went to a small aperture with lots of depth-of-field. In my 20 years of visiting Bosque I have enjoyed a decent snowfall only twice. Snow has been even rarer for me than fire in the mist conditions; I have encountered that 3 or 4 times over my two decades of refuge visits. Be sure to enjoy it when you can!

This image was created with the hand held Canon 15mm f/2.8L fisheye lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM Ultra-Wide zoom lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1. Color temperature78000K. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround–Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #5 Click here to search for fish eye lenses and accessories for the Nikon system. Consider also the Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye Autofocus lens for Canon EOS

Fish-Eye

At times you will find yourself at Bosque with hundreds if not thousands of geese directly overhead. Though south winds increase your odds, the situation may occur on any wind. Pointing a fish eye lens straight up is the way to go when it happens. For this image I could not point the lens directly up so I made sure to level the image in the viewfinder as best as I could by using the bottom line of the 4X6 viewfinder grid….

This image was also created on November 25, 2013, our snow day at Bosque with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (at 155mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +2 stops off the white sky: 1/13 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode, with the Hoya 77mm Neutral Density (ND) 0.9 (3-stop) Pro 1 Digital Multi-Coated Glass Filter Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus/Suround AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #6

Using All the Clubs in your Bag

To create the images in today’s blog post, all made on the very same day, I used the 600mm f/4L IS II, the 200-400 with Internal TC, the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II, and the old 15mm fish eye lens. In the first snow day post, Beyond Spectacular Part I, I featured an image created with the 24-105mm zoom lens.

So on a given day over the course of 11 1/2 hours I used every lens that I had at my disposal. How do you decide which lens to use? You see the snow. You see the birds either on the ground or in the air. You take note of the light and of what the birds are doing. You try to figure out what will happen next. You decide what you want to show in your image and then choose the tool that will best enable you to fulfill your photographic vision. Then you push the button at just the right time. With experience, your choices will become second nature.

Your Favorite?

Which of the six images is your favorite? Before you choose, be sure to click on each image to view and appreciate a larger version. Please let us know why.

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

The December 21, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

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