{"id":33008,"date":"2016-05-07T09:29:38","date_gmt":"2016-05-07T13:29:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/?p=33008"},"modified":"2016-05-07T11:22:58","modified_gmt":"2016-05-07T15:22:58","slug":"red-dunes-mocha-dunes-namibia-gear-and-gear-bag-mistakes-and-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2016\/05\/07\/red-dunes-mocha-dunes-namibia-gear-and-gear-bag-mistakes-and-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Dunes, Mocha Dunes, Namibia Gear and Gear Bag Mistakes, and Levels&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>What&#8217;s Up?<\/h3>\n<p>Friday was just another day at the office getting lots done. My <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1221604-REG\/canon_0931c016_eos_1d_x_mark_ii.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/CAE1DX2K\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xCAE1DX2K\" target=\"_blank\">1D X Mark II<\/a> comes today \ud83d\ude42 <\/p>\n<p><center><noscript><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/servedby.flashtalking.com\/click\/8\/55973;1705289;0;209;0\/?ft_width=728&#038;ft_height=90&#038;url=9277912\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/servedby.flashtalking.com\/imp\/8\/55973;1705289;205;gif;BirdsAsArt;728x90\/?\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/noscript><br \/>\n<script language=\"Javascript1.1\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\nvar ftClick = \"\";\nvar ftExpTrack_1705289 = \"\";\nvar ftX = \"\";\nvar ftY = \"\";\nvar ftZ = \"\";\nvar ftOBA = 1;\nvar ftContent = \"\";\nvar ftCustom = \"\";\nvar ft728x90_OOBclickTrack = \"\";\nvar ftRandom = Math.random()*1000000;\nvar ftBuildTag1 = \"<scr\";\nvar ftBuildTag2 = \"<\/\";\nvar ftClick_1705289 = ftClick;\nif(typeof(ft_referrer)==\"undefined\"){var ft_referrer=(function(){var r=\"\";if(window==top){r=window.location.href;}else{try{r=window.parent.location.href;}catch(e){}r=(r)?r:document.referrer;}while(encodeURIComponent(r).length>1000){r=r.substring(0,r.length-1);}return r;}());}\nvar ftDomain = (window==top)?\"\":(function(){var d=document.referrer,h=(d)?d.match(\"(?::q\/q\/)+([qw-]+(q.[qw-]+)+)(q\/)?\".replace(\/q\/g,decodeURIComponent(\"%\"+\"5C\")))[1]:\"\";return (h&&h!=location.host)?\"&ft_ifb=1&ft_domain=\"+encodeURIComponent(h):\"\";}());\nvar ftTag = ftBuildTag1 + 'ipt language=\"javascript1.1\" type=\"text\/javascript\" ';\nftTag += 'src=\"http:\/\/servedby.flashtalking.com\/imp\/8\/55973;1705289;201;js;BirdsAsArt;728x90\/?ftx='+ftX+'&fty='+ftY+'&ftadz='+ftZ+'&ftscw='+ftContent+'&ft_custom='+ftCustom+'&ftOBA='+ftOBA+ftDomain+'&ft_referrer='+encodeURIComponent(ft_referrer)+'&cachebuster='+ftRandom+'\" id=\"ftscript_728x90\" name=\"ftscript_728x90\"';\nftTag += '>' + ftBuildTag2 + 'script>';\ndocument.write(ftTag);\n<\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<h3>The Streak<\/h3>\n<p>Today\u2019s blog post marks 183 days in a row with a new educational blog post, dozens of new topics to cover, and no end in sight until my big South America trip next fall. As always-\u2013and folks have been doing a really great job recently\u2013-please remember to use our B&#038;H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would appreciate your business.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-content\/gallery\/general\/red-dunes-_r7a0205-dead-vlei-namib-naukluft-national-park-namibia.jpg\" class='shutterset'><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ngg-singlepic ngg-center\" src=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-content\/gallery\/general\/red-dunes-_r7a0205-dead-vlei-namib-naukluft-national-park-namibia.jpg\" alt=\"red-dunes-_r7a0205-dead-vlei-namib-naukluft-national-park-namibia\" title=\"red-dunes-_r7a0205-dead-vlei-namib-naukluft-national-park-namibia\" width=800 \/><\/a>  <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>This image was created at Dead Vlei, inside Namib Naukluft National Park, on the 2016 Namibia IPT. I used the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorphotogear.com\/search.php?search_query=indurogrand&#038;rfsn=132487.5cf37.9906\">Induro<\/a> GIT 304L\/<a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/item.aspx?itemid=274\">Mongoose M3.6<\/a>-mounted <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/680103-USA\/Canon_2751B002_EF_70_200mm_f_2_8L_IS.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/CA7020028LIQ\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xCA7020028LIQ\" target=\"_blank\">Canon EF 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II USM lens<\/a>, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/732111-USA\/Canon_4410B002_Extender_EF_2X_III.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/CA2XEF3\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xCA2XEF3\" target=\"_blank\">Canon Extender EF 2X III<\/a>, and the mega mega-pixel <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1119027-REG\/canon_0582c002_eos_5ds_r_dslr.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/CAE5DSR\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xCAE5DSR\" target=\"_blank\">Canon EOS 5DS R.<\/a> ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1\/100 sec. at f\/8. K8000. To ensure maximum sharpness I used my flower technique: Live View with 2-second timer. <\/p>\n<p>Center AF point\/AI Servo Expand\/Rear Focus AF on the apex of the curve on the right hand dune and re-compose.  Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2013\/10\/31\/if-this-doesnt-get-the-point-across-nothing-will\/\">here<\/a> to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial.  Click on the image to see a larger version.  <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Red Sossusvlei dunes at dawn<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"728\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"90\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/mer54715.datafeedfile.com\/widget\/aff_widget_prdt_generate-2.0.php?aff_num=7226&#038;aff_net=1&#038;size=728x90&#038;mode=m&#038;bucket_num=2796&#038;link_target=y&#038;sid=\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iFrame.<\/p>\n<p><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Namibia Scenic Dune Opportunities<\/h3>\n<p>What can I say? The dunes in Namibia are breathtakingly beautiful. And that goes for the red dunes at Sossusvlei (above) and the white\/mocha-colored dunes (below) near the coast at Swakopmund. Each is beautiful in its own way. <\/p>\n<h3>Your Favorites?<\/h3>\n<p>Which color dunes would you like to photograph?  Which of the two images do you like best.  Be sure to let us know the reasons for your choices. <\/p>\n<h3>Namibia IPT Gear and Gear Bag Errors<\/h3>\n<p>On our first walk into Dead Vlei I opted to take the 70-200 II and TCs.  Next year I will opt for the 100-400\/; I did not need the speed of the 70-200 as I was always working on a tripod and I would have loved the extra reach of the 100-400 II plus the 2X III TC.<\/p>\n<p>My biggest gear bag mistake by far was bringing the Singh-Ray 77mm 10-stop ND instead of the 5-Stop 77mm ND. Several times I wanted to create some pleasing blurs. Having had so much fun in San Diego with the 10-stop ND photographing the big waves at La Jolla, CA, I forgot that I was going to a desert!  No waves there. The biggest problem with using the 10-stop ND with birds and wildlife is that you cannot see well enough through the viewfinder to either check AF or compose the image&#8230; <\/p>\n<p>To make matters worse I borrowed a 5-stop ND from a friend and promptly lost it&#8230; <\/p>\n<p>Lastly, leaving the 24-105mm at home was a mistake that I shall not repeat&#8230;<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-content\/gallery\/general\/dunes-r7a4758-swakopmund-namibia.jpg\" class='shutterset'><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ngg-singlepic ngg-center\" src=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-content\/gallery\/general\/dunes-r7a4758-swakopmund-namibia.jpg\" alt=\"dunes-r7a4758-swakopmund-namibia\" title=\"dunes-r7a4758-swakopmund-namibia\" width=800 \/><\/a>  <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>This image was created at Swakopmund on the 2016 Namibia IPT with the hand held <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1092632-REG\/canon_9524b002_ef_100_400mm_f_4_5_5_6l_is.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/CA1004002LIS\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xCA1004002LIS\" target=\"_blank\">Canon EF 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens<\/a> at 110mm and the mega mega-pixel <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1119027-REG\/canon_0582c002_eos_5ds_r_dslr.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/CAE5DSR\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xCAE5DSR\" target=\"_blank\">Canon EOS 5DS R.<\/a> ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2\/3 stops as framed: 1\/500 sec. at f11 in Manual mode. Daylight WB. <\/p>\n<p>Center AF point\/AI Servo Expand\/Rear Focus AF 1\/3 of the way into the frame and re-compose. Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2013\/10\/31\/if-this-doesnt-get-the-point-across-nothing-will\/\">here<\/a> to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial.  Click on the image to see a larger version.  <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Mocha dunes in midday sea fog <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"468\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"60\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/mer54715.datafeedfile.com\/widget\/aff_widget_prdt_generate-2.0.php?aff_num=7226&#038;aff_net=1&#038;size=468x60&#038;mode=m&#038;bucket_num=7761&#038;link_target=y&#038;sid=\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iFrame.<\/p>\n<p><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Our Desert Experience<\/h3>\n<p>We enjoyed an amazing outing at the coastal dunes around Swakopmund. We got to photograph a variety of small critters including Desert Chameleon, Palmato Gecko, some scorpions and snakes, and two neat species of birds. (Lots of new images coming soon.) The day began clear and sunny making it too bright to photograph the gorgeous dunes but by mid-morning the usual sea fog rolled in so we were able to enjoy almost endless dune-scape opportunities. What a day that turned out to be! <\/p>\n<h3>A Levels Adjustment Saves the Day<\/h3>\n<p>This properly exposed image looked like blah after the RAW conversion in DPP 4. A simple Levels adjustment really brought it to life by revealing the various shades of tan, brown, gray, and yes, mocha. <\/p>\n<h3>Digital Basics<\/h3>\n<p>You can learn how to make perfect Levels Adjustments as I did for the Mocha Dunes image along with everything else that I do on a daily basis when optimizing my images. It is all covered in detail in my Digital Basics File&#8211;written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style.  Are you tired of making your images look worse in Photoshop?  <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/item.aspx?itemid=252\">Digital Basics File<\/a> is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, details on using all of my image clean-up tools, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, the use of Contrast Masks, Digital Eye Doctor techniques, Gaussian Blurs, Dodge and Burn, a variety of ways to make selections, how to create time-saving actions, the Surface Blur settings that I use at times to smooth background noise, and tons more. <\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-content\/gallery\/general\/dpp-4-guide.jpg\" class='shutterset'><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ngg-singlepic ngg-center\" src=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-content\/gallery\/general\/dpp-4-guide.jpg\" alt=\"dpp-4-guide\" title=\"dpp-4-guide\" width=300 \/><\/a>  <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>You can order your copy of &#8220;The Photographers&#8217; Guide to Canon Digital Photo Professional 4.0&#8221;  (aka the DPP 4 Raw Conversion eGuide) by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/item.aspx?itemid=396\">here<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h3>The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF) <\/h3>\n<p>The RAW file for today&#8217;s image was of course converted in DPP 4.  Learn how and why I and many other discerning photographers choose and use only DPP 4 to convert their Canon RAW files in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/item.aspx?itemid=396\">DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide<\/a> by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly. The latest version supports all of the newer Canon camera bodies and several older models including the EOS-7D and the EOS-1D Mark IV. The DPP IV Guide is the ideal companion to the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/item.aspx?itemid=399\">7D Mark II User&#8217;s Guide<\/a>, a runaway best seller. <\/p>\n<h3>The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF) Updated for 1D Mark IV and the original 7D<\/h3>\n<p>The DPP 4 eGuide was recently updated to include the luminance and chrominance noise reduction values for both the 1D Mark IV and the original 7D.  If you purchased your copy from BAA please <a href=\"mailto:staffbaa@att.net\">e-mail<\/a><\/center> Jim and request the DPP 4 1d IV\/7D update. Please be sure to cut and paste page 1 into your e-mail as proof of purchase. <\/p>\n<h3>Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links \ud83d\ude42<\/h3>\n<p>To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&#038;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 <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/default.aspx\">BIRDS AS ART Online Store<\/a>, especially the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/item.aspx?itemid=274\">Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads<\/a>, Induro tripods and ballheads, Wimberley <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/item.aspx?itemid=35\">heads<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/category.aspx?catid=8\">plates<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/category.aspx?catid=17\">LensCoats and accessories<\/a>, and the like. 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 we are always glad to answer your gear questions via <a href=\"mailto:samandmayasgrandpa@att.net\">e-mail<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>I would of course appreciate your using our B&#038;H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. <font color=red><strong>For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. <\/strong><\/font> Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/default.aspx\">BAA Online<\/a> store as well.   <\/p>\n<p>I would of course appreciate your using our B&#038;H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. <font color=red><strong>For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. <\/strong><\/font> Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.birdsasart.com\/shop\/default.aspx\">BAA Online<\/a> store as well. <\/p>\n<h3>Facebook<\/h3>\n<p>Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!<\/p>\n<h3>Typos<\/h3>\n<p>In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to <a href=\"mailto:samandmayasgrandpa@att.net\">e-mail<\/a><\/center> or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right \ud83d\ude42   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s Up? <\/p>\n<p>Friday was just another day at the office getting lots done. My 1D X Mark II comes today \ud83d\ude42 <\/p>\n<p> var ftClick = &#8220;&#8221;; var ftExpTrack_1705289 = &#8220;&#8221;; var ftX = &#8220;&#8221;; var ftY = &#8220;&#8221;; var ftZ = &#8220;&#8221;; var ftOBA = 1; var ftContent = &#8220;&#8221;; var ftCustom = &#8220;&#8221;; [&#8230;]<\/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":[599],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-599","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33008","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=33008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33008\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}