June 16th, 2010
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| This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon 800 f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 400. Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/250 sec. at f/13. This image shows that depth-of-field with long effective focal lengths is tiny even when stopped down. |
The sun does not set here in Barrow, AK for 57 days in the summer. On clear days we have been getting out into the field at 4am. Yesterday morning a group of us were able to approach a resting pair of endangered Spectacled Eiders. We spent more that 2 hours with them. In the image above, the drake stands above a resting drake Long-tailed Duck (formerly Oldsquaw).
To see my favorite King Eider environmental portrait, click here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?p=519680&posted=1#post519680
After stating that we were on our own and that the problem was with our computers Verizon sent a second technician to the home/office after I called them late on Monday. It turned out that the problem was at the Verizon switching station and could have been solved in 15 minutes last Tuesday had they not chosen to ignore what we were telling them. Instead they opted to keep us on the phone doing “testing” for nearly 13 hours over five days. Man, you gotta love that. If anyone knows the basics of suing Verizon in an instance like this, I would appreciate hearing from them.
In any case the, BAA Online Store is back in business. If you have placed an order that was to be sent via e-mail and did not receive it, please call or e-mail Jim. Thanks all for your patience 🙂
June 14th, 2010
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| This image was created with the handheld Canon 800 f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 400. Evaluative Metering +1 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/7.1. I was sitting with the lens supported on my left knee. |
I arrived in Barrow, AK just after 7pm on Friday afternoon, July 11 after arising in an Orlando airport motel at 3:30 am that same day. All the flights were on time but that was one long travel day 🙂 After a decent night’s sleep I went out scouting with two friends. We did a bit of photography but it was not a great morning by any stretch of the imagination. We were riding along the coast road just outside of town when I saw what I thought was a bird swimming in a narrow channel close to shore.
We backed up the van and as I suspected, it was a drake King Eider, a bird that I have been dreaming of photographing for many years. We grabbed our lenses, made a few distant images from behind a snow pile, and then began to approach the bird. We kept ahead of if by running through the soft gravelly sand for more than 3/4 of a mile. It seemed like two miles! It turned out that the bird was totally tame and though it was gorgeous, we soon realized that it was injured, most likely having gotten winged by a local hunter. This realization however did not dim our excitement. At times I nearly collapsed from the effort, and at other times, I was so beat that I was shaking as I tried to steady my lens. It was a great start to the trip.
Verizon sent us a new modem that arrived on Thursday but, after another 3+ hours on the phone, we still could not get on line. On Friday they finally did send a technician who did some testing and announced that the new modem was bad and that he had encountered several like that over the past few weeks. They sent a new modem that arrived today (Monday). After yet another hour on the phone it turned out that we still could not get on line with either computer. Jim called them this afternoon (it is four hours earlier here in Barrow) and was told that they would not be sending a technician because the problem was with our computers. They stated that they would be doing another 24 hour test. Miraculously I got through to their escalation team and got to talk to a manager who promised to have a technician at my home tomorrow morning.
If you would like to order something from the store please call Jim at the office. We apologize to those who have ordered 7D or Mark III or IV User’s Guides or Digital Basics and thank them for their patience. They will be sent as soon as Verizon gets us back on line.
I will be back soon 🙂
June 11th, 2010
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| This image was created with the Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens handheld at 180mm with the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 800. Evaluative Metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/15 sec. at f/11. Denise Ippolito and I are hard at work on “The Guide to Pleasing Blurs.” |
Midday on Tuesday we lost our internet services. We called Verizon DSL for service. We are somewhat in the boonies and only Verizon provides DSL service in Indian Lake Estates but to call it “High Speed Internet” even on a good day is ludicrous 🙂 In addition to finding the telephone menu nearly impossible to navigate, I was connected to the wrong department several times by humans. When I finally did get to the right place we spend 2 1/2 hours on the phone that afternoon following their trouble-shooting suggestions. We were told that they could not escalate the case because the lines tested perfectly from their end. In the meantime we could receive e-mails but not send them and could not connect to any web site. After another 2 hours on the phone that evening repeating the same tests that we did that afternoon, we were told that the case was being escalated to Level 2, the Network Level, and that they would be calling us within 24-48 hours. They never did call us. In the meantime, I called to order an additional DSL line and some additional phone services in part to reduce bandwidth problems and in part tin hopes of having the current problems fixed. They agreed to send us one new modem free of charge but could not schedule a tehnician visit until Friday, June 17. The technician was to bring a second modem. On Wednesday afternoon I called back, spent another two hours on the phone doing the same tests, and again was told that the case could not be escalated further because the lines tested perfectly from their end. This time they determined that our modem was faulty. We knew that that was not the case. Why? On Day 1 Robert O’Toole had driven to Winter Haven (a nearly 2 hour round trip) to purchase a new modem from Staples. He got back, we installed the modem, and spent another 1 1/2 hours on the phone following Verizon’s directions. The same problem persisted: no internet. No outgoing e-mail.
Later on Wednesday, i think–I am getting confused with the dates and times–I called back to order a third DSL lines (to handle my laptop wireless and further reduce bandwith problems). This gentleman gave me a number so that I could reach Level 3. I called, they told me that I should not be calling that number, and then shocked me by telling me that the ticket had been closed by the Network Level . I got back on the phone, was subjected to another two hours of the same tests, and was finally told that the case was being escalated to the Supervisory Level. That resulted in more of the same: hours of needless testing by phone with us begging that a technician be sent to the BAA home-office. The result: still no internet service. Ann, the supervisor whom we were speaking with, promised to call on Thursday to help us install the modem that was being sent. She had stated that her two hours of testing showed that the modem was the problem. (Do note that the modem would not have been sent had I not order additional services from Verizon.) She did call and called back at 3:20 pm on Thursday. She was confident that we would soon have internet services. I spent an hour on the phone with her installing the modem and trying to “register it with Verizon.” Nothing. Then I gave the phone to Jim who spent two more hours doing “testing.” On Thursday evening after consulting many times with “the central office” Ann stated that she needed to consult more with the central office and promised to call Jim back Thursday evening. She never did.
Currently we can receive e-mails but not send them. Folks who have ordered Site Guides, MII, MIV, and 7D Guides, and Digital Basics have been e-mailing to ask where their PDFs were. Not only have we not been able to send them but we cannot even reply to their e-mails. We have no internet services. We are unable to access the BAA On-Line Store or to process our mail orders. We do appreciate your patience. My best advice at present for those wishing to have product shipped is to call Jim today (Friday) before 1pm.
I posted this while on line at the Orlando Airport Courtyard Marriott on my way to Barrow, AK for 8 days of tundra photography. I do hope that Verizon is able to get us back on line soon….
June 3rd, 2010
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| This image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II TC, and the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 200. Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/8. Image sharpness with the 1.4X TC wide open is simply astounding….(Be sure to click on the image to see a larger, sharper version 🙂 |
When I first learned that Canon would be releasing an 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens, my initial reaction was “That’s a stupid lens. Why use an 800 f/5.6 when you can use the 600 f/4 with a 1.4X teleconverter and have a slightly longer lens (840mm to 800mm) at the same aperture (f/5.6)?”
Before making my annual pilgrimage to Bosque Del Apache NWR in San Antonio, New Mexico in November, 2008, I borrowed one of the new 800s from Canon Professional Services. Curiosity had gotten the best of me. I fell in love with the lens immediately and ordered one through the Canon Explorers of Light Program the moment that I got back home. (I have been a Canon contract photographer for the past 14 years.) My very own 800 arrived minutes before I left on a trip to Morro Bay, California in early January, 2009. When I got back from that trip I sold my 600mmm f/4. And shortly thereafter I sold one of my two 500mm f/4s. Ever since I got the 800 I have used it exclusively while my 500 f/4 gathers dust in the garage used only when it is rented to an Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) participant.
So why the complete turnaround? In the original “The Art of Bird Photography,” I had written “Always choose a longer slower telephoto lens over a faster shorter one.” I had simply failed to follow my own advice. I often used my 500 and 600mm f/4 lenses with not only the 1.4X teleconverter, but with the 2X teleconverter as well (losing one and two stops of light respectively). Each combination was capable of making professionally sharp images when used by folks with impeccable sharpness techniques. Many intermediate photographers shy away from using their big glass with the 2X teleconverters as they simply cannot make sharp images consistently. The fact is that most advanced bird photographers rely on both the 1.4 and the 2X teleconverters a great deal of the time.
Now, here’s the rub: as good as the prime lenses and teleconverters are these days, the images that you create with a 1.4X TC will—when viewed at high magnification—always be about 14% less sharp than those created with the prime lenses alone. And images created with the 2X teleconverters will be approximately 28% less sharp than those created with the prime lenses alone. That said, and as noted above, the results with either of these combinations can produce professionally sharp images. I have said often, “If you cannot consistently create sharp images with your long lens with the 2X teleconverter at shutter speeds as slow as 1/60 second, you need to work on improving your sharpness techniques.
What I had failed to realize when I first began working with the 800 lens is that I would rarely if ever need the 2X TC, and that I would be using the 1.4X TC far less than I had been when working with either the 500 or the 600. Thus, even though I would be working at similar focal lengths, the resulting images would be sharper. Instead of working at 600 X 1.4 = 840 I would be working at 800. Instead of working at 600 X 2 = 1200 I would be working at 800 X 1.4 = 1140. And with the 500, which I used far more than the 600, the numbers were more impressive. Instead of working at 500 X 1.4 = 700, I would be working at 800, and in lieu of 500 X 2 = 1000 I would again be working at 1140.
In addition to increased sharpness and image quality when working less with teleconverters comes an increase in the speed of initial focus acquisition and increased autofocus accuracy, both are great boons for flight photography.
When working with the three prime lenses alone, the huge edge goes to the 800 with its great magnification. The size of the subject in the frame is a function of the square of the focal length. 5 squared is 25. 6 squared is 36, and 8 squared is 64. Thus, the subject covers more than 2 ½ times the area with the 800 as compared to the 500, and more than 1 ¾ times the area with the 800 as compared to the 600. When working with the 800, the EOS-1D Mark III, and the 1.4X teleconverter the equivalent focal length will be 1456 mm, more than 29X magnification.
When most folks hear the words “eight hundred millimeters,” their immediate concern is with the weight of the lens. The new 800 is, however, an f/5.6 lens, while the 500s and 600s are f/4 lenses. The 800 is far lighter (9.9 lbs as compared to 11,8 lbs), slimmer, and easier to handle and travel with than the 600, and not a whole lot heavier than the 500 (9.9 lbs versus 8.5 lbs). And when it is not raining, I remove the lens hood making the 800 that much lighter.
Several years ago I switched from the Wimberley head lens to the Mongoose M3.5 head for the 500 f/4 L IS but stuck with the Wimberley for the 600. My general rule for using a big lens with the Mongoose M3.5 is as follows: if you can easily and comfortably support your rig with your right hand for 30 seconds while mounting and balancing it front to back, you are fine with the Mongoose and its tremendous weight savings as compared to the Wimberley. I can do that with the 800, but not with the 600. In the same vein, the 800 is light enough to handhold for short periods of time. This technique can be deadly for photographing birds in flight directly overhead.
I have never been one who is impressed either by hype or by the technical specifications of a given product; I rely instead on how that product performs for me. And though I have been using the 800 for less than a year now, I can safely say that it is an amazing piece of glass. It is reputed to be the sharpest super-telephoto lens ever manufactured and I would not argue with that for a second. Many of the images are astoundingly sharp. Color rendition and edge to edge sharpness are superb and assuming no operator error the images are exceedingly sharp.
When working in AI Servo AF, the 800 is the most accurate focusing lens I have ever worked with, most likely a result of the improved lens coatings. Every camera that I have used on it focuses faster and more accurately on the 800 than on any other lens. And the lens features a new “four stop” image stabilizer technology; I have been able to create sharp images at some ridiculously slow shutter speeds (as low as 1/6 sec.) as long as I take the time to tighten down the tripod head.
I wish that the Minimum Focusing Distance were a bit less than 19.7 feet; when working songbirds at close range, I almost always use a 25mm extension tube to allow for closer focusing. At times when working in low light I do miss f/4, but with the amazing high ISO performance of the EOS-1D MIII, this is not usually a big issue. And at times, the 800 mm focal length may be too long. (Isn’t that a nice problem to have?) With the 800 you will often need to use the Human Zoom feature by taking a few steps backwards. At the alligator farms, I will bring both the 800 and the 500.
As the 800 is an f/5.6 lens, you will have autofocus with the professional camera bodies with the 1.4X teleconverter, albeit with only the central sensor available. With the 2C TC, you will have to focus manually.
When working with a group of photographers using the popular 500mm telephotos, you may—depending on the type of image you are looking to create—need to stand well back from them. And all of the above goes double when you are using a 1.6X camera body like the 50D. With the 800/50D combo you are working at 1280mm, or more than 25X magnification. It will take practice just to find your subject in the viewfinder and you will need to employ your best Advanced Sharpness Techniques as described and illustrated in my latest book “The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages on CD).
Before running out and plunking down more than $11,000 on this great piece of glass, do realize that good photographers make good images with whatever equipment they happen to have in hand. Lenses are tools, and you not only need to be able to select the best tool for the job, you need to know how to use it. Buying the latest, greatest gear is not a shortcut for study, practice, and experience.
Arthur Morris is widely noted as the world’s premier bird photographer and educator. You can learn more about Artie at www.BIRDSASART.com and www.BIRDSASART-blog.com. He has been a Canon Explorer of Light for 13 years, is a founding member of NANPA and a NANPA Fellow, and is one of the founders of the top educational nature photography web site on the planet, www.BirdPhotographers.Net. His most recent book: “The Art of Bird Photography II” (916 pages on CD only).
Note: this article first appeared in an issue of Nature Photographer Magazine: http://www.naturephotographermag.com/
May 31st, 2010
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| This image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D MIV. ISO 400. Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop: 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3. |
The image above was created from the image immediately below. The original image was created at Nickerson Beach at the eastern end of Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. About an hour before sunset the lower western sky began to glow gold. I knew exactly what Denise and I would be doing as the sun approached the horizon.
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| This is the original image. |
As there was obviously too much room on the right side of the frame, my first thought was a square crop that included all three birds. The result was the image below.
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| The bird on the left, the one flying west, bothered me a bit… |
So I used the Clone Stamp Tool and the Patch Tool to remove it. The result was the square image below.
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| I was getting closer now, but the bird at the top of the frame was a distraction and I found myself wishing for the traditional 3X2 format. |
So it was back to work with the Clone Stamp and Patch Tools to create the final version that I present again below.
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| I like that the distant dunes are reminiscent of a mountain range. As I type we are hoping that it stays clear so that we can enjoy another golden yellow sunsest fill with Common Terns. |
May 28th, 2010
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| I used the flash to light the shadowed side of this Willet completely. Knowing how to use my flash yielded a pleasing image in difficult conditions. |
As Denise Ippolito and I approached this bird in the predawn we were thinking silhouettes but the pink in the eastern sky faded almost instantly so I went back to the vehicle and set up my flash with the Better Beamer. I had the 800 with the 1.4X TC on a tripod with the Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops. I knew that for a proper exposure for the bird I would have had to add close to four stops of light to the suggested ambient exposure. To avoid having to do that I set the flash to ETTL at zero. In effect, I was telling the flash to fully light the shadowed side of the bird. Everything worked to perfection. When you want to reveal the detail on the shadowed side of your subject set your flash to ETTL at zero; if you think “fill flash” and dial in some minus flash compensation the shadowed side of the bird will be underexposed.
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| In this image the flash did not fire. Even with 1 2/3 stops of over-exposure, the bird is dramatically under-exposed. |
Do note that I removed the branch behind the bird’s legs and cleaned the whitewash off the perch using the Protect and Defend techniques for the former and the Patch Tool for the latter. All as described in detail in Digital Basics. Click here and scroll down for DB info: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32.
May 23rd, 2010
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| Handheld Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II teleconverter and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop set manually: 1/1000 sec. at f/8. |
Jim Neiger had three Flight School Photography clients on his pontoon boat this morning and asked that I work without my tripod. I did not let that request keep me from making a few of my beloved head portraits.
With the set-up above I was working at approximately 29X maginfication. Even when handholding I felt confident that I could make at least a few sharp images at 1/1000 sec. It is only possible to hold the lens up for 10-20 seconds at a time so I rested it on a deck chair until Jiim had the boat in perfect position.
Many folks do not understand that with the 800 being an f/5.6 lens that once I add the 1.4X TC the central AF sensor is the only one available (and that only with a pro body….) With the wind up a bit the boat was rocking; I knew that keeping the sensor on the bird’s head would be a challenge so I quickly set CFn III-5 ( Lens drive when AF impossible) to “1: Focus search off.” This prevents the system from searching for the background when the sensor momentarily falls off the subject. In addition, I was hoping to make an image that featured the baby bird’s head in the lower right corner of the frame. The last thing that I wanted was to have the AF system search for the distant trees. So setting CFn III-5 to 1 had two probable benefits; my plan worked to perfection and I was able to capture the image that I had visualized 🙂
Both the Mark IV and the 7D Guides are chock full of such tips, tips that will help you to create better images on a consistent basis. You can learn more about these guides as well as the MIII Guide by scrolling down here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32
May 20th, 2010
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| This image was created with the handheld Canon 100-400 IS L lens, the same lens that I used to create the wider Chinstrap Penguins on iceberg image in the “Pick Six” post. |
First off, congrats to Paul Mckenzie whose comment nailed the correct answer:
May 17th, 2010 at 4:52 am “Artie – they are all excellent but the stitched pano is definitely my favourite. Exactly my kind of pic. #2 choice is a toss up between the chinstrap penguins and the backlit geese/cranes. The connection? – my wildcard guess is that they have all been shortlisted for the final round of judging in this year’s BBC WPOTY competition.”
WPOTY is the presitgioius Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. I suspect that Paul’s guess was based on his having several images make the finals of this year contest.
My very favorite image as you might guess is the Chinstraps on the iceberg photograph. We spent nearly 30 minutes with our Zodiac just inches from the iceberg and I had made lots of images like the one above. It was only as we pulled away from the majestic iceberg that I was able to see the forest for the trees. As is often the case, tt turned out that a shorter focal length was the better tool….
Thanks to all who played. And good luck to me in the final round of judging 🙂 If there is one image in the group that is successful I will be thrilled.
May 19th, 2010
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| Osprey screaming. This image was created with the handheld Canon 400mm f/4IS DO lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 set manually. |
My right-hand man, Jim Litzenberg, and I spent the morning with Jim Neiger on his pontoon boat on Lake Blue Cypress in Indian River County with several hundred Osprey….. The boat ramp is fifteen mintues from Yehaw Junction where SR 60 crosses the Florida Turnpike. We enjoyed non-stop action with both birds in flight and with perched birds.
Jim has two opening on his Osprey Heaven Flight School workshop (May 20-24, 2010) that begins tomorrow at 1pm in Vero Beach. The cost is $1300. As a special for BAA Bloggers he is offering each of these spots for a ridiculously low $800. Or, sign on for single day or two for $350/day. There are both pontoon boat and land-based sessions each day. If you can make it, contact Jim Neiger on his cell phone at 407-247-5200. If he does not pick up, leave a message and keep trying as reception in the area is spotty at best. If you would like to contact Jim through BAA please try us at 863-692-0906 or 863-221-2372.
As for me, I am headed back out on the lake this afternoon!
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| Ospreys in Cypress tree. Canon 70-200mm f/4IS L lens (handheld at 180mm) with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6.. |
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| Osprey, adult landing. Canon 400mm f/4IS DO lens handheld with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/5. |
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| Large unfledged Osprey chick. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/9. Gitzo 3530 LS with the Mongoose M3.5 |
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| Adult Osprey screaming. Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/400 sec. at f/9 set manually. Gitzo 3530 LS with the Mongoose M3.5 |
May 17th, 2010
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| This Green Jay image was created on the Cozad Ranch in Linn, TX with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. Fill flash with the Better Beamer at -3 stops: If you would like to visit the Cozad Ranch to photograph birds you can reach Johnny on his cell phone at 956-330-1377 or by e-mail at jecoz@granderiver.net |
Ruth Hoyt, President of Photo Bound Tours, LLC, has been awarded a grant to create, organize and conduct a summer 2010 professional wildlife photo contest based in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
The entry fee of $300 allows full participation in both divisions of the contest. The South Texas Pro Classic is the main contest; it runs from June 1, 2010 through July 31, 2010. A smaller division, the South Texas Open, allows you to enter older photographs that have not been published or won an award or prize of any kind. Photos for the Open division must have been taken in the contest region between the dates January 1, 2008, through July 31, 2010.
For more information about the contest or to register, please visit: http://photoboundtours.com/contest/
Funding for this photo contest was made possible by a grant from the Valley Land Fund, through the Robert L. Townsend Endowment. For more information about the Valley Land Fund, please visit: http://valleylandfund.com/
May 16th, 2010 Below I present six totally different images. As a group, they have something in common. Leave a comment and let us know which is your favorite image and why. (Actually, feel free to comment on all of the images if you wish….) And if you would like to hazard a guess as to what the images have in common, be my guest 🙂 I will reveal my favorite on Thursday and let you know the connection between the images.
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| This image was created on Little St. Simons Island, GA with the Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens, the 2X II teleconverter, and the EOS-40D. (Manual focus). Contrary to popular opinion, this image is pretty much right out of the camera: a pink omega sun! |
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| This Chinstrap Penguin image was created while photographing from a Zodiac near Coronation Island in the South Orkneys in the Southern Ocean with the handheld Canon 100-4oomm IS L zoom lens (at 180mm) and the EOS-1Ds MII as we pulled away from the iceberg for the second time. (I had begged the Zodiac driver to return….) |
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| This image was created in Brunswick, Maine with the 14mm fish-eye lens and the EOS-1D MIII. The big pile of leaves was on the lawn of the town library. |
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| This image is a six frame composite. Each of the six vertical images was created with the Canon 800mm f.5.6 L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark III. The images were stitched together in Photoshop CS-3 using File/Automate/Photomerge. |
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| This shorebird flock (mostly Sanderlings) was photographed at Cupsogue Beach Park, Long Island, NY with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and a pre-production model EOS-1D Mark IV using 45-point AI Servo AF. |
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| This image was created at Bosque del Apache NWR in San Antonio, NW with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X II teleconverter, and the EOS-1D Mark III. Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes in ground fog lit by the rising sun. |
Let us know which is your favortie and why. And if you wish, take a guess at what connects each of the images in the group. Even a wild guess will work 🙂
May 14th, 2010 A BIRDS AS ART image is currently being featured on the Canon Digital Learning. You can check it out here: http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3446
When you visit, be sure to check out my Explorer of Light Gallery and to surf around on the site. There is lots of interesting stuff there: I just had 30 minutes of my life disappear while following various links 🙂
May 11th, 2010
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| This image was created from two images made with the Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS lens. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/60 sec. at f/5.6. Read on for the details. |
On the way to the Santa Clara ranch in Starr County, TX last week we stopped to photograph the huge sunflowers in early morning light. I had long ago learned the trick of creating one sharp image of a flower and one defocused image and then laying one atop the other and playing with the opacity to produce a sort of glowing rendition of the flower. To create the image above I came up with a new twist.
The image below was my base image:
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| This image was sharply focused. |
This next image would be the top image:
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| Before pressing the shutter button I defocused the flower. I actually made several variations to give me several choices for my soft image. |
I brought both images into Photoshop. The sharp image served as the base image. While working with the soft image I hit Control A, Control J to place the entire image on a layer. Then I used the Move Tool (V) to drag the soft image layer on top of the sharp base image. I reduced the Opacity of the upper (soft) layer so that I could position it directly above the sharp image. (I had neglected to lock the tripod.) Then came the twist. I set the opacity of the soft image layer back to 100%, created a layer mask (as I learned to do from Robert O’Toole’s APTATS II CD), and then erased the center portion of the soft flower revealing the sharp center below. The image looked OK but I continued to experiment by erasing the dark triangular spaces between the bases of the petals. Volia.
I have been inspired to think out of the box by Denise Ippolito, BPN’s Out-of-the-Box Forum Moderator. She is incredibly creative. To see what Denise and others thought of my sharp/soft with a twist sunflower, check out my BPN post here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=63329 After you read the thread, be sure to check out the great stuff that Denise and the regular OOTB folks are doing on a daily basis by visiting the Forum and checking out the thumbnails.
To learn more about APTATS click here: https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=33
May 7th, 2010
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| This was my afternoon set-up at the Cozad Ranch on May 4. The image was created with the handheld Canon 24-105mm IS lens at 32mm. |
Notice that each of the four tallest perches is set in front of a pure green background and that we have taken the time to clean the edges of the far side of the tiny pond of all pebbles, roots, and seeds and to wet and smooth the red mud.
As you look back at the images in previous blog posts from Texas and the images in BAA Bulletin #326 (link below) see if you can figure out which perch the birds were using in each photograph.
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| This was my morning set-up at the Cozad Ranch on the morning of May 4. The image was created with the handheld Canon 24-105mm IS lens at 24mm. |
Note here that the feeding table has been removed from the set to keep the birds from landing on the legs of the table. Again, the tip of each perch has been set against a background of pure color; that did not occur by accident. The orange on our right was impaled on a stake and placed just far enough from the perch so that the golden-fronteds would have to stretch to reach it. We placed a lichen-covered branch in the hollow handle of the tiny tripod so that small birds coming to water might land on it.
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| This image was created on the morning of May 2 with the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, a 25mm Extension tube, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluatve metering +2/3 stop: 1/80 sec. at f/5.6. Fill flash at -2 stops with Better Beamer. |
Bronzed Cowbirds are stunning with their bright red eyes and Victorian ruffs.
BIRDS AS ART Bulletin #326 is on line and can be found here: http://www.birdsasart.com/2010/05/07/birds-as-art-bulletin-326
Here are the features:
HUNT’S DIGITAL DAYS SALE
THE COZAD RANCH, LINN, TX
2011 IPT DATE ANNOUNCEMENTS: SAN DIEGO & SW FLORIDA PRESIDENT’S WEEK
EOS-7D USER’S GUIDE INFO
EOS-1D MARK IV USER’S GUIDE INFO
POSSE NEWS/ROBERT O’TOOLE
IPT DATE UPDATES
May 6th, 2010
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| This Painted Bunting image was created with the 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, 37mm of extension, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/8. Fill flash with the Better Beamer at -3 stops. |
Johnny Cozad is and has been one of the growing number of Texas ranchers who has opened his ranch for photographic eco-tourism. For a very reasonable daily fee, you can enjoy his lightweight relatively cool blinds and his amazing assemblage of birds. It is the very best place that I know for photographing Painted Buntings in the first half of May. I visited with Johnny on five of my seven afternoons and we had the male Painted Bunting come to the small pond every day but one offering unparalleled opportunites. The mornings that I spent there with my private day clients were filled with Golden-fronted Woodpeckers.
If you would like to visit the Cozad Ranch in the next week or two to enjoy photographing these two species you can reach Johnny on his cell phone at
956-330-1377 or by e-mail at jecoz@granderiver.net
Johnny Cozad is one of the nicest, sweetest gentlemen that you will ever meet.
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| This male Golden-fronted Woodpecker was photographed with the 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, a 25mm Extension tube, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/5.6 set manually. Fill flash with the Better Beamer at -3 stops. |
In my next post I will share images of both my morning and afternoon Cozad set-ups.
May 4th, 2010
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| This is image three, the fill flash image, with a bit more color work. |
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| This is image two, full sun with lots of flash, as presented in the April 25th post, presented here for comparison. |
First off, thanks all for playing. Image two and image three were the favorites of the group by a good margin, but image one, the one made in full sun with no flash, did have a few supporters. If I had more time, I would do a formal tally 🙂 I am still in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas with the last two clients and things are quite busy. We are having a great time; I head home on Thursday.
With due respect to to the folks who liked image one best, it is my least favorite by far. It is just too contrasty for me even with my best efforts processing it. I thought that I would like image 3, the fill flash image, best; I was quite surprised that I liked image two a bit more as presented in the April 25th post. In that post, image two had the richest color. I did like the head angle in image 3; it was much nicer than in either image one or image two.
In the image above, I took the posted fill flash image, number three, darkened the color on the brow a bit, and increased the saturation in the rest of the yellows. My final call, by a slim margin over image two, is for image three, the fill flash image, as presented above. I hope that I got my numbers right!
May 1st, 2010
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaulative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 set manually. Fill flash at -3 stops with the better beamer. |
I created the image above (yeah, I know; it’s pretty bad as is…) this morning at the Cozad Ranch in Linn, TX. Working with the 800 things were tight. I knew that I had at least one good head angle with the whole bird in the frame but the compositions were poor and unbalanced at best. The bird was moving up and down the perch rapidly in search of the almond butter mix on the rear side of the perch. Thinking digitally, knowing that I would need source material for the perch so that I could lose the orange, I created the image below:
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaulative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 set manually. Fill flash at -3 stops with the Better Beamer. |
Then I realized that creating a pano that included the entire top of the perch might be the best plan so I created a third image (below).
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| Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaulative metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1 set manually. Fill flash at -3 stops with the better beamer. |
I brought the three images into Photoshop, expanded canvas top and left, brought in the Quick Masked sections from the two source material images, aligned them, adjusted the brightness by pulling the curve up or down as needed, blended the edges, filled in missing background areas, reduced the background noise, cleaned up the perch, and did a bit of Eye Doctor work. Voila: in about fifteen minutes I had the image that I had visualized. In my head 🙂
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| This quasi-panoramic image of a male Golden-fronted Woodpecker was created by compositing three images. |
The key to the success of the final image was made possible because I thought to create the source images in the field immediately after viewing the image captures of the bird on the camera’s LCD. By learning to think digitally in the field you can do the very same thing. I used a variety of techniques from Digital Basics and Robert O’Toole’s APTATS I and APTATS II files. See the BAA Store for details on these great educational PDFs.
BTW, apologies to Johnny Cash on the title of this blog-post 🙂
April 30th, 2010
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| This is the image created in full sun with no flash. Let’s call this one image one. |
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| This is the image captured in full sun with ETTL flash set at +1 stop. Let’s call this one image two. |
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| This is the image made with Fill Flash when the sun went behind a cloud. Let’s call this one image three. |
Each of the images above was processed by me to the best of my ability using the normal BIRDS AS ART workflow as described in detail in the re-written, reorganized version of the Digital Basics PDF.
Let me know which you like best and why. I will let you know my preferences in a few days. You may be surprised….
I believe that the captive bird in the photograph is a Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles), previously known as Masked Plover.
Note: BAA Bulletin 325 can be found on-line here: http://www.birdsasart.com/2010/04/29/birds-as-art-bulletin-325.
April 27th, 2010
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| This captive plover was photographed in bright sun at a tourist attraction that shall go un-named. I used the handheld Canon 400mm IS DO lens, a 1.4X teleconverter, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 200. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1. |
So, do you like the sun for your nature photography? I do, in early mornings and on late afternoons, but during the midday hours on clear days the sun is not what I want. In the image above the contrast in the image is high and the dark shadow in the eye socket is dis-pleasing (even though I pointed my shadow at the subject. The bright, high-in-the sky sun was the culprit. (Note: I could make the image look somewhat better with some Photoshop work but I would never be really happy with it.)
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| Here I used ETTL flash at +1 stop. Again, ISO 200. Evaluative metering at zero: stop: 1/640 sec. at f/7.1. |
To create the image immediately above, I turned on my flash and set the flash compensation to +1 stop in ETTL mode. This told the flash to put out an additional stop of light, one stop more than it would normally need to properly light the subject. Why did I tell the flash to use extra light? So that it would reduce the hard shadows, especially those in the eye socket. (I learned this technique through experimentation.) It gotta say that it worked pretty well. Do understand that even though I used the flash at +1 stop I was using “Flash as Fill” not “Flash as Main Light” techniques.
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| This image was created when the sun ducked behind the clouds with the flash set to -1 1/3 stops. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/7.1. |
Just before I created this image, a cloud drifted in front of the sun (much to my delight). I set the flash to -1 1/3 stops so that it acted as traditional Fill Flash. None of the three images in this blog post have been processed. They were extracted using Breezebrowser Pro and sharpened via my e-mail JPEG action.
Which of the three images do you like best? I know that when I process each of them that the third image, the one made when the sun went behind a cloud, will be my favorite. To sum up: if you must photograph in bright sun during the midday, use lots of flash. If a cloud covers the sun or if your subject ventures into a shaded area, you have the option of using traditional Fill Flash.
Be sure to note the different exposure compensations used when the sun was out versus when the sun was in. If they confuse you, and/or if you do not understand the difference between Flash as Fill and Flash as Main Light, you will want to get yourself a copy of “The Art of Bird Photography II” (916 pages on CD only): https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=32
April 25th, 2010
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| Peter Kes handfeeding a Snowy Egret on last year’s SW FLA President’s Week IPT. Image created with the Canon 15mm fish eye lens. |
I first met Peter Kes late last winter when he traveled from his home in Switzerland to attend the SF FLA President’s Week IPT. (For new folks IPTs are Instructional Photo Tours.) He and the rest of us had a great time and Peter and I quickly became friends. Peter is a high level/high tech IT (information technology) consultant by trade. When I asked for help with my Word Press blog he graciously offered to help. With my busy travel schedule it took us a while to get Skyping but yesterday the new-look blog went live. I gotta say that Peter did an amazing job; the blog looks great, is easy on the eyes, and is easy to navigate. Thank you Peter for your help. If you need help with your blog, you can contact Peter here: http://www.naturenotions.ch/blog-service.
One of my favorite features of the new blog is the rotating 1000 x 160 pixel images that grace each page. This image switches as you navigate from page to page. There are ten now but I plan on adding lots more. When Peter asked me to send him ten 1000 x 160 pixel JPEGs my first thought was, “I don’t have any images that would work with that format.” In short order I was having way too much fun. Once you get an idea of the concept creating artistic slices like this can be a great way to improve your compostional skills and eye.
A very few comments from the last month were unavoidably lost during the process of switching from the old blog to the new blog. Apolgies to anyone who was affected. Feel free to repost and I will respond. (I love hearing Peter say the word “comments.” We say, KAH-mentz. Europeans say kuh-MENTZ. )
I first posted the image of Peter feeding the bird in BPN’s Friends and Family Forum thinking that it was a rather innocuous post :). Here is a link to the the original post: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=32285.
Somewhat to my amazement, some folks took issue to the the fact that the group was feeding the acclimated birds. As the discussion developed, I moved the thread to the General Photography Discussion Forum here: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?p=231547&posted=1#post231547.
With 128 posts the thread generated tons of peaceful controversy. It is now a closed thread.
I hope that you enjoy the new-look blog!
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