Iris Who?

This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/50 sec. at f/13 in Av mode. 2-second timer. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the anther on our right and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. Iris flower #1

Iris Who?

In the “Tough Call On Hey Bud” blog post here I shared five iris bud images that I created while co-leading Denise Ippolito’s Creative Photography Iris Workshop on Thursday May 16. We were blessed with perfect flower photography weather: cloudy bright to cloudy with a few rain drops here and there and nearly dead calm conditions until the sun finally came out at 10:45am. Everyone had fun and learned a ton. While I was really attracted to the buds in retrospect I liked my images of the flowers better. Here I share my favorite images of complete flowers. As the 180 macro was just too wide I grabbed the 300 II and went to work; the 300mm focal length (often with the 1.4X TC provided reach and the narrow angle of view that I wanted so that I could isolate single flowers. As the flowers were relatively large, I did not need an extension tube.

This 3-frame in-camera HDR Art Vivid image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops yielded a base exposure of 1/125 sec. at f/8 in Av mode. 2-second timer. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the central anther and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. Iris flower #2

In-Camera Art Vivid HDRs

I absolutely love the In-Camera HDR feature and as regular readers know the Art Vivid style is my favorite. It yields a highly saturated 61mb JPEG file. I bring the images into Photoshop, clean the dust spots, and reduce the Saturation about 10 points and I am done. Clean and fast and easy, just as I like things.

Learn everything that I know about the EOS-5D Mark III including how I set up my camera for in-camera HDRs in the 5D Mark III User’s Guide. This guide also includes info on the following: 5D III exposure fine points, handling the WHITEs, the top LCD and all camera control buttons, all 5D Mark III drive modes, how to manually select an AF sensor, choosing an AF Area Selection Mode/how and why (includes extensive detail), and Menu Item Access. Coverage of almost all Menu Items and Custom Functions including the following: Image Quality, Auto Lighting Optimizer, Highlight Tone Priority, AF Configuration Tool (includes details on the custom setting that I use), Acceleration/deceleration tracking, Tracking sensitivity, Lens drive when AF impossible, Orientation linked AF point (I love this feature on the 5D III!), Highlight alert, Histogram display, Auto rotate, Custom Shooting Mode set-up, Safety shift, using the Q button, and setting up rear focus. The guide is–of course–written in my informal, easy-to-follow style.

This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/4 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on anther on our right and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. Iris flower #3

Rotational Perspective

Choosing the angle into the flower, the rotational perspective is an important consideration when photographing flowers and is even more important when photographing irises. I did not realize until preparing this blog post that in the three images above I had subconsciously chosen an identical perspective….

This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/40 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. 2-second timer. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the anther on our left and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. Iris flower #4

Your Favorite?

Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which is your iris flower image and be sure to let us know why you like the one that you chose. They are numbered 1-4.

More Short Notice, Dirt Cheap, Small Group, In-the-Field Nickerson Beach Photographic Instruction with Arthur Morris. May 27 (am & pm), May 28 (am & pm) and May 29 (am only). All 2013 of course. Morning sessions: 5am sharp-9:30 am. Afternoon sessions: 4pm til whenever. These are priced so low that you need to e-mail for the rates. Limit 5/session.

If you e-mail, please include all phone numbers. Payment in full due immediately via credit card after calling the office on a weekday: 863-221-2372. If you would like to join me, please get in touch via e-mail. Breeding American Oystercatcher (chicks likely) and Piping Plover (chicks possible). Common Tern and Black Skimmer/courtship behaviors. Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls. Breeding plumage Sanderling and other shorebird species. Lots of flight photography when the wind is right. Learn digital exposure and creative image design. Learn to create pleasing blurs at 5am.

IPT Info

For complete IPT info including schedule, cancellation policies, and the registration and release forms, click here.

Next Year In Holland

Despite a 100-year record cold spring with very few tulip fields in bloom this trip has been a spectacular success. The colors and variety of tulips at Keukenhof simply stun the mind and the senses. Denise and I are planning our Holland trip for next year: the Keukenhof Creative Tulip Photography IPT with a Touch of Holland. If you are a Happy Camper who is interested in joining Denise and me next spring, please shoot me an e-mail. Details will be announced soon.

We are currently fleshing out the details. The dates will be about the same, in mid April. In addition to the Keukenhof and the flower fields we will do an afternoon of windmills at Kinderdijk, a day in Amsterdam including a morning at the Rijks Museum and an afternoon visit to the Ann Frank House plus some street photography. We will do some street photography and fine dining in the little town of Edam. There will be about 7-9 days of photography in all. Those will include an afternoon option for a day or two of Purple Herons for those with long lenses.

Note: not surprisingly, early interest has been huge with several folks who want to sign up right now. The formal announcement of the dates and price is imminent.

Typos

On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

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And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gitzo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. 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.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.