{"id":5127,"date":"2011-04-16T13:16:03","date_gmt":"2011-04-16T17:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/?p=5127"},"modified":"2011-04-17T19:10:07","modified_gmt":"2011-04-17T23:10:07","slug":"midway-revelation-and-laysan-albatross-images-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2011\/04\/16\/midway-revelation-and-laysan-albatross-images-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Midway Revelation and Laysan Albatross Images…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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I created this tight head portrait of a Laysan Albatross on our second morning at 8:58 am with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a> with the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 280mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1\/1000 sec. at f\/9 set manually after histogram check.<\/p>\n

What can I say? I love my style. Though one might think that images like these are are a dime a dozen it does take some care to achieve perfection. With the distant azure-blue lagoon background I was able to stop down considerably to ensure a sharp head and bill at close range and took lots of images to ensure getting at least one with the absolute perfect head angle. (The above comment was excerpted from BAA Bulletin #370<\/a>.) For more on my style, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Midway Revelation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The revelation is a simple one yet is one that needs to be reinforced every so often…. Yes, it is possible to make great images in your own backyard, in your own neighborhood, in your home state, and in your region, but when you travel to beautiful places with untold numbers of exquisitely gorgeous birds, birds that are silly-tame, it is far easier to create dramatic and powerful images. See, I told you that it was a simple revlelation \ud83d\ude42 It does however explain my recent desire to travel to great places at the end of the earth before my days are done…. <\/p>\n

Laysan Albatross Images<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f\/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1\/3 stop: 1\/125 sec. at f\/14. This image gives the viewer just a clue as to the nesting density of this prolific species. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Though the tsunami took more than 100,000 Laysan Albatross chicks and about 1,000 adult birds, there are still more than 920,000 adult Laysans and a shade under 400,000 fat and hungry chicks. Damage and loss on Sand Island, the only island of the three Midway islands now inhabited by humans, was minimal. Virtually all (15,000 albatross pairs with chicks) was lost on tiny Spit Island. And the loss on Eastern Island (about 1\/4 of the total Midway nests of this species) was great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a> with the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 170mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1\/3 stops: 1\/1250 sec. at f\/7.1 set manually. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

It is extremely difficult to create tight images of albatrosses feeding their young. Here I found a chick getting fed with a nice white sand background. Then I strove to get relatively parallel to the birds and to create an image with two good head angles and with the eyes of both the youngster and the adult visible. I opted for more action freezing shutter speed and less depth-of-field. Then I pressed the shutter button at the peak of the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a> with the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 175mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1\/3 stops: 1\/1250 sec. at f\/7.1 set manually. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Creating pleasing images that depict various aspects of the intricate courtship dance of an albatross is a difficult assignment. The challenges are similar to those faced when trying to create good chick feeding images. Though it is not difficult to find dancing pairs finding them in a pleasing setting is rare. The next challenge is to have them relatively parallel to the imaging sensor–they usually dance around in circles. Here we found a pair dancing atop a sand ridge with the lovely blue lagoon incorporated in the background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a> with the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 250mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1\/3 stop: 1\/800 sec. at f\/7.1 in Av mode. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Going back lit is an obvious choice with the fuzzy chicks. Again, seeing and recognizing a good situation with a pleasing background is the key to success. Here I created a single test image at zero, noted the blinkies in the rim lit feathers, and subtracted 1\/3 stop of light. Voila. This left the face a bit dark; I lightened it using Tim Grey dodge and burn as described in the recently updated Digital Basics<\/a>. Paul Mckenzie, a skilled photographer making his 7th Midway visit, said to me that dodge and burn tip in the new update was “brilliant.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a> with the 2X III TC (hand held at 222mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2\/3 stops off the sky: 1\/1000 sec. at f\/5.6 set manually. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Situations with albatrosses landing with their feet dangling and clean backgrounds are hard to find. When the group tooled by a tsunami-exposed hill of sand I knew that it was just a matter of waiting for the right wind and the right light…. So we did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created last night with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f\/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1\/1000 sec. at f\/5.6. I set the color temperature to 7000K to somewhat enhance the sunset colors. <\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Shopper’s Guide<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Below is a list of the gear that I used to create the images above. 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 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens<\/a>. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter<\/a>. I also use it a lot–depending on the situation–with the 1.4X III TC<\/a>.
\nCanon EF 1.4X III TC<\/a>. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
\nCanon 800mm f\/5.L IS lens.<\/a> Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
\n2X III teleconverter<\/a>. The new 2X III TC is sharper than the older 2X II version.
\nCanon EF 1.4X III TC<\/a>. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
\nCanon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body.<\/a> The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.<\/p>\n

And from the BAA On-line Store:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod.<\/a> This one will last you a lifetime.
\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>.
\nDouble Bubble Leve.l<\/a> You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am on a tripod and not using flash. <\/p>\n

Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card.<\/a> These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.<\/p>\n

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I pack my 800 and tons of other gear in my ThinkTank Airport SecurityTM V2.0<\/a> rolling bag for all of my air travel and recommend the slightly smaller Airport InternationalTM V2.0<\/a> for most folks. These high capacity bags are well constructed and protect my gear when I have to gate check it on short-hops and puddle jumpers. Each will protect your gear just as well. By clicking on either link or the logo below, you will receive a free gear bag with each order over $50. <\/p>\n

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\nThink Tank Free Offer<\/font><\/a>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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I created this tight head portrait of a Laysan Albatross on our second morning at 8:58 am with the Canon 70-200mm f\/2.8L IS II lens with the 1.4X III TC (hand held at 280mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1\/1000 sec. at f\/9 set manually after histogram […]<\/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":[90,71,28,5,14,15,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-90","category-70-200mm-f2-8-ii","category-800mm-f5-6","category-educational","category-photography-tips","category-photoshop-tips","category-product-info-and-tutorials","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5127","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=5127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5127\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}