{"id":74463,"date":"2021-06-07T04:56:31","date_gmt":"2021-06-07T08:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/?p=74463"},"modified":"2025-03-07T11:36:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T15:36:27","slug":"laughing-gull-as-devil-crop-percentage-ho-hum-another-perfect-exposure-and-right-place-right-time-vision-good-technique-usually-works-out-just-fine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2021\/06\/07\/laughing-gull-as-devil-crop-percentage-ho-hum-another-perfect-exposure-and-right-place-right-time-vision-good-technique-usually-works-out-just-fine\/","title":{"rendered":"Laughing Gull as Devil Crop Percentage.  Ho Hum, Another Perfect Exposure. And Right Place + Right Time + Vision + Good Technique Usually Works Out Just Fine &#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>What&#8217;s Up?<\/h3>\n<p>I had an interesting morning photo session on Sunday. It was a bit cloudy with not much going on. As I drove south on the road next to the South Field, I saw a Crested Caracara digging around. I hung a u-turn, put the 600 f\/4 on the <a href=\"https:\/\/birdsasart-shop.com\/blubb-big-lens-ultimate-bean-bag\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">BLUBB<\/a>, and approached slowly. The caracara had an egg. Thinking &#8220;egg,&#8221; I wondered, &#8220;What type of bird&#8217;s egg?&#8221; I made some very good images in very low light. When the bird flew off, I followed and found it eating the egg on the ground in the North Field. When it flew off I got out of the car to investigate. I found the remainder of the shell. It felt wet and leathery. Mystery solved: the caracara had been digging up a turtle nest! Photo story here at some point. <\/p>\n<p>I have been getting some work done on the Nikonians webinar, and in addition, consolidated the MAY 2021 folder. On Sunday, I began the second edit of 2258 raw files &#8230; I&#8217;ve been swimming and doing my bursts every day. <\/p>\n<p>Today is Monday 7 June 2021. The forecast for this morning at ILE is for cloudy with an easterly breeze. I will be heading down to the lake for a bit. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.<\/p>\n<p>This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare, and makes 163 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item \u2014 a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head \u2014 for example, that is available from B&#038;H and\/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great if you opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&#038;H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and\/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.<\/p>\n<h2><strong><em>Please Remember<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times \u2014 I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) \u2014 remembering to use my B&#038;H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/birdsasart-shop.com\/baa-blog-thanks\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.<\/p>\n<h3>New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!<\/h3>\n<p>You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.<\/p>\n<p>Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f\/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford&#8217;s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save. <\/p>\n<p><center>ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder<\/center><\/p>\n<h3>Money Saving Reminder<\/h3>\n<p>Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&#038;H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bedfords.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via <a href=\"mailto:Steve@bedfords.com\">e-mail<\/a> or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&#038;H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please. <\/p>\n<p><center><A href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com?BI=6633&#038;KW=&#038;KBID=7226&#038;img=14751-300x250.jpg\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/images\/affiliateimages\/14751-300x250.jpg\" border=\"0\"><\/a><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/affiliates.bhphotovideo.com\/showban.asp?id=7226&#038;img=14751-300x250.jpg\" border=0><\/center><\/p>\n<h3>Gear Questions and Advice<\/h3>\n<p>Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.birdphotographers.net\/forums\/content.php?s=52d51423c223b39bdca1765c6839ffc2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BPN<\/a>, are&#8211;out of ignorance&#8211;using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads&#8230; Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via <a href=\"mailto:samandmayasgrandpa@att.net\">e-mail<\/a><\/center>.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><center>ngg_shortcode_1_placeholder<\/center><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>This image was created at the washover pool at Fort DeSoto on the 2nd DeSoto IPT. I used the <a href=\"https:\/\/birdsasart-shop.com\/panning-ground-pod\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Panning Ground Pod<\/a>-mounted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1485540-REG\/sony_sel200600g_fe_200_600mm_f_5_6_6_3_g.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/SO200600G\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xSO200600G\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony FE 200-600mm f\/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens<\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1222777-REG\/sony_sel14tc_fe_1_4x_teleconverter.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/SOTC14\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xSOTC14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter<\/a> (at 503mm) and The One, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1619483-REG\/sony_ilce_1_b_alpha_a1_mirrorless_digital.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/SOA1B\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xSOA1B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital camera body.<\/a> ISO 500: 1\/1000 sec. at f\/11 (stoped down 2\/3 stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger confirmed that the RAW file was close-enough-to-perfect. AWB at 19:29am on a sunny morning. <\/p>\n<p>Wide\/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed quite well.  <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Image #1: Laughing Gull as Devil?<strong<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"728\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"90\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/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=10409&#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>Laughing Gull as Devil Crop Quiz<\/h3>\n<p>In the Laughing Gull as Devil? blog post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/2021\/06\/01\/laughing-gull-as-devil\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, this was included:<\/p>\n<h3>Multiple Choice Crop Quiz<\/h3>\n<p>What percentage of the original frame does the optimized TIF file represent (as represented by the JPEG above)? <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a- 11%<\/li>\n<li>b- 22%<\/li>\n<li>c- 44%<\/li>\n<li>d- 66%<\/li>\n<li>e- 88%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><center>ngg_shortcode_2_placeholder<\/center><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>Click on the screen capture for a better look at the histogram.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Image #1A RawDigger screen capture for the <em>Laughing Gull as Devil?<\/em> image<strong<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h3>RawDigger Screen Capture shows the full frame original<\/h3>\n<p>Checking out the full frame original in the screen capture above shows that the Laughing Gull as Devil image was indeed a very large crop. Only 89% of the original pixels were represented in the JPEG that represented the master file, Image #1 above. <\/p>\n<p>Two folks nailed it: <\/p>\n<p>Yves Guillot: A pour moi aussi: 11%<\/p>\n<p>Mark Jordan: Hi Artie. I\u2019ll say A. 11%.<\/p>\n<h3>Ho Hum &#8230;<\/h3>\n<p>Same old, same old: another perfect exposure thanks to studying RawDigger. Note that the G channel makes it 2\/3 of the way from the 8000 line to the 16000 line. Thanks to RawDigger, that is exactly what I aim for. <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Via e-Mail from Geri George<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><em>Hi Artie, Thanks for <a href=\"https:\/\/birdsasart-shop.com\/the-rawdigger-e-guide\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">the RawDigger e-Guide<\/a>. With many of my flower images, DPP 4 shows lots of over-exposure on the petals, but RawDigger shows only a smattering (less than a hundred). They all converted perfectly in DPP 4 simply by pulling down the Highlight slider a bit. RawDigger has some really cool stuff!<\/p>\n<p>Thanks and best, Geri<\/em><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><center>ngg_shortcode_3_placeholder<\/center><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h2><strong>RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos<strong<\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<h3>The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos<\/h3>\n<h2><strong>by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files. <\/p>\n<p>Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We puzzled as to why the Max G values for different cameras were different. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes. <\/p>\n<p>The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera\u2019s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.<\/p>\n<p>We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly &#8212; thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman \u2014 we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram. <\/p>\n<p>The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text. <\/p>\n<p>If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours <a href=\"https:\/\/birdsasart-shop.com\/the-rawdigger-e-guide\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/birdsasart-shop.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">BAA Online Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><center>ngg_shortcode_4_placeholder<\/center><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>This image was created on 4 June 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park. I used the hand held <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1485539-REG\/sony_sel600f40gm_fe_600mm_f_4_gm.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/SO6004GM\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xSO6004GM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony FE 600mm f\/4 GM OSS lens<\/a>  with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1222777-REG\/sony_sel14tc_fe_1_4x_teleconverter.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/SOTC14\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xSOTC14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter<\/a> and The One, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bhphotovideo.com\/c\/product\/1619483-REG\/sony_ilce_1_b_alpha_a1_mirrorless_digital.html\/BI\/6633\/KBID\/7226\/kw\/SOA1B\/DFF\/d10-v2-t1-xSOA1B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. <\/a> ISO 200. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1\/5000 sec. at f\/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:21am on with a bit of fog barely covering the sun.  <\/p>\n<p>Wide\/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version.    <\/p>\n<h2><strong>Great Egret backlit in sparkling golden water<strong<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"728\" scrolling=\"no\" height=\"90\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/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=10413&#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>Right Place + Right Time + Vision + Good Technique Usually Works Out Just Fine<\/h3>\n<p>Clemens was already lying in the sand trying for Least Terns and the Snowy Plover chicks. For whatever reasons, I did not feel like getting sandy and\/or wet on our getaway morning. As I lagged behind him, I noted a Great Egret to my right feeding in a shallow bay just as the sun was breaking through the fog just a bit. I had been carrying the tripod in one hand and the big lens in the other. I decided that handholding would be best as I would have lots of shutter speed and would be able to more easily get into position. If the sun had been out fully there would have been no shot at all. But with the fog, there was a swatch of sparkling golden water. As the bird was walking to the south, the trick was to move slightly ahead of the bird and let it walk into the bright water. <\/p>\n<p>I made about one hundred images in all, perhaps 6-10 each time that the bird walked into the golden zone. The first thirty or forty had an ugly sandbar in the foreground that showed up as black but that was a blessing as I was fine-tuning the exposure. As the bird made its way south, I moved a bit closer. This one &#8212; with one foot raised out of the water, was the best from the last series before the bird turned around and walked back to the north in front of the sandbar. Party over. At no time did I consider getting lower because that would have brought the far shoreline of the lagoon into the top of the frame as an ugly black border. <\/p>\n<h3>Typos<\/h3>\n<p>With all blog posts, feel free to <a href=\"mailto:samandmayasgrandpa@att.net\">e-mail<\/a><\/center> or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s Up? <\/p>\n<p>I had an interesting morning photo session on Sunday. It was a bit cloudy with not much going on. As I drove south on the road next to the South Field, I saw a Crested Caracara digging around. I hung a u-turn, put the 600 f\/4 on the BLUBB, and approached slowly. The [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[647],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-74463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-647","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74463","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=74463"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74474,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74463\/revisions\/74474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}