May 23rd, 2010
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| Handheld Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II teleconverter and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop set manually: 1/1000 sec. at f/8. |
Jim Neiger had three Flight School Photography clients on his pontoon boat this morning and asked that I work without my tripod. I did not let that request keep me from making a few of my beloved head portraits.
With the set-up above I was working at approximately 29X maginfication. Even when handholding I felt confident that I could make at least a few sharp images at 1/1000 sec. It is only possible to hold the lens up for 10-20 seconds at a time so I rested it on a deck chair until Jiim had the boat in perfect position.
Many folks do not understand that with the 800 being an f/5.6 lens that once I add the 1.4X TC the central AF sensor is the only one available (and that only with a pro body….) With the wind up a bit the boat was rocking; I knew that keeping the sensor on the bird’s head would be a challenge so I quickly set CFn III-5 ( Lens drive when AF impossible) to “1: Focus search off.” This prevents the system from searching for the background when the sensor momentarily falls off the subject. In addition, I was hoping to make an image that featured the baby bird’s head in the lower right corner of the frame. The last thing that I wanted was to have the AF system search for the distant trees. So setting CFn III-5 to 1 had two probable benefits; my plan worked to perfection and I was able to capture the image that I had visualized 🙂
Both the Mark IV and the 7D Guides are chock full of such tips, tips that will help you to create better images on a consistent basis. You can learn more about these guides as well as the MIII Guide by scrolling down here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32
May 20th, 2010
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| This image was created with the handheld Canon 100-400 IS L lens, the same lens that I used to create the wider Chinstrap Penguins on iceberg image in the “Pick Six” post. |
First off, congrats to Paul Mckenzie whose comment nailed the correct answer:
May 17th, 2010 at 4:52 am “Artie – they are all excellent but the stitched pano is definitely my favourite. Exactly my kind of pic. #2 choice is a toss up between the chinstrap penguins and the backlit geese/cranes. The connection? – my wildcard guess is that they have all been shortlisted for the final round of judging in this year’s BBC WPOTY competition.”
WPOTY is the presitgioius Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. I suspect that Paul’s guess was based on his having several images make the finals of this year contest.
My very favorite image as you might guess is the Chinstraps on the iceberg photograph. We spent nearly 30 minutes with our Zodiac just inches from the iceberg and I had made lots of images like the one above. It was only as we pulled away from the majestic iceberg that I was able to see the forest for the trees. As is often the case, tt turned out that a shorter focal length was the better tool….
Thanks to all who played. And good luck to me in the final round of judging 🙂 If there is one image in the group that is successful I will be thrilled.
May 19th, 2010
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| Osprey screaming. This image was created with the handheld Canon 400mm f/4IS DO lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 set manually. |
My right-hand man, Jim Litzenberg, and I spent the morning with Jim Neiger on his pontoon boat on Lake Blue Cypress in Indian River County with several hundred Osprey….. The boat ramp is fifteen mintues from Yehaw Junction where SR 60 crosses the Florida Turnpike. We enjoyed non-stop action with both birds in flight and with perched birds.
Jim has two opening on his Osprey Heaven Flight School workshop (May 20-24, 2010) that begins tomorrow at 1pm in Vero Beach. The cost is $1300. As a special for BAA Bloggers he is offering each of these spots for a ridiculously low $800. Or, sign on for single day or two for $350/day. There are both pontoon boat and land-based sessions each day. If you can make it, contact Jim Neiger on his cell phone at 407-247-5200. If he does not pick up, leave a message and keep trying as reception in the area is spotty at best. If you would like to contact Jim through BAA please try us at 863-692-0906 or 863-221-2372.
As for me, I am headed back out on the lake this afternoon!
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| Ospreys in Cypress tree. Canon 70-200mm f/4IS L lens (handheld at 180mm) with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6.. |
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| Osprey, adult landing. Canon 400mm f/4IS DO lens handheld with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/5. |
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| Large unfledged Osprey chick. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/9. Gitzo 3530 LS with the Mongoose M3.5 |
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| Adult Osprey screaming. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/400 sec. at f/9 set manually. Gitzo 3530 LS with the Mongoose M3.5 |
May 17th, 2010
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| This Green Jay image was created on the Cozad Ranch in Linn, TX with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. Fill flash with the Better Beamer at -3 stops: If you would like to visit the Cozad Ranch to photograph birds you can reach Johnny on his cell phone at 956-330-1377 or by e-mail at jecoz@granderiver.net |
Ruth Hoyt, President of Photo Bound Tours, LLC, has been awarded a grant to create, organize and conduct a summer 2010 professional wildlife photo contest based in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
The entry fee of $300 allows full participation in both divisions of the contest. The South Texas Pro Classic is the main contest; it runs from June 1, 2010 through July 31, 2010. A smaller division, the South Texas Open, allows you to enter older photographs that have not been published or won an award or prize of any kind. Photos for the Open division must have been taken in the contest region between the dates January 1, 2008, through July 31, 2010.
For more information about the contest or to register, please visit: http://photoboundtours.com/contest/
Funding for this photo contest was made possible by a grant from the Valley Land Fund, through the Robert L. Townsend Endowment. For more information about the Valley Land Fund, please visit: http://valleylandfund.com/
May 16th, 2010 Below I present six totally different images. As a group, they have something in common. Leave a comment and let us know which is your favorite image and why. (Actually, feel free to comment on all of the images if you wish….) And if you would like to hazard a guess as to what the images have in common, be my guest 🙂 I will reveal my favorite on Thursday and let you know the connection between the images.
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| This image was created on Little St. Simons Island, GA with the Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens, the 2X II teleconverter, and the EOS-40D. (Manual focus). Contrary to popular opinion, this image is pretty much right out of the camera: a pink omega sun! |
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| This Chinstrap Penguin image was created while photographing from a Zodiac near Coronation Island in the South Orkneys in the Southern Ocean with the handheld Canon 100-4oomm IS L zoom lens (at 180mm) and the EOS-1Ds MII as we pulled away from the iceberg for the second time. (I had begged the Zodiac driver to return….) |
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| This image was created in Brunswick, Maine with the 14mm fish-eye lens and the EOS-1D MIII. The big pile of leaves was on the lawn of the town library. |
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| This image is a six frame composite. Each of the six vertical images was created with the Canon 800mm f.5.6 L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark III. The images were stitched together in Photoshop CS-3 using File/Automate/Photomerge. |
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| This shorebird flock (mostly Sanderlings) was photographed at Cupsogue Beach Park, Long Island, NY with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and a pre-production model EOS-1D Mark IV using 45-point AI Servo AF. |
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| This image was created at Bosque del Apache NWR in San Antonio, NW with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II teleconverter, and the EOS-1D Mark III. Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes in ground fog lit by the rising sun. |
Let us know which is your favortie and why. And if you wish, take a guess at what connects each of the images in the group. Even a wild guess will work 🙂
May 14th, 2010 A BIRDS AS ART image is currently being featured on the Canon Digital Learning. You can check it out here: http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3446
When you visit, be sure to check out my Explorer of Light Gallery and to surf around on the site. There is lots of interesting stuff there: I just had 30 minutes of my life disappear while following various links 🙂
May 11th, 2010
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| This image was created from two images made with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/60 sec. at f/5.6. Read on for the details. |
On the way to the Santa Clara ranch in Starr County, TX last week we stopped to photograph the huge sunflowers in early morning light. I had long ago learned the trick of creating one sharp image of a flower and one defocused image and then laying one atop the other and playing with the opacity to produce a sort of glowing rendition of the flower. To create the image above I came up with a new twist.
The image below was my base image:
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| This image was sharply focused. |
This next image would be the top image:
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| Before pressing the shutter button I defocused the flower. I actually made several variations to give me several choices for my soft image. |
I brought both images into Photoshop. The sharp image served as the base image. While working with the soft image I hit Control A, Control J to place the entire image on a layer. Then I used the Move Tool (V) to drag the soft image layer on top of the sharp base image. I reduced the Opacity of the upper (soft) layer so that I could position it directly above the sharp image. (I had neglected to lock the tripod.) Then came the twist. I set the opacity of the soft image layer back to 100%, created a layer mask (as I learned to do from Robert O’Toole’s APTATS II CD), and then erased the center portion of the soft flower revealing the sharp center below. The image looked OK but I continued to experiment by erasing the dark triangular spaces between the bases of the petals. Volia.
I have been inspired to think out of the box by Denise Ippolito, BPN’s Out-of-the-Box Forum Moderator. She is incredibly creative. To see what Denise and others thought of my sharp/soft with a twist sunflower, check out my BPN post here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=63329 After you read the thread, be sure to check out the great stuff that Denise and the regular OOTB folks are doing on a daily basis by visiting the Forum and checking out the thumbnails.
To learn more about APTATS click here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=33
May 7th, 2010
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| This was my afternoon set-up at the Cozad Ranch on May 4. The image was created with the handheld Canon 24-105mm IS lens at 32mm. |
Notice that each of the four tallest perches is set in front of a pure green background and that we have taken the time to clean the edges of the far side of the tiny pond of all pebbles, roots, and seeds and to wet and smooth the red mud.
As you look back at the images in previous blog posts from Texas and the images in BAA Bulletin #326 (link below) see if you can figure out which perch the birds were using in each photograph.
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| This was my morning set-up at the Cozad Ranch on the morning of May 4. The image was created with the handheld Canon 24-105mm IS lens at 24mm. |
Note here that the feeding table has been removed from the set to keep the birds from landing on the legs of the table. Again, the tip of each perch has been set against a background of pure color; that did not occur by accident. The orange on our right was impaled on a stake and placed just far enough from the perch so that the golden-fronteds would have to stretch to reach it. We placed a lichen-covered branch in the hollow handle of the tiny tripod so that small birds coming to water might land on it.
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| This image was created on the morning of May 2 with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, a 25mm Extension tube, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluatve metering +2/3 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -2 stops with Better Beamer. |
Bronzed Cowbirds are stunning with their bright red eyes and Victorian ruffs.
BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #326 is on line and can be found here: http://www.birdsasart.com/2010/05/07/birds-as-art-bulletin-326
Here are the features:
HUNT’S DIGITAL DAYS SALE
THE COZAD RANCH, LINN, TX
2011 IPT DATE ANNOUNCEMENTS: SAN DIEGO & SW FLORIDA PRESIDENT’S WEEK
EOS-7D USER’S GUIDE INFO
EOS-1D MARK IV USER’S GUIDE INFO
POSSE NEWS/ROBERT O’TOOLE
IPT DATE UPDATES
May 6th, 2010
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| This Painted Bunting image was created with the 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, 37mm of extension, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/8. Fill flash with the Better Beamer at -3 stops. |
Johnny Cozad is and has been one of the growing number of Texas ranchers who has opened his ranch for photographic eco-tourism. For a very reasonable daily fee, you can enjoy his lightweight relatively cool blinds and his amazing assemblage of birds. It is the very best place that I know for photographing Painted Buntings in the first half of May. I visited with Johnny on five of my seven afternoons and we had the male Painted Bunting come to the small pond every day but one offering unparalleled opportunites. The mornings that I spent there with my private day clients were filled with Golden-fronted Woodpeckers.
If you would like to visit the Cozad Ranch in the next week or two to enjoy photographing these two species you can reach Johnny on his cell phone at
956-330-1377 or by e-mail at jecoz@granderiver.net
Johnny Cozad is one of the nicest, sweetest gentlemen that you will ever meet.
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| This male Golden-fronted Woodpecker was photographed with the 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, a 25mm Extension tube, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 set manually. Fill flash with the Better Beamer at -3 stops. |
In my next post I will share images of both my morning and afternoon Cozad set-ups.
May 4th, 2010
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| This is image three, the fill flash image, with a bit more color work. |
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| This is image two, full sun with lots of flash, as presented in the April 25th post, presented here for comparison. |
First off, thanks all for playing. Image two and image three were the favorites of the group by a good margin, but image one, the one made in full sun with no flash, did have a few supporters. If I had more time, I would do a formal tally 🙂 I am still in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas with the last two clients and things are quite busy. We are having a great time; I head home on Thursday.
With due respect to to the folks who liked image one best, it is my least favorite by far. It is just too contrasty for me even with my best efforts processing it. I thought that I would like image 3, the fill flash image, best; I was quite surprised that I liked image two a bit more as presented in the April 25th post. In that post, image two had the richest color. I did like the head angle in image 3; it was much nicer than in either image one or image two.
In the image above, I took the posted fill flash image, number three, darkened the color on the brow a bit, and increased the saturation in the rest of the yellows. My final call, by a slim margin over image two, is for image three, the fill flash image, as presented above. I hope that I got my numbers right!
May 1st, 2010
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaulative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 set manually. Fill flash at -3 stops with the better beamer. |
I created the image above (yeah, I know; it’s pretty bad as is…) this morning at the Cozad Ranch in Linn, TX. Working with the 800 things were tight. I knew that I had at least one good head angle with the whole bird in the frame but the compositions were poor and unbalanced at best. The bird was moving up and down the perch rapidly in search of the almond butter mix on the rear side of the perch. Thinking digitally, knowing that I would need source material for the perch so that I could lose the orange, I created the image below:
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaulative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 set manually. Fill flash at -3 stops with the Better Beamer. |
Then I realized that creating a pano that included the entire top of the perch might be the best plan so I created a third image (below).
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaulative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 set manually. Fill flash at -3 stops with the better beamer. |
I brought the three images into Photoshop, expanded canvas top and left, brought in the Quick Masked sections from the two source material images, aligned them, adjusted the brightness by pulling the curve up or down as needed, blended the edges, filled in missing background areas, reduced the background noise, cleaned up the perch, and did a bit of Eye Doctor work. Voila: in about fifteen minutes I had the image that I had visualized. In my head 🙂
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| This quasi-panoramic image of a male Golden-fronted Woodpecker was created by compositing three images. |
The key to the success of the final image was made possible because I thought to create the source images in the field immediately after viewing the image captures of the bird on the camera’s LCD. By learning to think digitally in the field you can do the very same thing. I used a variety of techniques from Digital Basics and Robert O’Toole’s APTATS I and APTATS II files. See the BAA Store for details on these great educational PDFs.
BTW, apologies to Johnny Cash on the title of this blog-post 🙂
April 30th, 2010
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| This is the image created in full sun with no flash. Let’s call this one image one. |
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| This is the image captured in full sun with ETTL flash set at +1 stop. Let’s call this one image two. |
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| This is the image made with Fill Flash when the sun went behind a cloud. Let’s call this one image three. |
Each of the images above was processed by me to the best of my ability using the normal BIRDS AS ART workflow as described in detail in the re-written, reorganized version of the Digital Basics PDF.
Let me know which you like best and why. I will let you know my preferences in a few days. You may be surprised….
I believe that the captive bird in the photograph is a Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), previously known as Masked Plover.
Note: BAA Bulletin 325 can be found on-line here: http://www.birdsasart.com/2010/04/29/birds-as-art-bulletin-325.
April 27th, 2010
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| This captive plover was photographed in bright sun at a tourist attraction that shall go un-named. I used the handheld Canon 400mm IS DO lens, a 1.4X teleconverter, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 200. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1. |
So, do you like the sun for your nature photography? I do, in early mornings and on late afternoons, but during the midday hours on clear days the sun is not what I want. In the image above the contrast in the image is high and the dark shadow in the eye socket is dis-pleasing (even though I pointed my shadow at the subject. The bright, high-in-the sky sun was the culprit. (Note: I could make the image look somewhat better with some Photoshop work but I would never be really happy with it.)
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| Here I used ETTL flash at +1 stop. Again, ISO 200. Evaluative metering at zero: stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1. |
To create the image immediately above, I turned on my flash and set the flash compensation to +1 stop in ETTL mode. This told the flash to put out an additional stop of light, one stop more than it would normally need to properly light the subject. Why did I tell the flash to use extra light? So that it would reduce the hard shadows, especially those in the eye socket. (I learned this technique through experimentation.) It gotta say that it worked pretty well. Do understand that even though I used the flash at +1 stop I was using “Flash as Fill” not “Flash as Main Light” techniques.
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| This image was created when the sun ducked behind the clouds with the flash set to -1 1/3 stops. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/7.1. |
Just before I created this image, a cloud drifted in front of the sun (much to my delight). I set the flash to -1 1/3 stops so that it acted as traditional Fill Flash. None of the three images in this blog post have been processed. They were extracted using Breezebrowser Pro and sharpened via my e-mail JPEG action.
Which of the three images do you like best? I know that when I process each of them that the third image, the one made when the sun went behind a cloud, will be my favorite. To sum up: if you must photograph in bright sun during the midday, use lots of flash. If a cloud covers the sun or if your subject ventures into a shaded area, you have the option of using traditional Fill Flash.
Be sure to note the different exposure compensations used when the sun was out versus when the sun was in. If they confuse you, and/or if you do not understand the difference between Flash as Fill and Flash as Main Light, you will want to get yourself a copy of “The Art of Bird Photography II” (916 pages on CD only): https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32
April 25th, 2010
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| Peter Kes handfeeding a Snowy Egret on last year’s SW FLA President’s Week IPT. Image created with the Canon 15mm fish eye lens. |
I first met Peter Kes late last winter when he traveled from his home in Switzerland to attend the SF FLA President’s Week IPT. (For new folks IPTs are Instructional Photo Tours.) He and the rest of us had a great time and Peter and I quickly became friends. Peter is a high level/high tech IT (information technology) consultant by trade. When I asked for help with my Word Press blog he graciously offered to help. With my busy travel schedule it took us a while to get Skyping but yesterday the new-look blog went live. I gotta say that Peter did an amazing job; the blog looks great, is easy on the eyes, and is easy to navigate. Thank you Peter for your help. If you need help with your blog, you can contact Peter here: http://www.naturenotions.ch/blog-service.
One of my favorite features of the new blog is the rotating 1000 x 160 pixel images that grace each page. This image switches as you navigate from page to page. There are ten now but I plan on adding lots more. When Peter asked me to send him ten 1000 x 160 pixel JPEGs my first thought was, “I don’t have any images that would work with that format.” In short order I was having way too much fun. Once you get an idea of the concept creating artistic slices like this can be a great way to improve your compostional skills and eye.
A very few comments from the last month were unavoidably lost during the process of switching from the old blog to the new blog. Apolgies to anyone who was affected. Feel free to repost and I will respond. (I love hearing Peter say the word “comments.” We say, KAH-mentz. Europeans say kuh-MENTZ. )
I first posted the image of Peter feeding the bird in BPN’s Friends and Family Forum thinking that it was a rather innocuous post :). Here is a link to the the original post: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=32285.
Somewhat to my amazement, some folks took issue to the the fact that the group was feeding the acclimated birds. As the discussion developed, I moved the thread to the General Photography Discussion Forum here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?p=231547&posted=1#post231547.
With 128 posts the thread generated tons of peaceful controversy. It is now a closed thread.
I hope that you enjoy the new-look blog!
April 22nd, 2010
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| Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens with the 1.4X II TC, 37mm of extension and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400: 1/100 sec. at f/18. Manual flash at 1:2. |
In the “Vice Grip” image above a large Great Egret chick is begging for fish and refusing to let go of momma’s bill. The nest was in the shade, the two extension tubes and the telecoverters were soaking up valuable light, and the aperture was f/18. The correct manual exposure would have been about 1/4 second at f/18, yet the image is not only sharp but bright. What gives? I was using two related techniques: Flash as Main Light along with Manual Flash. And I am betting that fewer than 1 in a 100 photographers have the knowledge to use these valuable techniques.
If you are ever in a situation where there is seemingly not enough light for photographing at a reasonable ISO setting, then Flash as Main Light and Manual Flash should be in your arsenal…. Basically you are setting a shutter speed and aperture combination that would result in the image being black if the flash does not fire. You can learn to use both Flash as Main Light and Manual Flash in “The Art of Bird Photography II” (916 pages on CD only): https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32
For the very few folks who know how to use these two techniques here are a few tips that are not in the CD book:
- Do not use a Better Beamer: while it will increase your flash output it will force you to use a smaller aperture to give you the right exposure and this will often bring up unwanted background detail.
- Using an external battery pack when using Flash as Main Light is pretty much mandatory. If not, you will drain your flash head batteries in short order.
- Unless you know that you will be photographing only for an hour or two be sure to bring at least an extra set of four batteries for your flash head. Using Flash as Main Light puts a huge drain on your batteries. Better yet, if your external battery using re-chargeable AAs, bring an additional eight batteries for it.
- Remember: if you change your distance to the subject you will need to adjust either the Manual power setting, the aperture, and/or the ISO setting.
- Remember also that you can in some situations use the shutter speed to lighten or darken the background (usually the former). If your shutter speed is between 1/60 second and the highest synch speed of your flash the shutter speed will have no effect on the exposure of the subject.
- Lastly: it is best to set your Drive Mode to single frame to eliminate the occasional black frame.
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| Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens with the 1.4X II TC and 37mm of extension. ISO 400: 1/80 sec. at f/8. Manual flash at 1:8. |
On Sunday past Denise Ippolito and I took my two older grandkids, Sam and Maya Egensteiner, to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We did not bring any lenses…. It was cloudy and overcast, a great day to visit this theme park. As we entered, I saw pink. There were two spoonbills right next to the fence around an enclosure. Investigating, I was stunned to see a nest with two week-old Roseate Spoonbill chicks in it. It would be a tough photographic situation with a 3-4 foot high bamboo slat fence and a leafless bush in front of the nest but I knew that by using flash as main light and working tight that I might be able to produce some nice images. We returned on Tuesday morning and photographed until noon. After dropping Denise off at the airport I figured that since parking and admission were already paid for that I should return for another few hours. So I did. Visiting the park is expensive but you would never see a nest like this in the field in Florida unless you were working with researchers as this species nests in thick mangrove cover (and then the situation would likely be even darker).
As always you can click on each image to see a larger, sharper version.
April 15th, 2010
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| Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV handheld. ISO 400. Metered off the reeds and added 1/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/5 set manually. |
Denise Ippolito and I spent yesterday morning on West Lake Toho with Jim Neiger. There are several folks who will take you out on this lake for a fee but nobody knows the lake anywhere near as good as Kissimmee Jimmy. The Fish and Wildlife folks know to ask him for help. Jim lives on the lake and is out there scouting and photographing almost every day whether he has clients or not. Right now Jim has two pristine, unbanded Snail Kites that perch cooperatively every day. As water levels change weekly it would behoove those in the Orlando/Kissimmee area to give Jim a call and get out on the lake for a day of photography asap.
You can contact Jim Neiger for more information by phone at 407-247-5200 or by e-mail at jimn@cfl.rr.com.
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/400 sec. at f/18. |
When I predicted in the February 22, 2010 post (https://www.birdsasart-blog.com/baa/2010/02/22/gatorland-rocking-now-and-getting-better-each-day/) the Gatorland was getting better every day I was right :). We visited again yesterday afternoon, again the guests of our most gracious host, Mike Godwin. It is a delight to see Mike taking care of the visiting photographers like an eager mother hen. The early entry/late-stay program for photographers represents and incredible value and an incredible opportunity.
You can learn more about the Gatorland Rookery (in Kissimmee, FL) and their photographer’s program here: http://tinyurl.com/ygcq9yk
We visited primarily to get some great images of Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage and that we did. The next BAA Bulletin will feature a piece on working in cluttered rookeries so be sure not to miss it!
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X TC and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evalautive metering -1/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 set manually. |
The micro-adjustment that I did on my Mark IV resulted in my already sharp iamges being just a bit sharper. You can learn to micro-adjust both your Mark IV and 7D camera bodies with your various lenses in the respective User Guides. Scroll down here for info on purchasing either guide.
April 7th, 2010
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| These Sandhill Crane chicks were photographed with the Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS L lens and the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop:1/1000 sec. at f/6.3. I was down on my belly in the wet grass! The 7D/70-200 f/4 combo is lightweight and very effective with tame birds. |
Canon 7D User’s Guide Info
The finished 7D User’s Guide PDF was e-mailed today to all purchasers. Thanks to all from the blog who called to save $5 last weekend. It was fun chatting with you. We have heard only great things about the guide; we will share of few of them with you in the next Bulletin. (I am still working hard at finishing the pre-publication version of the Mark IV Guide.) If you missed the boat last weekend, you can still save $2 by ordering your copy of the 7D User’s Guide through the BAA On-Line Store here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=285. Remember: updates are free. There will be at least one.
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| When the cranes come out of the marsh in the morning they are wet and muddy. This image was created with the handheld 400mm f/4 IS DO lens EOS-1D MIV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. 45-Point AAFPS. You can learn all about your autofocus options in the MIV User's Guide. As always, you can click on each image to see a larger, sharper version. |
Canon Mark IV User’s Guide Info
The long-awaited should be finished by this coming Friday :). I am have been working very hard on it. Rudy Winston of Canon has been a great help just as he was with the 7D Guide. We will be e-mailing the completed PDF file by next Friday, April 17th at the latest. As the MIV is in many ways similar to the Canon EOS-1D MIII camera body preparing the MIV guide has not been quite as difficult as much work as preparing the 7D Guide was <another :)> It will be fairly comprehensive, covering all menu items and Custom Functions that I use. It will not deal with anything having to do with creating video. And as always, the Mark IV UG will be written in my easy to read, easy to understand style. Updates are free; there will be at least one.
The Mark IV User’s Guide will sell for $25, $23 for orders placed through the BAA On-line store. As we have kept you waiting for too long we are offering a $5.00 discount on pre-orders placed through the BAA On-Line store. To pre-order your copy and save $5.00 off of the $23 price, click here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=286. Only 18 bucks via the store after the smoke clears!
Charlotte Harbor, FL Wildlife and Kayak Festival This Weekend/Proram Schedule
I will be doing two programs at this event on Saturday April 10, 2010. The morning program, “A Bird Photographer’s Story,” will begin at 10:30. It is being sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. The afternoon session (1:30 till 3-pm) will cover the BIRDS AS ART Digital Workflow and include lots of great Photoshop tips. You can learn more by clicking here: http://www.charlotteharbortravel.com/events/moreinfo.php?Event_ID=24471&pMonth=April. I look forward to seeing many of you there. I will be bringing along a small selection of books, CDs, and photographic accessories. If you would like me to bring something specific for you, please e-mail me at birdsasart@att.net
BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #322
BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #322 is on line now at: http://www.birdsasart.com/2010/04/06/birds-as-art-bulletin-322.
April 4th, 2010
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| This Laysan Albatross chick was photographed with the Canon 70-200mm f/4 IS L lens and the EOS-7D (handheld at 173mm) on Midway Island. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/1250 sec. at f/8. |
The 7D/70-200 f/4L IS is a favorite of mine: lightweight and effective. I especially love the 7D’s 1.6X multiplier effect. The 7D is a new and complex camera. (To see a larger, sharper version of the image above simply click on it. )
There are only two hours left to take advantage of the $5 discount on the brand new Canon EOS-7D User’s Guide. Scroll down to yesterday’s post for deails.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR, FL WILDLIFE & KAYAK FESTIVAL PROGRAMS/PUT THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR
I will be doing two programs at this event on Saturday April 10, 2010. The morning program, “A Bird Photographer’s Story,” is being sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light. The afternoon will cover the BIRDS AS ART Digital Workflow. You can learn more by clicking here: http://www.charlotteharbortravel.com/events/moreinfo.php?Event_ID=24471&pMonth=April. I look forward to seeing many of you there. I will be bringing along a small selection of books, CDs, and photographic accessories. If you would like me to bring something specific for you, please e-mail me at birdsasart@att.net.
April 3rd, 2010
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| Though this image was created with the 800/1.4X TC/MIV combination I used two 7D custom function tips so that I was able to hold focus on the bird even though the central AF sensor was not on the neck at the moment of exposure! This tip works for both cameras and is just one of hundreds of valuable tidbits the you will find in each guide. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger sharper version. |
I spent 8 hours a day for the past four days locked in my lonely writer’s garret working on the long-awaited 7D User’s Guide. It is almost finished. I need to write a short section on Custom White Balance and tidy up the section on Micro-adjustments. The 7D User’s Guide will sell for $30 ($29 if ordered through the BAA On-line store). The Mark IV User’s Guide–it should be finished no later than Friday, April 9, will sell for $25 ($24 if purchased on line). You will be able to buy both for $50 ($49 if through the On-line store).
Now here is the great news: call me anytime between 9am and 9pm on Saturday or Sunday, April 3 or 4 at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand and I will immediatley send you the current and nearly-finished draft of the Canon EOS-7D User’s Guide for only $25. You can add the MIV User’s Guide now for only an additonal $20. You will receive the finished 7D User’s Guide PDF via e-mail no later than Wednesday.
I can honestly say that the 7D guide is amazing. Pretty much everything on the 7D is brand new and many folks have been seen shaking their heads in confusion. Learn everything that you need to know about setting up and operating your camera so that you are able to consistently produce the images that you want. This all new guide will open your eyes as to the possibilities. I share all of my Menu and Custom Function settings along with the reasons for each choice. I describe each of the five AF Area Selection Modes in detail and let you know which ones I use for what and why! There is a ton of stuff in this guide that you will never see or hear anywhere else.
Do note that neither the 7D nor the Mark IV guide covers the creation of video. Live View operation is covered in both guides.
I will ask each purchaser to let me know of any errors, omissions, or of anything confusing. Talk to you soon. artie
ps: If the phone is busy or there is no answer, please leave a message or call back in 30 minutes. Thanks and :).
March 30th, 2010
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| This adult crane with two small chicks was photographed with the Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC (handheld at 280mm) and the EOS-7D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/8. |
I just got back from the Laredo Birding Festival and have a thousand things to do. Before I left last Tuesday I made it down to Lake Walk-in-Water here at Indian Lake Estates on a few loverly mornings. Spring at ILE is the very best season for photography. This year there are about eight pairs of Sandhill Cranes with chicks, and some of the earilest hatching chicks are now large colts. The wind quit this morning and I wanted to get down to the lake but I simply have too much to do today; maybe tomorrow. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few images with you here.
In the opening photograph (be sure to click on the photo to see a larger, sharper version) I was thrilled with the juxtaposition of the chicks with the adult, and especially with the fact that the head of the chick in the front did not merge with the neck of the adult (as it did in the previous frame). To see what otehrs thought of the image above, check out my BPN post here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59976 Be sure to scroll down to see another great image made with the same camera/lens combination.
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| I created this one working on the BLUBB from the car with the 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, a 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/8. |
I preach that folks work right down sun angle by pointing their shadow at the subject. As I was creating this image, I did exactly that by moving the car into perfect position. You can learn more about the BLUBB here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=16 and learn improve your nature photography by leaps and bounds by getting a copy of “The Art of Bird Photography II” (916 pages on CD only) here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32
See you again soon.
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