{"id":10977,"date":"2012-08-08T22:50:38","date_gmt":"2012-08-09T02:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/?p=10977"},"modified":"2012-08-08T22:54:04","modified_gmt":"2012-08-09T02:54:04","slug":"what-to-do-what-to-do-what-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2012\/08\/08\/what-to-do-what-to-do-what-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do? What to Do? What to Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What to Do? What to Do? What to Do?<\/h3>\n

You have traveled to Katmai National Park in hopes of photographing tiny Coastal Brown Bear cubs playing and nursing. But it was a very harsh winter that followed the poor salmon runs of the previous fall and there are no baby bears. And there are very few squabbling bears. And the salmon have not begun running in earnest yet. All that the bears are doing is eating grass. What to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear image was created at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK with the tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f\/4L IS II lens<\/a> and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1\/3 stop as framed: 1\/320 sec. at f\/6.3 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

One right and two down from the center sensor\/AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. <\/p>\n

As you have seen before, this image illustrates why I love the 5D Mark III so much; using my favorite AF Area Selection Mode makes creating pleasing compositions child’s play because it is easy to move the surround AF points quickly and because the AF system is so sure. Learn everything that I know about this great camera and save $10 by clicking here<\/a>. As you will see, the list of unfinished items has dwindled considerably. The guide is nearly complete. When I am finished, the price will go to $50. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

What to Do?<\/h2>\n

You can find a large, beautiful bear in soft light, take about a dozen frames when the subject to imaging sensor is ideal, and then keep the best one or two images. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear image was created at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK with the tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f\/4L IS II lens<\/a>, the 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1\/3 stop as framed: 1\/320 sec. at f\/6.3 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

Central sensor (right on the bear’s eye)\/AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. <\/p>\n

Here, I love the distant background, the big canines, and the bits of grasses. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

What to Do?<\/h2>\n

Have the group sit low and tight as two bears graze closer and closer. Then catch one in the act of chewing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear image was created at Geographic Harbor, Katmai National Park, AK with the tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f\/4L IS II lens<\/a>, the 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III<\/a>. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1\/3 stop as framed: 1\/800 sec. at f\/7.1 in Av mode. <\/p>\n

Central sensor\/AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

What to Do?<\/h2>\n

Stand at full height behind your tripod to avoid getting the dark stuff at the top in the frame. Put the central sensor on the bear’s neck as it angled toward you. When you like what you see, create about a dozen images. Unbeknownst to me my rapid-fire-when-it’s-good approach paid dividends by catching the big bear with a mouthful of grass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear image was created at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK with the tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f\/4L IS II lens<\/a>, the 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III<\/a>. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2\/3 stop as framed: 1\/1000 sec. at f\/5.6 in Av mode. <\/p>\n

Far lower left sensor\/AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

What to Do?<\/h2>\n

Go small in the frame, put the bear down in the corner of the frame, and take advantage of the soft light and the glorious meadow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear image was created at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK with the tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f\/4L IS II lens<\/a> and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III<\/a>. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1\/3 stop as framed: 1\/640 sec. at f\/6.3 in Manual mode. <\/p>\n

Two to the right and two down from the central sensor\/AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.<\/p>\n

Again, the 5D Mark III’s incredibly wide AF array and my favorite AF Area Selection Mode were up to the task of creating a pleasing composition. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

What to Do?<\/h2>\n

Find a bear eating grass among the wildflowers, take off the teleconverter to go wide, get down in the river to get close to the bear’s level and to bring the distant conifer-covered hillside into the frame, and quickly choose the AF sensor that will create the composition that you want. The open mouth and the tiny bits of grass are both pluses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This Coastal Brown (Grizzly) Bear image was created at Hallo Bay, Katmai National Park, AK with the tripod-mounted Canon 500mm f\/4L IS II lens<\/a>, the 1.4X III TC<\/a>, and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III<\/a>. ISO 50. Evaluative metering at zero: 1\/4 sec. at f\/8 in Tv mode. <\/p>\n

Central sensor\/AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF. Click here<\/a> if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

What to Do?<\/h2>\n

It was dark. We were in the skiff. I was not too thrilled. When things look bleak learn to think pleasing blurs. As I saw the bear approach the big fire-blackened blog I went to my 5D Mark III’s C2 Custom Shooting Mode blur pre-set. Just a twist of the dial and I am ready for blurs. To learn to create and set your Custom Shooting Modes and save $10 for just a bit longer get yourself a copy of our 5D Mark II User’s Guide by clicking here<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Learn all there is to know about creating pleasing blurs with a copy of A Guide to Pleasing Blurs<\/a> by Denise Ippolito and yours truly. <\/p>\n

Which Do You Like Best?<\/h3>\n

Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the six bear images you like best, and why. <\/p>\n

September 2013 Bears Catching Salmon\/Bear Boat IPT<\/h3>\n

If you would like detailed information on my next bear boat IPT in early September, 2013, please shoot me an e-mail<\/a><\/center>. If you can join us, you will be taking part in one of the great wildlife experiences on the planet. <\/p>\n

B&H Event Space Event of Note<\/h3>\n

Denise Ippolito and I will be doing a program on Creating Pleasing Blurs at the B&H super-store in Manhattan on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 from 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM. Best news: it’s free. Worst news: it has long been sold out. Hopeful news: if and when folks cancel, registration will be re-opened. You can check here<\/a>. If you will be in the neighborhood, you can wait in line before the program begins in hopes of getting an open seat. Good luck!<\/p>\n

Shopper’s Guide<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Below is a list of the gear used to create the images in today’s post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Canon 500mm f\/4L IS II lens<\/a>I decided to leave the 800 at home for the bear boat trip and quickly fell in love with the 500 II for its light weight, great versatility, and four-stop IS. A complete review will be coming soon.
\n1.4X III TC<\/a> The latest version of the 1.4X TC is designed to work best with the Series II Super-telephoto lenses.
\nCanon EOS-5D Mark III<\/a>. Man, I am in love with this camera body. Both the files and the AF system are superb. <\/p>\n

And from the BAA On-line Store:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

LensCoats<\/a>. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
\nLegCoat Tripod Leg Covers.<\/a> I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders \ud83d\ude42 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
\nGizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod<\/a>. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. I’ll be commenting on this new model soon. In short, I like it.
\nMongoose M3.6 Tripod Head.<\/a> Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head<\/a>.
\n Double Bubble Level.<\/a> You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
\nThe Lens Align Mark II.<\/a> I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.<\/a>
\nBreezeBrowser<\/a>. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.<\/p>\n

Delkin 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards<\/h2>\n

All of the images above (but for the elephant image) were catpured on Delkin\u2019s new 64gb 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Card<\/a>. Learn more about these great cards by clicking here<\/a> and learn why the more expensive 1000X cards are overkill for still photographers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What to Do? What to Do? What to Do? <\/p>\n

You have traveled to Katmai National Park in hopes of photographing tiny Coastal Brown Bear cubs playing and nursing. But it was a very harsh winter that followed the poor salmon runs of the previous fall and there are no baby bears. And there are very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-147","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10977\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}