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Yours truly photographing a baby Green Heron at Green Cay Wetlands in Boynton Beach, FL. Image copyright and courtesy of Fabiola Forns. |
Since You Asked…
In the comments on the last blog post, I Can’t Believe That I Forgot This One!, Vikram wrote: “Hi Artie, Amazing shots. How far were you from the Green Heron when you took that shot? I am learning a lot of useful info from the Digital Basics File. Thanks for your hard work. Kind Regards
I wrote back, “Vikram, I was quite close, maybe three feet, maybe closer. The young bird, just out of the nest, was sitting on a railing. It was totally tame. I am glad that you are enjoying Digital Basics. We have sold a ton of them over the past few days; I guess folks want to learn how to use Layer Masks!”
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I posted the image above 🙂
Comments on the Comments
You all know that I have been working very hard on the Blog, and that I do think that it is “the bomb!” But I believe that many of you may be missing lots of additional information by failing to re-visit a topic that interests you and clicking on and reading the comments. Though a few folks need to work on their writing skills–it is hard to respond when you cannot understand what someone is saying or asking–there are lots of great great comments, questions, and answers. Click here and scroll down to see what I am talking about 🙂
As I was typing this post, two folks correctly answered a question that I had posed in the comments: “What it the only thing (besides speed) that I lose with the 70-200 2.8L IS II with the 2X converter when compared to the 400 DO?”
The answer? The main thing that I miss with the 70-200/2X combo is the ability to go to 640 while hand holding as I can do easily with the 400 DO and a 1.4X TC. I often need to do that when taking a walk without the big lens….”
(Important note: Several folks had problems with my math above. Obviously so did I 🙂 The 640mm is wrong no matter how you slice it… 400 DO X 1.4X = effective 560mm. 560mm X 1.3X (crop factor) = 728 equivalent focal length. Me bad :))
Below is an image that I made on the Galapagos with the 400 DO and the 1.4X II TC hand held. While taking a walk without the 800….
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San Cristobal (or Chatham) Mockingbird, San Cristobal Island, Galapagos. The bird would have been a lot smaller in the frame if I had only had the 70-200 with the 2X…. |
Safe in Homer
After a 21 hour travel day yesterday I arrived at the Land’s End Resort on the Homer Spit at 8pm Alaska time. It is snowing this morning. Today is an add-on day; ten eager photographers will be heading out at about 10:30 to photograph Bald Eagles 🙂 The second IPT begins tonight. Robert ran the first one on his own.
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of the gear (or the current replacement) that I used to create the mockingbird image above. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.
Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens. A great everyday lens for folks who need something long and light. Pricey.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
And from the BAA On-line Store:
Delkin 32gb e-Film Pro Compact Flash Card. These high capacity cards are fast and dependable.
I was very interested in such a hat,too and I found this one:
http://www.jack-wolfskin.com/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1238/431_read-41277/usetemplate-product/
It’s really good,I got it today.
Ah, the hat. Yes, you are much better off protecting yourself with clothing than with chemicals, many of which are actually carcinogenic. My understand is that this exact hat is no longer made. I still have it in a quite worn and tattered state. I like it better than the adult shade cap with drape from Sun Precautions because it has a soft brim that makes photography, especially flight photography, easy. I will check out some of your links when I have a chance..
Several folks had problems with my math. Obviously so did I 🙂 400 DO X 1.4X = effective 560mm. 560mm X 1.3X (crop factor) = 728 equivalent focal length. Me bad 🙂
Wow thank you Artie!!! I could not have had a better response to my first comment on your blog :-). Amazing how close you managed to get to the bird and even more amazing that you had a picture to showcase it :-).
Fantastic work, your amazing pictures are an inspiration for hobbyists like me.
The cover seems to be selfmade,very good for small heads,such as mine,where no other hat fits.
I envy you,Artie, for such foto locations with tame birds.Here in Germany it is a desaster.You have to sit in a camo tent to get similar fotos.And I love it to walk around and take fotos…some day I have to come to florida when life gives me a chance.
Thanks,
Maria
Hi Andrea: Could you ask Artie the source for his hat – I need one that hangs like his to protect from the sun, I really burn easily.
thanks, Clear Ken
http://www.columbia.com/Omni-Shade%E2%84%A2-Freezer%E2%84%A2-Hat/CU9749,default,pd.html
This is similar but not exact.
Ken, I’m sure Artie has a source for his hat. My husband and I have a similar style that we bought at the company down the road from us. We took them on a trip to Australia and could have sold a ton. Try http://www.sundayafternoons.com. And no, we don’t work or know anyone there. They are just great products. Sun Precautions has one, too.
Ah, I had not read the Shoppers Guide in the original thread because I am not in the market for the lenses discussed. I see you have sold your 7D! Oops!
No more 640!!
Artie, you wrote: “The main thing that I miss with the 70-200/2X combo is the ability to go to 640 while hand holding as I can do easily with the 400 DO and a 1.4X TC. I often need to do that when taking a walk without the big lens….”
I know you carry both the 1D4 (1.3 crop) and the 7D (1.6 crop). I thought you generally had the 70-200/7D on your shoulder and the big glass with the 1D4 on the tripod.
70-200 x 2.0 = 400 x 1.6 (7D) = 640.
400 x 1.4 = 560 x 1.6 (7D) = 896
If you are saying that you take the 1D4 when you go walkabout, yes, you do not reach 640; only 560.
Looking at you shooting the baby Green Heron I thought of what you wrote on BPN:
“Most times when there are ten folks with the same lens and camera all photographing the same bird for 30 minutes a single image will stand out as best from the entire collection. Nine times out of ten it will be one of mine…. If I could figure out what it is, I would bottle it and sell it :)”
Answer: Magnetism and Mana; the birds sense that you are there to capture and present them to the World in their best light!
FYI, “Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and (debatably) inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian.
In anthropological discourse, mana as a generalized concept is often understood as a precursor to formal religion. It has commonly been interpreted as “the stuff of which magic is formed,” as well as the substance of which souls are made” https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Mana
Are you talking about my writing or rather my non-writing abilities – now I feel embarassed !
Where do you get the hat with the side curtains – great for hot days – have been looking for a long time – can you direct us to the source of those hats,
thanks,
Ken
O my goodness! What a little sweetheart! The heron, not you Arty. Do mockingbirds mimic stuff like starlings and Minah birds? I clearly have some research to do.
I love the pair of photos – the cute bird and now the master at work!