February 28th, 2018 Stuff
My flight was a piece of cake and mercifully the seat belt sign was rarely on so I was able to get up and walk around frequently. My hotel is only five minutes from the Gilbert Water Ranch Riparian Preserve and I did well with both drake Northern Shoveler and American Avocets. There is great potential with the former species in flight and with the latter species flying, fighting, and hopefully — copulating.
I had the first of my nine consecutive postural restoration therapy sessions on Tuesday afternoon (after a great lunch at Cafe Zupas.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred twelve days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 30 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
New Listings
Action on the Used Gear Page recently has been fantastic. You can see all current listings on the Used Photo Gear page here.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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 Laughing Wood Stork Focal Length Answer
Though lots of folks danced around the clues, only Bryan Holliday put two and two together and came up with the correct answer: 1200mm (as per the EXIF above). He commented on the original blog post here: 1200mm. Your new 600 plus the 2x. You are demonstrating how sharp the Nikon 2X actually is, and you usually stop down a bit to f10 with that combo.
Folks who were thinking 840mm commented “Why f/10? as that would bring up the background?”, something that I rarely would do. Kudos to Bryan for figgering it out.
As I learned this morning at the Gilbert Water Ranch, the oft-maligned Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III is more than capable of creating razor sharp images with f/4 super-telephoto lenses. There will be lots more 1200mm images coming very soon …
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Early Spring Photo Opportunities at ILE
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BIRDS AS ART first-ever Master Classes
Master Class Session 1. Two Full and two Half Days/Friday afternoon, March 16 through lunch on Monday, March 19, 2018: course fee: $1,999. Limit: 4/openings:3
Master Class Session 2. Two Full and two Half Days/Friday afternoon, March 30 through lunch on Monday, April 2, 2018. Limit: 4/openings:3
The Master Classes will be small groups — strictly limited to four photographers — with the first folks who register having the option of staying at my home ($50/night) or at a chain motel in nearby Lake Wales. Live, think, and breathe photography from Friday afternoon through lunch on Monday (late-morning); all meals included. There will be three afternoon photo sessions (FRI – SUN) hopefully with glorious sunsets like the ones you saw one the blog in December we should have good opportunities with the cranes even in the afternoon. We will enjoy three morning photography sessions (SAT – MON) with the main subjects being tame Sandhill Cranes almost surely with chicks or colts. Also vultures and Cattle Egrets and more. Limpkins are possible. Intermediate telephoto lenses are fine for the cranes, even the chicks at times. A 500 or 600mm lens would be best for many of the situations that we will encounter.
During the day we will sit together around my dining room table and pick everyone’s keepers and enjoy guided Photoshop sessions. On Monday before lunch, folks can make a single large print of their favorite image from the weekend. If you so choose, I will micro-adjust one of your lenses (at one focal length with your #1 camera body–Canon or Nikon) during a group instructional session. All will be welcome to practice what they have learned during the breaks using my set-up and my lighting gear.
To register, please first shoot me an e-mail to check on availability. Then you will be instructed to call Jim or Jen at 863-692-0906 during weekday business hours (except for Friday afternoons) to leave you non-refundable (unless the session sells out) $500 deposit. Only the deposit may be left on credit card. Balances must be paid by check immediately after you register (unless you wish to pay by credit card plus 4% to cover our fees).
I hope that you can join me on this new adventure.
with love, artie
ps: bring your bathing suit if you would like to try my pool!
The Nikon D850/D5 Focus Fine-tune Guide
I hope to be working on a Nikon D850/D5 Focus Fine-tune Guide while I am in Phoenix. There is lots of mis-information out there on Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune. Working with Patrick Sparkman, we perfected a method of using the Focus Peaking feature available only on the D850 to quickly and accurately micro-adjust all of your lenses and TC-Es with your D-850. Both Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune and D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune require a LensAlign Mark II kit. If you know for sure whether the very popular Nikon D500 DSLR Camera (Body Only) (or any other of the newer Nikon dSLRs) offer Automatic AF Fine-tune.
Folks who purchase a Nikon D850, a Nikon D5 DSLR Camera (Body Only, Dual XQD Slots), or any Nikon gear totaling more than $2,000 will receive the new guide free. I hope to have it finished in three weeks but don’t hold me to it 🙂
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 27th, 2018 Stuff
Went down to the lake early on Monday morning and got lucky. Was at the gate for my flight to Phoenix by 3:45pm. Fly safe 🙂 I will try to get back to all the folks who e-mail re: my PHX trip in the next day or two.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred eleven days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 50 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
New Listings
Action on the Used Gear Page recently has been fantastic. You can see all current listings on the Used Photo Gear page here.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This image was created on the morning of Thursday, February 26, 2018 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the BLUBB-supported Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering -1/3 stop as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3. AWB (AUOT2) at 7:29am on a clear morning some sweet light.
d-9 upper slightly left shutter Button AF with the selected AF point on the side of the base of the neck, pretty much on the same plane as the bird’s eye.
Focus Peaking micro-adjustment: +4. (See the Focus Nikon Focus Fine-tune Guide item below). Click on the image to see a larger version.
Great Blue heron with prey item
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Persistence
After photographing twice a day for about ten straight days at Gatorland and on the spoonbill boat I went out Sunday evening but there was not much going on. And though I had not started packing for my Monday afternoon flight to PHX, I went down to the lake on Monday morning. (I found a third Sandhill Crane nest so things are looking great for the two Master Classes; lots of room on each so see the details below.) Then bingo, the GBH in today’s featured image whacked a big something for breakfast. It stabbed it and dropped it and stabbed it again and again.The image above was created about a minute before the heron swallowed the big, slimy creature. I kept 18 frames from a long sequence.
I was so nervous at first that I was way over-exposed and each time that I adjusted the sun got brighter. I finally got where I needed to be but it was not easy. In part I was fooled by the left over +2 stops EC setting from Monday night …
The Creature
The prey item above is surely some sort of large salamander though I am not exactly sure which species. Common Mudpuppy does not occur in the South. And the Alabama type occurs only in the Panhandle. Is this in fact a mudpuppy? Further surfing on the web revealed that it might be an Eastern Lesser Siren; they grow as big as 26 inches. If you know for sure, please leave a comment.
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Early Spring Photo Opportunities at ILE
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BIRDS AS ART first-ever Master Classes
Master Class Session 1. Two Full and two Half Days/Friday afternoon, March 16 through lunch on Monday, March 19, 2018: course fee: $1,999. Limit: 4/openings:3
Master Class Session 2. Two Full and two Half Days/Friday afternoon, March 30 through lunch on Monday, April 2, 2018. Limit: 4/openings:3
The Master Classes will be small groups — strictly limited to four photographers — with the first folks who register having the option of staying at my home ($50/night) or at a chain motel in nearby Lake Wales. Live, think, and breathe photography from Friday afternoon through lunch on Monday (late-morning); all meals included. There will be three afternoon photo sessions (FRI – SUN) hopefully with glorious sunsets like the ones you saw one the blog in December we should have good opportunities with the cranes even in the afternoon. We will enjoy three morning photography sessions (SAT – MON) with the main subjects being tame Sandhill Cranes almost surely with chicks or colts. Also vultures and Cattle Egrets and more. Limpkins are possible. Intermediate telephoto lenses are fine for the cranes, even the chicks at times. A 500 or 600mm lens would be best for many of the situations that we will encounter.
During the day we will sit together around my dining room table and pick everyone’s keepers and enjoy guided Photoshop sessions. On Monday before lunch, folks can make a single large print of their favorite image from the weekend. If you so choose, I will micro-adjust one of your lenses (at one focal length with your #1 camera body–Canon or Nikon) during a group instructional session. All will be welcome to practice what they have learned during the breaks using my set-up and my lighting gear.
To register, please first shoot me an e-mail to check on availability. Then you will be instructed to call Jim or Jen at 863-692-0906 during weekday business hours (except for Friday afternoons) to leave you non-refundable (unless the session sells out) $500 deposit. Only the deposit may be left on credit card. Balances must be paid by check immediately after you register (unless you wish to pay by credit card plus 4% to cover our fees).
I hope that you can join me on this new adventure.
with love, artie
ps: bring your bathing suit if you would like to try my pool!
The Nikon D850/D5 Focus Fine-tune Guide
I hope to be working on a Nikon D850/D5 Focus Fine-tune Guide while I am in Phoenix. There is lots of mis-information out there on Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune. Working with Patrick Sparkman, we perfected a method of using the Focus Peaking feature available only on the D850 to quickly and accurately micro-adjust all of your lenses and TC-Es with your D-850. Both Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune and D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune require a LensAlign Mark II kit. If you know for sure whether the very popular Nikon D500 DSLR Camera (Body Only) (or any other of the newer Nikon dSLRs) offer Automatic AF Fine-tune.
Folks who purchase a Nikon D850, a Nikon D5 DSLR Camera (Body Only, Dual XQD Slots), or any Nikon gear totaling more than $2,000 will receive the new guide free. I hope to have it finished in three weeks but don’t hold me to it 🙂
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 26th, 2018 Stuff
The last morning of the second Spoonbill IPT began very slowly as there were few birds up and about despite a nice pre-dawn orange glow. We got in the water into good position but there were not many spoonbills or pelicans flying around. Then three pelicans, and adult and two young birds landed right in front of us. After a few frames a gorgeous adult Roseate Spoonbill flew in an landed as close as any had all week and began bathing. With everyone listening to my instructions carefully we got closer by moving forward and left, the latter to get more on sun angle. After the bath the bird began preening and flapping its wings almost continuously. Spectacular. The bird was 100% comfortable with our presence and paid us no mind. After 30 minutes and many thousands of frames — I created about 500 myself — the bird looked around and took one step toward us. “It’s gonna take off right toward us” I whispered. And it did.
What a bird. What a thrill. And what a finale. Photos soon.
I fly to Phoenix this afternoon for nine more Postural Restoration physical therapy sessions.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred ten days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 50 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
New Listings
Action on the Used Gear Page recently has been fantastic. You can see all current listings on the Used Photo Gear page here.
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Lens (the “old five”) with Extras!
Jim Brennan is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the “old five”) in near-mint condition and a Canon EF 1.4 III teleconverter in very good condition for $3,599.00. The lens is in beautiful condition with no dings, dents, scratches or paint chips and the glass is immaculate. There is a small blemish on the lens hood knob and a small blemish on the black rubber trim on the lens hood. The sale includes the lens trunk with key, the leather front lens cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, the manual and registration card, a RRS LCF-50 B replacement foot (with hex key and original packaging), a Realtree Max 4 LensCoat, and Hoodie, and insured ground via UPS to U.S. addresses only (signature required). Photos are available upon request. Personal checks only unless other arrangements are made. Your new lens and extras will not ship until your check clears.
Please contact Jim e-mail or by cellphone: 1-(609) 432-9210 (Eastern time).
The 500mm f/4 lenses have been the world’s most popular telephoto lenses for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. I owned and used and loved my “old five” for many years. If you don’t have the cash for the 500 II and can handle the additional 1 1/2 pounds, then this is your best super-telephoto option. Most everyone can produce sharp images with this lens and a 1.4X TC. Folks with good to excellent sharpness techniques can do the same with a 2X TC. With the new 500 II selling for $8,999 you can save a neat $5400 by grabbing Jim’s pristine copy of the “old five” plus extras (including a 1.4X III TC!) right now. artie
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens (The “old 1-4”)
Rajat Kapoor is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens (first edition) in near-mint condition for $649. The sale includes the front & back lens caps, the original box, the lens case, a LensCoat Hoodie (Black), and insured ground shipping via UPS to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Rajat Kapoor via e-mail or by phone at 502-751-8470 (Eastern time).
The old 100-400 was and is superb. I made hundreds of sale-able images with mine including the one used on the front cover of Scott Weidensaul’s “Return to Wild America”. Contrary to reports by the internet idiots, this lens is — in competent hands —
sharp at all focal lengths and all apertures. It is extremely versatile and would make a great starter lens for those interested in bird, wildlife, and general nature photography. Today it is rare to find a near-mint copy like Rajat’s. artie
Canon Canon EOS 7D Mark II (with battery grip!)
Gary Meyer is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in near-mint condition for $798. The sale includes the front lens cap, the strap, the original battery, an extra battery, the vertical grip, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only by UPS.
Please contact Gary via e-mail or by phone or text at 1-612-221-0150 (Central time).
Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about two years ago when we both committed to using full frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. One thing is for sure: the 7D Mark II is the greatest value ever in a digital camera body. With a new one going for $1499 you can save a cool $500 by grabbing Sangeeta’s lens. artie
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This image was created on the morning of Thursday, 22, 2018 at Gatorland. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering +1/3 stop as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/8. AWB at 7:41am with some sweet early morning light.
d-25 upper left shutter Button AF with the selected AF point on the bird’s eye.
Focus Peaking micro-adjustment: +5. (See Focus Fine Tune Guide item below).
Image #1/Version A: Great Egret in breeding plumage
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Gorgeous Blemished Bird
Above is version A of a gorgeous breeding plumage Great Egret. I did some bill clean-up, evened out the background with Content Aware Fill and some Patch Tool work, and then smoothed the repairs out with a 70-pixel Gaussian Blur painted back via a Hide-all (Black or Inverse) layer mask. All of the above plus tons more as detailed in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).
For this version I opted to leave the large brown blemish on the lores.
The Nikon D850/D5 Focus Fine-tune Guide
I hope to be working on a Nikon D850/D5 Focus Fine-tune Guide while I am in Phoenix. There is lots of mis-information out there on
Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune
. Working with Patrick Sparkman, we perfected a method of using the Focus Peaking feature available only on the D850 to quickly and accurately micro-adjust all of your lenses and TC-Es with your D-850. Both Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune and D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune require a LensAlign Mark II kit. If you know for sure whether the very popular Nikon D500 DSLR Camera (Body Only) (or any other of the newer Nikon dSLRs) offer Automatic AF Fine-tune.
Folks who purchase a Nikon D850, a Nikon D5 DSLR Camera (Body Only, Dual XQD Slots), or any Nikon gear totaling more than $2,000 will receive the new guide free. I hope to have it finished in three weeks but don’t hold me to it 🙂
Gorgeous Un-blemished Bird
For this version I opted to remove the large brown blemish on the lores. This was done easily in one step with the Patch Tool. As detailed plus tons more in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).
Your Call?
Do you prefer Image #1/Version A or Image #2/Version B? Before you answer, consider that neither version would be acceptable for entry into nearly all of the major international photography competitions. Please let us know why you made your choice.
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Great Egrets in breeding plumage are quite beautiful
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Gatorland IPT #1. Sunrise: 7:25am, Sunset: 7:40pm
3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 22 March through and including the morning of SUN 25 MAR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 4.
(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 23 March through and including the morning of SUN 25 MAR. $1199.
Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Friday and Saturday. Thursday late-stay is under discussion. Gatorland IPT #1 is best for killer breeding plumage Great Egrets. With chicks. Also Wood Stork and Cattle Egret. Surprisingly, there are already more than a few Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons in breeding plumage! Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.
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Tame birds in breeding plumage are great fun.
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Gatorland IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:48am. Sunset: 7:58pm.
3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 26 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.
(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 27 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1199.
Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Friday and Saturday. Thursday late-stay is under discussion. Gatorland IPT #2 should have lots of chicks, and lots of birds in breeding plumage. We will get to photograph Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. The Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage will be present in good numbers. Learn my Gatorland strategy, to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.
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Large Tricolored Heron chicks (lower left) are to die for!
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Gatorland #3. Sunrise: 6:33am. Sunset: 8:10pm.
3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 17 MAY through and including the morning of SUN 20 MAY. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.
(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 18 MAY through and including the morning of SUN 20 MAY. $1199.
Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Friday and Saturday. Thursday late-stay is under discussion. Gatorland IPT #3 is best for medium sized chicks of the following species: Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, and Tricolored Heron. Head portraits of handsome fledged Great Egrets are pretty much guaranteed. Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 25th, 2018 Five Cheap, Small Group IPTs: Gatorland and DeSoto. I Go With One. Always.
Why Cheap?
Today, there is a proliferation of bird photography workshops , often by folks whose only qualification is owning a camera body. I am pretty well off financially but I would love to see folks join me, enjoy the best nature photography instruction that money can buy, and learn a ton in the process rather than waste their money.
Why Small Groups ?
I absolutely love working with only four or five photographers. We can get all of our work done gathered around a laptop in either a small meeting room or after lunch. And in the field, smaller groups are a pleasure.
Why Go With Only One?
I have always promised to go with one client and have done so on rare occasion. Why? Imagine that you commit to taking some time off from work and buying a plane ticket to attend a photography tour. Then two weeks before the trip, the leader writes and says, “I am cancelling the trip because I am not gonna make enough money.” That never worked for me and never will.
Note: on some really expensive trips where I need to lay out a large amount of money (say to lease a boat) I will stipulate far in advance something like “Limit 13; this trip needs nine photographer to run.” Can you say Galapagos?
IPT Stuff
All IPTs include an introductory briefing before the IPT begins so you know what to expect, frequent in-the-field instruction and guidance (priceless), image editing and small group Photoshop instruction during and after lunch. Breakfasts are on your own so that we can get in the field early.Lunches are on me. Dinners are on your own as well so that we can get to bed as the days in spring will be long.
Rides with the leader on a limited basis are available for $50/day.
Discount Info
Register for two of the IPTs below and apply a discount of $200 to your total. Register for three of the IPTs below and apply a discount of $300 to your total. Sign up for DeSoto #2 and Gatorland #3 (back to back) and apply a $300 discount to your total.
Registering for an IPT
To register for any of the IPTs above call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 from Monday morning through Friday lunch with your credit card in hand to leave your $500 non-refundable deposit. Balances may not be paid by credit card so you will be asked to send a check for your balance along with the signed paperwork that you will find here.
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Great Egrets in breeding plumage are quite beautiful
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Gatorland IPT #1. Sunrise: 7:25am, Sunset: 7:40pm
3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 22 March through and including the morning of SUN 25 MAR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.
(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 23 March through and including the morning of SUN 25 MAR. $1199.
Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Friday and Saturday. Thursday late-stay is under discussion. Gatorland IPT #1 is best for killer breeding plumage Great Egrets. With chicks. Also Wood Stork and Cattle Egret. Surprisingly, there are already more than a few Snowy Egrets and Tricolored Herons in breeding plumage! Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.
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Spring at DeSoto is often magical
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DeSoto IPT #1 Sunrise: 7:07 am. Sunset: 6:22pm.
3 DAYS: SUN 15 APR thru the morning session on WED 18 APR. Limit 5 photographers.
You must purchase a season Parking Pass in advance for early entry. Click here and scroll down for info. If you are not a local, the six month pass if fine. Best to order by mail. Join me to photograph a wide variety of birds of the shore including pelicans, gulls, terns, sandpipers, oystercatchers, heron, egrets, and night-herons. Many in full breeding plumage. Most are ridiculously tame. Osprey likely. Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret DeSoto locations, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations. Enjoy some great sunrises and sunsets.
Which will offer better opportunities, Desoto #1 or DeSoto #2? I have no idea. Both have the potential to be great.
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Tame birds in breeding plumage are great fun.
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Gatorland IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:48am. Sunset: 7:58pm.
3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 26 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.
(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 27 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1199.
Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Friday and Saturday. Thursday late-stay is under discussion. Gatorland IPT #2 should have lots of chicks, and lots of birds in breeding plumage. We will get to photograph Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. The Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage will be present in good numbers. Learn my Gatorland strategy, to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.
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DeSoto is one of the very few bird photography hotspots that can be great any given day of the year/strong>
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DeSoto IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:41am. Sunset: 8:12pm.
SUN 13 MAY thru the morning session on WED 16 MAY: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1599.
You must purchase a season Parking Pass in advance for early entry. Click here and scroll down for info. If you are not a local, the six month pass if fine. Best to order by mail. Join me to photograph a wide variety of birds of the shore including pelicans, gulls, terns, sandpipers, oystercatchers, heron, egrets, and night-herons. Many in full breeding plumage. Most are ridiculously tame. Osprey likely. Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret DeSoto locations, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations. Enjoy some great sunrises and sunsets.
Which will offer better opportunities, Desoto #1 or DeSoto #2? I have no idea. Both have the potential to be great.
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Large Tricolored Heron chicks (lower left) are to die for!
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Gatorland #3. Sunrise: 6:33am. Sunset: 8:10pm.
3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 17 MAY through and including the morning of SUN 20 MAY. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.
(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 18 MAY through and including the morning of SUN 20 MAY. $1199.
Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Friday and Saturday. Thursday late-stay is under discussion. Gatorland IPT #3 is best for medium sized chicks of the following species: Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, and Tricolored Heron. Head portraits of handsome fledged Great Egrets are pretty much guaranteed. Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.
February 25th, 2018 Stuff
We were hoping that Saturday morning on the spoonbill boat would be as great as Friday morning had been. We actually did better in the pre-dawn with blurs but after a good start, the spoonbills disappointed. And the pelicans were not much better. We did very well with flight on both species of vultures while learning a lot about exposing the undersides shots correctly on a sunny blue sky day.
Very few folks took a stab at figuring out the focal length use for yesterday’s laughing Wood Stork image. There are lots of clues both in the EXIF and in my response to Adam’s comment. All are invited to re-visit and see if they can figure things out … Put on your thinking caps and click here to give it a much appreciated try.
The group enjoyed our Thank You dinner at the fabulous Thai Legacy Restaurant in Brandon on Saturday evening.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred nine days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 50 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Mongoose Warning
Right now the BAA Online Store has just two Mongoose M3.6.heads in stock. A price increase is coming. You can figure out the rest.
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This image was created on the second morning of the second spoonbill IPT, Saturday, February 24, 2018. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 1800. Matrix metering +1.0 stops: 1/30 sec. at f/5.6 in S mode — (Shutter priority, TV mode in Canon). K 7690 at 6:43am with clouds on the eastern horizon.
Group/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Double-crested Cormorant pre-dawn blur
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Necessity, the Mother of Invention
If you want to try to create sharp images in the pre-dawn, you will be working with ISOs in the 4,000 to 25,600 plus range. In general: not pretty. Learning to create pleasing blurs on the other hand allows you to work with much more manageable ISOs. Heck, on Saturday morning I wound up all the way down to ISO 400. As there is no ISO Safety Shift with Nikon, you need to use Auto ISO in these situations. You pick the shutter speed and set the EC and the camera sets the ISO. You must remember to turn off Auto ISO with Nikon else you will mess yourself up badly. This does not occur with Canon as long as you are properly using ISO Safety Shift (as detailed in our Canon camera body User’s guides.
Om most IPTs folks are thrilled to learn the techniques used to create pleasing per-dawn blurs, and are often amazed and thrilled with the results. For many, learning to create this one type of pleasing blurs is a really eye opener.
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The ACR Defaults for today’s featured image
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Plus One Stop Was a Huge Underexposure. Why?
So why did I have the EC set to only plus one stop when it is obvious with the grey sky — (see the ACR default screen capture above) that more than plus two stops would have been correct? Simple. It was a compromise. We had some orange in the sky and at +2 stops it was well over-exposed. We had lots of birds (like this one) flying against dull grey skies where +2 or even plus more would have been perfect. And we had birds behind us in the blue/pink purple where +2 would have been right on. So I went with +1 as a compromise because the birds were fling all over the place and coming from every which way. After I bit, I upped my compromise EC to +1 1/3 stops. In addition, as I would be creating silhouettes against a bright sky, that noise would not be much of a problem.
Note that even with my new gear I still have problems keeping the bird in the center of the frame when panning.
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My ACR settings for today’s featured image
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ACR
It has been great getting back to using ACR for my NEF files. One major change is that I usually start with the White slider. But with well underexposed images like today’s featured photo, I have found that it is best to first brighten things up by moving the Exposure slider to the right and then adjusting the White and Black sliders. Click on the screen capture above so that you can study the fine print to see where I went with the various sliders. Once I converted and cropped the image the only thing of note that I did was to tone down a bright orange patch on the bird’s gular region. We did that by painting a small Quick Mask of the area, going back into ACR (hit Filter > Camera RAW filter), and then going to the HSL tab and reducing the Luminance and Saturation of the Orange channel.
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Learn the secrets of creating contest winning images in our “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs.”
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A Guide to Pleasing Blurs
In our A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Denise Ippolito and yours truly, we discuss just about every technique ever used mankind to create pleasingly blurred image. Ninety-nine point nine percent of pleasing blurs are not happy accidents. You can learn pretty much everything that there is to know about creating them in this instructive, well written, easy to follow guide.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 24th, 2018 Stuff
We did well on the Wood Storks on Thursday afternoon. We had the best morning of the year with the Roseate Spoonbills on the first day of the second Spoonbill IPT. The afternoon looked bleak with strong east winds and bright sun, but at about 4:30pm the wind turned around to the west as Captain James (Froggie) Shadle had predicted and we had a banner 90 minutes with flying and banking and landing pelicans. Sunset was a bit of a fizzle. It was early to bed after smoked salmon and goat cheese dinner in the room.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred eight days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 30 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Mongoose Warning
Right now the BAA Online Store has just two Mongoose M3.6.heads in stock. A price increase is coming. You can figure out the rest.
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This image was created on the afternoon of Thursday, February 23, 2018 with my new Nikon gear. ISO 800. Matrix metering at zero: 1/2000 sec. at f/10. Sunny WB at 4:41pm on a clear afternoon.
Upper left of center d-9 Shutter Button AF.
Wood Stork yawning
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Sharpness and Focal Length
Just the sharpness based on the JPEG above and the unsharpened tight crop below. Then, using your knowledge of the new gear that I own and the EXIF data in the caption, guess the focal length. This bird was photographed on the free afternoon session at Brandon, FL.
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This is an unsharpened crop of today’s featured image
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The Unsharpened Crop
As above, judge the sharpness and take a guess at the focal length. You are invited to explain your answer. Just so you know, my opinion on the sharpness is that it is just fine, more than sharp enough to sell, and more than sharp enough to make me happy.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 23rd, 2018 Stuff
We left at 5:36am on Thursday morning and made it to Gatorland just before 7am. We had some very good chances for the first 90 minutes. Once it got really sunny we concentrated on birds in flight. Jake Levin of Montreal joined us to hang out. As I type, we are on the way to Brandon to meet the second Spoonbill IPT group. I threw in a free afternoon at a local rookery for the first one and did the same thing on Thursday.
On Monday I fly to Phoenix for my second round of nine Postural Restoration therapy sessions.
I was glad to learn recently of the following happenings on the Used Gear Page:
Greg Morris sold a Canon EOS-1DX in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $2499.00 and a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the old five) in very good plus condition for $3447 (was $3700) in mid-February.
Ann Nguyen is sold her Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in excellent plus condition to a friend for $2500 but did not realize that she owed me a check for $73.75, 2 1/2% of the original listing price. A third party inquired about the lens, learned that it had been sold, and notified me. Once I contacted Ann she quickly made things right.
David R. Gibson sold a Canon EOS-1D Mark III on eBay for $519. He cheerfully sent me a check for $25 to cover the minimum listing fees.
Multiple IPT veteran Gil Moe sold a brand new in the box Canon BG-E20 Battery Grip for EOS 5D Mark IV for $259 in early February.
Galapagos IPT veteran Paul Reinstein sold his Canon EF 100mm f2.8 USM macro lens in near-mint condition (but for a speck of dirt near the center of the lens) for $225 on e-Bay in late January and gladly forked over $25 🙂 Thanks Paul!
The Streak
Today makes two hundred seven days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Oops!
When I am using a high Kelvin setting in the field to juice up sunrise or sunset colors, I generally remember to change the WB setting the moment that I turn away from the sun. On Tuesday morning past, I forgot to do that. I did not realize my error until well into the morning session, in part because I am not quite used to the colors on the Nikon LCDs. In yesterday’s blog post, I wrote:
While you can always change the white balance during the RAW conversion, shooting all morning at K7690 can be problematic as most of the images will look over-saturated/over-exposed during a laptop review; apparent sharpness is affected as well. None-the-less I was able to create lovely versions of many of my favorites.
Above you see the horrible yellow cast that resulted from mistakenly being at K7690. The image is as it appeared in ACR with the ACR defaults.
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Above are the ACR settings that I made to convert today’s featured image. Click on the image so that you are better able to read the fine print.
Brown Pelican scratching in flight
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The ACR Corrections
Note that the color has been corrected nicely, that the YELLOW cast has been eliminated, and that the WHITEs and highlights have been toned down. Compare the sliders with the default settings above. I was surprised at the considerable vignetting at f/6.3. I will try f/7.1 this weekend in similar situations. Note that I failed to correct the vignetting during the RAW conversion (using the fx (Effects) tab. I almost always forget to do that in Photoshop with my NEF files because DPP 4 automatically corrected the vignetting when I loaded the appropriate camera body/ISO recipe. Eliminating the vignetting in Photoshop is somewhat of a pain as there are four sliders to adjust in addition to the Amount slider …
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This image was created on the morning of Tuesday, February 20, 2018 while standing thigh deep in Tampa Bay next to the Hooptie Deux. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 1000. Matrix metering +1 stop as originally framed: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3. K7690 WB at 7:29am with some sweet early morning light.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Above is the optimized image.
Brown Pelican scratching in flight
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The Optimized Image
Note as always how well the D850 images stand up to a healthy crop. It took a bit of work to get around the problems caused by K7690 but none of those were insurmountable. And I am hoping that it is a lesson that I will not soon forget. I remembered on Thursday morning at Gatorland. And I had had K7690 set from Wednesday night at ILE … Maybe there is hope for me.
Brown Pelican Scratching in Flight
The funny thing is that I have photographed pelicans a zillion times and can rarely recall seeing one scratching in flight; the scratching in flight posture is very strange. And while I may have seen the behavior a few times in the past 30+ years, I have never had a chance to photograph it. The bird in today’s featured image scratched for only a few seconds at most. An hour after I made this image — the light was still not bad — I was in the process of moving my tripod when a bird at even closer range and not far off sun angle began to scratch. I made no effort to get my tripod back on the ground because I assumed that the bird would quickly quit scratching. As you might have guessed the bird kept scratching and scratching and scratching for about twenty seconds … And I got nothing 🙂
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 22nd, 2018 Stuff
When I downloaded my images from Tuesday morning I learned that I forgot to change my high Kelvin WB back to AWB. While you can always change the WB during the RAW conversion shooting all morning at K7690 can be problematic as most of the images look over-saturated/over-exposed during the review and sharpness is affected as well. None-the-less I was able to create lovely versions of many of my favorites. I’ve been swimming my half-mile plus ever day.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred six days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
White Balance Stuff
While reviewing my images from Wednesday morning at ILE I learned the Nikon AWB can cause worse problems than Canon AWB. In AWB with Canon, the color balance would sometimes change drastically when a wave broke over a sand background. That is understandable. But this morning with my Nikon gear the WB changed drastically from frame to frame while photographing a perched Osprey in constant early morning light. Best advice for all: try to remember to stay away from AWB and use the most appropriate WB pre-set instead.
In the same vein, if anyone can explain the Nikon D850 differences with the three Auto white balance type options (as changed with the index finger dial): Auto*0, Auto*1, and Auto*2, it would be greatly appreciated. Same question and request for these two white balances (as changed with the thumb wheel): Sun Symbol A and Sun Symbol.
Thanks to all who left insightful comments on the foggy Gatorland flight images in the recent blog post here.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
IPT veteran Billie Snell is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark III in excellent to near-mint condition for the BAA record low price of $1199.00. The only wear is on the camera strap rings. The sale includes the front cap, camera strap, the two cables, battery charger, one LP-E6 battery, instruction books, software CDs, the original product box from Canon, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Billie via email at e-mail.
I owned and used this superb, full frame, 22mp digital body for several years. It was always my first choice for scenic, Urbex (urban exploration), and flower photography until I fell in love for a while with the 5DS R (for a lot more money!). Then I switched to the 5D IV body. In addition, I loved my 5D III body for birds with my big lenses and both TCs. I used mine to create many dozens of high quality images. artie
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This image was created on the morning of Tuesday, February 20, 2018 while standing thigh deep in Tampa Bay next to the Hooptie Deux. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. Auto ISO (2800). Matrix metering +1.7 stops as originally framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. K7690 WB at 6:58 with some fog on the eastern horizon.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Double-crested Cormorant croaking display
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Sunrise Silhouette Strategy: Huge Change and Admission Coming …
I shot sunset on Monday and sunrise on Tuesday using a tried and true strategy: S mode (Shutter priority in Canon). Pick a shutter speed that you are comfortable with, dial in the correct exposure compensation, and let the camera set the ISO (via Auto ISO with Nikon or via Auto ISO or ISO Safety Shift — my preference — with Canon). Then fire away. I made lots of excellent images but each featured a similar problem. When I thought about how to solve those problems I realized that I had been stubbornly in error for at least two decades. That revelation is coming soon.
Double-crested Cormorant Croaking Display
When flying back to their nests, Double-crested Cormorants often croak on final approach. I am not sure if they are showing off for their partners or simply announcing their arrival. But I suspect the former.
Small Pixel Noise
In the before image above you can see what I call the small pixel noise of the D850. The same as with the Canon 7D Mark II and the Canon 5DS R bodies. I know that what we are seeing is not color noise and I am not sure if it is correct to call it luminance noise. What we are seeing when we magnify a D850 image is due to the increased pixel density. Small Pixel Noise is easily dealt with with any decent noise reduction process or program. Those include Photoshop NR, Capture One, and Neat Image (as seen above). While cameras like the Canon 1DX and 1DX Mark II and the Nikon D5 appear to be less noisy than their high-pixel cousins — I am referring specifically here to to the Nikon D-850, the Canon 5DS R, and the Canon 5D Mark IV — if you crop to the same pixel density the image of the dense pixel bodies will far surpass that of their higher priced cousins.
(Note: I am not demeaning the quality of 7D Mark II images. Many, however, do not like the high pixel noise. To see some incredibly fine images made with both the 7D and the 7D Mark II do a search for “Daniel Cadieux” in the little white box on the top right of each blog post page and follow the links …)
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 21st, 2018 Stuff
We had a superb morning of flight photography on the spoonbill boat on Tuesday February 20, 2018. Again not a zillion spoonbills, but skies full of Brown Pelicans hovering over the mangroves, some with huge mouthfuls of nesting materials. Along with both species of vultures, hundreds of Fish Crows, some Great and Snowy Egrets, we had fly-by mega-breeding plumage Reddish Egrets including a killer white morph. And again, we did have some decent chances with the spoonbills along with lots of nice clouds that kept everyone on their toes exposure-wise.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred five days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
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This image was created on February 10, 2018 on Cayman Brac with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 290mm) and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 400. Matrix metering probably +1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:29am on a clear sunny day.
Group/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Brown Booby jumping off cliff
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Do You See the Picture Within the Picture?
Take a close look at the somewhat underexposed image above Can you come up with a crop that would reveal the picture within the picture? Scroll down to near the end to see my optimized version.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Mongoose Warning
Right now the BAA Online Store has several Mongoose M3.6.heads in stock. A price increase is coming. You can figure out the rest.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
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The optimized version of today’s featured image
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Camera Body Quandary …
I worked this image about ten days ago on Cayman Brac. Three days ago I had made my mind up pretty firmly that I would go with two D850 bodies and return the loaner D5. But revisiting this image has left me in a quandary. So on Monday, I used the D5 all day on the spoonbill boat and did great. On Tuesday morning I went only with the D850. Once I see those images I might have a better idea. Or not …
See tomorrow’s blog post for details on what I call D850 small pixel noise (SPN) … SPN is totally lacking in D5 images, even underexposed ones. More tomorrow 🙂
The Image Optimization
Until I came up with the decisive crop and a plan, I was leaning toward deleting this image. First I brightened things up during the ACR conversion. Once in Photoshop I executed the crop and then it was a simple matter of covering the limestone lower left with a flopped Quick Mask of the lower right corner (as detailed in APTATs). I used the Patch Tool to eliminate the left-over part of the wing from the top bird. A bit more lower wave clean-up was followed by a 60-pixel Gaussian Blur that was covered with a Hide-All (Black or Inverse) Layer Mask. Then I painted in the effect with a large soft brush making sure to stay well away from the bird. Digital is amazing.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
Your guessed it, everything mentioned above and tons more is 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. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. 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.
The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):
- The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
- The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.
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.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. Yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 20th, 2018 Stuff
Four of us were having an excellent morning on the spoonbill boat when a new client, a very sweet man from DC, tripped on his tripod and wound up in two feet of saltwater with his D850 and a rented 200-500. He was a really good sport. After the camera dried out, it was working perfectly … The weather and wind were perfect, the spoonbill action was sporadic though we had some great chances with gorgeous birds. There was tons of great flight with nesting Brown Pelicans along with a few Great Blue Herons. With the 600 f/4/TC-14E III/D5 combo on the Mongoose M3.6 the sharpness of the images with the birds flying straight at me was astounding. Jaws dropped continuously while we were at lunch at Cherry’s Bar and Grill in Brandon.
The morning’s east wind prevailed on our afternoon outing. A single very large cloud allowed us some opportunities with both pelicans and spoonbills but all in all it was a tough afternoon. I practiced hand hold my 600 and got a very few stunning images. Next was dinner at Shells and good night.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred four days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
2018 Spoonbill Boat 2 1/2 DAY IPT: $1999.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Openings 2.
FEB 23 & 24: two full days with morning and afternoon photo sessions via customized pontoon boat. FEB 25, morning photo session.
Two Good Reasons That It Is Not Too Late to Sign Up for the Second Spoonbill IPT
I love February at Alafia Banks because you have the best chance for Roseate Spoonbills in mega-breeding plumage. As noted above, we had some good chances. For complete details, click here and then shoot me an e-mail.
Intimidating and Inspiring, But More of the Latter
It was both intimidating and inspiring standing next to the man who is as good as anyone on the planet has ever been at capturing flight and action with a 600mm tripod-mounted lens, Captain James (Froggie) Shadle. It was a bit ironic that for the first time ever we were both shooting Nikon 600s. Both of us use the Mongoose M3.6. I am proud to say that I introduced Froggie to the Mongoose almost a decade ago. Simply put, it is the best head for photographing birds in flight and in action. I’ve learned a lot watching James over the years and I kept my eyes on him very closely all day to try and pick up a few more tidbits. In addition, he taught me two really neat Nikon camera body tricks.
Mongoose Warning
Right now the BAA Online Store has several Mongoose M3.6.heads in stock. A price increase is coming. You can figure out the rest.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 19th, 2018 Stuff
In the morning I was down at the lake with my new 600mm f/4 and the D5. I had a few good opportunities on flying Great Egrets so I hand held it out the window with some success. Then it was my postural restoration exercises followed by my fourth half mile plus swim in a row. Then I packed up and headed over to Brandon to meet friend//client Jake Levin. We micro-adjusted his Canon 500mm lens with the 1.4X TC and his 5D IV. Then dinner and early to bed. The first spoonbill IPT will be me and three others. Good luck to us.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred three days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about two hours to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
New Listings
Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens
BAA Record-Low, Shock-the-world priced
Greg Morris is offering a barely used EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens in mint to like-new condition with extras for the BAA record low price of $9394.00. The sale includes the LensCoat that has protected this lens since day one, a RRS stuff foot (installed), the original foot, the lens trunk, the original box and everything that came in it: front cover, rear cap, manuals, & the rest, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your personal of certified check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Greg via e-mail or by phone at 1-580-678-5929 (Central time).
WMD: Weapon of Mass Destruction!
The 600 II is the state of the art super-telephoto for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports. When I could get it to my location, it was my go-to weapon. It is fast and sharp and deadly alone or with either TC. With a new one going for $11,499, you can save a cool $2,005.00 by grabbing Walt’s might-as-well-be-new lens right now. artie
Canon EOS-1DX Professional Digital Camera Body
Greg Morris is also offering a Canon EOS-1DX in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $2499.00. The sale includes the front cap, the strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Greg via e-mail or by phone at 1-580-678-5929 (Central time).
Two 1DX bodies served admirably as my workhorse digital camera bodies for several years. The original 1DX has a superb AF system and produces high quality image files. It is fabulous for photographing birds in flight and in action. Some folks wish that they had kept there 1DX bodies and not upgraded to the 1DX Mark II … artie
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This image was created on the foggy morning of Sunday February 18 with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 380mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 800: Matrix metering about +2 1/3 stops off the foggy sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 in M (Manual) mode. AWB at 8:22am in the fog.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #1: Great Egret turning left in flight
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Moving About
Unless I have a fabulous situation in front of me I am always moving along looking for a great situation. Even when doing flight photography. This bird flew in from the west over the small moat in front of the railroad tracks.
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This image was created on the foggy morning of Sunday February 18 with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 800: Matrix metering about 2 1/3 stops off the foggy sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 in M (Manual) mode. AWB at 8:40am.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #2: Snowy Egret top shot
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Top Shots
Top shots show the dorsal surface of a bird’s spread wings. If you know Gatorland it should not take you too long to figure out the best location from which to make these types of images.
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This image was created on the foggy morning of Sunday February 18 with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 800: Matrix metering at about +2 stops off the somewhat brightening sky: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 in M (Manual) mode. AWB at 9:09am.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #3: Great Egret landing top shot
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Head and Neck Replacement
The first and third images in a three-frame sequence were sharp on the face. The middle one with the very best wing position was a bit off so I decided to do a head and neck-ectomy. I painted a Quick Mask of the head and neck from frame three and placed it on top of the slightly soft head and neck from frame two. Then I refined it with a Regular Layer Mask. All in all the operation was both quite successful and pretty much un-detectable.
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This image was created on the foggy morning of Sunday February 18 with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering at about +2 stops off the somewhat brightening sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in M (Manual) mode. AWB at 9:17am.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #4: Snowy Egret flight
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Breeding Plumage Snowy Egrets
None of the Snowies perched near the boardwalk had the beautiful red lores but surprisingly, most of the birds that I photographed in flight did. You usually do not see them in full breeding plumage for at least another six weeks or so.
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This image was created on the foggy morning of Sunday February 18 with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering about +1 1/3 stops off the brightening sky: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 in M (Manual) mode. AWB at 9:23am.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #5: Great Egret jumping off shelter roof
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What the Heck
I had just finished mentioning to someone that with my new gear I will often stay at 500mm rather than zoom out when a bird gets too big in the frame. So when this handsome bird jumped off the roof of a rain shelter to its nest I fired away and made two sharp on the eye images.
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This image was created on the foggy morning of Sunday February 18 with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 800: Matrix metering about +1 1/3 stops off the brightening sky: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 in M (Manual) mode. AWB at 9:26am.
Center Group (grp) Shutter Button AF as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #6: Great Egret in flight from below
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The End
I ended the morning the way I began, with a Great Egret flying almost directly overhead. By studying the shutter speeds with each image you can see how I handled the brightening skies.
Got a Favorite?
Leave a comment and let us know which one and why.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 18th, 2018 Stuff
We made it safely through thick fog to Gatorland on Saturday morning. As the sun did not break through until about 9:30am, we enjoyed a long shooting session with lots of excellent flight photography. The new Gatorland Photographer’s Pass program is vastly improved. You can check out the details and the improvements by clicking here. Best of all, there are a gazillion Great Egret nests, several with small chicks.
After a nice swim we headed down to the lake. There was nothing on the perch when we arrived not long before sunset. An Osprey landed but took off right after we got set up. The color in the western sky was a lovely bright orange. I took a few sharp images of a silhouetted grackle with the Nikon 600 and the much maligned TC-E20 III. I looked to my right and saw that the same or another Osprey had landed on the perch. As I moved into position, a second Osprey dive bombed the first one and drove it off the perch. And I thought that I was gonna be famous …
The Streak
Today makes two hundred two days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about two hours to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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 First Keeper My New Six and the Teleconverter TC-14E III
Not bad for right out of the box. When I saw this bird on my our perch I envisioned one of the usual ILE (Indian Lake Estates) ratty looking great blues. As the image snapped into focus I blurted out, “Oh my! What a beauty.”
The Nikon D850 AF Array
The coverage is decent but at times the AF points in the corner do not perform admirably, especially when there is a teleconverter in the mix … That said, I have no idea why center Group (grp) AF works so well for me (and for others) with birds in flight. I use d-25 for most of my static portraits. I need to do lots of experimenting with the various AF patterns.
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Nikon Capture NXD screen capture
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The Nikon Capture NXD Screen Capture
The only reason I ever go into Nikon Capture NX-D is to check out the active AF points. I have never done a RAW conversion with it but have heard mostly bad stuff about it. I do plan to give Capture One a whirl. The two images above are for Frank Sheets.
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This is an unsharpened 100% crop of today’s featured image.
Great Blue Heron on “The Perch”
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The Unsharpened 100% Crop
The image was created with the AF fine-tune value at the default, zero. I was wondering how much sharper the image could get. After I micro-adjusted the 600 with the TC-E14 I had a smile on my face: as it turned out, the system showed zero as perfect.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 17th, 2018 Stuff
Yesterday was a particularly great day all around. In the morning, we found two crane nests with eggs. Then, about 20 Sandhill Cranes flew in at about 7:30am. And a gorgeous Great Blue Heron in breeding plumage with ultramarine lores was on our perch in the morning and then again at sunset. All of that bodes well for the Master Classes. Click here for details.
In the afternoon the brilliant Patrick Sparkman tutored me on a miraculous new method of micro-adjusting the Nikon D-850 based on its Focus Peaking Feature. A short guide will be coming soon. I micro=adjusted my brand new Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, two 200-500s, and then all of those with the TCE-14IIIs, and then the 600 with the TCE-20III. All in less than two hours with most of that time spend setting up the LensAlign kit and setting up the gear perfectly to assure True Parallel Alignment. The latter as detailed in the The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide. As I type and finish up this blog post in the car in the dark we are on the way to a morning shoot at Gatorland. Photos and GL info soon 🙂
The Streak
Today makes two hundred one days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about two hours to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
More Phoenix Bird Photography Help Needed
While the Gilbert Water Ranch is a great location and I am looking forward to re-visiting, I am hoping to add a bit of species variety on my next Phoenix visit. If you know a good location for photographing songbirds, especially desert songbirds, please do share by leaving a comment. If you have a backyard feeder (or feeders) in relatively spacious natural area, I would love to help you set it up for bird photography or to help you improve your set-up if you already have one. Contact via e-mail is fine.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This image was created by friend Bryan Holliday at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix, AZ. He used the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 320. Evaluative metering -2/3 stop: 1/8000 sec. at f/4 in Av Mode.
Image #1: Black-crowned Night-Heron pre-dawn silhouette
Image courtesy of and copyright 2018: Bryan Holliday
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Bryan Holliday
Bryan is a fine young photographer friend who lives in AZ. We have shot together a bunch in San Diego and at Bosque. To get into position to make this image he fought his way through a nasty thorn tree to a small opening.
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This image was created by Amy Novotny at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix, AZ. She used the tripod-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 380mm) and the Nikon D500. ISO 100: 1/1250sec. at f/5.6 in Manual (M) mode. AW: 7548.
Image #2: Black-crowned Night-Heron pre-dawn silhouette
Image courtesy of and copyright 2018: Amy Novotny
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Amy Novotny
Amy, a budding nature photographer, is the physical therapist I went to visit in Phoenix in January. Bryan and Amy and I got out to photograph on weekend mornings here and there. I am doing so well with my balloon blowing Postural Restoration therapy that I am returning to Phoenix in about two weeks for nine more PRI sessions. Note: the 1.5X crop factor Nikon D500 is hugely popular with Dark Side bird photographers.
Yours Truly
I was about 15 feet to the left of Bryan and Amy working the same bird against a different portion of the pre-dawn sky. As I often do, I added the 2X TC and went tight while the others went wide …
Post Processing Comments
I have said often since the dawn of digital at the turn of the century, “If you put the same photographer to work on the same computer with the same indoor lighting for seven days in a row and have them convert and process the same image every day for a week straight, they will come up with seven different versions.” When working with pre-dawn color, the above is true in spades.
Your Favorite?
Which of today’s three featured images is your favorite? Which is your least favorite? In each case, let us know why. I will share my thoughts on the three images in a future blog post.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 16th, 2018 Stuff
We had time on Thursday morning for a short visit with the beach-nesting boobies along the south shore of Cayman Brac before our flights. And we did well. As a last second bonus, several White-tailed Tropicbirds flew right over us. All in all it was a great trip. Lots more photos and lessons coming soon. I woke at 3:55am. We flew to Grand Cayman at 10:55am, then on to Miami at 1:40pm, and finally made it to Orlando at 6:30pm. After a stop at Publix for veggies we made it home to ILE at 9:15.
Thanks to the many for the fun titles folks offered up for the angelic Brown Booby image in the blog post here. My favorites were by Randal Jaffe who wrote, “All together now “YMCA” and Rodney Flowers’ “Air Ballerina” as the pose reminded him of a ballerina with her arms stretched up and toes pointing down.” And there were lots of other clever ones.
I needed to add a room for three different hotels for the UK Puffins and Gannets pre-trip. Booking.com was amazing. I went to the first two bookings and there was a “Add a room to this reservation” button. I clicked on it and my reservation was now for the seven rooms I needed. The third reservation did not show the “Add a room to this reservation” button so I messaged the Booking.com agent who contacted the property that was showing sold out. Bingo. The next day I got an e-mail stating that the Newcastle hotel reservations were now for seven rooms. Hooray; what service and so, so easy. Do not try that with Hotels.com.
Booking.Com
If you’d like to try Booking.Com, click on the link below to get great rates and save a handsome $25.00 on your first booking in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
The Streak
Today makes two hundred days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Great Tripod News Times Two
Induro tripods trash the more expensive Gitzos. They are more efficient, they stand up far better to salt water, and their customer and repair services are superb.
#1: I recently discovered the Induro GIT 204, the smaller, lighter cousin of the GIT 304L. The 204 folds down to 21 inches for easy packing and at 4.2 pounds (but rated to hold 44 pounds of gear) makes an ideal travel tripod for folks using intermediate telephoto lenses like the Canon 100-400 II, the Canon 300mm f/4L IS, the Nikon 80-400mm VR, and the Nikon 200-500. All of those and the rest of the versatile intermediate telephoto lenses available today do best when your tripod is topped by a Mongoose M3.6. And the GIT 204 is priced at only $525.00, $124 less than its larger six-inch taller cousin, the GIT 304L. I brought the 204 to Cayman Brac and used it with the 200-500 most often with the TCE-14III and always once the sun had disappeared behind the taller houses each afternoon. The booby chicks were so cute that we often stayed to photograph them until well after sunset. I will be bringing the 204 on my next Southern Oceans adventure, (October 2018) for the Emperor Penguin chicks. We hope. B&H does not carry the GIT 204; you can order yours by clicking here right now; there are only five left in stock.
#2: The Induro GIT 304L, perfect for folks using super-telephoto lenses, is back in stock here after being on backorder for forever. If you need the super-tall super-sturdy GIT 404XL, please shoot me an e-mail.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
A Friend in High Places: Thanks Patrick!
In addition to being a fine photographer who hand held the Canon 600 II for a decade often with the 2XIII TC in place, Patrick is technically brilliant. He knows a lot about a lot of photographic stuff that is foreign to me. One of those is photographing the night sky. As Patrick is off on Saturdays we decided to meet early to photograph the eclipse right at max and invited the entire group to join us in the dark. Most did. If it were not for Patrick, nobody would have made a single good image. Mr. Sparkman knew the right ISO and the minimum shutter speed needed to keep the stars and the moon sharp. And he helped me a ton as I did not even know how to turn on Live View 🙂 Once I had that down, I was unable to manually focus the magnified edge of the moon accurately so I asked Patrick for help. As you can see, he focused perfectly.
My Popular Compositional Suggestion …
There were six or seven of us in a fairly tight group photographing the eclipse. Everyone was placing the moon in the center of the frame for easier focusing. Patrick mentioned that you could check for sharpness by magnifying the image and checking the visible stars. I had not even noticed the stars. Once I saw them I realized that by moving the moon out of the center of the frame, you could use the pattern of the stars as a powerful compositional element. I mentioned it to the group and within a minute everyone was doing it. The position of the stars changed as the setting moon moved lower in the sky and to our right and thus we moved the moon around in the frame to create a variety of image designs. Today’s featured image was my favorite.
Once the sky began to brighten ever-so-slightly the moon lost the red color and our session was over.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 15th, 2018 Stuff
Well, we thought that Tuesday morning was bad, but Wednesday was worse. The wind was practically lifting us off the cliff and there were very few birds in flight. I created only a few Brown Booby images and deleted them all. I did keep a very few landscape photos. The afternoon was great. I started off doing some wind against sun flight and had a few good chances with birds banking back toward their nests. Then we photographed two different chicks in nests just ten feet apart; one was quite large, the other quite small. Then a nice dinner at Captain’s Table. We fly tomorrow to Grand Cayman and Miami arriving in Orlando at 6:30pm.
The Streak
Today makes one hundred ninety-nine days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 90 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Lens (the “old five”) with extras!
New BAA Record Low Price!
Reduced a total of $253 on 15 FEB 2018.
Greg Morris is offering a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in very good plus condition for $3447 (was $3700). The lens was cleaned and checked by Canon in December 2017 and the lens mount was replaced. The sale includes a Canon Extender EF 1.4X II, a Canon Extender EF 2X II (both in like new condition with caps and pouches), the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the leather front lens cover, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only.
Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Greg via or e-mail by phone at 1-580-678-5929 (Central time).
The 500mm f/4 lenses have been the world’s most popular telephoto lenses for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. I owned and used and loved my “old five” for many years. If you don’t have the cash for the 500 II and can handle the additional 1 1/2 pounds, then this is your best super-telephoto option. Most everyone can produce sharp images with this lens and a 1.4X TC. Folks with good to excellent sharpness techniques can do the same with a 2X TC. With the new 500 II selling for $8,999 you can save a neat $5552.00 by grabbing Greg’s lens (plus the two TCs!) artie
ps: The Series II TCs work perfectly well with the older super telephoto lenses; the series III TCs are best when working with the newer Series II lenses.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This image was created on the second San Diego IPT with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 290mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 2800: Matrix metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 in S mode (Shutter priority in Canon). AWB at 6:39am in the pre-dawn on a dead-clear day.
Center d-25/Shutter Button AF on the bird; locked focus with the AF-ON button and recomposed. Five-second timer with Live View (for mirror lock-up).
Western Gull and setting full moon …
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Astronomy Riddle/Quiz …
The sky was perfectly clear. The blue strip in the sky is caused by the shadow of the earth. The full moon was setting at the moment this image was made. As we all know, a full moon is round. Why does the moon appear crescent-shaped in today’s featured image? If you are 100% sure that you know the correct answer please do not post it until Thursday after 6pm to give others a chance to consider the riddle. Or, you can shoot me your answer via e-mail.
Answer tomorrow.
Image Question
How would this image been stronger if it had been made 15 minutes earlier (with the gull sitting in the same spot of course)?
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This image was created on our second morning on Cayman Brac with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) with the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering -1.3 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/22 in S (Shutter priority mode, Tv in Canon). K7690 at 7:18am after a foggy/cloudy sunrise.
Center Group (grp) shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. AF micro-adjustment: -1.
Brown Booby wheeling in flight with nesting material; silhouette.
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Booby Silhouette-Facing Direction Answer
In the blog post here, with regards to the image above, I asked, “Is the bird facing us or is the bird facing away? As stated there, the wind was in my face. Now I will be the first to admit that it looks very much as if the bird is facing me and that we are seeing the dorsal (top) surfaces of the feet. I remember the bird banking but could not for the life of me understand how it possibly could have been facing me at the moment of exposure.
Most folks thought as I did, that the bird was facing me. Some stated definitively that the bird was facing the camera and they knew because of the feet. Others stated definitively that the bird was facing away from the camera and they knew because of the feet. So I decided to find out for sure.
The Clear Answer!
I brought the image into Photoshop and pulled the curve up to lighten it considerably. The result was a really lousy photograph that proved that contrary to popular opinion, this Brown Booby was flying into the wind and facing away from the camera. I have seen this type of illusion before with silhouettes of landing birds, especially Sandhill Cranes; you eyes tell you that the bird was flying toward you when you know for a fact that the bird was facing away, into the wind.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 14th, 2018 Stuff
The last time that I asked for an image title the group as a whole pretty much came up empty. Put your thinking caps on and see what you can come up with for today’s unusually lovely and graceful featured image.
Tuesday morning was the worst of the trip so far. It was so windy when we got to the lighthouse cliffs that we decided to head back to the beach. After a short walk there I attempted to photograph a bird in flight but my D-850 would not fire. I decided that we should go back to the cliffs as things were not looking too good. On the drive back I tried to get the camera to work. At some point I was in the menu and I saw this: “no card in camera.” With Canon digital, if you have set the idiot proofing on your camera and press the shutter button it lights up in big letters “No CF card.” I am not sure why Nikon never figured that out …. Advantage Canon.
In any case, once I put the card in my pocket into the camera it worked just fine. I am not sure why but — unlike the last four mornings — we had very few good flight chances. That said we both got some killer flight images.
We went back to several of our favorite beach nests late in the afternoon and made a very few nice images.
The Streak
Today makes one hundred ninety-eight days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 45 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This image was created on the morning of February 12 on Cayman Brac with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 290mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 400: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:44am on a sunny morning with just slight edge off the sun.
Center Group (grp)/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Brown Booby in flight with wings raised looking at cliff
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Save-able?
Is the image above save-able?
Exposure Stuff
I learned very quickly when photographing the Brown Boobies in flight that I could always get the perfect exposure by creating a test image of the super-bright limestone on the promontory in the lower left corner. I work in Manual mode so all that I would do was adjust the shutter speed as the sun came in and out so that my test image showed some blinkies on the rocks (as seen by the red highlight alert splotches above in the Photo Mechanic screen capture). It did not matter if the sun was blasting bright or if a nice cloud covered the sun.
Photo Mechanic
Most everyone who attends an IPT winds up purchasing Photo Mechanic after they see me picking my keepers using this lightning fast program. If you purchase a Photo Mechanic license, please remember that you can save a few bucks and help support the blog with phone orders only by calling Jim in the office on weekdays at 863-692-0906. Learn all that you need to know about Photo Mechanic by scrolling down here
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This image was created on the morning of February 12 on Cayman Brac with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 290mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 400: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:44am on a sunny morning with just slight edge off the sun.
Center Group (grp)/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Brown Booby in flight with wings raised looking at cliff
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Got a Title?
If you can think of neat, clever, or catchy title for this image, please leave a comment.
The Optimized Image
After converting the image in ACR that first thing that I did was level it. Then it was the usual stuff: fill in the big empty triangles using with John Heado Content Aware Fill, use a large flopped Quick Mask — refined by the addition of a Regular Layer Mask as per APTATS– to cover the limestone rock, Eye Doctor work, my NIK 40/40 recipe on the bird only, and a Contrast Mask on to quasi-sharpen the face.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
Your guessed it, everything mentioned above and tons more is 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. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. 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.
The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):
- The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
- The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.
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.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. Yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 13th, 2018
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Early Spring Photo Opportunities at ILE
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BIRDS AS ART first-ever Master Classes
Master Class Session 1. Two Full and two Half Days/Friday afternoon, March 16 through lunch on Monday, March 19, 2018: course fee: $1,999. Limit: 4/openings:3
Master Class Session 2. Two Full and two Half Days/Friday afternoon, March 30 through lunch on Monday, April 2, 2018. Limit: 4/openings:3
The Master Classes will be small groups — strictly limited to four photographers — with the first folks who register having the option of staying at my home ($50/night) or at a chain motel in nearby Lake Wales. Live, think, and breathe photography from Friday afternoon through lunch on Monday (late-morning); all meals included. There will be three afternoon photo sessions (FRI – SUN) hopefully with glorious sunsets like the ones you saw one the blog in December we should have good opportunities with the cranes even in the afternoon. We will enjoy three morning photography sessions (SAT – MON) with the main subjects being tame Sandhill Cranes almost surely with chicks or colts. Also vultures and Cattle Egrets and more. Limpkins are possible. Intermediate telephoto lenses are fine for the cranes, even the chicks at times. A 500 or 600mm lens would be best for many of the situations that we will encounter.
During the day we will sit together around my dining room table and pick everyone’s keepers and enjoy guided Photoshop sessions. On Monday before lunch, folks can make a single large print of their favorite image from the weekend. If you so choose, I will micro-adjust one of your lenses (at one focal length with your #1 camera body–Canon or Nikon) during a group instructional session. All will be welcome to practice what they have learned during the breaks using my set-up and my lighting gear.
To register, please first shoot me an e-mail to check on availability. Then you will be instructed to call Jim or Jen at 863-692-0906 during weekday business hours (except for Friday afternoons) to leave you non-refundable (unless the session sells out) $500 deposit. Only the deposit may be left on credit card. Balances must be paid by check immediately after you register (unless you wish to pay by credit card plus 4% to cover our fees).
I hope that you can join me on this new adventure.
with love, artie
ps: bring your bathing suit if you would like to try my pool!
February 13th, 2018 Stuff
The morning started off slowly with the promise of lots of clouds but the blue sky and sun came too quickly. Rather than packing it in early, we stuck it out and had enjoyed some great flight photography with unexpectedly excellent results. I am in the process of learning a ton about the automatic Nikon AFA method … Will share here when I figger it out completely …
We snorkeled again at Radar Reef and for the second straight time I left my fins in the room 🙂 We had a productive afternoon with Brown Booby chicks are varying ages. And for the first time ever I used the tilting rear LCD and Live View to create some low angle images. With success.
It’s not too late to join me for one of the spoonbill IPTs; both are now almost full. Please e-mail if you would like to learn about the late registration discount.
The Streak
Today makes one hundred ninety-seven days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 45 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing. I was glad to learn that Gary Meyer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition along with a pair of like-new Series III TCs for the (unbelievable) record low BAA price of $3458.00.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This is the Photo Mechanic Screen Capture for Today’s Featured Image
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the Photo Mechanic Screen Capture
OK, you are editing. You come to this one. It is way too dark. The bird is too far forward in the frame. And you clipped the top wing by not zooming out quite enough. Before scrolling down, do you keep this one or relegate it to the trash bin? As I put the optimized image near the bottom of the blog post, you will need to scroll down more than usual to see it.
Don’t Forget
You need to scroll down a ways to see the final image.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
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This image was created on the morning of February 10 on Cayman Brac with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 320mm) and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 1600. Matrix metering probably +1 1/3 stops off the gray sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:16am on a cloudy morning.
Center Group (grp)/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
Brown Booby passing by in flight with stick for nest
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The Optimized Image
I may not be great in Photoshop, but I’m darned good …
Just the usual stuff: ACR conversion, crop to a 2X3 vertical, expand Canvas with John Heado Content Aware Fill, re-build the wing tip using small Quick Masks as per APTATS, Eye Doctor work, my NIK 40/40 recipe, and a Contrast Mask on to quasi-sharpen the face.
D-5 and D-850 Dynamic Range
I continue to be impressed by the dynamic range of both of my Nikon bodies. You are able to rescue both over- and under-exposed images with ease with pretty much no ill effects. I will be talking about what I call small pixel noise with the D-850, and what I do to eliminate it in a future blog post.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
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.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
Your guessed it, everything mentioned above and tons more is 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. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. 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.
The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):
- The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
- The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.
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.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. Yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 12th, 2018 Stuff
We got to the limestone cliffs early and had some great flight action for the first 45 minutes. With the clear blue skies we decided to try for the West Indian Whistling Ducks but they were too far away. So we called it a morning and I decided to go with our guide for a short snorkel at Radar Reef. The Reef Squid were amazingly beautiful and almost surreal with their fluorescent color and strange shape. It was sunny and clear with blue skies so we did not head out until 4:30. Just as we arrived the large chick got fed by daddy. Our best action came when the sun ducked behind the hills to the west. I finally got some nice head portraits of Big Chick. Right after that I discovered a second large chick and several nests in an adjacent field.
Once again, big time thanks to Peter Kes who added a Nikon Lens chart under the Lens Chart tab above.
It’s not too late to join me for one of the spoonbill IPTs; both are now almost full. Please e-mail if you would like to learn about the late registration discount.
Yesterday’s Blog Post
In the A Comparison of the Canon 100-400 II L IS Lens and the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens blog post here yesterday, many folks took the time to leave helpful comments.
Below is my generic reply.
Thanks all for the insightful comments. Two folks suggested that the first image is sharper. I believe that the bird’s left eye in Image #2 is as sharp as the two eyes in Image #1 but that the Nazca’s left eye is not as sharp as its right eye. That, however, has nothing to do with the sharpness of the lens; it is a depth of field issue.
#1: Wide open with the 1-4 II is f/5.6. So f/13 is stopped down 2 full and one third stop (2 2/3 stops). With the 2-4/TCE-14III wide open is f/8 and f/10 is stopped down only two thirds of a single stop (2/3).
#2: In image #1 both eyes were on the exact same plane.
There are lots of Nikon lenses that I might add to my kit. Right now those include the new version of the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens, one of the 70-200 lenses, a macro lens, and possibly the small, light, super-versatile Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. Thanks for all the suggestions. And yes, comparing the 80-400 VR with the Canon 100-400 II would have been a more apt comparison.
with love, artie
The Streak
Today makes one hundred ninety-six days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 90 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing. I was glad to learn that Gary Meyer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition along with a pair of like-new Series III TCs for the (unbelievable) record low BAA price of $3458.00.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This image was created on our second morning on Cayman Brac with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) with the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering -1.3 stops: 1/1000 sec. at f/22 in S (Shutter priority mode, Tv in Canon). K7690 at 7:18am after a foggy/cloudy sunrise.
Center Group (grp) shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. AF micro-adjustment: -1.
Brown Booby wheeling in flight with nesting material; silhouette.
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Shoulda Beens …
I shoulda been at least down to ISO 200. I shoulda been up to at least 1/2000 sec. Why? Because winding up at f/22 was a waste (that might have caused diffraction, whatever that is …)
Exposure Math Quiz (and Primer)
Here is an exposure math quiz for you: if I had been at ISO 200 at 1/4000 sec. what would the resulting aperture have been?
If you are having trouble with the math above, grab your camera, make sure it is set up in third-stop increments (as it should be), dial in the original settings, and then count the clicks 🙂 Three clicks equals one stop. One click equals 1/3 stop. This is a skill that all photographers need to master so the more you practice counting clicks the more proficient you will become. Aperture and shutter speed are the obvious ones but do not forget that ISO is an equal partner in the exposure triangle.
Seeing the Situation
We have been photographing birds in flight over the unseen promontory just below the bird in today’s featured image from the opposite side every morning, with the sun almost behind us and the wind as always, somewhere from out of the east, and somewhat behind us. But with the pre-dawn color I realized there was a chance for a nice silhouette image if a bird banked and turned while attempting to land … Voila; it worked!
Or Did It?
Do you think that the bird in today’s featured image is facing the lens or facing away?
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
February 11th, 2018 Stuff
We had another great morning with the Brown Boobies. We were very careful on the jagged limestone cliffs … Tired of the heat and the bright sun we delayed our afternoon outing till 4:30pm. As I walked to the car it was drizzling. And there were big lovely clouds. We had our best afternoon of the trip as the big chick and her mum were quite cooperative and the pair nearby that had disappeared returned and spent the afternoon deciding which of two nests to build. All three of us were elated as we walked off the beach at 6:38pm.
Big time thanks to Peter Kes who added a Nikon Lens chart under the Lens Chart tab above; both charts were quite helpful in preparing this blog post.
It’s not too late to join me for one of the spoonbill IPTs; both are now almost full. Please e-mail if you would like to learn about the late registration discount.
The Streak
Today makes one hundred ninety-five days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about five hours in all to prepare. Plus thousands of hours using the 100-400 II in the field and another hundred or so playing with the 200-500. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing. I was glad to learn that Gary Meyer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in near-mint condition along with a pair of like-new Series III TCs for the (unbelievable) record low BAA price of $3458.00.
Booking.Com
Several folks on the Spoonbill IPTs used the Booking.Com link below and got great rates and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
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This image was created at Darwin Bay, Genovesa (Tower Island) at 10:01 am on Day 2 of the 2015 Galapagos Photo Cruise with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops off the bright white feathers on the bird’s back in hazy sunlight: 1/400 sec. at f/13 in Manual Mode. AWB.
Left Upper Zone AF/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The AF system chose the AF point three to the left of the center AF point–it was squarely on the bird’s right eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #1: Nazca Booby–tight face shot facing
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The Canon 100-400 L IS II Lens
In the right hands, this is a superb lens with or without a 1.4X teleconverter.
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This image was created on Cayman Brac with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens and the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III (at 650mm), and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering probably +1/3 stop (as originally framed): 1/500 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. AWB at 2:45pm on a clear sunny afternoon.
Right d-25/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure with the selected AF point on the bird’s left eye.
Image #2: Brown Booby, tight face detail of male
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The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens
In the right hands, this is a superb lens with or without a 1.4X teleconverter. By comparing today’s two featured images carefully you can see the MFD/magnification advantage of the Canon 1-4 as both images were made just about at the MFD …
Your Favorite?
Which of today’s featured images is the stronger one? Please let us know why you made your choice.
A Comparison of the Canon 100-400mm L IS II Lens and the Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 VR
Weight, Size and Bulk
The Canon 100-400 II at 3.5 lbs. (1.59kg) is imminently more hand holdable for many folks than the Nikon 200-500. The latter tips the scales at 4.6 lbs (or 2.09 kgs). That said, I hand held the 2-5 for two weeks in San Diego without a problem and have done the same on Cayman Brac. And have never thought once about using a tripod (except when doing static subjects in the strong winds on the cliffs at the Brac). By direct comparison, the 200-500 is large and clunky; the 100-400 is relatively small and quite svelte. You can however save a bit of weight by removing the tripod collar with the Wimberley plate attached from the 2-5.
Big Advantage: Canon
IS vs VR
Both image stabilization systems are excellent. Note: for bird photography with the 200-500 I keep the VR set to Sport even when photographing static subjects. This is much the same as my keeping IS Mode 2 set all the time with my Canon lenses.
Advantage: none
Focal Length Range
For bird photography, the 2-5 with its maximum reach of 500mm is the clear winner over the 400mm maximum focal length of the Canon 1-4. That said, there are times with the Nikon 2-5 when I miss the additional 100mm at the wide end.
Advantage: Nikon
Minimum Focusing Distance (MFD)
The thing that I miss most about the Canon 100-400 II is the amazing close focus. With its MFD of 3.2 feet (about .98 meters) the 1-4 is a veritable macro lens. The 2-5 focuses down to a not-too-shabby 7.2 feet (or 2.19 meters), more than twice the MFD of the Canon 100-400 II.
The magnification of the 100-400 II is an incredible 0.31X. The magnification of the 2-5 is only 0.22X. Do note: the magnification of a zoom lens is calculated at the longest focal length at the minimum focusing distance. (And yes, for all the tech heads, I do understand that with the Canon lens you do not get a true 400mm focal length when working at or near the MFD.)
Huge Advantage: Canon
Ergonomics and Functionality
Removing the tripod collar to save weight with the Nikon 200-500 is a snap compared to the pain-in-the-ass chore of having to unscrew the tripod foot (with a Wimberley P-10 plate) attached on the 1-4II. Getting around in the field with the 1-4 on a Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap is child’s play. I like to remove the tripod foot as above but have no problem attaching the screw from the Black Rapid strap to the bottom of the camera body. I am not, however, comfortable doing that with a four and a half pound lens. I tried using the tripod collar and attaching the Black Rapid screw there but I did not like the balance. Thus, the huge problem that I have with the Nikon 2-5 is that there are no strap lugs on the lens as their are on the Canon 400 DO II (that weighs about the same as the 2-5). I need to come up with a way to carry the Nikon 2-5 on my shoulder when I am afield with my about-to-be delivered Nikon 600mm f/4. Or perhaps there is an 80-400 VR in my future …
As far as the various controls are concerned, each lens is laid out similarly and is easy to access and use the various switches.
Advantage: a slight edge to Canon; if the 2-5 had strap lugs, the edge would go to Nikon.
Performance with a 1.4X TC
The Canon 1-4 performs superbly with the 1.4X III TC. At times, it will work just fine for birds in flight. At this stage having limited experience using the 2-5 with the TC for flight, I cannot recommend that combination for flight photography. Autofocus at point blank range is quite satisfactory with the Canon set-up. AF performance with the Nikon 2-5 and the TCE 14-E III is adequate at long and mid-ranges but the speed of initial autofocus acquisition is slowed to a greater degree than with the Canon set-up. At times, the 2-5 paired with the TC-14E III, has a great deal of trouble acquiring focus at close range especially in soft light. The two tricks below have helped me; perhaps they will help you.
- #1: Move your left hand back on the barrel to the focusing ring so that you can pre-focus manually. Once you acquire focus you can move your left hand back out for better stability.
- #2: If you are attempting to acquire focus on the head of a gull with a black back (such a western or great black-backed) and the AF system is blind even when you put d-9 right on the bird’s eye, simply lower the lens to the spot where the white head meets the black back and press the shutter button half way to acquire focus. It will always do that with zero problems. When you raise the camera to compose your tight head portrait the system will generally hold focus without a problem.
Most importantly note that with the greater reach of the 2-5 you max out at 700mm while the Canon rig will get you out to 560mm.
Advantage: slight edge to Canon
Sharpness
Both with and without the manufacturer’s matching teleconverters both lenses are to my eyes, exceeding sharp.
Advantage: None
Zoom Power Ratio
Getting from 100mm to 400mm with the Canon 1-4 requires a twist of only about 90 degrees. To get from 200-500 with the Nikon lens – the same 300mm difference — requires nearly twice the rotation, about 170 degrees. This makes the 2-5 much more difficult to work with than the Canon 1-4. I am finally beginning to get the direction of zooming right with the 2-5 but I am anything but confident.
Big Advantage: Canon
Price
A new 100-400 II currently sells for $2049.00 at B&H. The Nikon 2-5 currently sells new at B&H for $1396.95.
Big Advantage: Nikon
Summary
Both the Canon 100-400 II L IS and the Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 VR are superb lenses. In the hands of competent photographers each is capable of creating high quality award winning images. Do understand that knowing where to stand, having good sharpness techniques, knowing your gear, knowing how to make sharp images, knowing how to get a workable exposure, know how to design a pleasing image, and understanding the direction and quality of light, understanding how effects of wind, knowing your subjects, and knowing how to approach birds without scaring them off are — among other factors, far more important than what system or what lens or what camera body you are using … Chew on that for a while 🙂
A Question
Did the results above surprise you? If yes, why?
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If 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 New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
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 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 will be visiting 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. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
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