Stuff
More work on the audit. A swim and an ice bath. This week’s ritual. I am making some good progress on the audit.
This blog post took well less than an hour to prepare. It should be published automatically at 6:00am on Thursday, September 16, 2015.
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This image was created on the recently concluded Bear Boat IPT with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the rugged Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800: 1/200 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual Mode. Cloudy WB. One AF point below the center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active as originally framed. AI Servo AF is always best with flying birds and all moving subjects. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Bald Eagle, immature landing |
When Unexpected Action Occurs, Push the Shutter Button!
In The Art of Bird Photography II (ABP II: 916 pages, 900+ images, on CD only; the continuation of the classic how-to The Art of Bird Photography) I wrote something to this effect: When unexpected action occurs, push the shutter button! Do not think of the shutter speed; do not think of the aperture; do not think of anything. If you try to change something the only thing for sure is that you will wind up with nothing.
It has taken me more than a decade or two, but I may finally have learned this lesson. At least once…. Someone in the group called out, incoming Bald Eagle left. I had been set up for dark bears in Manual mode at 1/200 at f/5.6 in dreary conditions. I was likely +2 stops off the light grey stream-side rocks which was probably more than +3 stops of the grey sky. I wheeled the lens to my left, acquired focus, and ripped off three frames.
Many folks advise that shutter speeds as fast a 1/1600 sec. are needed to create good flight photographs. I advised otherwise in the blog post here. At 1/200 sec. I did not think that I had much of a chance. But the eyes and the faces of two of the three images were more than sharp enough. Don’t think: push the shutter button.
The more closely you can match the speed of the bird with your panning rate the more chance that you have of making a sharp-on-the-eye image at a silly-slow shutter speed….
Learning flight photography. Learning to work in Manual mode.
There is no better place to learn place to learn flight photography while working in Manual mode than a Bosque IPT with artie and denise. And there are tons of opportunities to do that every day. And so much to learn. Scroll down just a bit to learn more.
Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART
Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few weeks we have sold nearly everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily.
You can see all of the current listings here.
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In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us. |
Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.
Just 3 spots left.
Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.
This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.
There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.
A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.
Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
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In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us. |
Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.
Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.
This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.
There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.
Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail after July 29.
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Thanks Ted, Bill, Herman, Gary, and David. Your comments are greatly appreciated. later and love, artie
Arthur I am trying to understand your nomenclature when you say you are 3 stops off the Grey sky. I am a Nikon shooter so that may be part of my problem. In the eagle shot I am assuming you are in Evaluative Mode. Have you dialed in 3 stops, which moves the visible meter in viewfinder to-3 on the scale and then set the Manual Settings to get the visible meter back to Zero.
I have your book and read it but your actual process of setting up camera for exposure is confusing me.
I realize this question may be too confusing as I state it and understand if you don’t answer.
Thanks for all your hard work and glorious images.
David
Hi David, Nikon, Olympus, Canon, it makes no difference. Yes, I use Evaluative metering, similar to Nikon’s Matrix metering. I point the lens at the sky. i am generally working at a wide aperture. I set the aperture. Then I adjust the shutter speed until the analog scale shows 3 stops over-exposure.
There is no “dialing in.” There is no EC in Manual mode. You determine the EC by changing your settings (Aperture, Shutter Speed, & ISO) while looking at the analog scale.
Then I start photographing, check the histogram, and adjust if needed! It’s that simple. Have you read ABP II? Also, everything above in in several blog posts dealing with working in Manual mode. That info is so important that I re-post it fairly often.
The part of your comment that shows your confusion is this “which moves the visible meter in viewfinder to-3 on the scale and then set the Manual Settings to get the visible meter back to Zero.”
I do not understand anything that you wrote there.
Let me know if my explanation helps. artie
I am I right in thinking that had you been in Av mode with say +1 EC for the dreary conditions and another +1 EC for the dark bears.
Not at all. As it says above in the caption, I was in Manual mode. (You actually need to read what I write. :))
I know, Av is not ideal for possibly changing background behind the bears your metering for the unexpected eagle, given the light-average background tonality, would have been about right?
You are right that Av mode is not at all ideal in this situation unless you really know what you are doing (and check the histogram after the first image or two is made….) But your reasoning is not correct: When doing the bears the main reason that you want to work in Manual mode rather than Av mode is that the bigger the bear or bears are in the fame the more they will open up the meter…. And vice versa. And in soft light the angle does not matter at all.
Not criticizing, just testing my understanding in these conditions.
There is nothing to criticize; I got the right exposure and clearly explained how I did that. You need to go back to the exposure drawing board…
Small point: Your shooting data with the image says f/5.6 but your subsequent description says f/8. Am I missing something or is that a typo?
1/200 at f/5.6 is correct. The f/8 was a brain typo that has been fixed; thanks for catching it. artie
No Artie, you actually need to read what I wrote.
Okay. Let’s start here. Perhaps this is part of the reason for my confusion; you actually wrote, and I quote, “I am I right in thinking that had you been in Av mode with say +1 EC for the dreary conditions and another +1 EC for the dark bears.”
Please, “I am I right…” And no question mark at the end of a question…. Gimme a break.
I was posing a hypothetical question – “HAD you been in Av mode….”. I know perfectly you weren’t because I can read – rather better and more attentively than you, it seems. Your comment, “And in soft light the angle does not matter at all” also shows your inattention as I said “unexpected eagle” – not angle.
Yes, I misread eagle as angle.
So, I was positing a hypothetical situation to test my understanding, not to criticise yours.
You posted a hypothetical question without a question mark while stating in advance that you knew that your approach was wrong. Were you trying to learn or to waste my time? And you still cannot spell “criticize” correctly.
I know that Av is not ideal in the situation you were in, because of the changing background and/or the changing bears.
But I was curious to know whether, HAD you found yourself in that hypothetical situation, things would have worked out as I described.
Well I was in that situation and using Av mode makes no sense at all. But heck, you have already admitted that. And let’s re-visit something else that you wrote:”and another +1 EC for the dark bears.” That proves that you have no understanding at all of exposure or exposure theory. I would suggest humbly that you study ABP and ABP II.
I don’t believe I need to go back to the exposure drawing board.
You are right. You need to go back to exposure kindergarten.
Perhaps you just need to adjust your attitude to well meant questions and take then for what they are instead of getting defensive and snarky.
Or perhaps you need to take a writing course so that I might actually understand what you are trying to learn. Let me remind you that there were no question marks thus no questions…. The first time that you commented on the blog you were the one with a snarky, know-it-all attitude.
If you choose to reply to my comments here in a (to quote you) “snarky” manner, you will be spammed.
later and love, artie
Love the image by the way.
The blur in the wings and feet work really well to demonstrate the bird’s speed and the expression on its sharply defined eyes and face sums up the untameable wildness of these magnificent raptors.
Yes I inadvertently wrote an “I” at the start of the sentence, but I would have thought that you could have seen past that in the general context and the grammar used but no, there was no question mark. Oh dear, not like me at all. Big slap.
Sorry, I seem to have written in haste and yes, of course the dark bears would have required more exposure, not less. Silly me.
‘Criticise’ is the correct, original spelling in English – ‘criticize’ is the bastardised American version. Look it up.
There was no know it all attitude or snarkiness in the question – other than in your interpretation.
Love and kisses
Belinda
Hi Again Belinda,
I work very hard to make the text in the blog clear, understandable, and error-free. I average about two typos in every three blog posts…. So when folks stray in those areas when leaving a comment, I will usually take them to task.
In addition, in your comments above, you make light of your grievous mis-statements regarding exposure….
As for criticise, I did look it up. It is indeed the British variant of criticize but since the blog is published in the US I will go with our version of English. Many, including me, would note some snarkiness in your “bastardized” comment….
Your know-it-all comments referred to statements that you made in your first comments here on the blog, about a month or so ago.
later and love, artie
ps: you are currently still not spammed 🙂
Arthur
Thank you for answering back. I now understand what you are doing and the terminology. Yes I have read your many excellent comments on Manual Mode, it was my inability to understand the steps you were taking. I won’t even go into what I thought you were doing because it was “rubbish”. When you say you are + three stops off the grey sky you are describing how the meter looks when you dial in aperture, shutter speed and ISO.
I’m with you now.
Thanks again from a Brooklyn boy who went to Erasmus and loved to eat at Garfields.
David
Hi David, I am glad that you got it! I think that I am gonna make a blog post out of what I wrote.
I ate at Garfields only a few times, most likely with my Dad’s mom, my grandma Selma. My very favorite was Junior’s on Flatbush right at DeKalb Avenue: killer flame broiled burgers, fries and great onion rings…. later and love, artie
Actually I loved the “free pickles” and especially the pickled green tomatoes.
David
And I love the free pickled beets! artie
Artie.. You devil… Excellent!! Love it!!
And if you were shooting any faster those dramatic rain drop dashes, would just be dots..
We’re in Yellowstone/Tetons for 2 weeks hopefully catching some migrating raptors…
Most the ones I’ve seen are quite far away.. hardly “filling the frame”… but breath-taking never the less.
Thanks for mentioning, again, “The more closely you can match the speed of the bird with your panning rate the more chance that you have of making a sharp-on-the-eye image at a silly-slow shutter speed…” Always helpful..
See you and Denise at Bosque!
Hi Deirdre, Good point on the raindrops. Denise and I would love to be with you guys out west. YAW and see you at Bosque.
Later and love and create your vision, artie and denise
Great image, very interesting, love it!! You can see the rain drops going off in different directions caused by the wings action.
Exceptional image. I love the blur and the rain, too. The bird coming at you just a little bit adds drama and connection.
I like it a lot. For me it’s a strong image. Usually I’m not too keen on blurs, but this times it works very well. The eagle has a mean look, just as if he (she?) knows it’s going to do something that’s naughty/mean.
That’s the kind of blur I like best; sharp face & a blur that emphasises the motion. The rain also adds to the atmosphere, great capture.
Hi Artie.,
Well done capturing this wide open at 1/200 .
It must be a hard thing to do to go against all your instincts to get the exposure right, when you have unexpected action.
You’re acceptably sharp on the beak and eye and the rest of the image tells a story of motion.
I like it.
Regards
David.