Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Several folks commented or e-mailed on the difficulty of photographing the Swallow-tailed Kites near Deland. They were 100% correct. It was my first time ever at this location. We have one more morning on Lake woodruff and I will use what I learned to do much better today than I did on Friday morning.

I forgot to mention yesterday that on Thursday evening I climbed into bed at 6:30pm anticipating a great night’s sleep and waking at 4:00am for the trip up to Deland. I have never ever have a problem falling asleep. I play one game of chess against a BOT on my i-phone, read for a bit, and then I am gone. Anyhoo, on Thursday night I simply could not fall asleep. Wide awake, I read for six hours before finally falling asleep at 12:30am. And I have no clue as to why …

If you are seriously interested in joining me for the world’s best Homer/Katchemak Bay Bald Eagle trip(s) in FEB/early MARCH 2022, please contact me immediately via e-mail for dates and details.

Today is Saturday 24 July 2021. The weather for Deland is looking less than ideal … Partly cloudy with a gentle northwest breeze. Clemens and I will be heading south after our morning session. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, we hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes 209 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 15 July 2020 a few blocks from my home at ILE. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 560mm) and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be dead-solid perfect (as seen in the screen capture below). AWB at 8:44am on a clear, sunny morning. I screwed up the focus (by choosing the wrong AF Method) … Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #1: Zebra Swallowtail on Carolina Red Root blossom

Accurate and Honest Comments

Of the 39,479 approved comments on the blog, those left at the A Zebra at ILE ??? Your Thoughts? Be Honest. Be Brutal blog post here, were among the most insightful ever. The boys and girls did some fine work. So fine, that I am posting my replies here rather than on that post so that lots of folks can learn.

Image #1A: AF point screen capture for the Zebra Swallowtail on Carolina Red Root blossom image

Byron Prinzmetal
July 21, 2021 at 7:42 pm

·

My guess is the af mode was not a spot mode but some wide Sony af mode that got the wing tips as they were the closest points. Hard to have everything right all the time especially when you might have also anticipated getting the butterfly in flight and then had the af mode set for capturing a wider af area for a moving object????? But fantastic image anyway you cut it … BP

Thanks, Byron. I wish that I liked it as much as you. I believe that I was using one of the tracking spot AF methods but they are not nearly as good on the 7r iv as they are on the a1. Even though I started on the butterfly’s head, the AF system drifted off the butterfly and grabbed a spot on the flower just to the left of the butterfly’s left hind wing — the bottom wing on our right. So the head and the antennae were well past the plane of focus … In a perfect world, however, I could have gotten the shot by going to a single point moved to the right center of the frame and placed on the butterfly’s head or at least on its thorax.

James Saxon
July 21, 2021 at 5:32 pm

Nice image. I want to comment on what you titled Raw Digger is not for the faint of heart. I have owned Raw Digger for a couple of months and still trying to wrap my arms around all the information in the guide. It takes looking at your histogram and exposure in a totally new light. I still don’t understand everything but the guide is a huge help when using the software. I am still learning to view my exposures in a different context. When I get it right it takes a lot less processing. I recommend the software but not without purchasing the guide to reduce the learning curve.

Hi Jim, It was great meeting you at Anahuac. And yes, exposing to the right does make post-processing a lot easier. You may be making things a bit too complicated. Once you have the Adapted (Pink) histogram set up, the only thing that matters is the G channel. In a perfect world, that will run right up to the 16000 line. If it makes its was up to the 2/3 mark between the 8000 line and the 16000 line, you have an excellent exposure. Oft times, we wind up only one third of the way from the 8000 line to the 16000 line. That is still a very good and very workable exposure. Many folks are making their lives difficult by not even reaching the 8000 line; their images are under-exposed by a stop or more, often by two stops. artie

Chris Davidson
July 21, 2021 at 2:17 pm

A nice Zebra Swallowtail image, Art! Looks to me like your focus point was around the middle of it’s right wing.

Catching this butterfly with it’s wings fully opened would most likely have given you the details you were looking for … That can be hard at times with some species, they seem to constantly flap their wings. Firing off a burst of images will often times give at least one frame with fully open wings. The out of focus plants in the background also detract a bit, a cleaner background would improve this as well. Of course it’s all easier said than done!!

Thanks, Chris. The AF point was actually on the flower to our left of the butterfly’s left hind wing. But you were at the right latitude. And yes, had the butterfly fully spread it wings and posed flat, the image would have been much sharper and much more striking. I don’t particularly mind the flower background but there are lots of nicer flowers. And yes, the difficultly here was that this delicate creature would land only for a brief moment … artie

Larry Master
July 21, 2021 at 2:10 pm

I like the image. It appears that your AF setting caused the camera to grab what it thought was an “eye” (the red spot). It would have been nice if the wings were more open and/or you had more depth of field with a lower f-stop and higher ISO. I had some success with a similar setup (A1 w/ 200-600 and 1.4) a week ago while leading a butterfly walk (here).

Thanks, Larry. I like it but do not love it; it is not critically sharp where it needs to be. I never set up Eye AF with the a7r iv. I am pretty sure that if I began AF with tracking: Flexible Spot with the a1 it would have locked on the insect’s head … artie

Mike Cristina
July 21, 2021 at 10:49 am

It’s a great shot. I wish the stem on the left wasn’t there but it was, so you had to keep it. The focus appears to be on the red spot and up the center of the right wing. Had he moved his left wing away from you, AND exposed his left antennae into view it might have been a better photo. But, alas, he didn’t know you were there.

Thanks, Mike. I am afraid that it does not work for me even though the butterfly is gorgeous and was a perfect specimen. See above for the actual location of the AF point … Good eye noticing that one antenna was partially hidden 🙁 artie

Adam
July 21, 2021 at 9:54 am

There are several things I like about the image including the composition with the butterfly canted to the right and the slight bend of the flowers to the left. As you observed, it’s an interesting specimen and one we don’t see around here. Obviously, you have little control over the background and flower so I won’t venture to comment on these issues. What would I have preferred to have seen? Both wings (L>R) are a bit oof (DOF v. motion?) and the head position is not optimal. Only one antenna is visible and the head is ever slightly shrouded by the wing. Also, the focus appears to be on the spots on the lower part of the wings so the head is not the focal point. The right tail flare (?) is lost in the shadow of the stem on the plant (from the butterfly?) Perhaps had you moved to the right a bit, all of these issues would have been obviated though with butterflies, they rarely pause but for a brief second.

Thanks for your insightful comment, Adam. Your analysis is spot on. Yes, I was pretty much dead on sun angle so that it the shadow of the butterfly on the stem. The image is badly front focused and the head is irrecoverably soft. I believe that you were referring to the tail when you mentioned the flare. I appreciate everyone’s honest and accurate comments. I thought that this image might make for some excellent educational fodder and it did.

Image #1B: A tight crop of the head of the Zebra Swallowtail on Carolina Red Root blossom image

Simply Not Sharp

Click on the image to enlarge it and you can easily see that the butterfly’s head is nowhere near sharp. It is well beyond the plane of sharp focus and in addition, only one of the antennae are visible. Paraphrasing the late Harry Chapin from Mr. Tanner:

The butterfly was beautiful, but unfortunately the presentation was not up to contemporary professional standards; full-time consideration of another endeavor might be in order.

If you are not familiar with the story songs of the late, great Harry Chapin, you might want to invest five minutes listening to this wonderful song here. The complete (and very touching) lyrics are available at the link.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

Following Up

Everything below in today’s post has to do with questions raised in the recent blog post here. Wanna learn? Keep reading.

What’s Up?

I spent most of Wednesday morning watching the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Phoenix Suns for the 2021 NBA Championship. After the game, I reveled for hours in the celebration and the commentary. When the Bucks were down 2-0 in the best of seven series, I was telling my friends that they would win. They proceeded to take the last four games. Congrats to the whole Bucks team, in particular to Final MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The tall, skinny teenager was the fifteenth pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article here.

Giannis Adetokunbo was born in Athens, Greece, on December 6, 1994, the son of immigrants from Nigeria. Three years earlier, his parents had moved from Lagos, leaving their firstborn son, Francis, under the care of his grandparents. Although Adetokunbo and three of his four brothers were born in Greece, they did not automatically receive Greek citizenship. For the first 18 years of his life, Adetokunbo could not travel outside the country and was effectively stateless, having no papers from Greece or Nigeria. He was eventually issued Greek citizenship on May 9, 2013, less than two months before the 2013 NBA Draft. Adetokunbo grew up in the Athens neighborhood of Sepolia. His parents, as immigrants, could not easily find work, so Giannis and his older brother, Thanasis, helped by hawking watches, handbags and sunglasses in the streets. In 2007, Adetokunbo started playing basketball. After gaining Greek citizenship in 2013, his official surname became Αντετοκούνμπο, the Greek transcription of Adetokunbo, which was then transliterated letter-for-letter and officially spelled on his Greek passport as Antetokounmpo. Because many could not pronounce his surname, he quickly became known as the “Greek Freak.” Antetokounmpo obtained Nigerian citizenship in 2015.

Giannis is now 6′ 11″ tall, has filled out to a svelte 242 pounds, and earns $25 million a year. From humble beginnings, he sits atop the sports world with his teammates as NBA champions. I’d be remiss in not recognizing the contribution of forward Khris Middleton (as well as the rest of the team and the oft-maligned coach, Mike Budenholzer). Without Middleton’s clutch shooting the Suns would have won the series.

Thanks to the many who left insightful comments at yesterday’s A Zebra at ILE ??? Your Thoughts? Be Honest. Be Brutal blog post here. I will be sharing my thoughts on the Zebra Swallowtail image here soon. There is lots to learn.

Today is Thursday 22 July 2021. I will begin packing today for my Auto Train trip after which I will be spending all of August on Long Island. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s images. I will be sharing my thoughts on those with you here tomorrow.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes 207 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

Image #1: Happiness Is …

Wind Direction Question

Two days ago, I wrote:

Study the image and see if you can determine the wind direction on this clear sunny morning. Leave a comment if you figure it out.

Three folks took a stab at it. In reality, being able to read the wind the moment you get to the beach, or even before you leave your house, is a vitally important skill for bird photographers. In the cell phone image above, you needed to note the birds in the air. The one landing bird was angling slightly away from us. The other birds in the air were doing the same but angling a bit more to our left. Understand that when the birds on the ground are involved in doing this or that, especially when the wind is fairly light, they will often not be affected at all by the wind. On a windy day at the beach, most birds resting on the ground will be facing directly into the wind. On the other hand, birds taking flight, will always fly directly into the wind, even a fairly gentle wind. The sun comes up roughly in the east. Birds flying directly away from us would show that the wind was from the west. Above, they were angling away to our left; that clearly indicated that the wind was from the west/southwest. In the morning, that wind is not conducive to good flight photography. That’s why we were atop the ladder working at 1200mm photographing the chicks.

This image was created on 18 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL, on the last morning of the second JAX IPT. Standing on the third step of a large step-stool, I used the 81 inch tall Induro GIT505XXL Grand Series 5 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 6:59am on a clear, sunny morning. Tracking” Expand Spot/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Royal Tern chick begging on ridge of sand dune

Wing or No Wing?

In the same post, I wrote:

Of the three tern chick images, which one is best, and why? Do you like the one with the wing in the upper left, the one with the wing in the upper right, or the one with the clear light-blue sky? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

Ten folks left a comment on the wing question. Seven of those folks liked Image #4 best, the one with the wing of the adult eliminated. The other three preferred Image #3, the one where I moved the wing from the upper left corner to the upper right corner. With regards to the wing versus no wing question. Please understand that I cannot tell you what to like and what not to like. But for me, either image with the wing of the adult is far stronger than the final, cleaner version with the wing dispatched. Why? The chick is reacting to the adult flying by. Heck, they react to any bird flying by whether or not it is their parent. The adults recognize the chicks by sight and by call. The chicks recognize the adults only by call.

The wing tells a story, and helps to move the viewer’s eye around the frame. Coming from “Mr. Clean, Tight, and Graphic, that may be a surprise to many. If anything, the ones with the wing are different. By leaving the wing in either corner, the viewer is forced to think: Why did the artist choose to leave the wing? What is the story being told?

You might try this on for size: Image #4, the sterile image, would have zero chance in any prestigious photo contest. #2 would at least have a chance. #3 would not be eligible for most contests because the wing was moved from one side of the frame to the other.

The always-creative Denise Ippolito wrote:

I like the wing in the upper right corner- number 4 looks a bit sterile to me 🙂 but it is a fabulous shot either way.

Then, the highly skilled (and former BAA student) Cliff Beittel wrote:

#3. I agree with Denise, and better with the wing than without. The wing creates tension (with the promise of release), tells a story, gives the eye and brain more to explore instead of just locking on the throat. I like the giant photographers too.

Now this might surprise you even more. I like Image #2 (above), the best — the original with the adult’s wing in the upper left corner. Why? Because that was the reality. I will admit, however, that the image design is better balanced with the wing flopped and placed in the upper right corner.

This Just In

At 10:11am, three hours after publishing this, I finally realized why I prefer the original image with the wing in the upper left corner. With the wind from the west/southwest, the adult was flying from right to left as I viewed the scene. We are seeing the dorsal part of the adult left wing. With the wing flopped, the bird would have had to have been flying in the opposite (wrong) direction … If that makes any sense.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

Need Your Help

Of today’s four featured images, which one do you like best? Of the three tern chick images, which one is best, and why? Do you like the one with the wing in the upper left, the one with the wing in the upper right, or the one with the clear light-blue sky? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice. In addition, you can learn a ton by considering the Wind Direction question below.

Many thanks. Much love.

What’s Up?

I slept late (for me), and woke to a still, gorgeous morning here at ILE. After eight great sessions on the second JAX IPT, I did not even think about going out to photograph. That, in part, because the fields down by the lake are too wet to drive on. I did get lots of work done, did my bursts and a swim, and ate well. I made some progress on my 2020 tax return, answered lots of Used Gear Page e-mails, and added four folks to the Sony A1 Info and Updates group, a one-day record!

If you are looking for a Sony SEL 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens, get in touch with Steve Elkins at Bedford asap and be sure to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3% and enjoy free second-day air Fed-Ex shipping.

Today is Tuesday 20 July 2020. I am beginning to think about packing for my trip to Long Island. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about one hour to prepare and makes 205 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Canon EOS-1DX Mark II Professional Digital Camera Body

BIRDS AS ART Record-low Price!

BAA friend Ron Horn is offering a Canon EOS-1DX II in excellent plus condition for the BAA record low price of $2199.00. The camera has only 44,000 shutter actuations (rated to 400,000). Both LCDs are pristine and there are a few very minor cosmetic marks on the body. The sale does not include the original box but does include everything that came in it along with an extra battery, a custom Kirk L-bracket (approximately a $175.00 value), and insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Your item will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Ron via e-mail

The 1DX Mark II is a rugged, fast Canon professional digital camera body. It features an excellent AF system and high quality image files with great dynamic range. When he used Canon, it was the first choice of Arash Hazeghi, the world’s premier photographer of birds in flight. This body is still in production and currently sells new for $4,499.00. Save a very sweet $2300.00 by grabbing Ron’s dSLR ASAP. artie

Image #1: Happiness Is …

Happiness Is …

Happiness is being very tall at sunrise at 1200mm with some tern chicks on the ridge. I am in the middle, Donna Bourdon is to my left, and Clemens Van der Werf is on my right. The ridge is dead center past the adults, the last bit of visible sand between the shadows of the two big lenses. It is a rare day when I am just about as tall as Clemens. We all took turns on the ladders. Being up on a ladder is also great for handheld flight as you can see the birds coming and you can get some nicer-than-sky backgrounds.

Wind Direction Question

Study the image and see if you can determine the wind direction on this clear sunny morning. Leave a comment if you figure it out.

The iPhone Photography e-Guide To order your copy of the iPhone Photography e-Guide, please click here. The PDF is sent link by e-mail for downloading: the file is relatively huge at 216 MB.

Hard to Believe

Yes, Cliff has a great eye and wonderfully creative vision. Yet it is still hard for me to believe that he can make so many great images with “just“ an i-phone. Almost more amazingly Cliff captures with his iPhone and does all of his post-processing on the phone! In this great new e-Guide written for BIRDS AS ART you will learn to set up your iPhone quickly and efficiently and how to use it. In addition, there are dozens and dozens of tips on Cliff’s favorite apps and his favorite gear. Scroll down to the bottom to see the Table of Contents.

The iPhone Photography e-Guide: $20.00.

To order your copy of the iPhone Photography e-Guide please click here.

Dr. Cliff Oliver

Dr. Cliff Oliver is an award-winning photographer, former photography instructor for the San Diego Natural History Museum, cutting-edge integrative health care professional, and international workshop leader. He created and taught the first 5-day immersion iPhone photography workshop at Hollyhock, Canada’s premier Leadership Learning Center. He teaches quarterly iPhone photography classes at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library School of the Arts (these include Art on the iPhone, iPhoneography, Portraits and Selfies, and Practicing in the Field). His images have been on the cover of WildBird magazine, on display at Scripps Oceanography Institute, and been honored with multiple first-place finishes in the International Exhibition of Photography Del Mar. The San Diego Natural History Museum’s, “Birds of the World” centennial exhibit featured several of his images. One of his iPhone images received an honorable mention in the Athenaeum 23rd annual juried exhibition. He has displayed images at Art Speaks: Expressions of Hope and Healing and has produced a series of books, called Zen I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII that feature original images that promote inner peace. The last 4 books feature only images taken on the iPhone. He teaches individuals and groups the skills of capturing iPhone/mobile photographs and then how to create personalized works of art.

To see some of Cliff’s iPhone images, click here. Learn more about Cliff and what he does on his Center for Balance website here. And don’t forget, if I had never met Cliff I would be pushing up daisies somewhere. To request my Health Basics File that contains the whole story, please shoot me an e-mail by clicking here..

Induro’s GIT505XXL Grand Series 5 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod

Optimized for the highest level of stability and utilizing a flat modular magnesium alloy platform, the Induro GIT505XXL Grand Series 5 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod reaches to 81.3″ tall with the legs fully splayed, and without a center column, can get you as low as 5.5″. With a maximum load of 88.2 lbs., it is strong and sturdy enough for all bird photography applications. Each leg is divided into 5 sections and features half-turn twist locks for fast adjustments. Portability is maintained as well with a folded length of 27.6″. I ordered mine from B&H last week and got it just in time for the second JAX IPT. It got me where I needed to be!

This image was created on 18 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL, on the last morning of the second JAX IPT. Standing on the third step of a large step-stool, I used the 81 inch tall Induro GIT505XXL Grand Series 5 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 6:59am on a clear, sunny morning. Tracking” Expand Spot/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Royal Tern chick begging on ridge of sand dune

I Was Lucky Early

I had spotted some chicks on the sand ridge in these images the day before, so I positioned my ladder to be right on sun angle as soon as the sun cleared the ever-present cloud bank on the eastern horizon. I was very lucky early on as I had clear views of several chicks atop the ridge. After that, it was very difficult to find a slot through the numerous adults (and young) blocking line of sight to the birds on the ridge.

This is the original image with the wing of a fly-by adult in the upper left corner.

This image was created on 18 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL, on the last morning of the second JAX IPT. Standing on the third step of a large step-stool, I used the 81 inch tall Induro GIT505XXL Grand Series 5 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 6:59am on a clear, sunny morning. Tracking” Expand Spot/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3: Royal Tern chick begging on ridge of sand dune

Flopped

For this version, I flopped the upper part of the sky so that the wing would be — as suggested by friend and colleague Denise Ippolito, in the upper right hand corner. I selected the upper part of the sky and then used techniques from APTATS to flop the selection horizontally. The whole process took about 30 seconds.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and Layer Masking techniques in the APTATS I & II Bundle. Save $15 by purchasing the pair.

This image was created on 18 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL, on the last morning of the second JAX IPT. Standing on the third step of a large step-stool, I used the 81 inch tall Induro GIT505XXL Grand Series 5 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 6:59am on a clear, sunny morning. Tracking” Expand Spot/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #4: Royal Tern chick begging on ridge of sand dune

The Wing is Gone

For the third version, I eliminated the wing completely. This actually turned out to be a bit more work than flopping the wing from left to right. Why? When I grabbed the upper right corner, flopped it, and moved it into place over the wing in the upper left corner, there was a bit of a tonality mis-match. A bit of work with the Patch Tool and Content-Aware Fill eliminated the mismatched tones.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

Your Fave?

Please take a moment to leave a comment; let us know which of today’s two featured images you like best, and why you made your choice.

What’s Up?

Though the weather has been a challenge — nothing but sun all day every day, with a slight breeze from the southwest early each morning and a strong southeast wind in the afternoons, everyone has gotten lots of great images. On Saturday morning the wind switched to southeast earlier than it had on Friday so we had lots of more excellent flight photography. Again, we enjoyed some gorgeous clouds in the low western sky. At one point, I did head shots with the hand held 200-600 and the 2X teleconverter just to show that it can be done. Not surprising, Bird- Eye/Face tracking worked perfectly. Images soon.

Saturday afternoon was more of the same; we had a hard south wind blowing right at the bright sun. None-the-less, we had some success by sitting near the wash-over pool with long focal lengths and picking off chicks that faced us inadvertently while begging. With lots of birds right in front of us, we were getting head shots of adult and young terns until a sheriff’s vehicle with lights flashing drove slowly right through the birds while on patrol. When we got close to another group on the far side of the pool, a woman with her kid, about five, was teaching him to run through the flocks of resting birds. We left.

Today is Sunday 18 July, the last morning of the IPT. We are heading to the beach at 5:30am, and should be on the road back to ILE before noon. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, we hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took more than an hour to prepare and makes 203 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 15 July 2021 late on the first morning of the second JAX IPT. While seated on wet sand using the knee-pod technique, I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. I seriously screwed up the exposure by accidentally turning off Zebras (with ISO on the rear dial): 1/2000 sec. at f/8 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:34am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Flexible Spot AF with Bird-Eye/Face Detection set performed perfectly. Image #1: Royal Tern large chick swimming in run-over pool

Wind Against Sun

In the afternoons there have been lots of tern chicks in the run-over pool and they have been fairly easy to approach. But with bright sun and a strong wind from the southeast, all of the birds in the water are facing directly away from the light. And that includes swimming birds, bathing birds, and birds resting or preening on the sand and chicks waiting to get fed. With those conditions, photography at the pool is pretty much impossible. On still mornings, or those with southeast or east winds, you have a very good chance to succeed. The out-of-focus grey in the foreground of each image is the wet sand that borders the pool.

Image #1A: RawDigger screen capture for the Royal Tern large chick swimming in run-over pool image

An Easy Over-Exposure Save

The rosy pink Ov-Exp warnings on the breast indicate that the raw file was significantly over-exposed. I had inadvertently turned off Zebras … Note, however, that all of the Ov-Exp pixels are in the G (GREEN) channel. In the RawDigger e-guide we mention that in situations where all of the Ov-Exp pixels are in a single channel, recovering such areas is easily done during the raw conversion by pulling the Exposure slider and the Highlight slider to the left as needed. Doing so restores actual detail to the Ov-Exp areas.

Note that I leveled the image and executed a small crop.

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We could not figure out why the Max G values varied by camera system. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

This image was also created on 15 July 2021 late on the first morning of the second JAX IPT. While seated on wet sand using the knee-pod technique, I used the hand held Panning Ground Pod-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 500. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1 2/3 stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:50am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Flexible Spot AF with Bird-Eye/Face Detection set performed perfectly. Image #2: Royal Tern small chick swimming in run-over pool

More Difficult Butt-Advancing …

As this bird was smaller than the chick in Image #1, and was swimming toward a steeper bank on the edge of the pool, I needed to scootch forward to get over the bank (and right, to stay on sun angle). As noted previously, I worked very hard that morning. One of my goals had been to photograph swimming Royal Tern chicks, so it was all worth it.

Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images A Video Webinar: $30 by electronic download Order your copy by clicking here.

Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images

A Video Webinar

In this 1 hour 28 minute plus video you will learn and be inspired. We cover everything from the very basics to the fine points. After a brief bio, the topics include Behavior, Action, Diagonal Lines, and the Cuteness Factor; Birds in Flight — The Holy Grail of Bird Photography; Mis-Framing!; Basic Image Design/HORIZONTALS: Get the subject out of the center of the frame. Basic Image Design/VERTICALS: The center of the frame is generally fine; The Importance of BACKGROUND; Isolating the Subject; Other Elements of Composition; On Getting Low; Going Wide for Bird-scapes; Super-tight!; Working in Sunny Conditions; Working in Cloudy Conditions; Working in Foggy Conditions; Working in the Shade; Working in Bad Weather; Creating Back-lit Images; Creating Silhouettes; and Creating Pleasing Blurs.

Each segment of the program consists of an average of about 15 images that will drive home the points being made, educate you, and inspire. The instructions and advice, given clearly and concisely, are based on my near-38 years of experience photographing birds with telephoto and super-telephoto lenses. And on several decades of creating educational blog posts.

This presentation is based on the webinar that I did for the South Shore Camera Club in April. You can find some of the comments below along with comments from two of the folks who viewed the webinar the night before the DeSoto IPT began.

You can order your copy of Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images/A Video Webinar by clicking here or by calling Jim with your credit card in hand at 863-692-0906.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

What’s Up?

On the first morning of the second JAX IPT, the hoped for east wind did not materialize until about 9:00am. Early on, it was still. Very still. But there were lots of Royal Tern chicks of all ages on the beach. None of them were silly tame, but if we sat, we all five of us had some great chances. At times, I had chicks walking right up to me. Keep reading below to learn a ton about bird photography.

With a south wind and clear skies we did lots of hand held flight photography as the birds flew away from the colony and turned left toward us and down light angle. I might have a decent one with a baby Barracuda!

Today is Friday 16 July and we will be leaving for the beach at 5:30am. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, we hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took more than an hour to prepare and makes 201 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 15 July 2021 on the first morning of the second JAX IPT. While seated on dry sand using the knee-pod technique, I used the hand held Panning Ground Pod-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/7.1 (stopped down 2/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:45am on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Flexible Spot AF with Bird-Eye/Face Detection set performed perfectly as seen in the screen capture of a previous frame below. Image #1: Royal Tern pale chick on beach in front of dune

Hard Work

In recent memory, I cannot recall a morning where I worked as hard as I did on Thursday. I shot the 600 with the 1.4X TC hand held and on the Panning Ground Pod.. My a1 was covered in sand. With the lens resting on my thighs I must have butt-advanced about a half mile. That is tough on the arms. After each move I had to clean my palms as best as I could … As I was slightly downhill from the chicks in front of the dunes, I got lots of core exercise as well.

Not Action!

While I switched from Canon to Nikon and then to SONY in hopes of becoming a better flight photographer (and did just that), there is a very special place in my heart for good field-guide-type images of gorgeous birds. Here, working right on sun angle, I love the early morning light, the image design, the sharpness, the perfect head angle, and the relatively clean setting. The clean, cute chick. And as alway, “Add green whenever possible.” Keep reading for more on that and on the image design.

I cooled the image down a bit by lowering the Color Temperature (to taste) during the raw conversion in Photoshop (ACR). As detailed in Digital Basics II.

Image #1B: AF point for the first image in the series

Never Settle!

I saw this chick, made one image to fine-tune the exposure, but knew that it was an insta-delete because the tail of the chick merged with the green plant behind it. So I butt scootched once to my left, about a yard, and prayed that the handsome young tern would not move. It did not, and I was very happy. I created 2056 images for the session, almost all of tern chicks. I did not make a single flight image of a Royal Tern. Clemens on the other hand, loved the clouds in the western sky, and created 4500 images, almost all of terns in flight. He had more than 500 keepers. He was happy. I was happy.

The Lesson

Never settle for a good shot when a great shot is available. Ever. I’d much rather come away with nothing than settle for mediocre.

(One Way Of) Restoring Detail in the Brightest Whites

I selected the brightest whites using Select > Color Range, placed the selection on its own layer, and ran a Linear Burn, all as detailed (plus tons more) in Digital Basics II.. I usually reduce the opacity of such layers to somewhere between 5 and 20%. With today’s image a 50% Liinear Burn looked great. That despite the facts that the RGB values for the brightest whites were 251, 147, 240. The high R value explains why I lowered the color temperature …

Believe It Or Not!

Believe it or not, the AF point was even more squarely on the eye in today’s featured image (Royal Tern chick on beach _A1B4393 Jacksonville — FL) than it was in the screen capture above for the first frame in the series (_A1B4378 Jacksonville — FL).

SONY and artie

Switching to SONY, first with the a9 and the a9 II, and then with the remarkable a1, has enabled me (and others, like Mike De Rosa as seen recently in the blog post here), to create images of birds in flight and in action that I could not have even dreamed of when using Canon for 33 years and then Nikon for more than two. Most of the time I am using one of two AF methods that together, cover about 99% of the commonly-encountered bird photography situations. Learn more by joining the group!

From Long-ago IPT veteran Keith Kennedy via e-mail

Absolutely great information. I am calling Jim in a few minutes to order a couple of Delkin 128GB UHS-II cards. Your timely email has saved me a ton of money! Many thanks

In the same vein, via e-mail from John LeClair

Well, e-mail #21 alone was worth the price of admission!

From Pamela Viale, after receiving my a1 settings along with detailed instructions on how to copy them to her SONY a1 via e-mail

This e-mail group has been an incredible boon to me! Thank you so much!

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being a MENU selection.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 67 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

What’s Up?

Me, packing for the JAX IPT. Today is Wednesday 14 July and the weather forecast does not matter as I have too much work to do before I leave at about 11:00am. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and makes 199 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 28 June 2021 on the first JAX IPT. While standing and crouching a bit, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:33am on a cloudy bright morning. Spot S/AF-C (positioned right on the bird’s eye), was active at the moment of exposure and performed as expected. Click on the image to view a larger version Royal Tern day-old chick — barely alive

The Situation

On our second morning, participant Mike De Rosa found this hours-old Royal Tern chick on the beach and called the rest of us over. We all agreed that it would not have been possible for this tiny, helpless bird to survive. It is likely that the chick had been grabbed by a Laughing Gull that then dropped it. The several Herring Gulls around would gulp down tidbits like these in an instant. Perhaps the chick was so well-camouflaged on the white sand beach that once it was back on the ground and unable to move, it was ignored by other (quite numerous) predators. After we photographed the chick, we picked it up and placed in under a wooden palette on the edge of the colony. It was gone by that afternoon.

Learn more about Mike’s experience on his second IPT in the blog post here)

Does This Image Make You Feel Sad? Why?

The tiny chick was both helpless and beautiful. I photographed it from a crouch, while seated on the beach, and as I laid flat on the dry sand. This image, made from a relatively high perspective as I crouched down a bit, was my favorite.

Please leave a comment letting us know whether or not this image made you sad (and why).

A SONY Lens Question

In fact, I could have created an image with the bird much larger in the frame with the SONY 100-400 at 400mm than I did with the 200-600 at 600mm. How would you explain that?

Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images A Video Webinar: $30 by electronic download Order your copy by clicking here.

Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images

A Video Webinar

In this 1 hour 28 minute plus video you will learn and be inspired. We cover everything from the very basics to the fine points. After a brief bio, the topics include Behavior, Action, Diagonal Lines, and the Cuteness Factor; Birds in Flight — The Holy Grail of Bird Photography; Mis-Framing!; Basic Image Design/HORIZONTALS: Get the subject out of the center of the frame. Basic Image Design/VERTICALS: The center of the frame is generally fine; The Importance of BACKGROUND; Isolating the Subject; Other Elements of Composition; On Getting Low; Going Wide for Bird-scapes; Super-tight!; Working in Sunny Conditions; Working in Cloudy Conditions; Working in Foggy Conditions; Working in the Shade; Working in Bad Weather; Creating Back-lit Images; Creating Silhouettes; and Creating Pleasing Blurs.

Each segment of the program consists of an average of about 15 images that will drive home the points being made, educate you, and inspire. The instructions and advice, given clearly and concisely, are based on my near-38 years of experience photographing birds with telephoto and super-telephoto lenses. And on several decades of creating educational blog posts.

This presentation is based on the webinar that I did for the South Shore Camera Club in April. You can find some of the comments below along with comments from two of the folks who viewed the webinar the night before the DeSoto IPT began.

You can order your copy of Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images/A Video Webinar by clicking here or by calling Jim with your credit card in hand at 863-692-0906.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

What’s Up?

Sunday was a perfect morning for flower photography — cloudy bordering on bright, and dead still. That’s why I spent more than an hour in the garden with my macro rig. And I tried something that might lead to a very neat discovery … I ordered a single item that will allow me to go forward. I got some more work done on the Sony Alpha a1 Set-up and Info compilation but still have lots more to do.

Today is Monday 12 July. I am getting excited about returning to Jacksonville. more work done on my 2020 tax return. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took more than an hour to prepare and makes 197 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 11 July 2021 in the butterfly garden in the backyard adjacent to the pool. Standing at full height, with the sprig Plamped, I used the Induro GIT 304L topped by a Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. The exposure was in part determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the rear wheel, and then selected as best from a bracketed series of exposures after evaluation in RawDigger. Multi-metering +.7 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/8 (stopped down 2 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. Manual Focus, Focus Magnifier, Focus Peaking, and the 2-second self-timer, all as detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. AWB at 7:19am on a cloudy morning. Click on the image to view a larger version; do you see the small, brown bug on the right side of the flower? Image #1: Snow Squarestem (Melanthera nivea), AKA Salt and Pepper blossom

Snow Squarestem or Salt and Pepper

The blossoms of this plant attract large numbers of pollinators, including a wide variety of butterflies, some true bugs, and lots of wasps, bees, hornets, and the like. Last year, later on in the season, we counted 26 Gulf Fritillaries on the white and black Salt and Pepper flowers. This plant is easily propagated from stem cuttings.

I picked and Plamped this sprig, made lots of images, and then picked another, simpler sprig and did the same. Artistically, I liked the images of the cleaner sprig better than those of the first, more complex sprig. But none of those had a strange visitor sitting on the blossom.

Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1A: Tight crop of the weird visitor in the Snow Squarestem (Melanthera nivea), AKA Salt and Pepper image.

The Weevil!

I never saw the bug until I reviewed the images. Thanks to BAA-friend “Bug” Bob Allen for identifying the bug for us. He wrote last night in an e-mail:

It is a species of weevil, family Curculionidae. Note the long rostrum (“snout”) and the “elbowed” antennae.

Bob Allen
Author/photographer of Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains

Robert L. “BugBob” Allen is an entomologist, botanist, instructor, nature photographer, and author living in Orange County, California. You can learn more Bob’s varied and impressive accomplishments here.

Alpha a1 Image Quality!

The a1 continues to astound me, both for its science-fiction-like AF system and for its incredibly detailed image files. And everything you need to know to photograph flowers successfully is detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. Those include Manual Focus with Focus Magnifier, Focus Peaking, working in Aperture priority with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Wheel.

Manual Focus with Focus Magnifier and Focus Peaking

All of the high-end SONY mirrorless camera bodies offer these features. If you do macro, using them properly in combination is both efficient and fun. After activating Focus Magnifier (as detailed in SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes #16), you frame the shot — always working on a tripod. While focusing manually, the areas of sharp focus will be overlaid by the peaking color of your choice. As you turn the focusing ring, you will see the focus peaking move from front to back or back to front across the image. Then you can magnify the image in two steps to ensure critically sharp focus exactly where you want it. You can also use Focus Peaking to help you get perfectly square to two flowers (or bugs) in a single frame by altering your perspective until Focus Peaking covers both subjects.

The Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini

The Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini is back in stock! You can purchase yours here in the BAA Online Store.. The Levered-clamp FlexShooter Mini on just about any decent tripod like the Induro GIT 304L is dead-solid-perfect for those whose intermediate telephoto or telephoto zoom lenses are their workhorse lenses for bird and nature photography, for all macro lenses with a tripod collar, and for wide angle lenses with a Wimberley P-5 Plate on the camera body. The levered-clamp is super-fast and secure. Though it weighs only 1lb., 2.4 ozs, this elegantly manufactured head is rock-solid. It takes only seconds to level all FlexShooter heads for square-to-the-world panning, and these innovative and patented spring-counterbalanced double ballheads will completely eliminate ballhead-flop and will balance your lens perfectly with just a little bit of care when mounting your rig — as noted below. As far as I know, this brand-new Arca-Swiss compatible head is now available only from BIRDS AS ART.

Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #1B: Topaz Sharpen AI on the weird visitor (selected) in the Snow Squarestem (Melanthera nivea), AKA Salt and Pepper image.

Topaz Sharpen AI Tip

As soon as I brought the TIF file into Photoshop, I ran Topaz DeNoise (on Low Light) on the entire image. After that, working very large, I made a careful selection of the then-unidentified bug with the Magnetic Lasso Tool. Then I placed it on its own layer, brought it into Topaz Sharpen AI, and set the Zoom to 400%. On Auto, Sharpen AI suggested that Motion Blur would be best. But when I compared that with Out of Focus, the latter looked much sharper. Note that even at 400%, there was no visible artifacting on the bug’s body. But when the image re-opened in Photoshop and I clicked the eyeball for that Layer off and on, it was obvious that the eye was much improved (sharper), but that Sharpen AI had sharpened the remaining noise on the bug’s body and created some very ugly artifacting. What to do? I added a Regular Layer Mask and painted away the offending pixels on the lower half of the bug’s body.

The lesson is that if you selectively sharpen part of an image and it looks fine in Sharpen AI, you must examine the results in Photoshop while working very large.. When painting away the offending pixel you may opt to work at a lower Opacity so that you can eliminate the problematic areas (if any) just a bit at a time.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

SONY and artie

Switching to SONY, first with the a9 and the a9 II, and then with the remarkable a1, has enabled me (and others, like Mike De Rosa as seen recently in the blog post here), to create images of birds in flight and in action that I could not have even dreamed of when using Canon for 33 years and then Nikon for more than two. Most of the time I am using one of two AF methods that together, cover about 99% of the commonly-encountered bird photography situations. Learn more by joining the group!

From Long-ago IPT veteran Keith Kennedy via e-mail

Absolutely great information. I am calling Jim in a few minutes to order a couple of Delkin 128GB UHS-II cards. Your timely email has saved me a ton of money! Many thanks

In the same vein, via e-mail from John LeClair

Well, e-mail #21 alone was worth the price of admission!

From Pamela Viale, after receiving my a1 settings along with detailed instructions on how to copy them to her SONY a1 via e-mail

This e-mail group has been an incredible boon to me! Thank you so much!

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being a MENU selection.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 67 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

What’s Up?

I headed out early on Friday morning to photograph the Alligatorlily blossom that I had found late on Thursday afternoon. Read all about it below. I finished and distributed SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes e-mail #21: Memory Cards and Lots More, worked on some images, and answered lots of e-mails. Long-ago IPT veteran Keith Kennedy wrote in response: Absolutely great information. I am calling Jim in a few minutes to order a couple of Delkin cards. Your timely email has saved me a ton of money! Many thanks.. In the same vein, John LeClair e-mailed this: Well, e-mail #21 alone was worth the price of admission! After receiving my a1 settings along with detailed instructions on how to copy them to her SONY a1, Pamela Viale chimed in with Artie, This email group has been such a boon to me! Thank you so much!

Thanks for all the comments on the blog yesterday. Those who left a comment on the Divide and Conquer Technique Revealed in a Free Excerpt. Clean-up By Popular Demand. And One Bird Butt Too Many blog post here, will receive an e-mail later today detailing exactly how I eliminated the extraneous tern butt in one fell swoop. I like this new approach to encouraging folks to leave a comment.

The forecast for this morning, Saturday 10 July 2021, is for early morning thunderstorms with a brisk wind from the northeast becoming cloudy with less wind later in the day. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took two hours to prepare and makes 195 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 9 July 2021 near my home at ILE. While seated on wet grass, I used the Induro GIT 404XL/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 400. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial. Aperture Priority (A) Mode -1/3 stop: 1/125 sec. at f/8 (stopped down two stops) with the 5-second self-timer. AWB at 7:26am in the shade with a bit of sunlight peeking through the tall vegetation. Manual Focus with Focus Peaking all as detailed in the SONY a1 Info and Updates Group e-mails. The more I use this feature, the more I love it, and the better I get at it. Image #1: Alligatorlily (Hymenocallis palmeri)

If At First You Don’t Succeed …

I found my first-ever ILE Alligatorlily blossom on the afternoon of 4 July and photographed it the next morning. I was not thrilled with any of the results. I realized that I had been too low when working off the completely splayed tripod and the rear screen. I found another pristine blossom on Thursday afternoon two blocks from the first one so I headed out early to try again. Still sitting on the grass, I worked through the viewfinder from a higher perspective … The results were better.

Image #1 above was created with the naked 600mm f/4 lens at f/8.

The Challenges

With large flowers like Alligatorlilies (4-6 inches or more in diameter), there are many challenges:

• 1- Getting just enough depth-of-field without bringing up horrific background detail.
• 2- Choosing exactly where to focus.
• 3- Choosing the best perspective, both up and down and side to side … The latter determines how the various part of the flower are juxtaposed.

You can find an interesting article on the reproductive strategies of this plant on the Treasure Coast Native blog here.

This image was also created on 9 July 2021 near my home at ILE. While seated on wet grass, I used the Induro GIT 404XL/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 400. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial. Aperture Priority (A) mode at zero: 1/30 sec. at f/16 (stopped down three stops) with the 10-second self-timer. AWB at 7:32am in the shade with a bit of sunlight peeking through the tall vegetation. Manual Focus with Focus Peaking all as detailed in the SONY a1 Info and Updates Group e-mails. The more I use this feature, the more I love it, and the better I get at it. Image #2: Alligatorlily (Hymenocallis palmeri)

Going Longer for Flowers

Looking for an even narrower angle of view, I added the 1.4X TC to the 600 f/4 and moved back only a foot or so. That is why the flower is so much larger in the frame. I was right about at the lenses minimum focusing distance (MFD) for both of today’s images.

Questions

1- Why did I use the 5-second timer for Image #1 and the 10-second timer for Image #2?

2- Why does Image #1 show a bit more depth of field than Image #2 even though it was made at a much wider aperture?

3- What might you discover when working at very small apertures like f/16?

4- Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Why?

All who leave a comment will receive an e-mail with the answers to the three questions.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

Your Fave?

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Please let us know why you made your choice.

What’s Up?

It poured in the early morning and then tropical storm Elsa headed north. All in all, she was pretty much a fizzle as far as big storms go. I got lots of work done on my 2020 tax return. Today, I will be answering lots of Sony Alpha a1 Info and Updates questions and creating e-mail #21. The group has been growing pretty much daily as the world’s best camera for bird photography becomes more and more available. Better yet, no more EVF blackout!

Today, Thursday 8 July 2021, dawned a bit hazy and very still, ideal for flower photography. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes 193 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 15 June 2021 on a beach in Southeast Florida. While standing at full height I used the Induro GIT 304L/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 3200. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:05am on with a faint sun peaking through the haze. Tracking: Expand Spot was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #1: Least Tern chick standing near a beach vegetation/new growth

Add Green Whenever Possible A

I believe that it may have been as early as the original The Art of Bird Photography that I first wrote something to this effect: Add green whenever possible. It is not easy to add green when photographing at an almost pure white sand beach, and it took a bit of effort to create Image #1. To fit the small chick and the greenery into the frame, I opted to move well back rather than to take the time to remove the teleconverter. I did a fair amount of beach clean-up and executed a gentle pano-crop.

This image was created on 1 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, Florida. While seated on dry sand and using the knee-pod technique, I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:48am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #2: Royal Tern chick in beach grasses

Add Green Whenever Possible B

With image #2, the challenge was to add green as there was lots of beach vegetation in the low dune. The trick was to frame the image pleasingly with a clear viewing slot to the subject. I can easily live with the feet blocked just a bit by the grasses. Big time thanks to Sharon Reed for letting me know that there was a nice collection of Royal Tern chicks “down the beach a bit.”

I’d guess that the chick in Image #2 is about two weeks old. I am checking with Paul A. Buckley, an old friend, who, with his wife Fran G., wrote the Royal Tern species account (#700) for the Birds of North America.

SONY and artie

Switching to SONY, first with the a9 and the a9 II, and then with the remarkable a1, has enabled me (and others, like Mike De Rosa as seen recently in the blog post here), to create images of birds in flight and in action that I could not have even dreamed of when using Canon for 33 years and then Nikon for more than two. Most of the time I am using one of two AF methods that together, cover about 99% of the commonly-encountered bird photography situations. Learn more by joining the group!

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being a MENU selection.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 64 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

What’s Up?

It’s been amazing here. It has not rained a drop here for the past two days. Prior to that, there had not been a day without at least one torrential downpour in more than a month. I did get out early to photograph the beautiful lily that I found on my walk the previous evening; I used both the SONY 600 f/4 GM and the Canon 180mm macro lens with the Metabones adapter. I did my bursts and a swim. And I spent well more than an hour post-processing today’s featured image. There is a ton to learn below.

Today is 6 July 2021. It is a still and overcast morning. After I finish this post, I will take a walk and get started on my 2020 tax return. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took about three hours to prepare (including the time spent on the research and the image optimizations), and makes 191 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Short-Notice JAX IPT #2

Short-Notice JAX IPT #2

Room for a Single, a Couple, or More …

Photography, especially of birds in flight, was so phenomenal at the Jacksonville Royal Tern/Sandwich Tern/Laughing Gull/Brown Pelican rookery that I will be returning in a week. The only time I have experienced such non-stop flight action was on the gannet boat in Scotland. Two folks have committed to attending the 4-DAY IPT starting with the afternoon session on WED 14 July and ending with the morning session on SUN 18 July. It will be worth flying down for this one. Couples are welcome!

Please e-mail immediately or call my cell if you would like to join me or learn the details; arranging for a great AirBnB will be one of the keys to success so the sooner the better. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372.

Royal Tern with Squid/Before and After

There is not much you can do in the field with a white sky as you need to expose properly to the right. I had several good chances on this bird as it flew circles over the colony looking for its chick. The original — the BEFORE image here, was the single best frame (but for the fact that I clipped the end of the primaries of the bird’s near-wing). This image was made on the closest fly-by, featured the best head angle, and best showed the ink-stain on the tern’s breast that had been inflicted by the squid.

I knew that I wanted to try to repair the clipped wingtip and BLUE-up the sky a bit but was not sure that I would succeed. I converted the image in ACR adding +0.20 stops of light, setting the WHITE (+8) and BLACK points (+10), pulling down the Highlights to -21, and moving the Shadows sider to +18. Once in Photoshop, I ran DeNoise on Low Light/AUTO. Then I executed a Content-Aware Crop hoping that that would do a half decent job with the missing wingtip. I messed around with that result for about twenty minutes before discarding it. I knew that I would need to re-build the missing wingtip from scratch as I had no source material to work with. I worked with a series of very small, transformed Quick Masks refined by the addition of Regular Layer Masks. After about thirty minutes, I was satisfied with the repair.

To lighten the squid, I made a very careful selection of the small sea creature by using the + and – Magnetic Lasso Tools and then put the selection on its own layer. Next, I lightened the squid by pulling up the curve (Command + M). Then I tried something that I has never done before in Photoshop: I ran Filter > Camera Raw Filter on the selection only. I moved the Texture, Clarity, Dehaze, and Vibrance sliders to about +12. It was sort of a poor man’s Viveza without having to use the Control Points. In any case, I was happy with the results. Now it was on to BLUE-ing up the sky.

I had tried (and failed) to do that well with yesterday’s young Brown Pelican flight image, but I learned some important lessons by failing with that one. First I made a very careful selection of the tern again using the + and – Magnetic Lasso Tools. Very careful. I feathered the selection one pixel, placed it on its own layer, turned off the eyeball for that layer, and brought the layer below into Viveza. Improving my efforts from the previous day, I worked with about twenty (Grouped) Control Points of varying sizes. I darkened the sky a bit and played with the BLUEs a bit. When those changes looked good, I hit OK. As expected, the changes had some effect on the bird. By simply clicking the eyeball on the topmost layer back on, I had the original bird back without any problematic edges.

All in all I spent about an hour and twenty minutes on the post-processing. Was it worth it? For me, that would be a very big yes. Have you ever seen a decent image of a tern with an ink-stained breast with a squid in its bill?

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The tools and techniques mentioned above (including the raw conversions in ACR) and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my MacBook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading, can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: all of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About two years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One Pro 12 and continue to do so today.

To purchase Capture One, please use this link. Then you can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

This image was created on 28 June, the first morning of the first JAX IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 433mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be 1/3 stop too dark. AWB on an overcast morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Royal Tern carrying squid with ink stains on breast

Lolliguncula brevis

Lolliguncula brevis — AKA Atlantic brief squid, Western Atlantic brief squid, or Southern brief squid, is a small species of squid that is found in shallow parts of the western Atlantic Ocean, most frequently in shallow waters along the eastern seaboard of the United States as far north as Delaware. It is also found along the coasts of Central and South America.

Thanks to Dr. Fish, blog regular David Policansky, who sent the screen capture I sent him to his friend, invertebrate zoologist Jim Carlton, who wrote,

“It is the common southern squid, Lolliguncula brevis — which is the southern relative of our common New England squid — seen in the markets and used for bait, Doryteuthis pealeii (long known as Loligo pealeii).”

Image #1A:Tight Capture One screen capture of the Royal Tern carrying squid with ink stains on breast image

Is the SONY Alpha a1 Worth $6500?

First, be sure to click on the Capture One screen capture above to see the incredible sharpness and fine detail on today’s featured a1 image. Then, consider this:

In late 2002, just two years after starting with digital photography I purchased a new EOS-1Ds, a full-frame 11.1-megapixel digital SLR camera body made by Canon. I paid $7,999.00 then, equivalent to $11,509.00 in 2020 dollars! Do understand that this body was the first-ever full frame dSLR and that the 11.1-MP files were huge at the time. The shooting speed was three frames per second and you were limited to ten-frame bursts before hitting the buffer and waiting a full minute for it to clear … High ISO noise was well controlled. I sold the body two years later for $2,000.00. Talk about depreciation! And today, you can purchase a decent used copy for less than three hundred bucks. Yikes!

The full-frame Sony Alpha a1 features 51-MP files, 30 frames per second shooting (in Compressed RAW), an almost limitless buffer, and a science-fiction-like autofocus system. From where I sit, the a1 is a huge bargain. That’s why I own two of them.

SONY and artie

Switching to SONY, first with the a9 and the a9 II, and then with the remarkable a1, has enabled me (and others, like Mike De Rosa as seen recently in the blog post here), to create images of birds in flight and in action that I could not have even dreamed of when using Canon for 33 years and then Nikon for more than two.

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being a MENU selection.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 64 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.