Judy Stepenaskie showed up barely understanding how to operate her Canon gear. After a 90-minute camera body setup session, and a bit of in the field instruction, she began making some excellent images. And she continued to do so for the next five days. When she got back home, she shared some of her images with her partner, Dave, and sent me this e-mail:<\/p>\n
Hi Artie: I can’t believe it – Dave was looking at some of my pics and he said: “You never made pictures like this before”!!!<\/em><\/p>\n I can believe it. Bird photography is not rocket science. If you cannot join an IPT, be sure too study and bookmark the Improve Your Bird (and Nature) Photography By Leaps and Bounds<\/em> blog post here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Which of Judy’s five featured images do you think is the strongest? Be so kind as to leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice. <\/p>\n I removed my bandages yesterday for the first time. The trigger finger (thumb) incision — six stitches, is looking good, and the carpal tunnel (laparoscopic) incision is barely visible. As expected, I continue to have a bit of numbness in the first four fingers but the debilitating tingling and pain is blessedly gone. I am feeling a bit better each day. As the nerves continue to calm down, I am looking forward to a full and complete recovery. <\/p>\n In the previous blog post here, I was a bit surprised that all but one person picked Image #3 as best. Monte Brown and I liked the first image best. Me because of the blue water and the bit of seaweed. (From the original The Art of Bird Photography<\/a>, “Add green whenever possible.”)<\/p>\n Today is Monday 26 August. I will be finishing up and submitting my Bird Watcher’s Digest Magazine<\/em> Fort DeSoto article and get back to work on Murder on the Beach.<\/em> I hope that you too have a great day. <\/p>\n Check out this amazing video by National Geographic photographer Bertie Gregory:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/25905379979105510<\/a><\/p>\n If, like me, you have never heard of Bertie Gregory, click here.<\/a> I did, and was awestruck. Do not miss his spine-tingling stuff on Antarctic Killer Whales here.<\/a> His accomplishments at age 30 are mind boggling. If you start surfing his site, be prepared to spend at least a few hours with your jaw hanging down…<\/p>\n This image was created on 5 January 2023 on a San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour at La Jolla, CA. I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f\/2.8 GM OSS II lens<\/a> (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.<\/a>. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000: 1\/320 sec. at f\/5.6 (a mistake) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:02:16pm on cloudy afternoon. <\/p>\n Tracking: Expand Spot AF\/C with Bird-Eye\/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.<\/p>\nWhat’s Up?<\/h3>\n
First Ever Emperor Penguin Chicks Cliff Diving<\/h3>\n
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\n \n \n \n Image #1:Judy Stepenaskie on the beach with her Canon RF 100-500mm.R6 II rig.