Fortunate in the Snow at Fortuna Bay, South Georgia With Another But Far Less Serious Accident...

What’s Up

On Sunday I did more work on the San Diego Exhibit image caption labels and watched a ton of NFL football. By blowing yet another large fourth quarter lead the NY Giants put an end to their season. Bummer.

Stay tuned as tomorrow I will be listing several new Used Photo Gear items and featuring several other items with recently reduced prices.

This image was created on the 2015 Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean Expedition with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +3 stops (was really pushing it…): 1/640 sec. at f/6.3. The fourth AF point to the right of the center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The selected AF point fell on the breast of the closest penguin (on our right). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: 14 King Penguins walking across a snowfield

Fortuna Bay

The landing at Fortuna Bay has always been one of my favorites even though the King Penguin colony there does not compare in size or beauty to the colonies at either Salisbury Plain or St. Andrews Bay, the latter hosting more than 300,000 pairs of breeding kings. What’s so good about Fortuna Bay? There is always a large snowfield close to the zodiac landing site.

The First Fortuna Bay Accident…

The text below is adapted from the “Wrecked and Loving It” blog post here. It details the events of my Fortuna Bay landing on the 2012 Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean Expedition.

After an amazing morning of photographing King Penguins in fresh snow I was walking slowly on a clean, flat area of grass just taking in the sights, totally relaxed and not at all in my usual rushed state. My brand new Canon 500mm f/4L IS II and new 1D X were on the tripod that rested on my right shoulder with the lens pointing behind me. My right toe caught on a small rock about the size of my fist. I pitched forward. There was no chance to roll or attempt to protect my gear. I landed gently but the camera hit a half buried rock and was ripped from the lens mount. As I got up and realized that I was OK but that my gear was not. The 1D X was firing continuously though I was not pressing the shutter button. I removed the battery and it quit. I tried without success to mount the camera onto the lens. In short order I realized that both items had seen their last action on the trip.

I remembered that the last thing I had done before leaving for the airport on October 16 was to remove the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS lens from my Think Tank Airport International™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag, place it in one of the large front pockets of my Xtrahand Vest, and put the 300 f/2.8L IS II lens into the rolling bag. Why? “In case anyone wrecks a lens the 300 2.8 II would make a great back-up and provide lots of magnification with the 2X III TC.” I had no idea that that person would be me.

As I walked, still alone, I laughed. I was pretty much uninjured. I joked that I had been hurt worse getting into bed. I knew that the wreck was the very best thing that could have happened. How could I know that? Because it happened. And because I am a lover of what is. (See the work of Byron Katie at www.THEWORK.com.) I did not berate myself. No matter how careful we are accidents can and do happen. Actually, I was able to go lighter for the rest of the expedition and make great images with the 300 II, both TCs, and my back-up 1D Mark IV.

When I got back to the ship and shared my tale most folks commented to the effect that “you must be so upset.” “What a terrible thing to happen at the start of the trip.” I thought to myself, “What a trip that was.” With “trip” as a pun of course. “No,” I said. “It was the best thing that could have happened and lots of good will come of it.” “Happiness is a choice,” I explained while hearing Byron Katie’s voice in the back of my head. “I am in a great place with great people, I have a great back-up rig, and I was not hurt; I am simply choosing happiness. What good would it have done to lament my fate.”

Want more peace in your life? See “Loving What Is; Four Questions That Can Change Your Life” by Byron Katie.

Note: you can see the images I made on that morning by following this link.

This image was created on the 2015 Cheesemans’ Southern Ocean Expedition with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +3 stops (was really pushing it…): 1/640 sec. at f/6.3. The fourth AF point to the right of the center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The selected AF point fell on the breast of the closest penguin (on our right). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: only 12 King Penguins walking across a snowfield

2015’s Fortuitous Fortuna Bay Accident

On the 2015 Fortuna Bay landing, in my excitement over having yet another chance to photograph King Penguins in the snow, I inadvertently rolled the index finger wheel thus increasing the exposure by about 2/3 stop to the point of blinkies on the birds. After a few frames I checked the histogram, noted my error, and raised the shutter speed to 1/1000 sec.

Once I had the images on the laptop, I realized that my screw-up presented an ideal opportunity to be creative and make a very special mega-high key image, one in which the WHITEs of the penguins breasts would melt into the white snow. While converting to RAW file in DPP 4 I increased the brightness, moved the Highlight slider to the right to make the WHITES whiter, and moved the Shadow slider to the left to -5 to make the BLACKs blacker. Once I brought the TIFF into Photoshop I finished off the look that I wanted with a simple Levels adjustment. I eliminated the two merged penguin heads using the Protective Cloning on a Layer technique taught to me by Denise Ippolito.

I redid the image from scratch on Sunday evening saving the WHITEs during the RAW conversion rather than brightening them as I had done on the first go-round. The result of the re-do is the image that opened today’s blog post.

Your Favorite?

Do let us know which of the two images you prefer, Image #1, the natural look, or Image #2, the mega-high key version made from the same RAW file. And please be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

All images on the card were created on the 2015 Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition. From top left clockwise to center: King Penguin resting on Snow, Fortuna Bay; Macaroni Penguin in snow, Cooper Island; Grey-headed Albatross, Elsehul; King Penguin neck abstract, Godthul; Northern Giant Petrel, Undine Harbor; adult Wandering Albatross, Prion Island; Elephant Seal, Undine Harbor; South Georgia Pipit fledgling/thanks Joe Kaplan! Fortuna Bay; high key King Penguins in snow, Fortuna Bay. Card design and all images copyright 2015: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Cheesemans’ 2016 OCT/NOV South Georgia/Falklands Expedition

If reading Saturday’s blog post here put a thought in your mind about joining the BIRDS AS ART group on the Cheesemans’ 2016 OCT/NOV South Georgia/Falklands Expedition, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “Cheesemans’ Last South Georgia Expedition” cut and pasted into the Subject Line with any questions or if you wish to receive additional inspiration. This will surely be my last ship-based trip to the Southern Ocean as well.

All of the images on this card were created in the Falklands on the 2014 Cheesemans’ Southern Oceans Expedition. From top left clockwise to center: Black-browed Albatross tending chick, Steeple Jason Island; Black-browed Albatross courting pair, New Island; the Black-browed Albatross colony at Steeple Jason Island; Black-browed Albatross landing, New Island; King Cormorant head portrait, New Island; hull detail/derelict minesweeper, New Island; Rockhopper Penguin head portrait in bright sun, New Island; Striated Caracara, Steeple Jason Island; Magellanic Snipe chick, Sea Lion Island.

An Expedition Overview

Experience the vibrant spring of South Georgia, a true Antarctic wildlife paradise. Observe and photograph wildlife behaviors seldom seen beneath the towering, snow-blanketed mountains that dominate the island’s landscape. Southern Elephant Seal bulls fight for breeding rights while females nurse young, overlook vast colonies of loafing King Penguins, watch Macaroni Penguins cavort in the snow, photograph handsome Gray-headed Albatrosses in flight or attending to their cliffside nests and awkward Wandering Albatrosses attempting first flight. The itinerary includes six landing days on South Georgia and three landing days in the Falklands to observe too cute Rockhopper Penguins, Magellanic Penguins standing watch at their nesting burrows, and more Black-browed Albatrosses than you could ever imagine. To commemorate Shackleton’s famous self-rescue crossing South Georgia, CES also offers an optional trek retracing his steps. With Cheesemans’ twenty years of experience in the Antarctic region, they commit to an in-depth exploration of one of the densest wildlife spectacles found anywhere in the world, and with only 100 passengers, they routinely give you the opportunity to completely immerse yourself on each landing.

Two of the scheduled Falklands’ landings, New Island and especially Steeple Jason Island, rival the best locations on South Georgia. Those will likely include Salisbury Plain, St. Andrews Bay, Elsehul, Fortuna Bay, and either Cooper Island or Hercules Bay (for Macaroni Penguins).

Why Sign Up Through BIRDS AS ART?

If you have been thinking and dreaming of finally visiting South Georgia, this is the trip for you. There will likely never be another trip like this as the best outfit in the Southern Oceans business will not be returning after 2016…. Quit dreaming and act now. Though I will not be an expedition staff member on this trip, those who have traveled with me know that I cannot help but teach. And I will be doing a introductory photography program for the entire ship on our crossing to South Georgia. All who sign up via BAA will receive a free copy the new Southern Ocean Photography Guide (a $100 value) that I am currently working on. It will include pre-trip gear and clothing recommendations and a ton of info that you will find to be invaluable.

I will hold informal pre-landing briefings aboard ship so that when you land you know exactly what to expect and where to go. I will be available on the ship to review your images, answer your questions, and conduct informal over-the shoulder Photoshop sessions. And best of all, everyone who signs up under the auspices of BAA are invited to tag along with me on the landings where I will be glad to offer invaluable in-the-field advice. And the same goes for the shipboard birds in flight and marine mammal photographic sessions.

Again, if you would like to join me on what will truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity to a wondrous place, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “Cheesemans’ Last South Georgia Expedition” cut and pasted into the Subject Line.

You can learn more about the trip here. If you sign up on your own be sure to mention that you would like to be part of the BAA Group. I’d be glad to answer any and all question via e-mail or by phone at 863-692-0906.

Important Notes

#1: If you fail to e-mail me as noted directly above, and register directly with CES you MUST let them know that you would like to be part of the BIRDS AS ART group.

#2: Joining the BIRDS AS ART group as above will not cost you one penny.

For additional details on the trip and the ship, see Saturday’s blog post here.

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Typos

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