On Friday morning I followed the new crane family around for a bit. The birds quickly made their way to the top of the small rise to the right of the parking circle by the pier. Ideal! I worked a bit with the tripod-mounted 600 f/4 and the a9 ii. And when the sun broke through, I added the 1.4X TC. Then I grabbed the 100-400 with the a7r IV from my SUV and went to work. I stayed in on Friday afternoon as it clouded over.
On Saturday morning it was raining at 7:00am. It stopped and I headed down to the lake at 8am. I found the family on the same hill. It started drizzling pretty hard but I kept working with the 600 f/4 and the a7r iv. When the sun came out I decided to give the handheld 200-600 with an a9 ii a chance and was glad that I did. When the chicks began to rest I grabbed the 600 f/4 a7r IV and added the 2X. What fun. It clouded over and the whole family walked out into the marsh, under the pier, and headed back to the nest for a serious rest.
I pulled my car out of the garage at 7:30pm to head down to what looked like a promising sunset only to ear a thump-thump-thump. The AAA was here by 9:30 and he fixed the flat in short order. I was in bed by ten, late for me but very happy. I’d hate to miss a morning session with the crane babies.
Be sure to let us know which of today’s two featured images you like best. And why.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Paul McCartney Carpool Karaoke from The Late Late Show with James Corden
I had not known much at all about James Corden until I saw him as a guest on Sports Center with Scott Van Pelt (“It’s midnight eastern and I am not tired yet.”) SVP asked him about his carpool karaoke skits and mentioned several including the one with Paul McCartney. I always liked the Beatles but I loved the Four Tops and the Four Seasons. And I was never a huge Paul McCartney. But curious, I did an online search and found the YouTube video above. The video is amazingly done. It is clever and sincere. The music, of course, is plentiful, wonderful, and iconic. And James Corden’s enthusiasm adds a ton. Driving around Liverpool, the duo visited Penny Lane, the house that McCartney grew up in and wrote and played music with John Lennon, and did a sort of flash mob bit in a pub where the Beatles had performed as then-unknown teens. The best part might be where McCartney. — in the sixties — tells of a dream he had of his late-Mom. Reassuring him she said, “It’s gonna be OK. Let it be.”
Paul McCartney might bee the nicest person on the planet — hugs and handshakes for strangers, connecting with folks instantly like Arnold Palmer did — and I am now a huge fan. Diehard McCartney fans will enjoy the David Frost interview (“Still Prancing”) here. I learrned also that James Corden is a pretty cool guy as well.
If you can watch the video without smiling so much that you begin to cry, let me know.
If you do not know George Carlin and are offended by foul language, be advised not to click play on this one. If you want a bunch of good laughs go for it. If you see any connection with what George says and what is going on today, don’t blame me.
This recipe is fast and simple. It serves one. Sautee 1/4 diced onion and two diced Brussells sprouts in extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan. Do not blacken the edges. Shred 3-4 ounces of canned, cooked, or smoked salmon in a mixing bowl, crack in one cage-free range-fed egg, add one ounce of nutritional yeast, and season with ground black pepper and sea salt. Mix in the sauteed veggies. Form into a single patty with a spatula and cook it in the frying pan until golden-brown on each side. Serve with mayo or tartar sauce. Enjoy.
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and Videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
SONY 200-600 Update
Steve Elkins now has four SONY 200-600s in stock; one of them surely has your name on it. Contact Steve as below to save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
This image was also created on 15 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. Again, I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at at 361mm) and the 61-mega-pixel monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial. ISO 500: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:20am on a clear morning.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and again performed perfectly.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane chick looking surprised
Two Too Good
While I was in the field, I knew that both of today’s featured images were really, really good. Any time that you can combine a cute subject in sweet light with an interesting behavior you are gonna be pleased with the results as long as they are sharp. At first, I liked one a lot better than the other. Then I switched teams. I will be interested to see which of the two folks here prefer.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M)
Free-to-all SONY e-Guide Update
One of the reasons that it took so long to finish the SONY e-Guide is that we have continued to learn more about SONY every day. We talk extensively about the various SONY AF Area modes and stress that when working with the amazing Tracking Flexible Spot (M), you need lots of practice to develop the confidence to use it to its fullest potential. Over the past few days, I found myself making failing to check the bottom of the frame to make sure that I was leaving enough room below the chick’s feet. In some cases, I lost great images because of this error. Now that I have been able to verbalize the problem, I find myself checking the bottom of the frame every single time without having to think about it as I design the images in the field. It is becoming second nature.
This image was created on 15 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at at 400mm) and the 61-mega-pixel monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial. ISO 500: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:24am on a clear morning.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly.
With sharp, 61-million pixel image files you can execute fairly large crops and still wind up with exquisitely detailed master files. Each of today’s images was cropped substantially. With Image #2, 37% of the original pixels were cropped away. The flattened, optimized TIF file is 103.7 MB. And with Image #1, only 44% of the original pixels remain. The flattened, optimized TIF file for this one weighs in at 73.6 MB. That said, I am 100% positive that either would print beautifully well beyond 20 x 30 inches.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
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As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Here are some of my very favorite recent comments.
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Blog posts — never more than one every other day — that deal with the current situation in the US (and the world), will include the words Alert: Non-photography-related Post in the title. If you do not wish to read about or discuss the current issues, simply do not open such blog posts. Nobody is forcing you to read the blog. I have lots more important stuff to share and lots more questions to ask. As for those who are disappointed in me or have lost respect for me that is about them. Only I can disrespect myself.
Those who wish to paint me as some sort of conspiracy theorist can keep their heads buried in the sand, ignore solid information from many knowledgeable folks (including doctors), obey all government orders, wait for the COVID-19 vaccine (that is never coming), and line up to have their chips implanted. For those who state that they will never again come to the BIRDS AS ART Blog for the free photography instruction that I have provided for I don’t know how many years — 3044 posts before this one — I wish them only the best.
Adam Rubinstein is a doctor on the front like treating COVID-19 patients.
All I can say is I have first-hand experience, and you are wise to be a skeptic. The lockdown was prudent, albeit too late for an unknown virus with unknown modes of transmission, mortality, etc. The whole intent was to minimize the number of casualties and prevent an overwhelming surge on existing resources. It turns out the virus on first pass targets certain demographic groups, is less deadly than originally projected, and therapies are few and far between. Hydroxy/Azith are still unproven, Resdes has yet to demonstrate efficacy other than shortening the course – no effect on viral load or mortality, and convalescent serum is an unknown.
For those who want to join the crazed pols who want to shut the country down until a vaccine is developed, you may as well kiss your arse goodbye.
Well said Doc.
dhm
Trust science. Trust the experts — Fauci is one. Anyone who doesn’t buy that is promoting needless deaths (and reactionary thinking). End of story.
Yes, Shut up. Be scared. Lock down. Do what we say even if it makes zero sense. And don’t ask any questions. Way to go dhm. Please explain why everyone who shops in Walmart is not dying, causing outbreaks, if you would. Kudos to the gym guy in Belmar, NJ who is opening on Monday despite the governor’s orders.
a
Tilo Samteer
Artie, You don’t subscribe to flu shots. Will you also avoid a covid19 vaccine, should it become available? Wearing a mask protects others, not the wearer. See Andrew Cuomo’s daily presentation.
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Hi Tilo, The only way I will get a COVID 19 “vaccine” is if I am chained down. If you feel that it is important to be injected with carcinogens, toxins, aborted fetal cells, animal DNA, parasites, antibiotics, fungi, insecticides, and disinfectants, that is your choice. Do understand that at present there are ZERO approved vaccines for any of the previous coronaviruses. Heck, maybe you’ll get lucky.
with love, artie
ps: And the jury is still out on masks. If you remember, the CDC originally stated that nobody should wear masks. Right now I believe that all folks should wear masks when they are in fairly close contact with others as when shopping). Do understand that I have gone shopping four times in two months
byron prinzmetal
So whom do you trust from a medical perspective that has national stature that people listen to?
Nobody. I do trust the advice I get from Dr. Cliff Oliver of San Diego.
From LA Mayor Garcetti’s Facebook Page
Los Angeles, CA
On May 13, Los Angeles County health officer Dr. (Barbara) Ferrer said that the stay at home order would stay in place for at least three more months. Yesterday, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti mandated that anyone who goes outside for any reason must wear a mask.
Yesterday, a new order from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti requires Angelenos to wear masks or “face coverings” whenever they leave home, in an effort to stop the coronavirus from spreading. What about L.A. County? In her daily coronavirus briefing this afternoon, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer says the county health order is clear: “Masks are in fact mandatory across the entire county when you’re outside of your home, not with members of your household, and in any kind of contact with other people. The reason you wear a cloth face covering is so that you can protect other people from your respiratory droplets.”
Face Masks Pose Serious Risks To The Healthy
In an article posted by Patrick Wood; he wrote, in part:
With the advent of the so-called COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a number of medical practices that have little or no scientific support as regards reducing the spread of this infection. One of these measures is the wearing of facial masks, either a surgical-type mask, bandana or N95 respirator mask.
When this pandemic began and we knew little about the virus itself or its epidemiologic behavior, it was assumed that it would behave, in terms of spread among communities, like other respiratory viruses. Little has presented itself after intense study of this virus and its behavior to change this perception.
This is somewhat of an unusual virus in that for the vast majority of people infected by the virus, one experiences either no illness (asymptomatic) or very little sickness. Only a very small number of people are at risk of a potentially serious outcome from the infection—mainly those with underlying serious medical conditions in conjunction with advanced age and frailty, those with immune compromising conditions and nursing home patients near the end of their lives. There is growing evidence that the treatment protocol issued to treating doctors by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mainly intubation and use of a ventilator (respirator), may have contributed significantly to the high death rate in these select individuals.
By wearing a mask, the exhaled viruses will not be able to escape and will concentrate in the nasal passages, enter the olfactory nerves and travel into the brain. Russell Blaylock, MD
As for the scientific support for the use of face mask, a recent careful examination of the literature, in which 17 of the best studies were analyzed, concluded that, “None of the studies established a conclusive relationship between mask/respirator use and protection against influenza infection.” Keep in mind, no studies have been done to demonstrate that either a cloth mask or the N95 mask has any effect on transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Any recommendations, therefore, have to be based on studies of influenza virus transmission. And, as you have seen, there is no conclusive evidence of their efficiency in controlling flu virus transmission.
Click here to read the whole article with references.
Dr. Russell Blaylock, a nationally recognized board-certified neurosurgeon, health practitioner, author, and lecturer. He attended the Louisiana State University School of Medicine and completed his internship and neurological residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. For 26 years, he practiced neurosurgery. In addition, he’s had a nutritional practice. He recently retired from his neurosurgical duties to devote his full attention to nutritional research. Dr. Blaylock has authored four books, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life, Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients, and his most recent work, Cellular and Molecular Biology of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
More on Trusting Dr. Fauci
In the Alert: Non-photography-related Post: Trusting Dr. Fauci blog post here, many rose to Dr. Fauci’s defense: “You’ve made mistakes too.” “He changes his position as new data comes in.” “So, you discount all the expertise from a leading epidemiologist because he changed his opinion based on additional information?”
Dr. Fauci in position …
Consider This
Thanks to Cliff Beittel for providing a link to this article From Newsday: Dr. Fauci Backed Controversial Wuhan Lan With US Dollars For Risky Coronavirus Research By Fred Guterl on 4/28/20.
He wrote:
Dr. Anthony Fauci is an adviser to President Donald Trump and something of an American folk hero for his steady, calm leadership during the pandemic crisis. At least one poll shows that Americans trust Fauci more than Trump on the coronavirus pandemic—and few scientists are portrayed on TV by Brad Pitt.
But just last year, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the organization led by Dr. Fauci, funded scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other institutions for work on gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses.
In 2019, with the backing of NIAID, the National Institutes of Health committed $3.7 million over six years for research that included some gain-of-function work. The program followed another $3.7 million, 5-year project for collecting and studying bat coronaviruses, which ended in 2019, bringing the total to $7.4 million.
Many scientists have criticized gain of function research, which involves manipulating viruses in the lab to explore their potential for infecting humans, because it creates a risk of starting a pandemic from accidental release.
SARS-CoV-2 , the virus now causing a global pandemic, is believed to have originated in bats. U.S. intelligence, after originally asserting that the coronavirus had occurred naturally, conceded last month that the pandemic may have originated in a leak from the Wuhan lab. (At this point most scientists say it’s possible—but not likely—that the pandemic virus was engineered or manipulated.)
Dr. Fauci did not respond to Newsweek’s requests for comment. NIH responded with a statement that said in part: “Most emerging human viruses come from wildlife, and these represent a significant threat to public health and biosecurity in the US and globally, as demonstrated by the SARS epidemic of 2002-03, and the current COVID-19 pandemic…. scientific research indicates that there is no evidence that suggests the virus was created in a laboratory.”
The NIH research consisted of two parts. The first part began in 2014 and involved surveillance of bat coronaviruses, and had a budget of $3.7 million. The program funded Shi Zheng-Li, a virologist at the Wuhan lab, and other researchers to investigate and catalogue bat coronaviruses in the wild. This part of the project was completed in 2019.
A second phase of the project, beginning that year, included additional surveillance work but also gain-of-function research for the purpose of understanding how bat coronaviruses could mutate to attack humans. The project was run by EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit research group, under the direction of President Peter Daszak, an expert on disease ecology. NIH canceled the project just this past Friday, April 24th, Politico reported. Daszak did not immediately respond to Newsweek requests for comment.
The project proposal states: “We will use S protein sequence data, infectious clone technology, in vitro and in vivo infection experiments and analysis of receptor binding to test the hypothesis that % divergence thresholds in S protein sequences predict spillover potential.”
In layman’s terms, “spillover potential” refers to the ability of a virus to jump from animals to humans, which requires that the virus be able to attach to receptors in the cells of humans. SARS-CoV-2, for instance, is adept at binding to the ACE2 receptor in human lungs and other organs.
According to Richard Ebright, an infectious disease expert at Rutgers University, the project description refers to experiments that would enhance the ability of bat coronavirus to infect human cells and laboratory animals using techniques of genetic engineering. In the wake of the pandemic, that is a noteworthy detail.
Ebright, along with many other scientists, has been a vocal opponent of gain-of-function research because of the risk it presents of creating a pandemic through accidental release from a lab.
Dr. Fauci is renowned for his work on the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1990s. Born in Brooklyn, he graduated first in his class from Cornell University Medical College in 1966. As head of NIAID since 1984, he has served as an adviser to every U.S. president since Ronald Reagan.
A decade ago, during a controversy over gain-of-function research on bird-flu viruses, Dr. Fauci played an important role in promoting the work. He argued that the research was worth the risk it entailed because it enables scientists to make preparations, such as investigating possible anti-viral medications, that could be useful if and when a pandemic occurred.
The work in question was a type of gain-of-function research that involved taking wild viruses and passing them through live animals until they mutate into a form that could pose a pandemic threat. Scientists used it to take a virus that was poorly transmitted among humans and make it into one that was highly transmissible—a hallmark of a pandemic virus. This work was done by infecting a series of ferrets, allowing the virus to mutate until a ferret that hadn’t been deliberately infected contracted the disease.
The work entailed risks that worried even seasoned researchers. More than 200 scientists called for the work to be halted. The problem, they said, is that it increased the likelihood that a pandemic would occur through a laboratory accident.
Dr. Fauci defended the work. “[D]etermining the molecular Achilles’ heel of these viruses can allow scientists to identify novel antiviral drug targets that could be used to prevent infection in those at risk or to better treat those who become infected,” wrote Fauci and two co-authors in the Washington Post on December 30, 2011. “Decades of experience tells us that disseminating information gained through biomedical research to legitimate scientists and health officials provides a critical foundation for generating appropriate countermeasures and, ultimately, protecting the public health.”
Nevertheless, in 2014, under pressure from the Obama administration, the National of Institutes of Health instituted a moratorium on the work, suspending 21 studies.
Three years later, though—in December 2017—the NIH ended the moratorium and the second phase of the NIAID project, which included the gain-of-function research, began. The NIH established a framework for determining how the research would go forward: scientists have to get approval from a panel of experts, who would decide whether the risks were justified.
The reviews were indeed conducted—but in secret, for which the NIH has drawn criticism. In early 2019, after a reporter for Science magazine discovered that the NIH had approved two influenza research projects that used gain of function methods, scientists who oppose this kind of research excoriated the NIH in an editorial in the Washington Post.
“We have serious doubts about whether these experiments should be conducted at all,” wrote Tom Inglesby of Johns Hopkins University and Marc Lipsitch of Harvard. “[W]ith deliberations kept behind closed doors, none of us will have the opportunity to understand how the government arrived at these decisions or to judge the rigor and integrity of that process.”
You can access the article here (complete with the advertisements).
The Newsweek article above seems to support much of the controversial information presented in Plandemic. What do you think?
The rebuttal at ScienceMag.org here began like this: She makes head-scratching assertions about the virus—for instance, that it is “activated” by face masks. Considering what Dr. Blaylock has to say about masks above, that statement would surely have me doubting whatever else the author had to say …
I had planned to be at Fort DeSoto by now for a week or ten days by now, but with the crane chicks that hatched recently, I am not going anywhere. I’ve been living at ILE for nearly two decades and there has never been a crane family with tiny chicks that was 100% accepting of my presence. The opportunity is simply too good and too amazing to drive away from. A nice benefit of the pandemic 🙂
On my Thursday afternoon walk, I had an ILE first-ever Least Tern fly over the boardwalk. That was followed by the first decent sunset in about ten days. While photographing the chicks every morning and most afternoons, I have learned a ton about crane behavior. Most surprisingly is that they wandered more than 200 yards from the nest just one day after the second chick hatched. And yesterday they expanded that to more than 300 yards and wound up in North Field and then in the marsh north of the pier. The nest is in the marsh about 200 yards south of the pier. My thighs are quite sore again as I spent a good deal of time picking up trash left and right of the pier where the new crane family has been hanging out for the past few days.
The forecast for this morning — Friday 15 MAY 2020 is for northeast winds with clouds developing early. That is pretty good for bird photography.
Thanks to the many who continue to order a variety of educational materials and gear & accessories from the BAA Online Store. Your patronage is appreciated in these unique times. This blog post took more than three hours to prepare including the time spent on the image optimizations.
It is a tough call for sure, but do attempt to pick a favorite from among today’s five featured images. And please let us know why you made your pick. Comments on the good and bad of all of the images are welcome.
Important Note
Blog posts — never more than one every other day — that deal with the current situation in the US (and the world), will include the words Alert: Non-photography-related Post in the title. If you do not wish to read about or discuss the current issues, simply do not open such blog posts. Nobody is forcing you to read the blog. I have lots more important stuff to share and lots more questions to ask. As for those who are disappointed in me or have lost respect for me that is about them. Only I can disrespect myself.
Those who wish to paint me as some sort of conspiracy theorist can keep their heads buried in the sand, ignore solid information from many knowledgeable folks (including doctors), obey all government orders, wait for the COVID-19 vaccine (that is never coming), and line up to have their chips implanted. For those who state that they will never again come to the BIRDS AS ART Blog for the free photography instruction that I have provided for I don’t know how many years — 3044 posts before this one — I wish them only the best.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
SONY 200-600 Update
Steve Elkins now has five SONY 200-600s in stock; one of them surely has your name on it. Contact Steve as below to save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane one-day old chick standing near adult on the nest
May 10 — Day One, the Mother’s Day Miracle
If you missed the Mother’s Day Miracle Crane Chick V-log video, click, here to view it and learn the story of that amazing day of excitement and discovery. It is a rare day that I head down to the lake three times …
This image was created on 11 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at at 277mm) and the 61-mega-pixel monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial. ISO 640: 1/1000 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:27pm on a sunny afternoon.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed almost miraculously with the AF point holding on the adult crane’s head!
Image #2: Sandhill Crane with 1- and 2-day old chicks.
May 11 — Day Two
I went to the 100-400 in hopes of making a decent image that showed the tiny chicks with one or both parents to illustrate how tiny they are. I did not give myself much chance. To improve the artistic merit of this image, it underwent extensive clean-up. The natural history of the image, however, is unchanged: two tiny chicks walking in the marsh with one of their parents. I will share the before image with you here at some point for comparison.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection.
Image #3: Sandhill Crane 2- or 3-day old chick wading
May 11 — Day Three
Choosing one of my SONY telephoto lenses with which to photograph the still-tiny chicks is a decision based on many factors. With the chicks so, so tame, the 200-600 is always left in my SUV as the minimum focus distance (MFD) of the 100-400 — .98 meters or just over three feet — is a huge plus. In the very early morning or the late afternoon (as with Image #3), the 100-400 does not work for the close-up work if the sun is out because my shadow will fall upon the subjects. It was a thrill to get this bird wading in the deep blue water. Sometimes I head away from the Sequoia with the 600/1.4X on the tripod and the 100-400 on my shoulder via a Black Rapid Curve Breathe Strap. The best of both worlds!
This image was created on 13 MAY at Indian Lake Estates. I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at at 394mm) and the AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial. ISO 1600: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 6:55am before the sun got on the birds on what would become a clear sunny morning.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure. I placed the AF point on the right-hand chick’s head and re-composed.
Image #4: Sandhill Crane 3- and 4-day old chicks with the adult on a bed of decaying mayfly carcasses
May 12 — Day Four
I have been mentioning the huge mayfly hatches that have left many tens of thousands of dead ones covering exposed mudflats. The adult cranes, perhaps sensing that one or both of the chicks is tired, will often plop down anywhere inviting them to climb into her feathers — usually from the rear — for a short nap. That is exactly what the adult here was doing when it lay down on a bed of mayflies. I am guessing that the chicks were more hungry than tired as they opted for snacking on dead mayflies rather than resting.
This image was created on 14 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens (at at 382mm) and the 61-mega-pixel monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial. ISO 800: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:41am on a partly cloudy morning.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly.
Image #5: Sandhill Crane chick tight with 1- and 2-day old chicks.
May 13 — Day Five
I am so, so blessed to have been able to photograph these two tiny, too-cute creatures every day for almost a week now that it is hard to believe. They are so tame that when it is cloudy or the chicks are in the shade, the 100-400 is by far the best lens for the job; partial body images of a tiny chick — are you kidding me? It is 1/3 stop faster than the 200-600 at the long end and the MFD of the 1-4 kills that of the 2-6. In addition, as the family is often moving about, the light weight and the small size of the handheld 100-400 allows me to change position quickly and get down on my butt quickly as needed.
The One Negative of the SONY 100-400mm GM Lens
The one negative of the SONY 100-400mm GM lens is that the zoom mechanism — the lens length changes as you zoom in or out — is not at all smooth. Pretty much every SONY 1-4 that I have handled sticks a bit at about 300mm. It is very difficult to use if you are trying to create a zoom blur. And since the problem has to do with the design of the lens, it cannot be fixed or repaired. The internal zoom mechanism of thee 200-600 G on the other hand, is as smooth as butter.
Note however that the incredibly small minimum focusing distance, the f/5.6 aperture at the long end, and the 100-400’s small size and light weight make it a must-own lens for me. Not to mention flower photography!
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
In the blog post here, Tilo Samter asked thiat in a comment regarding flu and virus vaccines, Why don’t you trust Dr. Fauci?
Here’s why:
May 12, Testifying before members of Congress on Capitol Hill, Fauci said: “What I’ve expressed then, and again, is my concern, is that if some areas, cities, states or what have you, jump over checkpoints, and prematurely open up, without having the capability of being able to respond effectively and efficiently, my concern is that we would start to see little spikes that might turn into outbreaks.”
May 13: Fauci said, “Some sort of mask-like facial covering, I think, for the time being, should be a very regular part of how we prevent the spread of infections. And in fact, the more and more you go outside, like here where I am sitting in Washington, DC, you see many people out there with masks on. This gives me some degree of comfort that people are taking this very seriously.”
March 8: Fauci said, “Right now, in the United States, people should not be walking around with masks. Pointless. There’s no reason people should be walking around with a mask. When you’re in the middle of an outbreak, wearing a mask might make people feel a little bit better, and it might even block a droplet, but it’s not providing the perfect protection that people think that it is.”
January 21: Fauci said, “This (COVID-19) is not a major threat to the people in the United States, not something that the citizens of the United States, right now, should be worried about.
April 7. Fauci said, “I don’t think we should ever shake hands again, to be honest with you, Not only would it be good to prevent coronavirus, it probably would decrease instances of influenza in this country.
Do you trust Dr. Fauci? Is this the person that you would like to see charting the future of the country? (Can you say “total lockdown, massive unemployment, economic collapse, and all schools closed for another 1 1/2 years.”?)
The photography on Tuesday morning was excellent. I spent some quality time with the new crane family. And then, surprisingly, I created a very nice frame or two of the Black-necked Stilts. At one point the female crouched in the water inviting copulation; I was sure that I was gonna be famous as the water was blue and still. But the nearby male was not interested.
On Tuesday afternoon the two chicks were on the grass right next to the pier. They were just standing there, completely tame. So I put the SONY 600 GM on the tripod, added the 2XTC, and concentrated on getting just above the grass but on sun angle and created a few killer head portraits. Both chicks have been feeding ravenously with the adults leading the way; I am thrilled to report that both are doing quite well.
Recently, I had two fly-by wood Ducks and two Semipalmated Plovers; the latter, an ILE first for me.
The comments on the freedom of speech/COVID-19/Plandemic posts continue to pour in. Many are incredibly interesting. I have too many favorites to single any out, but I would suggest that interested folks re-visit. I love the very few folks, who, after 3 posts out of 3019 dealing with freedom of speech and the virus, write that they are never coming back to the blog to learn about bird photography. Man, you gotta love it.
Today’s V-log is about 14 1/2 minutes long. It started at almost 17 minutes and I then spent a half-hour cutting out more than three minutes of throat-clearing, hemming and hawing, and pregnant pauses. There are many, many lessons in the video. As always questions and comments are welcome. Enjoy. And be safe.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6 VR Lens
Gary Meyer is offering a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6 VR lens in like-new condition for a BAA record-low $3096.95. The sale includes the original box, the front and rear caps, the soft case, a UV-filter and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Gary via e-mail or by phone at 1-612-221-0150 (Central time zone).
This is a fantastic lens. When I used Nikon, it was my very favorite lens. It is an incredible flight lens and is great with static subjects with the TC-14E III (1.4X teleconverter). It is super-sharp and hand-holdable for almost everyone. It sells new for $3,596.95. Grab Gary’s pretty much new lens to save a spiffy $500.00! artie
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 VR Lens
Gary Meyer is also offering a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4 VR lens in like-new condition for a BAA record-low $596.95. The sale includes the front and rear caps, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Gary via e-mail or by phone at 1-612-221-0150 (Central time zone).
I have always loved the lenses in this class. The Nikon version was a lot sharper than the Canon 24-105. It is a versatile multi-purpose lens with a thousand uses. I keep my SONY 24-105 on the front seat ever day. The 24-120 sells new right now for $1,096.95. Grab Gary’s pretty much new lens to save another $500.00! artie
Nikon
Gary Meyer is also offering a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III in like-new condition for a BAA record-low $226.95. The sale includes the original box, both caps, the soft case, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Gary via e-mail or by phone at 1-612-221-0150 (Central time zone).
As regular readers know I have long-depended heavily on teleconverters and always traveled with two (or even three!) 1.4X TCs. The TC-14E III sells new right now for $496.95 to save a handsome $270.00! artie
SONY 200-600 Update
Steve Elkins now has five SONY 200-600s in stock; one of them surely has your name on it. Contact Steve as below to save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
Mother’s Day Miracle Crane Chick V-log
Click on the play triangle above to spend a good part of Sunday, May 10 with me as I photographed a one-day old Sandhill Crane chick and observed its tiny, helpless, just-hatched nest-mate. I need to emphasize that the cloudy weather that day was the biggest blessing of all. Had it been a clear sunny day, photography would have been nearly impossible. Watch the video to learn how I was able to deal with all the clutter thanks to the giant soft-box of a sky. Along the way, you will pick up dozens of great bird and nature photography tips.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
The two new crane chicks continue to be amazingly accepting. They do, however, spend most of their time hanging out in ugly places. Coming tomorrow: Mother’s Day Miracle Crane Chick V-log.
There have been a few folks who have not been happy that I have been talking and asking about freedom of speech and the pandemic. Very recently, Bill Webb wrote in a comment: I am dismayed that this formerly enjoyable bird blog post and advice site has descended to Facebook levels of political animus and discord. I will check back in a few weeks to see if it has recovered.
The truth be told, the first time I began working on the Freedom of Speech/Plandemic blog post I deleted it, in part out of concern for massive blow-back. Two days later I realized that it was something that I had to do. So I did it. (Note: I would never post this stuff on Facebook as there are far too many haters and idiots there. Two haters did leave comments this morning.)
For the most part, I have been amazed by the quality and the civility of the ensuing dialogue. I have not seen very much discord. Accomplished doctors and attorneys have chimed in along with some simply brilliant folks (like Cliff Beittel). I have learned a lot. Interested folks may wish to re-visit and read the comments on the two relevant blog posts, here and here.
On the More on the Plandemic Video blog post here, Kathy Kunce commented: I watched the movie – now I don’t truly know what to think.
After reading the original rebuttal here and If You Found That ‘Plandemic’ Video Convincing, Read This Toohere — I too find myself scratching my head in confusion. Thanks to David Policansky for the link to the latter article.
This is an excerpt from that article:
Does wearing masks make us more susceptible to the coronavirus?
No. The video says that masks “activate” the virus. Where’s the evidence for that? There isn’t any. (This, by the way, is a specific claim that Facebook cites in removing the video as misinformation. “Suggesting that wearing a mask can make you sick could lead to imminent harm, so we’re removing the video,” the company told the New York Times.)
The above is totally inaccurate. COVID-19 (and other viruses and bacteria) thrive in moist areas. If you are wearing a mask for more than a few minutes, moisture builds up along with bacteria and viruses which will now have the time and a great environment in which to establish themselves.
Am I positive that everything that Judy Minkovits says in Plandemic is 100% true and accurate? No. But I can say the same thing with confidence about many of the statements in the rebuttals. Am I positive that some of the things that Judy Minkovits says in Plandemic are 100% true and accurate? Yes. Do I trust Dr. Fauci? No.
On the same blog post, Mike Johnson wrote: How does this discussion relate to “BIRDS AS ART?”
I have always felt free to go off-topic on the blog, discussing things that have nothing to do with bird photography (like my health, my family, and my early life to name a few) at length. Freedom of speech and the Coronavirus are topics of great interest to me. As BIRDS AS ART is at least $30,000 hole as a direct result of the pandemic, it is very much my business. And over the next year or two, that figure may increase four- or five-fold. (Note: other tour leaders who lead many more international trips than I do have been hurt financially to a much greater degree.)
Some may find this article of interest: Woodstock Occurred in the Middle of a Pandemic. It asks lots of good questions. You can read it here. And you can find the Reuters Fac Check article (partly true claim) here. From where I sit, the article seems to be true (rather than partly true).
Lastly, do know that I have never taken a flu shot and never will.
When I poked my head out the door on Sunday morning at about 7:00am, it was raining pretty hard. By 8:00am, it was down to a drizzle, and still, so I got my 100-400/7r iv quasi-macro rig from the Sequoia and photographed some Firebush blossoms. By 8:15, the rain had stopped, so I drove down to the lake. A quick drive-around revealed no birds other than the two dozen Black Vultures spaced out on the South Peninsula flapping their wings to dry off a bit. I passed on those because I did not want to shoot at ISO 5000. When I got back to the base of the pier, I remembered that the mudflats were covered with zillions of mayfly carcasses so I grabbed the SONY 24-105 with an a9 ii on it. (I should have used the a7r iv.) I always wear my surf booties down to the lake just in case. So I slopped around in the mud — and as it turned out, I made a few really good pattern shots.
Off to my left, I noticed a crane stand up. It was the same bird that had been hanging out in the area, seemingly for forever. I wrote in the blog recently that the eggs were likely infertile. As I approached, I noted a day-old chick. (I had seen two eggs on Friday.) I hustled back to the car, grabbed the 600 f/4, the 7r iv, and the Induro 404L tripod with the FlexShooter Pro on top, and stayed with the bird as it sat on the nest with the tiny chick wandering around a bit at times and at times climbing atop the adult to brood amongst the parent’s feathers. After an hour, the adult bird stood up revealing a just-hatched chick and a very wet, soggy eggshell. As the really tiny chick tried to stand up, its nest-mate ran at it and pecked it relentlessly driving it out of the nest. In a few moments, things calmed down so I stayed with the new family for a while longer.
As I moved slowly, the adult was completely at ease with my presence. As there was a lot of tall grass right around the nest, photography was difficult. The cloudy skies created a huge softbox and working with the f/4 lens on a tripod allowed me to create some nice images at reasonable shutter speeds. At times, it got bright enough for me to add the 1.4X TC. I got back for breakfast at eleven and made two more trips to the lake that day, the first after breakfast, the second after my swim and my second meal. (Remember intermittent fasting?) I learned a ton about crane behavior during the six hours I spent observing and photographing the birds. I will share more when I get a chance to publish some of the images from that most memorable Mother’s Day.
I was very glad to see that the smaller chick had survived its first day.
The forecast for today — Monday 11 MAY 2020 — is for clear skies with north winds so I will be heading down early but with the sun out, I will likely not spend much time (if any at all) with the two chicks.
Consider leaving a comment and letting us know which of today’s three featured images is youor favorite. And why.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
SONY 200-600 Update
Steve Elkins now has seven SONY 200-600s in stock; one of them surely has your name on it. Contact Steve as below to save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
This image was created on 1 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 496mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:28am on a clear morning with just a hint of haze.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
When the Cattle Egrets are foraging for mayflies, I will go with Upper Center Zone or with Tracking Flexible Spot (M) (TFS-M). For this image, I had been using the latter. While I prefer Center Zone for most of my flight photography, what choice did I have? The bird took flight and I snapped off three frames – all turned out to be razor-sharp on the eye … I had tried TFS-M for flight before but had some trouble acquiring focus. Perhaps I need to continue to experiment.
This image is full-frame as it came out of the camera with zero clean-up. I do not think that I could have placed the yellow flowers (tickseed) any better even if I painted this one!
This image was created on 2 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:55am on a clear morning.
Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Image #2: Cattle Egret, breeding plumage, taking flight, wings down
On Thinking Ahead and Being Prepared
After having created a zillion images of foraging Cattle Egrets, I came up with a plan to shoot them in flight from the car. On days with winds from the north or the northeast, groups of birds would take off and fly farther north in search of hordes of mayflies. So I simply moved the car to a point just forward of the feeding flock and photographed the birds that took flight. Getting a gorgeous bird in full breeding plumage with the classic wings fully down is more than I could have hoped for.
This image is also full-frame as it came out of the camera with zero clean-up.
This image was created on 3 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 404mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:51am on a clear morning.
Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Image #3: Cattle Egret, non-breeding plumage, taking flight, wings up
SONY 200-600 Flight Versatility
Note the three focal lengths used to create today’s three featured images: 496mm, 600mm, and 404mm. With the Canon 100-400 II, I would have been dead in the water for the first two images. The handheld SONY 200-600 is an incredibly versatile walk-around lens that happens to be fantastic for flight photography. I wish that the 2-6 was an f/5.6 lens rather than f/6.3 (at the long end). But then would have been heavier …
This image is also is full-frame as it came out of the camera, but with perhaps two-minutes worth of grass clean-up.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Saturday dawned still and foggy so I started out photographing Coral Honeysuckle blossoms in our butterfly garden. I went down to the lake and did see some interesting behavior. And adult crane was sleeping, and I mean sleeping like a log. On my way back to the pier I noticed that he was lying on the ground sleeping, surrounded by three very interested Black Vultures. One of the vultures picked at the crane’s tail feathers as thee others closed in. The crane stood up and pecked at them and they flew off. I was ready for pix but there was always one vultures between me and the action.
For the past few days, we’ve had a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak at our backyard feeder, and yesterday there were two. It is the first time I have seen this species at ILE. The forecast for today — Sunday 10 MAY 2020 — is cloudy with drizzle and rain. It might be a good day for wildflower photography if it is not blowing.
Back to business as usual …
Plandemic
YouTube removed the Plandemic video again yesterday. You should always be able to see it here. Read more on the veracity of Dr. Minkovits below. I clicked on the Learn more link and read every word of it. Nothing there applied at all to the Pandemic video.
Disagreeing with a Dear Friend
In the Whatever Happened to Free Speech blog post here, my longtime and dear friend Patrick Sparkman, co-creator of the new SONY e-Guide, posted this:
Facebook and YouTube are private companies and have their own first amendment rights. The First Amendment applies to the government restriction of speech. Facebook and YouTube have the same rights as you do to censor content that they feel is not appropriate. How many times have you blocked a user here on your blog for content that you deemed not appropriate? Facebook and YouTube have the same rights as you.
The discussion in the comments section of that blog post has been heated but civil.
In any case, Patrick’s response did not quite make complete sense to me and I mentioned it to Dr. Cliff Oliver, another longtime friend, a friend who inspired me to quit trying to kill myself with food about 25 years ago and has guided me along my path ever since then. I hold him in high regard as a brilliant doctor. Via text message, he mentioned people were upset as Congress had given some special exemptions to the big public forums. So I did some online research to learn about these exemptions.
I found a relevant article on the CJ (City Journal) website. It is titled Platform, or Publisher? with this subhead: If Big Tech firms want to retain valuable government protections, then they need to get out of the censorship business. It was co-authored by Adam Candeub, a law professor & director of the Intellectual Property, Information & Communications Law Program at Michigan State University who previously served as an attorney at the Federal Communications Commission and by Mark Epstein, an antitrust attorney specializing in the technology sector.
Below is what was published on May 7, 2018. You can read the article with several live links here.
When the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on social media censorship late last month, liberal Democratic congressman Ted Lieu transformed into a hardcore libertarian. “This is a stupid and ridiculous hearing,” he said, because “the First Amendment applies to the government, not private companies.” He added that just as the government cannot tell Fox News what content to air, “we can’t tell Facebook what content to filter,” because that would be unconstitutional.
Lieu is incorrect. While the First Amendment generally does not apply to private companies, the Supreme Court has held it “does not disable the government from taking steps to ensure that private interests not restrict . . . the free flow of information and ideas.” But as Senator Ted Cruz points out, Congress actually has the power to deter political censorship by social media companies without using government coercion or taking action that would violate the First Amendment, in letter or spirit. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes online platforms for their users’ defamatory, fraudulent, or otherwise unlawful content. Congress granted this extraordinary benefit to facilitate “forum[s] for a true diversity of political discourse.” This exemption from standard libel law is extremely valuable to the companies that enjoy its protection, such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, but they only got it because it was assumed that they would operate as impartial, open channels of communication—not curators of acceptable opinion.
When questioning Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier this month, and in a subsequent op-ed, Cruz reasoned that “in order to be protected by Section 230, companies like Facebook should be ‘neutral public forums.’ On the flip side, they should be considered to be a ‘publisher or speaker’ of user content if they pick and choose what gets published or spoken.” Tech-advocacy organizations and academics cried foul. University of Maryland law professor Danielle Citron argued that Cruz “flips [the] reasoning” of the law by demanding neutral forums. Elliot Harmon of the Electronic Freedom Foundation responded that “one of the reasons why Congress first passed Section 230 was to enable online platforms to engage in good-faith community moderation without fear of taking on undue liability for their users’ posts.”
As Cruz properly understands, Section 230 encourages Internet platforms to moderate “offensive” speech, but the law was not intended to facilitate political censorship. Online platforms should receive immunity only if they maintain viewpoint neutrality, consistent with traditional legal norms for distributors of information. Before the Internet, common law held that newsstands, bookstores, and libraries had no duty to ensure that each book and newspaper they distributed was not defamatory. Courts initially extended this principle to online platforms. Then, in 1995, a federal judge found Prodigy, an early online service, liable for content on its message boards because the company had advertised that it removed obscene posts. The court reasoned that “utilizing technology and the manpower to delete” objectionable content made Prodigy more like a publisher than a library.
Congress responded by enacting Section 230, establishing that platforms could not be held liable as publishers of user-generated content and clarifying that they could not be held liable for removing any content that they believed in good faith to be “obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable.” This provision does not allow platforms to remove whatever they wish, however. Courts have held that “otherwise objectionable” does not mean whatever a social media company objects to, but “must, at a minimum, involve or be similar” to obscenity, violence, or harassment. Political viewpoints, no matter how extreme or unpopular, do not fall under this category.
The Internet Association, which represents Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other major platforms, claims that Section 230 is necessary for these firms to “provide forums and tools for the public to engage in a wide variety of activities that the First Amendment protects.” But rather than facilitate free speech, Silicon Valley now uses Section 230 to justify censorship, leading to a legal and policy muddle. For instance, in response to a lawsuit challenging its speech policies, Google claimed that restricting its right to censor would “impose liability on YouTube as a publisher.” In the same motion, Google argues that its right to restrict political content also derives from its “First Amendment protection for a publisher’s editorial judgments,” which “encompasses the choice of how to present, or even whether to present, particular content.”
The dominant social media companies must choose: if they are neutral platforms, they should have immunity from litigation. If they are publishers making editorial choices, then they should relinquish this valuable exemption. They can’t claim that Section 230 immunity is necessary to protect free speech, while they shape, control, and censor the speech on their platforms. Either the courts or Congress should clarify the matter.
Rebutting the Plandemic Rebbutters
As noted above, YouTube continues to take down the Plandemic video, yet they allow the rebuttals to stand and they continue to promote them. A respected doctor in San Diego posted a factual rebuttal to the rebuttals (with lots of links). It is reproduced below.
Ladd McNamara, M.D.
Ladd McNamara, M.D. is an author, educator, and international speaker, with a passion for health, truth, justice, and freedom. To have lasting happiness and health, one must have freedom to pursue truth in all areas, including the principles of wellness. He has made it his life’s work to first understand, and then educate others on nontoxic healthful modalities that support optimal health, including advanced nutritional supplementation and lifestyle modification. He also feels the duty to inform others of the risks and dangers of certain medications, toxic chemicals in our food and water, and unhealthful lifestyles.
I researched some of the “facts” going around claiming to have “debunked” the movie, which are being regurgitated by many who prefer to remain asleep and won’t put the effort in to research things themselves. Here is what I found along with all of my supporting sources.
1. Dr. Anthony Fauci has worked at the National Institute of Health (NIH) since 1968 and has been a Director with the organization since 1984, “both as a scientist and as the head of the NIAID at the NIH”. A simple Wikipedia search resolved that one.
2. The NIH was one of the institutions funding the original study published in 10/23/2009, which Dr. Mikovits participated in and makes reference to in the Plandemic movie. Dr. Fauci worked at and continues to work at the NIH, one of the primary financial contributors to the study as one of it’s most senior directors, so you can indeed say that Dr. Judy Mikovits was in fact working for Dr. Fauci. I have downloaded the complete original study and saved for you to access here (highlights on page 3 denote Dr. Judy Mikovits’s participation and her employing firm) (highlights on page 6 indicate the institutions which provided the funding for the study):
3. The study was challenged in 2010, when other researches could not replicate their findings and in September 2010, the original team, inclusive of Dr. Judy Mikovits issued an official response supporting their work.
4. After which the original study was partially and then subsequently fully retracted (a very rare move in science). The partial retraction document states that two of the co-authors, Robert Silverman and Das Gupta (whom the original study listed as working for the Department of Cancer Biology) re-analyzed the samples they used and discovered that they had been contaminated. Please refer back to the first link provided herein, for item #1 showing the original study, indicates on the document that it has since been retracted.
5. That she was arrested and a quote from the prosecuting district attorney, that said the charges were dropped because “there were issues with the witnesses”.
6. In September 2012, Dr. Judy Mikovits and a team of other scientists conducted another study replicating the original one and published their findings, ultimately resolving the scientific communities dispute over the original work.
7. As previously shared in another post, Dr. Fauci does in fact hold a large number of patents related to HIV (as Dr. Judy Mikovits states in the video). He also holds numerous patents related to the Novel Coronavirus.
Pirbright, a company funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation owns European protecting replication of a variant gene of an avian infectious bronchitis virus.
Pirbright also has a US patent on the Coronavirus (you will need to scroll down quite a bit to see the owner and inventor they really covered every base on this patent.
Also as previously shared in another post, the polio vaccines the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation tested on children in Africa, causing an outbreak of Polio from the vaccine itself and paralysis on the children.
With a northeast rather than a northwest wind on Friday morning, the expected dozens of Great Egrets did not fly over the pier as they had on the two previous mornings. It was a glorious, clear day with a brisk wind from the northeast, but there was not a lot to photograph. With the water levels down to record-low levels, I did get a few halfway decent images of Semipalmated Sandpipers feeding on mayflies in the very shallow water. And of a crane sitting on a nest in the reeds on two probably infertile eggs.
Thanks to all who commented on yesterday’s Whatever Happened to Freedom of Speech? post. More on that soon.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This Just In!
Steve Elkins asked me to let y’all know that he now has eight SONY 200-600s in stock and that one of them has your name on it. Contact Steve as below and save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
This image was created on 6 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens (at 189mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:08am on a clear early morning.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly.
Image #1: Great Egret preening — cloud-scape
Great Egret Cloud-scape
On Wednesday morning, the big, white, puffy clouds and the chilly northwest breeze was reminiscent of a crisp fall morning on Long Island. When you see nice clouds, think of shorter focal lengths. When photographing down by the lake, I drive around with the 600GM/1.4X TC/a9 ii and the 200-600G with a second a9 ii on the front seat (along with the 24-105 and several teleconverters). I keep my quasi-macro lens — the 100-400GM with the a7r iv — in the back of my SUV along with the Induro GIT 404L with the FlexShooter Pro on it.
I was thinking last week that with the gear upfront with me, I had a focal length hole of from 106-199mm. “What are the chances I would need something in that range? Not much.” I tried the 200-600 at 200mm but it was not wide enough so I went around the back of my vehicle and mounted one of the a9 ii bodies on the 100-400 so that I could get to the 189mm focal length that I needed. After I worked on the exposure and was good to go, the bird kindly stretched one wing …
Image #2: Capture One screen capture for today’s featured image
Can One Lily Pad Make a Difference?
When I saw the image on my laptop, the dark lily pad just to the right of the outstretched wing was pretty much an image killer for me. So after converting the image in Capture One, I brought it into Photoshop and working large, removed the offending lily pad. I used my usual cadre of clean-up tools: the Clone Stamp Tool (mostly to Divide and Conquer), the Patch Tool, and the Spot Healing Brush. In addition — of course, I used several small Quick Masks each transformed and then refined after the addition of a Regular Layer Mask. I was quite happy with the results as seen in the image that opened this blog post as the bird stands out so much better.
Magifying an Image in Capture One Tips
You can simply hit Z for the Zoom Tool and then click-draw a box around the area you wish to enlarge (just as you can do in Photoshop). Or, you can add the Navigator Tool to your Exposure tab, then magnify the image using the slider near the upper right corner, and finally click on the area you wish to see on the Navigator itself.
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.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
All the techniques mentioned above and tons more (with the exception of Capture One RAW Conversions) — 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.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.
To introduce folks to our MP.4 videos and the basics involved in applying more NeatImage noise reduction to the background and less on the subject, I’d be glad to send you a free copy of the Free Noise Reduction Basics MP.4 Video. Simply click to shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
I had the perfect plan in place for Thursday morning and the forecast was right on the button. My execution of the plan, however, was imperfect: I was late getting down to the lake and futzed around too much before getting into position. With clear skies and an east/northeast breeze forecast for this morning — Friday 8 MAY 2020, I am hoping that the plan will work. And I am heading down to Walk-in-Water before 7:00am.
I’d love to hear your opinion on the Snowy Egret images in the DeSoto Snowy Egret V-log: The Importance of Staying Ahead of the Birds When You Have Wind and Sun Together blog post here.
Sony a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera Body
Used Gear page regular Charlie Curry is offering a Sony a9 Mirrorless Digital Camera body in like-new condition (971 shutter releases) and the Sony (VG-C3EM) Vertical Grip a BAA record-low $2598.00. The sale includes the original battery and charger, the USB cable, the instructional manual, the front lens cover, the a9 camera strap, a rear LCD glass protector, the latest firmware update, and insured ground shipping via major courier (to lower-48 US addresses only). Your item will not ship until your check has cleared the bank unless other arrangements are made. Photos are available upon request.
Please contact Charlie via e-mail (preferred) or by phone at 1-407-448-7797 Eastern time zone.
The SONY a9, the original AF king, offers superb autofocus that absolutely kills for flight photography. Virtually every image is sharp on the eye. Many feel that the AF system on the a9 ii is no better. And the vertical grip gives this body a pro-body type feel. As the a9 II sells new for $4498.00 and the VG-C3EM goes for an additional $348.00 for a total of $4,846, you can save an incredible $2248.00 by grabbing Charlie’s a9 right now! (Note: the a9 sells for $3498.00.)artie
Whatever Happened to Freedom of Speech?
The first time that I tried to view the Plandemic video, there was a notice stating that it was removed by YouTube. My understanding is that it was taken down four separate times. Right now, you can see it here on YouTube and elsewhere. Here is the short story: Judy Mikovits is a controversial former chronic fatigue researcher and critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci and mass vaccination who is featured in a viral video vignette promoting a new movie called Plandemic. Whether you believe that Mikovits is a nut-case and that Fauci is a brilliant advisor to multiple presidents, or that Mikovits is a long-persecuted brilliant researcher and Fauci is a vaccine-mongering criminal is beside the point. What matters is that big-tech including YouTube and Facebook, has been censoring free speech. Wikipedia paints Mikovits in a totally negative light. For a more balanced view of this controversy, click here.
You can learn more about the ongoing Facebook censorship in the clips here and here. My point is that we should have free access to information so that we can make up our own minds. And right now, we do not.
Don’t get me wrong, I have been a lifelong democrat and never liked Fox News at all, but pretty much every night Tucker Carlson asks a ton of interesting questions, questions that nobody else is asking.
It will be interesting to see how the mask/no mask debate turns out. In much of California, it is now OK to surf or paddleboard or run on the beaches, but if you sit on a blanket getting sun (and vitamin D) and fresh air, you might be arrested.
Paul Bowen Webinar Tonight: Air to Air — Photographing Aircraft in Flight
Canon Explorer of Light (and class act) Paul Bowen will present a 90-minute online program tonight, Thursday 7 MAY 2020 at 7:00pm eastern time. This guy is really good. How good? Ont thousand plus magazine covers-good. Even if you have zero interest in photographing planes, you will surely learn something and be entertained. I’ll be there. To register, click on this link.
To see the images in the composite above full-frame, click here.
Wednesday morning dawned sunny with lots of large, puffy, white clouds. There was a huge hatch of mayflies but few birds partook of the potential feast. I created a few decent small-in-the-frame images of a Great Egret cloud-scape and a few more of the inch-deep pile of mayflies at the base of the pier. And I just missed on a crow with a mouthful of the just-emerged insects; the bird refused to turn toward me. By 8:15am the wind had switched to strong from the west so I headed home early.
The forecast for this morning — Thursday 7 MAY 2020, is for clear and sunny with the wind from the north at 10. As the sun is coming up earlier and more to the northeast than it had been, I am hoping for some good early flight photography before the sun moves to the south.
Be sure to check out the Fort DeSoto Gallery here and be sure to note all the terns and Laughing Gulls in full breeding plumage!
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This Just In!
Steve Elkins asked me to let y’all know that he now has eight SONY 200-600s in stock and that one of them has your name on it. Contact Steve as below and save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
The DeSoto Snowy Egret V-log: The Importance of Staying Ahead of the Birds When You Have Wind and Sun Together …
Lord how I miss DeSoto. I hope to get over there very soon as April and May can be spectacular. One of the biggest mistakes that I see in the field is folks standing in the same spot without regard to the position of the subject and the sun angle … There is lots of great info in today’s V-log; all that I can say is “watch it, learn a ton, and ask questions if you have any.
Despite my saving the videos at the highest quality, I’d still recommend that you do not watch them full-screen.
Center Zone Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click on the image to see the spectacular larger version.
Image #1: Snowy Egret in breeding plumage: tight/flight
My Favorite Image
Of all the images in today’s V-log, this is my favorite. Do you like or hate the tight/flight image design with the pano-crop and the near wing cut in half? Why?
Image #2: Snowy Egret taking flight composite
Which is Your Favorite?
First, click on the composite to see it larger. Note that these are the eight keepers from a 23-frame sequence; I actually stopped for a moment to re-frame as the bird flew toward me. The SONY a9 ii is that fast. Note also that I had difficulty simply keeping the subject in the center of the frame … How’s your hand/eye coordination? BTW, all 23 images were razor-sharp on the bird’s eye.
Please pick your favorite image from the sequence by noting the file number and do let us know why you made your pick.
This image was created on September 27, 2019 while doing a private day with fraternity brother Harry Lerner at Fort DeSoto. I used the Induro GIT 304/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode was about +2 stops on the analog scale. AWB at 8:10am on a very overcast morning.
Upper Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. The point of sharpest focus was slightly more than halfway down the bill, right on the same plane as the bird’s eye. RAW Digger showed 0% Over-exposed and 0% Underexposed pixels.
Click the image to see a larger version.
Snowy Egret with greenback
Fort DeSoto Fall 2020 Sandbar Secrets IPT
OCT 2 thru the morning session October 5, 2020 (3 1/2 DAYS). Three full and one half day: $1399.00. Deposit: $500.00. Limit: 8 photographers/ Openings: 7.
I plan on running this IPT if we return to some semblance of normalcy and if photographing in groups, air travel, and staying in hotels or AirBNBs is safe by late summer. If COVID-19 is still an issue that is of concern to you, your deposit will be refunded with no questions asked. Pre- and post-IPT days for this IPT are available for those who wish to get the most out of their travel dollars.
If you have any questions, please get in touch via e-mail.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
I starting off Tuesday morning doing some tickseed blossoms with my SONY quasi-macro rig: the 100-400mm with the 1.4X TC and the a7r iv. Then I spent a good deal of quality time with Orangey Colt. It was the first time in two weeks that I saw this bird with both parents. And I was amazed at how large Old Gnarly’s colt has gotten. I was back at the ranch before 8:30am. On Tuesday afternoon I enjoyed my swim — I am up to 54 lengths. After dinner, I went back down to the lake, did some photography from my vehicle, and took a walk on the pier. With perfectly clear skies, sunset silhouette photography is pretty much nonexistent until after the sun disappears (at which time light levels are of course quite low).
The forecast for this morning, Wednesday 5 MAY 2020, is not great: partly cloudy with winds of from five to eight mph from the west.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This Just In!
Steve Elkins asked me to let y’all know that he has six SONY 200-600s in stock and that one of them has your name on it. Contact Steve as below and save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
Gerald (Jerry) Barrack
Jerry, who was friends with Patrick Sparkman long before I ever met Patrick, started learning photography when he was stationed in Okinawa with the Navy in 1960. He was 25 years old. He moved to New York and studied street photography with Lisette Model at the New School. Jerry became interested in nature photography around 1980 and has been learning ever since.
Used Gear Thanks. And SONY e-Guide Comments …
Via e-Mail from Jerry Barrack
Hi Art,
I want to thank you again for your help with selling all of my Canon gear. Your advice on pricing was right-on as most items sold very quickly. As much as I loved my Canon equipment, the advances made by Sony with regard to autofocus made it a no-brainer to switch.
And thanks also for the SONY e-Guide, the Sony a9 video, and your Capture One Simplified video. After resisting using manual exposure for many, many years, I switched over to Patrick’s and your Zebras system with ISO on the rear wheel. I cannot believe how easy it is. It just shows that you can teach an old dog new tricks! My only complaint is that it now takes a lot longer to edit because nearly all of the images are properly exposed and in focus. The SONY focusing system along with the stuff I learned in the guide continues to amaze me. I just finished shooting Purple Martins and the percentage of sharp ones is unbelievable.
Thanks again for all your help. Stay safe and well.
Jerry
Another Must-Read
Here is a comment from last week left by IPT veteran Barry Barfield:
I have been actively using the set up from artie’s Sony e-Guide now for about four weeks. With my a9 ii and the 200-600 rig is easy to get the right exposure 99% of the time. I could never have figured out the settings suggested on my own, so thank you artie and Patrick. If you have Sony A9, A9ii, or one of the A7r bodies covered – get this guide today. Barry, Australia
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order your copy right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Sunday morning was gorgeous. Dead clear and super-still. Lake Walk-in-Water was like a polished blue mirror. I was desperate for a bird in the water, but that did not happen. And with no wind, there was no flight photography. I did some very nice Cattle Egrets, a ton of Black Vulture heads (I even made two short in-the-field videos — both coming at some point), and a sweet Great Egret head portrait or two. I was done by 9:30am but when I pulled into my driveway I noticed some small, lovely, blue flowers. I spent an hour photographing them and got one good one. They turned out to be a dayflower. I did not do much but I made a simple Black Vulture head and shoulders portrait against an amazing still-canal background. It is very sweet and you will see it here pretty soon along with a sob story …
The best image I created on Monday morning was of an in situ buttonbush blossom on the edge of the marsh. I have mastered a great manual focusing macro technique that is detailed in the new SONY e-Guide; it does, however, take a bit of practice to get it down pat … The Cattle Egrets had disappeared along with most other birds.
I went back down to the lake on Monday evening; things started off slowly. It was the stillest evening I have ever seen at ILE; the flag was hanging limply. After my walk, I had some really good chances with Orangey Colt who has so far evaded the fox-in-the-marsh … With just a bit of haze in the west, there was some decent sunset color, but few photo opportunities.
With little rain this spring the lake is very low. Over the past week or so, I have seen some shorebirds. In addition to the previously mentioned Solitary Sandpiper, there have been Least and Spotted Sandpipers, about eight Black-necked Stilts, both yellowlegs, and several Killdeer.
Thanks to the many who have been placing orders in the BAA Online Store. They are always greatly appreciated, especially at this (crazy) time. Speaking of which, Fort DeSoto Park in Pinellas County re-opened yesterday and — as I understand it — Florida folks are no longer under lockdown …
We received 30 FlexShooter Pro heads yesterday and will be shipping the back-orders today. We are down to about three FlexShootter Minis but will be getting our next shipment of those next week.
A Must-Read
I have prepared the final PDF for the new SONY e-Guide. It should be available in the store no later than next Tuesday.
Here is a comment from last week left by IPT veteran Barry Barfield:
I have been actively using the set up from artie’s Sony e-Guide now for about four weeks. With my a9 ii and the 200-600 rig is easy to get the right exposure 99% of the time. I could never have figured out the settings suggested on my own, so thank you artie and Patrick. If you have Sony A9, A9ii, or one of the A7r bodies covered – get this guide today. Barry, Australia
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This Just In!
Steve Elkins asked me to let y’all know that he has six SONY 200-600s in stock and that one of them has your name on it. Contact Steve as below and save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
If Wind Against Sun is Bad How Can It Be Good?
To learn the answer to that question, play the video. If you have any questions, please leave a comment. In general, we want the wind and the sun from somewhere behind us. When the wind, however, is blowing hard right at you and the sun, you may be able to find a decent situation if you keep your eyes open and allow yourself to think out of the box …
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
On Thursday afternoon past, I saw a large butterfly flitting around the Firebush and Coral Honeysuckle when I got out of the pool. I approached and saw that it was a male Tiger Swallowtail, a favorite during my youth as a butterfly collector. I dried off a bit, put my robe and something on my feet, grabbed the 100-400 with an a9 ii, and tried for about 45 minutes to create a nice photo. Though the butterfly was not quite in pristine condition, I made a decent image or two. On Friday morning there was another mayfly hatch and the photography was all Cattle Egrets in sweet, early morning light. The afternoon was more of the same and I even tried for some backlit shots of the egrets grabbing the mayflies.
On Saturday morning I put out some snapper carcasses courtesy of Mike at Junior’s Fish Market in Lake Wales. Conditions were good but not perfect. With only a gentle breeze from the north by slightly east, the Black Vultures swarmed in but most were too low as they landed. No Turkey Vultures flew in so I left after about 20 minutes to do some more Cattle Egrets feeding on the mayflies. As I got to the North Field I noted that about 20 Great Egrets along with 40 or so White Ibises had joined in on the feast. It turned out to be a good session.
I have had the sneezy/sniffles for two days and am not sure if it is allergies or a summer cold (it was 89 degrees yesterday afternoon). I feel great and have no fever.
The forecast for today — Sunday, 3 MAY 2020 — is perfect for vulture flight with east/southeast winds so I will be head down to the lake at 7am.
A Must Read
I have prepared the final PDF for the new SONY e-Guide. It should be available in the store no later than next Tuesday.
Here is a comment from yesterday’s blog post left by IPT veteran Barry Barfield:
I have been actively using the set up from artie’s Sony e-Guide now for about four weeks. With my a9 ii and the 200-600 rig is easy to get the right exposure 99% of the time. I could never have figured out the settings suggested on my own, so thank you artie and Patrick. If you have Sony A9, A9ii, or one of the A7r bodies covered – get this guide today. Barry, Australia
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This Just In!
Steve Elkins asked me to let y’all know that he has six SONY 200-600s in stock and that one of them has your name on it. Contact Steve as below and save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
This is the TIFF file after the RAW conversion in Capture One.
Purple Martin, male bringing Green Darner (dragonfly) to nest-box
The TIFF File
Compare this with the optimized version immediately below. Note especially the difference in underwing brightness. Note also that I repositioned the bird in the frame, added and filled in some canvas above, and did some feather clean-up.
This image was created on 29 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 463mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1250. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:15am on a clear morning with just a hint of haze.
Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Purple Martin, male bringing Green Darner (dragonfly) to nest-box
The Image-Optimization
Many feel that photographing small, black, birds with shiny feathers that dart about rapidly in flight is impossible, especially when the sun is out. I disagree. In part, SONY a9 series bodies make such images possible. Do understand that the manual exposure that I set — as explained in yesterday’s Wind and Sun Together Purple Martin Flight Primer V-log Video here, was somewhat of a compromise. Learn more about that below.
In any case, today’s featured image was a slight under-exposure. Even with a bit of the edge taken off the sun by a light haze, I knew that I would have to open up the dark, blue/black underwings. I did that a bit during the RAW conversion in Capture One using the Shadow Slider. The trick is to use that slider judiciously; in this case, I moved the Shadow Slider only to +9 (out of 100). Many folks do not like close-to-black shadows, so they overdo the use of the Shadow Slider by forgetting that it is OK for BLACKs to be black and that is is not at all necessary to see detail in dark shaded areas especially when parts of the subject are lit by direct sun. In addition, by being heavy-handed when opening up the very dark tones in an image you are creating noise.
Once I had the TIFF file in Photoshop, the first thing that I did was to select the bird using the Quick Selection Tool. Then I fine-tuned the edges of the selection as needed using the plus and minus Lasso Tool. Next, I feathered the selection one pixel and hit Command J to place the selection on its own layer. Finally, I ran my Nik Coler EFEX Pro 30/30 recipe (30% Detail Extractor and 30% Tonal Contrast) on the bird only. I rarely use Nik since I switched to SONY but in this case, it was just what the doctor ordered; it lightened the whole the bird — and revealed some detail without creating excessive noise and without making the bird look crunchy.
RAW Digger Over/Under EXP data for Purple Martin, male bringing Green Darner (dragonfly) to nest-box
The Slight Under-exposure
Though you might call this a 97.5% correct exposure, there are still 152,000 under-exposed RED pixels (albeit out of 24 million). In a perfect world, I coulda/shoulda increased the ISO from 1250 to 1600 for the dark blue/black male martins. But I did not, on purpose. Keep reading to learn why.
RAW Digger Over/Under EXP data for Purple Martin female in flight
The Exposure Compromise
First, click on the image above to enlarge it. Note that the female Purple Martins are a lot lighter overall than the males. And note in the upper right corner of the RAWDigger screen capture that this is a much better exposure (than in the image of the male). Ideally, you would want this exposure (1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 at ISO 1250) for the female martins and the next brighter exposure (1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 at ISO 1600 or 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 at ISO 1250) for the darker males because dark tones need more light than middle tones.
I knew and understood all of this in advance but I also knew that with both males and females flying quickly at the nest box that I would not have time to adjust either the ISO (easier to do) or the shutter speed (a bit more difficult). So I decided to go with an exposure compromise getting the females perfect and the males slightly under.
At places like Bosque, where you may be doing flight photography of adult and young Snow Geese, Sandhill Cranes, and even Common Ravens during the same session, it is much easier to adjust your exposures to perfection because the larger birds fly much slower than the martins …
Center Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure. RAW Digger showed 0% Over-exposed and 0% Underexposed pixels.
Click the image to enjoy a larger version.
Snow Geese blastoff
Bosque del Apache NWR 2020 IPT
NOV 18 (afternoon session) thru the morning session on November 23, 2020. 5 DAYS. Four full and two half days. $1999.00. Deposit: $500.00. Limit: 8 photographers/Openings: 5.
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.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
All the techniques mentioned above and tons more (with the exception of Capture One RAW Conversions) — 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.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.
To introduce folks to our MP.4 videos and the basics involved in applying more NeatImage noise reduction to the background and less on the subject, I’d be glad to send you a free copy of the Free Noise Reduction Basics MP.4 Video. Simply click to shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Not a lot. When the wind and sky conditions have been decent, I’ve been putting out salmon skins but the vultures and caracaras have not been responding. On my trip to town yesterday for a rare shopping outing, I grabbed about 20 pounds of snapper heads from Junior’s Fish Market so I would guess that the scavenger flight photography will be getting better soon …
Yesterday morning, I started out with flowers and attempted to photograph the Yellow Canna, but did not do very well. I will try again (this time focusing manually) on the next still morning. The bird photography early on the drizzly Thursday was lousy. I kept only two small-in-the-frame crane-in-habitat images. I really like one of them.
I just peeked out the back door and it is still and dead clear at 6:15am today — Friday 1 MAY 2020 — so I will be heading down to the lake ASAP to do some hunting with my SONY gear.
A Must Read
I have prepared the final PDF for the new SONY e-Guide. It should be available in the store no later than next Tuesday.
Here is a comment from yesterday’s blog post left by IPT veteran Barry Barfield:
I have been actively using the set up from artie’s Sony e-Guide now for about four weeks. With my ay a9 ii and the 200-600 rig is easy to get the right exposure 99% of the time. I could never have figured out the settings suggested on my own, so thank you artie and Patrick. If you have Sony A9, A9ii, or one of the A7r bodies covered – get this guide today. Barry, Australia
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This Just In!
Steve Elkins asked me to let y’all know that he has six SONY 200-600s in stock and that one of them has your name on it. Contact Steve as below and save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
Wind and Sun Together Purple Martin Flight Primer V-log Video
When the wind and sun are lined up, conditions for flight photography can be perfect. See the situation and the results by clicking on the play arrow to view this short BIRDS AS ART Vlog video. As I mentioned at the start of the video, the best way to thank me for the now 44-days in a row blog posts and the new, well-received V-logs is to head to the BIRDS AS ART Online Store and spend some bucks on educational materials by clicking on the Books, Videos and Training/Instruction tab. Thanks to the many who have been doing just that.
I might not have emphasized enough in the video that if the wind had been from the west (rather than from the east) on the clear morning of 29 April, flight photography would have been a total waste of time with the birds flying away from me and away from the light … In tomorrow’s blog post I will share my very favorite Purple Martin flight shot from the great session. Learning to differentiate good wind and sun conditions can really help you to up your game.
Questions on the video are of course welcome.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
The forecast for Wednesday morning was spot-on, and though conditions were perfect, things got off to a slow start. I photographed a Solitary Sandpiper, an ILE-first for me. But it was so slow that I spent 30 minutes checking out wildflowers along the edge of the marsh in the southwestern corner of the South Field. I was attracted by a large yellow blossom that I had never noticed before. The showy yellow blossoms turned out to be Golden (or Yellow) Canna — (Canna flaccida). I created a few ID images and pan to improve upon those soon; there were several large buds. In addition, I noticed another half-dozen wildflowers that I had never noticed before. I am becoming intrigued … And I have a new macro plan that I will share with you here soon.
I went back to work but there was nothing doing and was ready to give up at 9:00am. At the last second, I decided to check out the Purple Martin box one street in as conditions were perfect: a dead east wind at 15 mph and just enough haze in the air to tone down the light a bit. It turned out to be the best martin flight session ever. And yes, images soon.
Today, Thursday 30 APR 2020 — I was awoken at 4:00am by violent thunderstorms and rain beating down on the roof. I got back to sleep and did not get out of bed until 6:45am. I have been sleeping amazingly well lately — eight to ten hours a night with just a pit stop or two. It is 7:22am as I type and drizzling gently. I will head down to the lake in a few to do some hunting with my SONY gear.
A Must Read
I have prepared the final PDF for the new SONY e-Guide. It should be available in the store no later than next Tuesday.
Here is a comment from yesterday’s blog post left by IPT veteran Barry Barfield:
I have been actively using the set up from artie’s Sony e-Guide now for about four weeks. With my ay a9 ii and the 200-600 rig is easy to get the right exposure 99% of the time. I could never have figured out the settings suggested on my own, so thank you artie and Patrick. If you have Sony A9, A9ii, or one of the A7r bodies covered – get this guide today. Barry, Australia
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera e-Guide (PDF) and videos Info
Yesterday I prepared the final PDF for the Sony Camera e-Guide. It will not be available in the store until early next week but you can order yours right now. The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each The guide is now done.
If you would like to order the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY e-Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Note: please add $25 for each camera video after the first. And please be sure to type your e-mail address into your Paypal order. Then be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
This Just In!
Steve Elkins asked me to let y’all know that he has six SONY 200-600s in stock and that one of them has your name on it. Contact Steve as below and save $50.00.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-c was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection.
Click the image to enjoy a larger version.
Boat-tailed Grackle singing
But It’s Only a Grackle …
Sure, everyone wants to photograph Peregrine Falcons, Snowy Owls, and Roseate Spoonbills. And that includes me. But we cannot change the cards we are dealt. Boat-tailed Grackle is pretty much a dirt-bird in central Florida — it is abundant, not exactly gorgeous, and boisterous. Most photographers go out of their way to ignore them. But not me …
Adjective Challenge
Please leave a comment describing today’s featured image. You can choose from the list below and/or come up with a few of your own:
boring
plain
clichéd
average
gorgeous
striking
dramatic
Tripod in Vehicle
Learn exactly how I set up my tripod inside a vehicle in the video here.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Despite pretty-much perfect conditions, Tuesday morning was fair at best. I kept a very few frames of Orangey Colt foraging and Marsh Rabbit. It seems that Orangey Colt’s nest-mate, Gray Colt, my have perished as I have not seen that youngster in several days. It was strange also that Orangey Colt has been foraging on its own for the past few days … Tuesday evening was fantastic despite wind-against-sun conditions. I started with many bright-sky Turkey Vulture silhouettes in a unique situation at least 90 minutes before sunset. And I finished with another gorgeous sunset. Photos soon.
The forecast for this morning — Wednesday 29 APR 2020, is excellent: sunny to partly cloudy with a gentle east/southeast breeze. My plan is to put out some salmon skins as these conditions are perfect for flight photography.
The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide
You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.
The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide
126 pages, 87 photographs by Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.
I had thought about doing a guide to some of the great but little-known photo hotspots around central Florida for about a decade, but those plans never came to fruition. I met Joe online in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net about two years ago. Joe’s photography has improved tremendously over the past few years; he credits the BAA blog, my books and PDFs, and his participation on BPN. The one thing that I learned right from the get-go about Joe is that he is a hard and tenacious worker, always striving to improve his skills and to grow his knowledge base. As he knew of more than a few good spots in central Florida, I broached the idea of us doing a photographic site guide that covered many of the little-known photographic hotspots from Brandon to Lakeland to Joe Overstreet Road to Indian Lake Estates (my Florida home for the past 20 years or so). After more than many, many dozens of hours of effort, The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide is now a reality. Thanks to Joe’s wife Dottie for her review of our writing. We all learned once again that writing is a process, a back and forth process. All thanks to the white pelicans of Lakeland. Here are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide:
Indian Lake Estates: Sandhills Cranes with chicks and colts, lots of vultures, and Ospreys up the kazoo!
Gatorland, Kissimmee: Learn to make great images of wading birds in a cluttered rookery.
The Brandon Rookery: Great for nesting Wood Storks, Great Egrets, and more.
Circle Bar B Reserve, Lakeland: Here you will find a great variety of avian subjects in a great variety of habitats.
Lake Morton, Lakeland: There are lots of silly tame birds here including and especially American White Pelican during the colder months.
Lake Mirror, Lakeland: Tame Anhingas, Limpkins, and a zillion White Ibises at times.
West Lake Parker, Lakeland: Here you will have a chance for two difficult birds, Snail Kite, and Purple Gallinule.
Joe Overstreet Road, Kenansville: Crested Caracara, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrike, and much more on the fenceposts and barbed wire.
Each location includes a map, a detailed description of the best spots, best season, light and time of day instructions, the expected species, and an educational and inspirational gallery that is designed to open your eyes as to the possibilities.
You can purchase a copy here in the BAA Online Store.
This image was created on 27 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 463mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 2500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:45pm on a clear early evening.
Upper Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane colt head and neck portrait
The Red-Light Colt Situation
It was very late in the day — about ten minutes before the sun would touch the western horizon. Orangey Colt was on the move walking in and out of shadows. A parked vehicle and a (human) family fishing on the bank were in the background. As the colt approached the east/west canal he turned right and the situation (and the background) improved dramatically but the light would be gone in minutes …
This image was created on 27 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 2500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:46pm on a clear early evening.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly.
Image #2: Sandhill Crane colt head portrait
Could a Slow (f/6.3) Lens Be Better Than a Fast (f/4) Lens?
Consider the situation described above. Would it be best to choose the fast 600mm f/4 GM or the slower 200-600mm f/6.3 GM? For the very few of us who can handhold a 600mm f/4 lens and create sharp images at relatively slow shutter speeds, the faster lens might be the best option in the very low light because it saves you four clicks of shutter speed. But there are many reasons that I instantly grabbed the 200-600 and left the 600 f/4 on the front passenger seat. Here they are:
1-The colt was moving rather quickly and with purpose. Had I chosen the 600 f/4 I would have needed to put the rig on a tripod. As I needed to move quickly to stay on sun angle and to get low, using a tripod would have made things very difficult (if not impossible). Can you say slow and cumbersome?
2-With the lighter, physically smaller 200-600 I knew that I would be able to quickly get in position, get lower when needed, and move rather easily to a better perspective as needed. In the course of making a series of perhaps5 images, I got up and down off the ground and moved to the west (to my right) at least six times.
3-With the very soft (red) light I knew that it would be OK to work as much as 15 degrees off sun-angle so being able to zoom in or out with the 2-6 would be a huge plus. Note the focal lengths for today’s two featured images: 463mm for the head and neck portrait, and then 600mm for the head-shot.
So for me, the slower 200-600 was a far better choice than the faster, far more expensive 600 f/4.
Exposure Note
With most systems, getting the right exposure for today’s featured images — a light-toned subject with a dark background — would be difficult at best as there was no time to create a test image and check the histogram. For those using SONY and Patrick Sprakman’s amazing Zebras technique, getting the right exposure was, as it always is, child’s play. Working wide open, I set my OK-to-handhold-at-600mm shutter speed to 1/500 sec. and simply turned the Rear Control Wheel clockwise until I noted fainted Zebras on the highlights on the colt’s chin. This method is fast, simple, easy to learn, and deadly. Most of my exposures show zero percent under or over-exposed pixels. When I screw up, they show at most 0.01 or 0.02% under or over-exposed pixels. You can learn this technique in The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris.
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
The Sony Camera Videos and Pre-publication e-Guide Costs and Discount Info
The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. The guide is now 98% done and you will — of course, receive the final version when it is completed. I sent out the third draft today to those who have purchased the Guide with or without the discount.
Folks who have used my B&H links or purchased their SONY gear from Bedfords will receive said discount based exactly on how much they spent. If you spent more than $10,000 you will receive one free video and the e-Guide. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each. If you spent $2400, you will receive a 24% discount, and so on and so forth. And again, additional camera videos will be $25.00 each.
I will need time to verify your B&H purchases so folks will need to send their receipts and then be a bit patient. It is much easier to verify Bedfords’ purchases but I need those receipts as well.
If you have not used BAA links, please do so in the future. If that is the case and you would like the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY Pre-publication Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Please add $25 for each additional camera video. Be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
Folks who have used BAA links to purchase their SONY gear should send their receipts to me via e-mail asap and let me know which camera videos they need. I will verify their purchases as quickly as possible and send a quote to be paid via Paypal as above.
Thanks to all who have properly used my B&H links or gone through the fabulous Steve Elkins at Bedfords, and thanks to everyone for having faith in the information that I provide, knowing that it will be the best available anywhere.
The sun finally came out on Monday morning after a week of early clouds, fog, overcast, and rain. Aside from a few adult cranes (like the bird in today’s featured image) and some Turkey Vultures, there was not much to photograph. And with a fairly brisk wind from the west/southwest, flight photography was out of the question. I did get back down to the lake in the late afternoon for some more photography and a health walk. I lucked out photographing Orangey Colt at point-blank range with the 200-600 in amazing red light less than ten minutes before sunset. The sunset turned out to be mega and with an east wind in the evening, conditions were perfect for creating dramatic silhouettes so I drove quickly back to the perch. The bad news? There were no birds. But the sky was so beautiful that I created 74 sky-scapes.
The forecast for this morning — Tuesday 27 APR 2020, is much better for flight: partly cloudy skies with a northeast breeze. I will go hunting soon.
My Bad
I guess that I am not much of a salesman. As I had suspected might be the case, everyone absolutely loved yesterday’s image editing Vlog– “We loved learning how you think in the field.” But I totally blew it by not mentioning that BAA currently offers two Picking Your Keepers educational videos:
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase over $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
Click on the image to view a larger version.
Capture One screen capture showing nictitating membrane covering the eye
The Dreaded Nictitating Membrane
As most bird photographers know, birds often blink. At times, a 3rd translucent eyelid called the nictitating membrane covers the eye momentarily. Since this membrane is designed to protect the eye, it happens most often when a bird is feeding young or fighting with another bird. But it can happen at any time. And most of the time it ruins the image. That is the number one reason that I have been shooting 3 frames at a time for more than three decades. Even when I was using film!
Eye Replacement Vlog Video
You can learn the basics of replacing a bird’s eye using a Quick Mask in the short video above. And there are some bill clean-up tips as well. Yu can learn the details of creating, using, re-sizing, re-shaping, and warping Quick Masks and refining them with a regular layer mask in Digital Basics II and in APTATS I & II.
Note: I went to a higher quality MP.4 file so you should be OK watching this one full screen.
More!
If you enjoyed today’s Vlog Photoshop video, know that you can find know fewer than eight Photoshop videos here in the BAA Online Store. Each is far more detailed than today’s Vlog video and each costs only $5.00.
Upper Center Zone Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection.
Click the image to enjoy a larger version.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane with eye replaced
It Was Good to See the Morning Sun Again
This is the optimized version of my favorite image from the first sunny morning in quite some time. With the eye replaced and a bit of bill clean-up. I love the sweet early morning light, the perfect head angle, and the curved shape of the neck.
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.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
All the techniques mentioned above and tons more (with the exception of Capture One RAW Conversions) — 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.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.
To introduce folks to our MP.4 videos and the basics involved in applying more NeatImage noise reduction to the background and less on the subject, I’d be glad to send you a free copy of the Free Noise Reduction Basics MP.4 Video. Simply click to shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.
If In Doubt …
If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
