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February 3rd, 2011 Oooops!Sorry about the mis-fire with BAA Bulletin #359. We have been having Mail Chimp problems for two days. We are aware that the Bulletin showed up without images. It is online on the Bids As Art Homepage here. Jennifer is trying to resend it from home this afternoon, with the images. Thanks for bearing with us. Later and love, artie in Homestead ps: I should be back later tonight with a real post 🙂 pps: Everything listed for sale in the Bulletin sold within minutes. February 1st, 2011
Abstract ThoughtsWhen I asked “Like it or Hate It?” in the last post here, I never expected such overwhelmingly negative responses; 4 for delete, 1 ambiguous, 1 OK “but only because I have been there,” and 1 sort of liked it. The image was received quite differently in my BPN thread that featured the same image: Seven loved the image and found it interesting and provocative. Zero hated it. You can see that thread here. Thanks to Marina Scarr for suggesting a crop from the right in Pane 10 there. The opening image here is similar but not identical to Marina’s crop. Several folks stated or implied that they would delete the image because “they did not know what it was.” Jeez, I thought that that was the point of an abstract…. From Dictionary.Reference.com: abstract (adj.) Fine Arts a: of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., esp. with reference to their relationship to one another. Go figure. And oh, by the way, I liked the original but I like the repost above even more 🙂 No hard feelings though. (I never take it personally.) Heck, the last time folks were so vehemently against an image that I liked we sold it for $700 to Oprah magazine. You gotta love it. Larry Warfield wrote, “I generally like the pattern, but the white on the right hand edge and the portion of the wing on the left hand edge keep distracting my eye from the interesting triangular pattern. I also wish the back was a little more in focus. That being said, it’s easier to be a critic that an artist. I wish I could take something, at all close to that good. Nice shot.” The crop from the right takes care of the white. I too wish that the back were a bit more in focus but pelicans are very large bird and depth of field is quite limited with big lenses near minimum focusing distance. A quick visit to DOF Master revealed that with a focal length of 1200mm (the closest drop down menu value to 1120mm) and an aperture of f/11 (that’s what I used to create this image) that the total depth of field would be .36 inches, less than 1/2 inch. If I dropped down to f/22 the total depth of field would increase to .72 inches (just a shade less than 3/4 inch). That means that I would have gained .18 inch behind the neck (that’s where I focused) and .18 inch in front of the neck, i.e., the back. So stopping down from f/11 to f/22 would have gained only a fraction of an inch of extra d-o-f, not nearly enough to render the back feathers in sharp focus. Those back feathers are several inches closer to us than the neck….
Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 31st, 2011
Like It or Hate It?Do you like the image above or hate it? Would you keep it or delete it? Why?
My Thoughts on the Coot ImagesIn the last post (you can see it here), I asked, which coot image is better and why? Here’s the skinny on that. On the first edit I much preferred the wider image above. By the second and third edits I was leaning towards the tighter image for the seemingly more interesting wing position, all the while know that the bird in the tight image was too far back in the frame. When I prepared and viewed the animated GIF for the last blog post, it became clear to me that the wider image above was by far the more dynamic, and that the tighter image was just a bit too tight. For me. Thanks a stack to all of those who posted a comment voicing their opinion and backed their choice up with a variety of valid reasons. It is good to see that these exercises are getting folks thinking 🙂 The final tally was 6 1/2 to 6 1/2, so I guess the I had the tie-breaking vote…. I forgot to mention that both of the coot images are fine images and that both are keepers. For those who have not done so, reading the comments can be quite an educational endeavor. BAA Bulletin #357BAA Bulletin #357 is on-line and can be viewed here thanks as always to the magic and dedication of Peter Kes. Features
BAA Bulletin #358 is on-line and can be viewed here again thanks as always to the magic and dedication of Peter Kes. Features
Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 29th, 2011
Two Simple But Great Tim Grey Photoshop TipsWhen I created the image above, I had not cleaned my sensor in a while. When I processed the image, I noted three serious dust spots. I usually eliminate dust spots with the Patch Tool (“P” for me but not the default) but this time hit “J” for the Spot Healing Brush. Digital Basics folks will be familiar with the fact that I use lots of keyboard shortcuts (including many that I create myself such as “P” for the Patch Tool). In any case, I have been disappointed in the Spot Healing Brush ever since I switched to CS-5. When I have used it, I have always gotten smudging, even with something as simple as a dust spot. I had correctly set Content Aware on the Option bar but was still getting horrible smudging.
Whenever Tim Grey co-leads an IPT with me I make sure to have a list of Photoshop stuff that has been bugging me. (I am trying to sign him up for Bosque next year….) At the first opportunity, I asked him about the problems that I had been having with the Spot Healing Brush. He responded instantly, “What do you have the hardness set to?” “Zero,” I replied. “I teach folks to set the hardness of all brushes to 0%. ” “Wrong!” he said. “The Spot Healing Brush with Content Aware set works best at 100% hardness.” I tried it and it worked perfectly, not only for dust spots but in a variety of others situations as well. “Furthermore,” he continued, “you complain that when you use the Clone Stamp Tool that you get color but no texture. What do you have the hardness set at?” “Zero again,” I said confidently. “Wrong again,” Tim shot back. Yikes, I thought, I have been teaching folks to set their brushes to 0% hardness for years. “50% works great for the Clone Stamp Tool,” said Mr. Grey. Not wanting to give in completely I set the hardness for my Clone Stamp Tool to 40% and have been thrilled with the improvement. Live and learn. Thanks Tim!
Which coot image do you like better, the wide image or the tight image? If you leave a comment let us know why you prefer the one that you do. Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 27th, 2011
You Folks are Getting Too SmartWith regards to the Heerman’s Gull/pelican image. Most folks surmised that the aperture was either f/11 or f/16. That surprised me. With the pelican so obviously out of focus, I had assumed that most folks would have guessed f/5.6 or f/8. I would estimate that the pelican was less than one foot behind the bird. Even though I used f/16 the pelican is not even close to being sharp. The lesson was supposed to be that with telephoto lenses depth of field is much less than folks think. But it seems that most of you already knew that 🙂 I love lots of things about the second image, the sweet o-o-f distant ocean background, the sweet light, the sharpness, the basic composition, and the distended bill that shows off the red very nicely. But as most folks stated, the head is turned slightly away from us. As a result of that, it seems that the bird is looking away from us as well. If you would like to learn more about head angle–one of the great avian image wreckers–check out the great BPN “Head Angle Fine Points” post here Two Simple but Great Tim Grey Tips Coming SoonThe brilliant and funny Tim Grey co-led the San Diego IPT with Todd Gustafson and me. I learned that I have been doing two very basic things wrong in Photoshop for about nine years…. And teaching others to do the same. I will rectify that situation with my next blog post. Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 26th, 2011
Long Lens Depth-of-Field Question and a TC in the Pacific TaleHere is the question: considering that the Heerman’s Gull (that’s the one in the front :)) was much more sharply rendered than the Brown Pelican in the back, what aperture do you think was used to create the image? Wide open for the combo is f/5.6.
BTW, here is a cute lover of what is story from La Jolla. On the morning before the IPT began I was checking out the current pelican situation. I went down to the shelf below while most folks stayed back by the platform so that the pelicans would have room to land on the point. Then I looked up and saw one guy standing up at full height and in plain view behind his tripod. I called up to him, “Excuse me sir. The birds have been very skittish this year. If you sit down or move back there would be a much better chance of the birds landing on the point.” He looked at me as if I were from outer space. I asked, “Do you have a problem with my request?” He said, “Listen Dude, I have been photographing here for 20 years and the birds have no problem with me being here.” I replied politely, “As I said, this year the birds are acting differently.” He stared at me and was obviously not going to back down so I said, “Whatever.” I had one friend sitting with me. We sat so the birds would fly in and land. The birds refused to land up top because the dude guy was standing in full view so we had dozens of pelicans land right in front of us on the lowest cliff ledge, right into the wind. After about twenty minutes two guys–bored by the lack of birds on the upper cliffs, come down to the lower ledge with their tripods on their shoulders as if they were strolling down the supermarket aisle and were late for dinner. The birds freaked and moved to the lowest part of the cliff pretty much out of sight but for the one gorgeous bird on the perfect knobby rock to the right. I turned around and said, “Easy fellas. You just about scared away every bird.” As my new favorite author Lee Childs writes often, “They said nothing.” Any Jack Reacher fans out there? In ten more minutes there were about 15 photographers standing behind us enjoying the pelican action. Including my friend the dude guy. At least the rest of the gang came down carefully and quietly. I though about trashing the dude guy by asking him how he could possibly have been wrong in view of his 20 years of experience. But fortunately I refrained. Why fortunately? As it got hotter, I took off my sweatshirt on laid it beside me. At some point, I laid one of my two 1.4X teleconverters on the sweatshirt and folded the material on top of the TC. Fatal mistake…. For some reason I picked up the sweatshirt. The TC fell out of it and as fate would have it, it landed on its side and rolled inexorably down the cliff towards the Pacific Ocean. There was not even a tiny pebble to stop it. Everyone behind me gasped as it went over the edge. I laughed. It was an old one that had served me well and I would soon be ordering a Series III TC anyway. It was just part of staying in business and I try not to sweat the small stuff. Heck, I try not to sweat the big stuff either. That’s all part of being a lover of what is. (Check out the work of the wonderful Byron Katie at TheWork.com.
Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X teleconverter. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 24th, 2011
Sunny Sunday Morning Duck Exposure PrimerWith all due respect to the folks who teach that working in Manual exposure mode is always best and that “real pros” work only in Manual mode, they are dead wrong. While lying down flat in wet grass and mud while photographing ducks yesterday morning, I worked exclusively in Av mode and was able to quickly dial in exposure compensation with the thumb wheel. When a drake Wood Duck swam by, I simply dialed in -1/3 stop of exposure compensation knowing that I would create an image with the highlights pushed well to the right of the histogram. With tiny areas of bright white I knew that there was a danger of blowing the whites if I worked at the metered exposure.
With no whites to guard against I added a bit of light to make sure that the detail in the dark patch at the rear of the bird was properly exposed. It’s always the same: expose to the right.
With the large dark head and breast influencing the meter towards over-exposure a quick check of the histogram revealed that -1/3 stop exposure still yielded significant white blinkies. So I dialed in -2/3 stops and was good to go.
With a subject that averages to a middle tone against a light blue background +1/3 stop was the way to go.
Here I got lucky…. I was at +1/3 stop when I saw this bird dipping its breast in the lake, a sure sign that a flap was to follow. I followed a few basic rules: 1-Even though I would have preferred to be at the metered exposure, i.e., 0 exposure compensation, I focused and made a series of images. 2- 1-Even though I realized that working at 800mm there was very little chance that I would be able to fit the bird in the frame, I focused and made a series of images. So I was lucky that with the big white belly in the preceding frame and the white wing patch influencing the meter towards under-exposure that there were no hot white pixels. And I was luck to fit the forward flap in the frame. (I did crop from the rear.) With digital it is best to make the image and let the chips fall where they might. I did just that here and was handsomely rewarded. Do let me know which of the five images is your favorite. And why. If my comments on exposure above leave you scratching your head the very least that you can do for yourself is get yourself a copy of The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages on CD only) and study the “Exposure Simplified” section. If you already have a copy and were confused, you need to pop the CD into your computer and start studying. And if you would like to master exposure theory so that you completely understand everything above, get yourself a copy of the original The Art of Bird Photography (soft cover) and study the Exposure chapter. Best news: you can save $10 by purchasing the two-book bundle here. Lastly, to learn the ins and outs of the location that I visited to photograph these great ducks as well as everything that you wanted to know about photographing the California race of Brown Pelican in full breeding plumage in San Diego, get yourself a copy of our San Diego Site Guide by scrolling down here. A BAA site guide is the next best thing to being on an IPT. Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 21st, 2011
Using the Right ToolAfter two hours of photographing feeding Marbled Godwits with the 800, I realized that I was simply working too tight; I was using the wrong tool. So I left my big lens on the beach, grabbed my favorite zoom lens along with the 2X TC, and waded back into the surf. By using a shorter lens, I was able to include more of the gold beautiful reflections. When I reviewed my images, I was disappointed in all of the images made with my big lens. The image above was my favorite by far. Surf Scoter Image Quiz CommentsIn the January 18, 2011 blog post here, I posted two Surf Scoter head portraits and asked five questions. You will find them below, along with my comments. 1-If you see a drake Surf Scoter swimming right at you on a sunny day would you want to be in Av Mode or in Manual Mode? And why? (Clue: there is only one right answer….) You need to be in Manual mode. As several folks pointed out, as the bird gets larger in the frame there will be more black influencing the meter resulting in the bright whites being over-exposed. Becky was the first to answer correctly. Kudos to Kaustubh for his excellent explanation: “When the …. light is constant, better to be in manual metering mode so that …. changes do not change the exposure. Exposure preset so as to not blow the whites/red but have them pretty close to the right side of histogram( which will make sure blacks aren’t blocked).” 2-However you choose to expose in the above situation what should be your main concern be? My main concern was to avoid over-exposing those very bright whites. I created a single image in Av Mode when the bird was far away and saw that the two large patches of white were flashing at 1/1000 sec. at f/8 so I went a third stop darker to 1/1250 sec. at f/8 and eliminated the blinkies. As the bird swam closer to us I stopped down to 1/640 sec. at f/11 for the first image in the post. (At a given aperture, depth of field at a given aperture is reduced as the subject gets closer to the camera; that’s why you need to learn to stop down when working close to your lenses minimum focusing distance.) When the bird swam right up to the boardwalk I noted that I had a few blinkies so I stopped down an additional 1/3 stop to 1/640 sec. at f/13. 3-Which of the two images is your favorite? And why? I love them both but favor the first image just a bit because of the crystal clear reflection and the softer blue water. 4-Why is the water a darker blue in the second image? When the bird was a good distance from the boardwalk, the water reflected the distant, very light blue sky not too far above the horizon because the angle of declination of the lens is relatively shallow. As it got closer to the boardwalk I needed to point the lens down more and the angle of declination became steeper. Now the water reflected the darker blue sky more directly overhead…. When you are working from well above the water the sky will become progressively darker as the bird gets closer. That’s why its great to get down on the ground when possible. 5-The first image has a critique-able flaw. BPN Out of the Box Forum moderator Denise Ippolito spotted it in an instant. What flaw was she talking about? (Clue: it is not something subjective; it is something that can be proven….) If you draw a line from the the pupil in the bird’s eye in to the pupil in the reflection in the first image, you will see that the image needed a small clockwise rotation. Subhrashis was on the right track there 🙂 Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X teleconverter. And from the BAA On-line Store: Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. Fast and dependable. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 19th, 2011
Winning the LotteryAfter doing the introductory slide program last night for the San Diego IPT group and several invited guests, we took a look at the 701 images that I created yesterday morning at La Jolla. All groups love to watch me edit, to learn why I kept two images while deleting 11 similar images. I had created about 70 intentionally blurred cormorant images and while reviewing the first 60 or so we had selected about 4 potential keepers. When I hit the forward button in the BreezeBrowser slide show that I use for editing a day’s take everyone agreed that this was the winner by far and that there was not need to keep the others. That’s how it goes when trying to create pleasingly blurred images. In A Guide to Pleasing Blurs (which I co-authored with Denise Ippolito) I wrote “Creating a killer pleasing blur is like winning the lottery; it takes a lot of tickets to come up with a winner.” As we discuss in the guide, it pays to vary your shutter speeds. I created all of the images in the series at shutter speeds between 1/4 and 1/30 sec. The closer a bird is to you and the faster it is flying or flapping, the greater the apparent blur at a given shutter speed. If you take a look at the focal length for this image you will see that it flew by at close range. Thus the surreal blur. Some folks hate all blurs. For some they are an acquired taste. Love it or hate it, let me know your thoughts on this one, good or bad 🙂 Bookmark This SiteSerious photographers wake early and stay out late. They are quite concerned about light. They study the natural history of their subjects and realize the influence of the winds and tides on the birds and animals and the implications for their photography. I am sure that most of you have a favorite weather web site; I use Weather.com. Years ago I discovered SaltwaterTides.Com. Here is a link to the home page. And here is a link to the page that I used to plan this IPT. The site provide data for high and low tides, the height of each tide, the time of sunrise, sunset, moon rise, and moon set as well as the phase of the moon for each location. All in one convenient spots and all available via a click or two. Do remember to bookmark this valuable site. Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X teleconverter. And from the BAA On-line Store: Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. Fast and dependable. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 18th, 2011
“I Know Him Pretty Well…”When I got to Bolsa early on Monday morning, there were very few birds around. Very few. Some Lesser Scaups, a few Ring-billed Gulls, and some Willets flying by. Yikes. I made the drive up from San Diego as I had an appointment with human health specialist Melvin Tann at his new office in Santa Ana. The guy is amazing. Learn more about Zenergy here. In any case, I did not know of any other options so I stayed to see if anything developed. I chatted with the first photographer to arrive after me, a really nice guy named Art Holland. He told me that some Surf Scoters had flown in in the morning the previous day and hung out near the boardwalk. Ah, I had hope. I had photographed this species on film at Bolsa more than a decade ago and was excited about having a chance on them with digital. Two more photographers showed up and at about 7:20 am so did the scoters: two adult males, two females, and an immature male flew in and landed about 100 yards from the boardwalk. Within ten minutes a single drake began swimming towards us and we had some good chances. Note: the two images in this blog were not created until just before 9am in relatively harsh light. (“When the light is bright, think tight.”) After our first scoter chance, I heard one of the photographers say, “I’d love to go to one of his workshops or seminars but they are just too expensive. I think that he has a seminar in San Diego soon.” Half curious and half pretty sure that they were talking about me I asked, “Who are you guys talking about?” One of them answered, “Art Morris. I said, “I know him pretty well. Very well in fact.” I walked up to the first guy, put my hand out and said, “Your name…” “Don Burd,” he answered. “Arthur Morris,” I responded. I don’ think that Art or Ramon, yet another nice guy, had had a clue as to who I was. But as soon as I said “Arthur Morris,” each began to smile. Don looked quite confused for a few moments. Eventually it registered with him and he blurted out “No way!” “Way” I said. And we all had a good laugh.
Surf Scoter Image Questions1-If you see a drake Surf Scoter swimming right at you on a sunny day would you want to be in Av Mode or in Manual Mode? And why? (Clue: there is only one right answer….) 2-However you choose to expose in the above situation what should be your main concern be? 3-Which of the two images is your favorite? And why? 4-Why is the water a darker blue in the second image? 5-The first image has a critique-able flaw. BPN Out of the Box Forum moderator Denise Ippolito spotted it in an instant. What flaw was she talking about? (Clue: it is not something subjective; it is something that can be proven….) Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 16th, 2011
Working Right on Sun AngleWhen I was positioning the car to make the image above, I remember moving it as little as an inch or two forward or back to make sure that my shadow was pointed directly at the subject. Working right on sun angle is so important to me and I have been doing it for so long that today I do it almost without thinking. The January 13th post, My Thoughts on “Bright Ideas: You be the Photo Editor” did not elicit a firestorm of comments but there was one controversial one in addition to some great comments and suggestions. Roger Williams (January 15, 2011 at 11:00 am) wrote, “Please say a bit more about, “working right on sun angle”. I responded, “Thanks for your question. You must be new here and new to the wide array of BAA educational materials as this is a topic that I have written reams on. Please see this morning’s (Sunday, January 16, 2011’s) blog post.” One of my rare but consistent rant topics is that folks with expensive camera gear simply do not take advantage of the fabulous educational resources available today and in addition, many if not most are not willing to study, practice, and do the work that is needed to improve their photography. Though several years old, The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages on CD) is a tremendous resource. It took me four years to write and includes everything that I learned about nature photography from 1998 (when the original The Art of Bird Photography was released) until late 2006. In addition, probably 3/4 of my current 17,095 comments on Bird Photographers.Net deal with folks having problems with either the proper light angle or the proper head angle. Those two flaws are rampant in images posted for critiquing. Here is an excerpt from The Art of Bird Photography II (page 177) adapted for this blog post: Light-Angle I am a huge (one could pretty much say “obsessed”) fan of direct frontal lighting. And surely all IPT participants would tell you that I am—among all natural history photography instructors—its biggest proponent. Except when creating silhouettes or when working in other backlit situations, I want my shadow pointed directly at the bird in almost all cases. I simply do not like side-lit images of birds—expose for the highlight side and the shadowed side loses all detail. The concept is a simple one: I want the bird in front of me with the sun coming right over the top of my head. It bears repeating: I want my shadow pointed right at the subject. In extreme lowlight situations, you do not—of course—want your shadow to fall either partially or completely on the subject. In these instances, work off-angle to the light just enough so that your shadow does not appear anywhere in the image. Ideally, connecting the dots between the light source (the sun), the photographer, and the subject will yield a straight line. With birds, and many other natural history subjects as well, utilizing direct frontal lighting will yield images of subjects that are evenly and pleasingly lit. No shadows cast by any parts of the bird will fall on the bird itself. Realize also that when making backlit or silhouetted images, the most The above is just one of hundreds of similar lessons in the CD book. The very next one covered in the book is Subject-to-Imaging Sensor or Film-Plane Orientation…. If your everyday gear costs thousands or tens of thousands of dollars and you are not familiar with every topic covered in ABP II you are not fulfilling your potential as a photographer…. Yeah, if I get you to buy a copy of the CD I will make a few bucks, but your photography will improve by leaps and bounds if you study and practice 🙂 How much is that worth? I gotta get outta here and head to La Jolla. See you here again soon. Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 14th, 2011
Two Tramps in Mud TimeAt the very end of the January 13 blog post, My Thoughts on “Bright Ideas: You be the Photo Editor”, I wrote: “A parting thought: after viewing the lightbox consider how blessed a life I have led….” This morning while checking the comments I found this: Glen Fox (January 14, 2011 at 9:24 am) re: ”A parting thought; after viewing the light box consider how blessed a life I have led…” It takes a wise man to realize that. Where you have travelled, what you have seen and witnessed, captured and created is certainly a gift. Your days as a school teacher clearly were a blessing to some of your students who went out of their way to tell you and thank you. You are one of the lucky few who have never had a job, but rather a vocation. It hasn’t always been an easy road. Thank you for sharing it with us. We are all the richer for it. I responded: “Thanks Glen for your kind, appreciative, and supportive comment.” As I read Glen’s comment, the word vocation immediately spurred thoughts of a Robert Frost poem that had grabbed my attention a few years ago. But I could not remember the title. I remembered vocation, Frost, and two eyes. So I typed “vocation Frost two eyes” into the Google address bar and hit Enter. Bingo. In less than a fraction of a second “Two Tramps in Mud Time” appeared at the top of the list. It was the first of 200,000 hits that were brought up in 9/100 of one second. Talk about an amazing time to be on the planet…. Probably my very greatest blessing is that I love what I do. I love making images. And I love teaching others to make better images. My job is my passion. And that is good 🙂 TWO TRAMPS IN MUD TIME Out of the mud two strangers came Good blocks of oak it was I split, The sun was warm but the wind was chill. A bluebird comes tenderly up to alight The water for which we may have to look The time when most I loved my task Out of the wood two hulking tramps Nothing on either side was said. But yield who will to their separation, I am not sure how I did it, but I have united my avocation and my vocation “as my two eyes make one in sight.” And for that I am glad. I am holed up in the Marriott Courtyard Orlando Airport. I fly to San Diego at 6:55am tomorrow for a few appointments with health care professional friends and the sold out IPT that begins on Tuesday and ends on Sunday. I will be back soon with some pelican images 🙂 This trip begins a four month stretch of extensive travel for me; I will be visiting San Diego, Everglades National Park, conducting the sold out SW President’s Week IPT, speaking in the cold at Klamath, Oregon, flying to Greece for the sold out Dalmatian Pelican IPT, flying to Homer with Robert O’Toole for two sold out Bald Eagle IPTs, and then flying to Hawaii for five days and continuing on to Midway. Yikes! Folks often ask me, “Don’t you hate waking up in a motel more than half the year?” My answer, “If I did not love the travel I would stay home.” Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X teleconverter. And from the BAA On-line Store: Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. Fast and dependable. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 13th, 2011
OP Article Title “Thoughts and Thanks”Thanks a stack for the record number of comments suggesting titles for my Outdoor Photographer article on getting low with big lenses. There were lots of great ideas and lots of the suggestions put a big smile on my face. My favorite was Paul Mckenzie’s “Low and Behold.” I just e-mailed the article to OP’s editor Chris Robinson with Paul’s title in place. I will let you know how it goes. Magazines will often come up with improved titles but I doubt that they can do better than “Low and Behold.” More on the Lens Align Mark III wanted everyone to know that sales of the new Lens Align unit have gone through the roof. Thanks to those of you who ordered; all of the Lens Align Mark IIs will ship on either Monday or Tuesday as the big storm in Memphis the other day delayed a parts shipment to the manufacturer. (We did ship the first 14 on Thursday :)) I added the image below to the original tutorial here to illustrate this major point in the text: “Then I return to the camera set up and aim the lens and adjust and tighten the the tripod head so that the central AF sensor is on the center of the focusing target on the left side of the Lens Align Mark II device. Then I hit the rear button to focus while looking through the viewfinder. Getting the central sensor to rest precisely on the center of the target once you let go of your rig is actually more difficult than it seems and will usually require several attempts.”
Here is an exchange with Joerg Rockenberger based on his January 12, 2011 at 10:47 am comment: JR: Absolutely excellent tutorial on the LensAlign MII. And perfect timing. I just received mine last week and was still pondering the best strategy about how to use it. Your tutorial is certainly most helpful. A few comments/suggestions if you allow. AM: Thanks for your kind words. You and lots of others who commented appreciated the clarity of the instructions. I worked on the tutorial for about 16 hours…. And I learned a ton while experimenting. JR: It came to me as a bit of a surprise that the LAMII came only with a 1/4-20 thread. I wish Michael Tapas had emphasized this more on his website and clarified that it should be used in conjunction with a camera/lens base plate. Your readers might benefit from such info. AM: Now they know 🙂 I will let Michael know of your concern via e-mail and add that info to the original tutorial. Done! JR: I think that using a remote shutter release (wired or wireless) may possibly be a better alternative to touching the camera. It autofocuses with a “half-press” – at least with the 40D AM: Lately I have gone to rear button focus. That turns out to be quite convenient for making a Lens Alignment. As for using a cable release there are several issues: 1-I have never been able to make a sharp image at a slow shutter speed with a cable release. Ever. It is not just a matter of mirror slap. Big lenses just do not stay still unless you have your hands on them. 2: Once I press the shutter button to activate IS I steady the lens as I normally do and wait for everything to calm down and then gently depress the shutter button. I would encourage folks to try both methods and let me know how they do. JR: Furthermore, you should be able to defocus as well as trigger the shutter from your laptop via the EOS utility reducing the need to touch the carefully aligned camera/lens setup. AM: I believe that you are correct but as above I am a hands on type of guy…. JR: Shooting from the inside of a house to the outside may be impacted by the temperature difference just like with photographing from a car. Maybe less of a problem in Florida this time of the year. AM: I am not exactly sure where you are going with that; please explain. JR- Aligning the camera/lens/LAMII may benefit from an assistant – especially with the long distances involved with big glass. AM: As I said in the tutorial the aiming process was actually very simple. As long as I took care when aiming the LAMII I nailed the red circle in the center every time. JR: At least with the 40D the USB cable between the camera and a computer was part of the package so it’s not necessarily an extra purchase. That cable worked for me also in downloading images from a 1DMkIV when I forgot to bring my card reader. So, I presume it works also for tethering a 1DMkIV to a computer. AM: Thanks for that. How long is the cable? I am pretty sure that it will work. Thanks for your comments and suggestions. Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 12th, 2011 My Thoughts on “Bright Ideas: You be the Photo Editor”It’s been a while since I posted “Bright Ideas: You be the Photo Editor.” Helen Longest-Saccone, the Editor-in-Chief of Nature Photographer magazine, has been busy up in Maine working on some new projects and just got back to me yesterday with her selects. I will share those with you at the end of this post. You will find the original post here. And you can view the Editor’s Lightbox here. Do understand that I love each of the images in the lightbox; I never send anything out for consideration that I do not judge to be technically excellent and artistically pleasing. Here I present my picks for each category. If you would like to see the tech specs you can find them with each image in the lightbox in slideshow mode. They will be on the lower left and you will need to scroll down a bit to view them. Thanks a stack to all who tried their hand at making the selections. To learn more about Nature Photographer magazine click here but do not expect to connect until the blizzard leaves Maine 🙂 My PicksBelow are my category picks each followed by a brief educational comment.
I remember moving the blind a bit every ten minutes so that the sun angle lined up perfectly with the left edge of the tiny man-made pond.
Here the sun was coming a shade from the right so I got in tight and used just a bit of flash.
With a bright sunny midday to contend with I used a Better Beamer on my flash and used full power: Manual Mode at 1:1 know that there was no way I could overexpose the shaded undersides of the bird. I was right! This very old digital image was created in January 2001 with the EOS-1D. Heck, it might have been 2002 if I had the date wrong on the camera….
This one was created at 10:31 am with a warming polarizer screwed onto the front of my 100-400 zoom lens and rotated to dark as possible. You can purchase the 77mm size here. You can learn lots more about creating pleasing blurs in “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs” by Denise Ippolito and yours truly.
Here the flower was backlit by the strong New Mexico sun. The background was a pile of dirt that was obviously in its own deep shade!
Linda Robbins, the Hummingbird Queen, kindly shaded this patch of flowers for me with her body as I photographed it with a 500mm lens and two extension tubes.
I was walking down the beach in bright sun with a group. I said, “I want to find a flat rock completely covered with barnacles. But the barnacles need to be on the shaded side of the rock. And it needs to be a big rock so I don’t have to get down on my knees on this rocky beach. When we find the perfect rock, I will use a gold reflector to light up the barnacles.” I did just what I said, set up the image with the 180 macro lens (and film!). I invited the group to check out my image by looking through the viewfinder. (There were no LCD screens on film cameras….) Well, the first person who checked out my image immediately commented, “You are SO lucky.” Man, you gotta love it.
Since working right down sun angle is the most valuable tip that I can give for those hoping to create pleasing images in bright sun, I used two image to illustrate the concept 🙂 Helen’s PicksBelow are Helen’s picks. She was not constrained by categories as you were 🙂 American Wigeon head portrait calling male, Bosque Del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM.jpg You can view Helen’s picks in the Editor’s Lightbox here. Helen picked 11 images so that she would have some leeway when it comes time for the color layout. We only picked two of the same images. No problema there as I did say that I love all of them. I love the spoonbill wing stretch. And the iguana showing its teeth. Canon chose that one for an on line Photo District News advertorial. Not sure how I did not pick the Olive Baboon yawning; it was created on a hellaciously sunny and hot afternoons in a deep forest. An instant before I created this image one of the clients asked, “Why are we here?” I pushed the shutter button, showed him the image on the back of the camera, and said, “Here’s why.” He of course missed the image….. I will see you all again soon. Thanks to the almost 100 folks who have already ordered their Lens Align Mark IIs from us and to those who commented favorably on the tutorial. A parting thought: after viewing the lightbox consider how blessed a life I have led…. January 11th, 2011
The Lens Align Mk II: Micro-adjusting Magic!Ever since the introduction of digital camera bodies that feature micro-adjustments for individual lenses, folks–including me–have been searching for a quick, easy way to make those micro-adjustments. In the recent updates of the 7D and the Mark IV User’s Guides, I worked hard on developing a make-it-yourself cardboard rig that was a big improvement on the original version. But in reality, it does not offer the needed precision. And in addition to the extremely low cost, the rig took up lots of space–heck, it was huge, and using it was tedious work. I had heard about Lens Align for some time, but a quick web check revealed that it was expensive. And performing the calibrations seemed to require somewhat of an extraordinary effort…. Well, Michael Tapes, the designer/creator/inventor of Lens Align has–with the recent introduction of the Lens Align MkII–drastically changed the playing field And by tethering your camera to a laptop computer the process itself is now not only simple and easy to do, but it is actually fun. Before I headed to New York I had a blast micro-adjusting all of my lenses. For the first few sessions Peter Kes tutored me via Skype! I began writing this draft about two weeks ago after having used the original Lens Align Pro to do my initial micro-adjustments. On the afternoon of Monday, January 10, 2011, I broke open a Lens Align Mark II. As I took the pieces out of their plastic bags my original thoughts were “$79 for this flimsy set-up.” But I faithfully followed the directions and within minutes I had assembled a sturdy, jeez, practically rugged little kit that amazed me with its precise design. Michael Tapes should win some sort of Nobel prize for engineering and design ingenuity. Within minutes I had my 800mm rig tethered to the laptop to check on my previous micro-adjustments and to make sure that the tutorial was clearly written, error free, and as clear as the proverbial bell. The new Lens Align MkII offers an inexpensive, accurate and repeatable methodology that allows photographers to test for potential front/back focus issues. The MkII maintains the high quality standards of the original LensAlign Pro and uses the same patent pending True Parallel Alignment™ (TPA™) Sighting System that is an exclusive feature of all genuine LensAlign products. TPA allows the user to establish exact parallel alignment between the camera’s sensor-plane and the focus target of LensAlign quickly and easily. A failure of almost all other AF adjustment products and procedures (including my incredibly crude efforts in the two most recent User’s Guide Updates) is their inability to ensure exact parallel alignment. It is however, an absolute requirement for accurate and repeatable AF testing and and for making accurate and repeatable micro-adjustments. The standard DOF focus display ruler that ships with LensAlign MkII is 10.5 inches and offers a choice of 2 different display patterns, one on each side. And here’s the very best news: the Lens Align MkII costs only a fraction of the original Lens Align Pro and–with the slightly longer ruler, and the new ruler patterns, it performs even better. You can order yours right now for only $79.95 plus shipping: ~$6/US or ~$13/INT via Priority Mail. Please be aware that the shipping fees may vary a bit depending on your location or when you order through the BAA On-Line Store. International shipping charges will also vary by country depending on additional fees for customs, VAT, duties, or fees depending on their laws, rules or policies. You can send us a Paypal, call Jim at 863-692-0906, or purchase through the BAA On-Line store here. Note: the Lens Align MkII (now with with Fusion) sells for $124.90, still only a fraction of the original Lens Align Pro and–with the slightly longer ruler and the new ruler patterns, it performs even better. You can order yours here. Fusion includes the amazing FocusTune software. I am currently working on a Lanes Align/Focus Tune tutorial; be sure to subscribe to the blog for lots of great info. Lens Align Tethered Testing TutorialTethered testing, with the camera attached to a laptop via a four or five foot USB cable, is easy to do and convenient. Below I will teach you how to do it and how to make a few images to confirm your results. You will need to find a spot where you can sit at your laptop with the lens pointed through an open door or window at the target (that is obviously outdoors). Even when working with shorter focal length lenses it is best to place the target outside so that the system has enough light to focus. Canon folks will need to install EOS Utility from the CD that came in the box with their camera. Nikon folks need to purchase Nikon Camera Control Pro 2 Software Full Version for Nikon DSLR Cameras or Breeze Systems’ NKRemote. Nikon folks can find info on several free programs for tethered shooting here. Here is exactly how I do it with my Canon gear. I work in my new office with the laptop on my worktable desk. I set up the tripod with the 800mm lens and the Mark IV about 3 feet away with the lens pointing out the French doors. I make sure that I have only the central sensor active and that no surrounding points are enabled (C.Fn III: 8-0.) I set One-Shot AF. I work in Av mode at the wide open aperture, in this case, f/5.6. The rig is tethered to the laptop with a five foot USB cable (separate purchase required). I make sure that Live View/Movie func. set (on the second YELLOW menu) is set to Stills. While on the menu, make sure to set the AF Mode to Quick ModeI make sure that the (focusing) Beep (on the second RED menu) is On. I set the ISO high enough to give me a decent shutter speed to ensure that my final confirmation images are sharp. I set rear button focus (C.Fn IV: 1: 2). And I set the Drive Mode to Single Frame Advance. I keep a spare Wimberely P-20 plate on the base plate of the Lens Align MKII. Either that or a Wimberley P-5 plate from the bottom of a camera body will work just fine. Next I grab any old tripod–a light one is fine and screw on my Giotto’s tiny ballhead (the Giottos MH 1302-655) which is ideal for the chore. (Any ballhead will do.) Note: the unit comes with a 1/4 20 threaded hole that requires a mounting plate with a 1/4 20 bolt. Having the LA MII on a small ballhead makes the alignment process (described below) as snap. Now I take the tripod with the Lens Align MKII atop it and head through the French doors (making sure to open them first) out into the backyard. It is recommended that all lenses including telephoto lenses be tested at distances ranging from at least 25 times the focal length up to 50 times the focal length. The minimum of 25 times the focal length in mm works out to 8.2 feet per 100mm, or roughly 65 1/2 feet. You can either estimate the distance by walking it off or use a carpenter’s measuring tape. The reason for placing the Lens Align device at 25 or 50 times the focal length is that alignment errors made at the minimum focus distance will multiply at larger focus distances. The disadvantage of calibrating your lens at 50 times the focal length is that vibrations (especially if it is breezy or windy) when viewing the magnified image on the laptop might make it difficult to evaluate your results. Some folks feel that setting the rig up at twice the minimum focus distance works fine. Camera Settings ReviewFor your calibration efforts it is–as above–imperative to check and make sure that you camera is set up properly for testing:
True Parallel AlignmentThe next step is to align the camera and lens so that the camera is perfectly parallel to the test target. As it turns out, this is–thanks to the brilliance of Michael Tapes and his ingenious design, quite simple to do. Before I open the doors and walk out to the prescribed distance, I point the lens roughly at the spot where the tripod will be set up. Then I walk off the 65 feet, place the tripod down, loosen the ballhead, and point the Lens Align at the lens. Then I set a bit of tension on the ball and out of habit, level the unit with the bubble level in my pocket. The I look through the TPA Rear Sighting Port’s Main Target on the back of the unit, center the lens barrel in the center of the viewing port, and tighten the ball. It is actually as easy as pie.
Then I return to the camera set up and aim the lens and adjust and tighten the the tripod head so that the central AF sensor is on the center of the focusing target on the left side of the Lens Align Mark II device. Then I hit the rear button to focus while looking through the viewfinder. Getting the central sensor to rest precisely on the center of the target once you let go of your rig is actually more difficult than it seems and will usually require several attempts.
Once that is done and the tripod head is locked down, press the Set button on the back of the camera to activate Live View. Then press the magnifying button on the top right back of the camera once (5X) or twice (10X) to enlarge the image. Press the shutter button to engage Image Stabilization. As long as you have taken care and centered the lens in the Main Target from behind the device you should see the red target circle right in the middle of the hole in in the center of the focusing target. I have gotten it perfect every time. If you see parts of the white bullseye target and only a section of the red ring I would attempt to re-center the lens from behind the device rather than attempting to move the tripod…. When you are finished, hit the Set button again to get out of Live View.
PCNow it is time to get back to our laptops and get to work. First click on the desk-top icon for the Canon EOS Utility that you have downloaded and installed from the CD that came with your camera body. When the window on our left below opens click on Camera Settings/Remote Shooting. When the window on the right below opens click on Remote Live View Shooting. (Thanks to Peter Kes for the use of the two screen captures below.)
Now press the Set Button to Activate Live view. Next defocus the image just a bit so that you can still see that the central sensor is on or near the center of the target. Then press the shutter button to engage IS and stabilize the image and hit the rear button to focus while you are holding the camera with the image relatively still on the back of the camera and the central sensor on or near the center of the test target. When the mirror comes back up you should see the central sensor light up red and should have heard the focus confirmation beep. Once you have focused the image with IS engaged press the magnify button on the top right side of the camera once or twice and examine the image on the laptop. You will need to hit the right side of the joystick several times so that the white viewing window is centered over the ruler not the focusing target. You are looking for a view approximately as shown below.
As you can see, the lens at 0 micro-adjustment is pretty much right on. The 4s, the 8s, and the 12s in the center of the frame are pretty much of equal sharpness. Here is what I have not told you up till now and you had best read carefully: after you defocus slightly and then refocus after engaging IS and then examine the magnified results, make a mental note of the results and then repeat the test five or more times until you are satisfied that you are getting a consistent result. For whatever reason, it is likely that you will have one result that is out of kilter. But with practice and by following the methodology described above you will be able to get pretty darned consistent results. To give you an idea of what you will see with a back-focused or front-focused camera lens combination I have intentionally created the two images below with the same gear.
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In addition to illustrating both front and back focus, we can glean valuable information from the two images and the settings immediately above. We saw that with the gear that I was testing the focus moved about 14 units with a ten unit change in the micro-adjustment. It follows that if you changed the micro-adjustment setting by a single unit that the focus would move about 1.4 units, or roughly 1 1/2 units. If you had a rig that was front focused with the 6 in front of the zero the sharpest digit, you would try setting the micro-adjustment to -4 because 4 X 1 1/2 = 6. After changing the micro-adjustment from 0 to -4 you would refocus about five times as detailed several times above. Then you would create an image by pressing the shutter button after you achieved a consistent result. The image will not be recorded on the compact flash card in your camera. It will be saved somewhere on your laptop; be sure to note where it is being saved. On my Windows 7 HP laptop the default folder for saving images is Arthur/My Pictures. Here, adapted from my killer Mark IV User’s Guide are instructions for changing the Micro-adjustment values: Go to C.Fn III-7. Press the Set button and then turn the thumb wheel to scroll down to “2-Adjust by lens” and hit the Set button again. Then press “Info;” the micro-adjustment window will appear. If you have never calibrated before, the arrow should be on zero. Turn the thumb wheel clockwise to adjust for front focus. Turn is counter-clockwise to adjust for back focus. Then be sure to press the “Set” button to apply the change. You will need to Micro-adjust each lens with each camera that you own. You will also need to adjust each lens camera combo with the 1.4X teleconverter and with the 2x teleconverter if you own and use one. If you own more than one teleconverter, you will need to mark one for you big lens and one for your short lens and use it consistently with the lens that each was tested on. If you test with one TC and photograph with another, your sharpness will vary as each TC will require a different micro-adjustment. Do not be fooled by the fact that my 800mm lens is right on at zero; it requires +7 with my #1 teleconverter. And my 400 DO requires +8 with my second Mark IV. This thread will be a continuing resource and will be updated as questions come in. Please post your questions as Comments. Thanks a stack to Peter Kes for helping me to get started with Lens Align. Thanks to former BPN member Arash Hazeghi for inspiring me to do this right and to teach others to do it properly. And finally thanks to Michael Tapes for Lens Align MKII. I fully expect our stock of Lens Align Mark IIs to disappear almost instantly. If we are out of stock when you call please give us a day or two to get our next order. Non-tethered TestingTo see a newer tutorial on non-tethered testing click here. January 10th, 2011
The Eider Hen Images/The Best of All WorldsIn the “Which is the Best? Keep two. Delete one. Why?” post here, folks did a great job with their comments. Thanks a stack to all who pitched in. I urge everyone to read the comments that accompany each post 🙂 When I first wrote this entry, my favorite image was A with B a close second. As it turns out reading your comments, revisiting the images, and re-thinking the whole nine yards proved that I was wrong on all counts; yes, you heard it here first, I was wrong on all counts. With the bird swimming slightly away, the head in A was turned a bit too much back toward us. But the cleaner still water in front of the bird’s head in A was much nicer than the dark wavelets in B. With the bird swimming slightly away, B had the perfect head angle. But the dark wavelets and the drop of water on the bill were negatives. C is a strange one. With the bird swimming slightly away the pretty much parallel to the imaging sensor head angle is by-the-book perfect, but it simply does not work for me here as it gives the impression that it might actually be turned a bit away from us. But oh, that lovely drop in just the right place. So what was I to do? I wound up (thanks to your comments…) liking Image B the best and used that as my base image. I painted a big Quick Mask of the calmer water in front of the bird in A, brought it into B on a layer, and used a Layer Mask to fine tune it. Then I cloned away the remaining dark wavelet right in front of the bird’s bill. Next I used a series of small Quick Masks to get rid of the drop of water on the bill. Lastly I painted another Quick Mask of the drop of water from C and brought that into B after removing yet another dark wavelet from below the sea duck’s bill. As I said, the best of all worlds. Thanks for your help. I will now address a few specific comments. Joerg asked, “Real question IMO: why does the brightness vary so much in a burst? Not sure you saw my BPN post about my (rented) 1DMkIV at Bosque showing frame-to-frame brightness variations. I think it was Jim Neiger suggesting that it may be due to a hanging shutter… That might be possible, but do consider the following: when working in an automatic mode such as Av as I was for this series of images, even though the shutter speed shows as the same (1/800 sec.) for each image, it is actually an approximation. Because of tiny differences in framing one image might have been made at 1/720 sec. while another was made at 1/880 sec. resulting in small differences in tonality. Johan asked, “Will you be at the NANPA Summit in March, Mr. Morris? I’ve received a High School Scholarship to attend, and it’d be cool to meet you.” Actually, after a decade of trying to understand, I have had it with the favoritism, the cliques, and the political game-playing that rule NANPA. I have long supported both the high school and college scholarship programs with my time and money, and with the donation of books and large discount certificates for various IPTs. I have been privileged over the years to have worked with several high school groups on field trips and know for sure that I changed at least one life, that of Tyler Evert. I was offered a keynote presentation at the Charlotte Summit only because slated incoming president, my friend and colleague Darrel Gulin, stood before the board and said, “Arthur Morris is good for NANPA. If he is not offered a keynote in Charlotte I will not accept the presidency.” I got a standing ovation from 700 folks and I will always remember it as one of the great highlights of my career. Since then I have submitted a proposal to speak almost every year. I have asked to be considered as a presenter at the various NANPA regional conferences. And I have shared my concerns with the past few NANPA boards. I was always told that the board valued the appearance of big name pros like myself, but when it came to speaking again I have been and still am personna non grata. Several years ago I was honored as a NANPA fellow, and at last year’s Forum the board went so far as to honor me with a NANPA Service Award. But my requests to speak were consistently either turned down or ignored. Have a great time at Summit. Be sure to seek out and find the various board and program committee members and thank them for my absence. I do hope that our paths cross somewhere down the line. Say “Hi” to Ray Klass and the rest of this year’s scholarship students for me. Hey, when you have a chance, shoot me an e-mail. Becky Field nailed the bonus question in the first comment (and thus spoiled my fun) when she answered correctly: “Bonus: you’re missing 99% of action if shooting 10 frames per second at 1/1000th of a sec.” I am, however, pretty sure that she learned that on the San Diego IPT last year….. Try asking that one at your camera club meeting; most folks will not have a clue 🙂 A 45-Point AF Question AnsweredIn a comment at yesterday’s “45-Point AF for Flight on the Hooptie Deux” post here, Jeff asked: “Are you talking about all 45 points vs. picking a single point or are you using C. Fn. III-8, selection 3? What is the difference?” I was talking about activating all 45 points by moving the active AF point manually to the edge of the array so that all of the outer points light up. (I used to call that the “ring of fire.”) The difference between that and setting C. Fn. III-8-3 is that with C. Fn. III-8-3 you would first select a single point ; the setting would tell the system to utilize the 45 “surrounding” points if need be. Here is an excerpt from the Mark IV User’s Guide that should help: C. Fn. III-8 (AF expansion with selected point). C. Fn. III-8-1, 8-2, and 8-3 can be set to activate additional focusing points that surround the manually selected focusing point. 8-1 allows the AF system to utilize the AF point on either side of the active point, 8-2 allows it to use any of the immediate surrounding points. And 8-3 activates allows the AF system to use any one of the 45 AF points to continue to focus track. For photographing birds in flight most folks either stick with the default setting so that they are using only the selected sensor; this should yield pinpoint focusing accuracy. Others like setting 8-1 as it makes it a bit easier to track the subject. You might wish to experiment with all of the choices in various situations here and see how you do…. Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 9th, 2011
45-Point on the Hooptie DeuxClemens van der Werf and I joined James Shadle yesterday for a morning of photography on James’ customized pontoon boat out at Alafia Banks in Tampa Bay. With the wind from the west northwest and Black Vultures flying by us from left to right with the wind at their backs, they were moving along quite quickly. I could not keep the central sensor (usually best for flight) on the birds so I went to 45 point AF. Below is a (BreezeBrowser) screen capture showing the focus points. Using 45-point makes it much easier to maintain focus when try to track fast or erratically flying birds. I love either the wings down position (as in this image) or the wings up position.
I did not have good results using 45-Point AF for flight photography with the Canon EOS-1D Mark III. (Note: Robert O’Toole did the few times that he used the MIII.) I have done quite well with 45-point with my two Mark IV bodies with flight especially in sunny conditions on clear days. Canon has always advised acquiring focus with the central sensor when using 45-Point, i.e., with the bird centered in the middle of the array of AF sensors, but I have always felt that 45-point acquired better when the bird was more on the edge of the AF array (as depicted in the screen capture above). In this instance however I did acquire focus with the bird in the approximate center of the AF array. I will use the frame before that illustrates this point well in the next BAA Bulletin (that I hope to send tomorrow).
I almost always use 45-Point when photographing flocks of birds in flight whether I am doing pleasing blurs of trying to create sharp images. If you use a single sensor there is a chance that the sensor my see through the flock and try to focus on the background (though this is not likely with sky backgrounds it is possible).
If you compare the screen capture with the JPEG that represents the optimized image file you will note the I cropped the image, boosted the color and contrast, and cleaned up the image by eliminated a few telephone poles and several birds and groups of birds from the frame edges. You can learn to do all of that and tons more quickly and easily in our Digital Basics File (a PDF sent via e-mail; it will be the best $20 you ever spent on improving your Photoshop skills and your digital workflow). Shopper’s GuideBelow is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 7th, 2011
Help Needed with Outdoor Photographer Article Title (with Image Lightbox)After I get back from a morning of photography on Jame’s Shadle’s Hooptie Deux with James and Clemens van der Werf (and lunch on one of Clemens’ yacht transport ships!), I will be working on an article for a spring issue of Outdoor Photographer magazine. The article details the advantages of getting on the ground with big glass. The working title is in fact, “Getting Low with Big Glass.” If you have a suggestion for something a little more catchy or clever–heck, that should not be too difficult–please post it as a Comment. If someone suggests a title that winds up being used in the magazine we will gladly send you a bottle of Lens Clens as a thank you. Note: Don’t suggest “Down and Dirty” as I have used that one before 🙂 To give you some ideas, here is a link to the Lightbox that Jim and I prepared for OP editor Chris Robinsion: I’d love to hear which is your favorite image from the submission and why you picked it. Here is the article lead: Getting Low With Big Glassby Arthur Morris It was a stifling late August morning. I lay in wet mud on the South Flats of the East Pond at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, New York. A thousand no-see-ums chewed on the exposed skin on the back of my hands. Ten feet away, a gorgeous juvenal Least Sandpiper slept peacefully. I typed those words (on a typewriter no less!) nearly 25 years ago. The capture medium was film: Fuji Velvia 50 pushed one stop. The lens was the Canon FD 400mm f/4.5, the camera the T-90. The magnification with that rig was 8X. Today it’s a whole new world: a Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card, the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens, a 1.4X teleconverter, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. The magnification? An astounding 29.12 X. Though a lot has changed in those 2 /12 decades, one thing remains the same: getting down on the ground with your gear will enable you to create images that are both pleasing and intimate. And with a telephoto lens and good technique, your subject will be in sharp focus while your foregrounds and backgrounds will be rendered as suffused swatches of out-of-focus color. Even though it’s a bit more difficult getting up and down today than it was back then, I do not hesitate getting down and dirty when I encounter birds and animals in flat areas like beaches and fields. Even when feeling tired or lazy I do so at every opportunity. I can’t help myself; I just love the look of images created at the subject’s eye level. Shopper’s GuideHere is a list of the gear that I used to create the image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 6th, 2011
Do Birds Understand Death? Two Tales: One New, One OldI was with two private day clients on the Barnegat Jetty; we were photographing a group of seven Long-tailed Ducks feeding exactly as Denise Ippolito describes in the Barnegat Jetty Site Guide. I noticed a Long-tailed Duck floating past the feeding group and quickly realized that it was dead. And just as quickly realized that it had been dispatched by a shotgun blast; there had been several boats hunting both in the bay and on the ocean near the jetty to the north on the far side of the inlet. Multiple shotgun blasts had filled the cold air all day long. (Denise and Neil Nourse had found a wounded long-tail suffering on the beach earlier that afternoon; it eventually succumbed.) Neil, who used to hunt sea ducks, said that recovering the birds was often difficult or impossible. Below is the image of the dead bird floating by.
Well, I see and photograph the dead sea duck and get back to concentrate on photographing the feeding birds when suddenly the long-tail shown in the first image in this post sees the dead duck and becomes quite concerned, peering with interest over the waves at its fallen flock-mate. Then it begins swimming towards the deceased sea duck and is almost instantly joined by the other six birds. The dead bird was being carried towards the bay at a fairly rapid pace by the incoming tide. The group swam quickly and was soon alongside the dead duck. They swam with the carcass for a minute or so before turning around and taking flight to the east, heading out to the open ocean…..
Please do not take the tale above as either anti- or pro-hunting. You can see more Barnegat images here and on Denise’s blog here. The January 4 and January 6 posts with lots of great jetty images are sandwiched around a Fractalius post that is filled with Denise’s creative stuff. The Old TaleAs I was watching the fairly amazing behavior noted above, a similar experience from the late 1970s came to mind. I was on a fishing boat in Mexican waters at the Coronado Islands off the coast of Imperial Beach, CA. We were live-lining anchovies for Yellowtail and baby Bluefin Tuna. The mates toss out scoops of live anchovies as chum. You place a single live anchovy on a bare hook and toss it out about twenty feet from the boat. When a fish grabs your bait you hold on for dear life. Most of the fish simply take out all your line, tangle you in the kelp, and break off. Naturally the Brown Pelicans view this as great fun. The gather around the boat coming closer and closer to grab the anchovies as soon as a scoop is tossed away from the boat. But like the fish, the occasionally grab a baited hook. Then the angler has the chore of reeling in the hapless bird and the mates have the chore of grabbing the large birds and removing the hook. If my memory is correct, the mates tried spraying the pelicans with chloroform or with something similar. But that did not stop the pelicans from remaining a big nuisance. Next the mates tried batting the pelicans in the head with a billy club. That did not work as several hundred birds gathered around the boat for free breakfast. The mates were becoming more and more frustrated until finally one whacked a pelican so hard in the head that it died right on the spot. The mate tossed the body overboard. As the dead bird floated away from the fishing vessel the pelicans quit feeding and formed up in lines with their fallen comrade. Within five minutes there were several long curving lines of pelicans floating away from the boat with the dead bird. I was watching a funeral procession. Not a single Brown Pelican came anywhere near the boat for the rest of the morning. Do birds understand death? Shopper’s GuideHere is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. January 5th, 2011
Which is the Best? Keep two. Delete one. Why?Let’s call them A, B, and C. Interestingly enough each image was created in the same 1/100 sec: 2011:01:01 08:42:10. Pretty amazing…. Let me know which you think is the very best of the three and why and which is the worst of the three, and why. For me, one is a clear delete but I am betting that there will be some folks who pick that one as best 🙂 Please note that the JPEGs here were created from the extracted JPEGs. None of them has been optimized. Please therefore do not take any differences in exposure (however minor) into account.
It is amazing to me that the three images exhibit some relatively major differences despite that fact that they were created in virtually the same instant….
Relevant Bonus Question: If you have a camera that operates at a true 10 frames per second and your shutter speed is set manually at 1/1000 sec., what percentage of the action/poses are you missing? Shopper’s GuideHere is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens. And from the BAA On-line Store: Gitzo 3530 LS Tripod This one will last you a lifetime. If you are considering the purchase of a major piece of photographic gear be it a new camera, a long lens, a tripod or a head, or some accessories be sure to check out our complete Shopper’s Guide. |
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