August 23rd, 2011
Bear Fur Fare
Take a moment to study the three frames in the animated GIF above. One was processed from a single frame using my usual workflow. The second version was created from a four-frame AEB sequence in Photomatix Pro 4.1.1 with the Enhancer Grunge preset. The settings were tweaked a bit before processing the HDR image and then I made additional small changes in Photoshop. The third version was made using the High Structure preset in NIK Silver EFEX Pro to convert the single frame image to black and white. High Structure and Wet Rocks are my two favorite SIlver EFEX Pro presets.
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This RAW file for the image above was converted with ACR and optimized in Photoshop CS-5 using the workflow described in detail in Digital Basics (a PDF sent via e-mail).
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The funny thing is that I had had an image like this in mind for several days. One morning a beautiful bear sat near the group with its back to us for about an hour waiting for a fish to come by. When I finally decided to make some images of his back the bear decided to get up and walk down the stream. He who hesitates…. I passed right by the bear in the image above late one evening just as the group was getting into the skiff to head back to the boat for dinner and sleep. I turned around and, created a few images, and then made them wait a few minutes as I created the AEB sequence for the HDR image below.
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Denise Ippolito inspired me with her great HDR grunge images of museum and prison interiors and old cars and derelict buildings. On my Galapagos trip, I tried creating some HDR images of wildlife. Since then I continue to have a ton of fun trying and learning. We are currently collaborating on a Grunge Guide. I created a five frame AEB sequence +/1 one full stop around the base exposure: ISO 800. Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop: 1/250sec. at f/8. The lightest image in the series was discarded. The main requirement for creating AEB sequences like this one is that the animal be completely still. Being on a tripod even with shorter focal length lenses is always best but I have had some luck hand-holding. (It’s a case of do as I say not as I do…)
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If you would like purchase Photomatix and save 15% click here and be sure to enter birdsasart as the coupon code. You can download and use a trial copy of Photomatix before you buy. (It is fully operational; the processed images will have a visible watermark on them.)
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NIK Silver EFEX Pro makes converting images to B&W a snap and offers a variety of interesting presets that produce dramatic results. For the image above I used the High Structure preset.
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You can save 15% on all NIK products including Silver Efex Pro 2, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro 3.0, and Viveza 2 by clicking here and entering BAA in the Promo Code box at check-out. Then hit Apply to see your savings.
Thanks to Denise for her help in coming up with the title for this blog post.
Which Version Do You Like Best?
Please take a moment to let us know which version you like best and which you like least: straight up, HDR Grunge, or black and white. Do share your reasoning with us. Please take a moment to read what you have typed to make sure that it makes sense. Thanks. 🙂 And if you hate all images of bear fur there is no need to chime in here.
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of he gear used to make the three mages in this post. 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. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.
Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.
Remember: you can earn free contest entries with your B & H purchases. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here for details.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.
And from the BAA On-line Store:
LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sale value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
Be sure to check out our camera body User’s Guides here.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BIRDS AS ART Camera Body User’s Guides. Why spend $2-5 grand on a camera and not learn to use it properly and efficiently?
August 21st, 2011
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This image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative Metering -1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6.
Lens/Camera Body Micro-Adjustment: -4.
I selected the claws with Select/Color Range and ran a 35% Linear Burn on the Layer. I used some small Quick Masks, the Patch Tool, and the Clone Stamp Tool to cover the two small bright white areas. And I used the Spot Healing Brush to clean up some flecks on the bear’s fur. All as described in detail Digital Basics (a PDF sent via e-mail.)
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My Big Mistake
In yesterday’s post, I asked “What was my big mistake?” Kevin Klasman, the first to comment, pretty much nailed my thoughts at 10:36am on August 20, 2011 when he typed: “On the bear photo, not getting the entire left rear foot? The right rear foot is partially hidden by foliage and is OK by me.” Others said the same thing or something close but not as accurately and succinctly as Keven. So kudos to Mr. Klasman.
When the bear walked around the tiny island and sat down 21 feet away and faced me I could not believe my good fortune as it is unusual to have such a clear view of the front claws. Those claws on the two front paws were all that I could see so I have no problem putting them right in the center of the frame. And sometimes you only get one chance. I made two frames and checked for blinkies and the bear walked off to listen for salmon…. At that moment, I was happy with the image.
As I said yesterday, when I saw the image on the laptop for the first time I was dismayed. I am fine with the depth of field as is and the exposure was perfect. But oh how I wished that I had re-composed by pointing the camera to my right so as to include the complete hind left paw as Kevin noted. With the right rear paw obstructed by the grasses that was clearly the best move. But I have been so focused on those front claws that I did not see it in the field.
When I optimized the image (see the lead photo above) I cropped a bit off the right side in an attempt to balance the composition. Re-constructing the missing stuff on the right side of the frame would be problematic at best so I did not want to go there. Click here to see the original image. Thanks all for playing and way to go Kevin for getting right inside my head.
BAA Bulletin #382
BAA Bulletin #382 is on line and can be accessed here right now.
Here are the featured items:
- THE 2011 BEAR BOAT PHOTO-CRUISE IPT REPORT
- THE 2012 BEAR BOAT PHOTO-CRUISE IPT
- IMPRESSIONS OF BOSQUE (e-book/PDF) by DENISE IPPOLITO
- GITZO CF TRIPOD REBATE
- FIRST CONTEST FAVORITE
- THE BLOG IS THE BOMB!
- IPT UPDATES
August 20th, 2011
What Was My Big Mistake?
When the Coastal Brown Bear in the image above sat down right in front of me facing forward on the edge of the stream bank I was tremendously excited. I visualized the image that I wanted to create in an instant. I was sure that I had it right. When I saw the image on my laptop, I was dismayed. What big mistake had I made?
The image was created at Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park on the recently concluded Bear Boat Instructional Photo-Cruise. I used central sensor/rear focus with the buttons switched AF. The image above is a JPEG that represents the original capture. When you leave a comment, please take a moment to read what you wrote and to correct any obvious errors. Doing so makes visiting the blog a more pleasing experience for all involved. Thanks.
Another Follow-up
In Editing Practice II: Swallow-tailed Gull, I presented two images and asked, “Which of these images is best, Image 1 or Image 2? Be sure to let us know why.” When I do these Editing Practice posts I need to remember to point out that the images presented are created from the extracted JPEGs and thus represent the full frame original capture. Needed crops will be executed during the image optimization process. Your job is simply to select the best file. And to let us know why you chose it.
Most everyone correctly chose image #2 as best. Doug commented that he liked #1 best because #2 was too perfect. I suggested counseling 🙂 The optimized version of #2 is above. Thanks all for commenting and for doing such a good job!
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of he gear used to make the three mages in this post. 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. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.
Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.
Remember: you can earn free contest entries with your B & H purchases. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here for details.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot with the 1.4X III TC which is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.
And from the BAA On-line Store:
LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sale value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
Be sure to check out our camera body User’s Guides here.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BIRDS AS ART Camera Body User’s Guides. Why spend $2-5 grand on a camera and not learn to use it properly and efficiently?
August 19th, 2011
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I created the images for this Photomatix HDR creation with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 100. The base exposure was Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop: 2.5 seconds at f/8. Four additional frames were created as follows using the Mark IV’s Auto Exposure Bracketing feature: +/- one-full stop (around the base exposure). Note: the longest exposure was 20 seconds at f/8.
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Long Lens/Long Exposure Lesson Learned
For years I have never been able to make a sharp image with a long lens and extremely long shutter speeds (in the range of one-half second or slower) even when using mirror lock-up and the camera’s self timer. I was always puzzled by that as I have seen some great fill flash images of owls created with big glass and shutter speeds of from one to two seconds. When I mentioned that to Scott Vincent on the Weekhawken, NJ “New York City Skyline” workshop that he co-led with Denise Ippolito last Saturday night he immediately shot back” Turn of Image Stabilization and you will make razor sharp images.” So I did. And I did. I was astounded at the sharpness of the resulting images. Thanks Scott! (Note that the longest exposure was 20 seconds at f/8!) It seems that the IS does in fact shift the lens elements during long exposures and cause big problems. I will however continue to leave Image Stabilization on when working on a tripod for nearly all other applications including normal bird photography and situations where the danger of mirror slap is likely, that is, with shutter speeds of from 1/15 to 1/2 second. But heck, I will experiment even there.
The image above (Enhancer Default HDR) was the favorite of most of those who responded to the last post. Except for Mary Stamper who is always on the same page as me (and Adam Felde as well). The HDR Grunge was also my favorite 🙂
Follow-ups
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This pleasingly blurred image of a Coastal Brown Bear lunging forward to jump on a salmon was the unanimous choice of those who left comments. It was created with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens with the the 1.4X III TC (handheld at 280mm) and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/15 sec. at f/11 in Tv mode.
Lens/TC/Camera Body Micro-Adjustment: -8. This was a big change from the previous +2 after my Mark IV was serviced by Canon.
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In the Bear Blurs and More post, I liked them all but agree fully that the second bear image(above) was the strongest. I like the first image for its rule of thirds composition and the effect of the blur on the grasses. I was pretty much alone there 🙂 I’ll take the fireweed blur over the moving water blur but like that one too. That leaves the walking bear as my least favorite and agree that it looks a bit strange with the head so sharp…. Thanks all for commenting.
BTW, though this is a public forum and all are invited to comment there is no freedom of speech here. It is my blog and though I am a lover of what is and am fine with folks not liking an image and with occasional criticism (see the no “What no JPEGs in the contest?” comments here), I do have my limits. Comments from unhappy campers that over-step the bounds of civility will be deleted. I do realize that there are some folks out there who love taking shots at Mr. Famous Bird Photographer and I have been fairly tolerant of comments made in that vein. I look forward to your continued participation here.
In Editing Practice I: Nazca Boobies my somewhat surprising favorite was the image above, “Hey Honey.” I felt that the less than ideal head angle of the bird in the front was more than offset by the obvious connection between the two birds. I did in fact keep all three of the images plus about a dozen more from that encounter. Everyone backed up their choice with sound reasoning. The consensus of the group pretty much agreed with my choice of “Hey Honey” as best. For the first time Cheapo and I were on the very same page. 🙂 Lastly, several folks commented that they did not like “Over the Top” because the bird in the background was out of focus. I am fine with that. Do note, however that front subject sharp/rear subject o-o-f is a technique that I use often when creating images that feature pleasing juxtapositions.
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of he gear used to make the three mages in this post. 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. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.
Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.
Remember: you can earn free contest entries with your B & H purchases. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here for details.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot with the 1.4X III TC which is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.
And from the BAA On-line Store:
LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sale value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
Be sure to check out our camera body User’s Guides here.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
A Guide to Pleasing Blurs. Everything that you wanted to know about creating pleasing blurs and more!
BIRDS AS ART Camera Body User’s Guides. Why spend $2-5 grand on a camera and not learn to use it properly and efficiently?
August 17th, 2011
Birds as Buildings? Buildings as Art? HDR Possibilities
On Saturday evening past I had the pleasure of joining Denise Ippolito and Scott Vincent on their Weehawken, NJ “NYC Skyline Creative Photography Workshop”. I had a ball, learned a ton, and made some great images. And so did everyone else. Check out Denise’s images from the workshop here and Scott’s here. With my super-telephoto way of seeing I could not resist breaking out the 800 while most folks were working with wide angle and short zoom lenses. For the tech specs on the five AEB images used to create the HDR stuff below and the two image that comprise the animated GIF above be sure to check out the follow-up blog post coming soon. Scott opened my eyes to a huge mistake that I had been making when using the 800 at very slow shutter speeds for years; I will also share that revelation with you in the next blog post.
Give the opening animated GIF a few seconds to run and compare the flat, pretty boring image that I created from a single frame (i.e., business as usual) with the vibrant, pleasingly contrasty, high dynamic range image that was created from the five AEB captures. The HDR image is a no-brainer winner. It was created by processing the image in Photomatix Pro 4.1.1 with the Enhancer Default Preset. Enhancer Preset will give you a pretty much straight HDR image. (I will be sharing lots of HDR stuff with you here and in coming Bulletins.
Denise and I are currently working on an HDR Grunge guide and hope to have it available in about two weeks. In the meantime if you would like purchase Photomatix and save 15% click here and be sure to enter birdsasart as the coupon code. You can download and use a trial copy of Photomatix before you buy. (It is fully operational; the processed images will have a visible watermark on them.)
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I created the bracketed AEB images with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. Exposure details will be revealed in the next blog post. Be sure to stay tuned 🙂
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The image above was created with the Comrpressor Default preset in Photomatix Pro 4.1.1 (with a few tweaks).
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I created the bracketed AEB images with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. Exposure details will be revealed in the next blog post. Be sure to stay tuned 🙂
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And the final HDR image was created with the HDR Grunge fault in Photomatix Pro 4.1.1 (with a few tweaks).
Which One Do You Like Best?
Please take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the four images above you like best and why. If you hate all HDR images and/or you hate all images of buildings there is no need to chime in here 🙂
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of he gear used to make the three mages in this post. 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. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.
Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.
Remember: you can earn free contest entries with your B & H purchases. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here for details.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.
And from the BAA On-line Store:
LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sale value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
Be sure to check out our camera body User’s Guides here.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
A Guide to Pleasing Blurs. Everything that you wanted to know about creating pleasing blurs and more!
BIRDS AS ART Camera Body User’s Guides. Why spend $2-5 grand on a camera and not learn to use it?
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