Astounded By the Great Comments on the Ruffling Dunlin Edit ...

What’s Up

Worked on several blog posts today and had a great School for the Work Aftercare session with my friend Illa. Took a nice late afternoon swim just before the rains hit. Learned that the sale of Brooke Miller’s 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens is pending on Day 2. It was such a great price that I am surprised that it lasted one full day … I was also glad to learn that John Beasley sold his Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM Zoom lens in excellent condition for $1498 in late May and that the sale of Phillip Laing’s 2X III TC is pending after three days of being listed.

2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Monday July 3 through Wednesday July 12, 2017: $5999 + $1499: Limit 10 photographers — Openings: 5). The (really cheap) two-day Gannet/Bass Rock Add-on is now part of the trip.

Please call 863-692-0906 for info on the substantial Late Registration Discount.

Here is some great info on the July 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT: I have finalized the cottage and vehicle rental arrangements. We have room for several additional folks, at least for a couple and single. And I am in position, as noted above, to offer a rather substantial late registration discount. Please call us at 863-692-0906 or get in touch via e-mail. Scroll down for additional details and our travel plans.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks whom I see in the field, and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

Please Don’t Forget …

As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use our B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.

This image was the third of a sequence of four created on Saturday afternoon on the last DeSoto In-the-Field Meet-up session with the hand held Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/11. AWB. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -5. Two rows up and one to the right of the center AF point AI Servo/Expand/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure as is best when hand holding. The selected AF point was on the side of the bird’s neck on a line down from the eye. Image #1 (C): Dunlin in breeding plumage ruffling after bath

Your Editing Help Needed …

In the recent Your Editing Help Needed. Hand Holding the Canon 500 II at 1000mm. Advanced AF Strategy blog post here, I posted four similar images and this:

I cannot recall making four consecutive behavioral images of such high quality as those presented above. Each image is razor sharp on the eye and the exposure is perfect. Yet even when choosing your keepers from a series of static portraits, it is usually fairly easy to pick the single best image.

Though the four images are quite similar, each is distinctly different. Feel free to comment on the what you think are the positives of each image. And the negatives, if any. Please also leave a comment and let us know which of today’s four featured images is your absolute favorite. And do let us know why you like it. I have a clear single favorite and a second best and will share those with you in a blog post here in the not-too-distant-future. Please remember that the blog is designed to be interactive; the more folks who comment the more everyone learns.

Astounded By the Great Comments!

That lots of of folks commented was — as always — greatly appreciated. Taken as a whole, the comments were the finest, most accurate set I have ever seen on the blog. Folks thought things through, noticed lots of the things that I noticed, and clearly stated the reasons that they made their choices. My very favorite was Image #1 above, which was image C in the original blog post. I picked C as my first choice because it showed some action and because the head angle was perfectly in line with the bird’s body that is angled somewhat toward us. I chose C over D because it features a much better look at the stretched near wing and because in D the head is actually turned a bit away from the line of the body … My second favorite was Image #2 below, image A in the original post. I chose A over B because with the wing stretched more, it offered a much cleaner look at the primaries.

Consider the comment like by Jerry Fenwick: A is the best static shot, but I like C the best. It is sharp and shows a little action with the ruffling and spreading of the wings. I wouldn’t be ashamed to take credit for any of these, great work.

Talk about nailing it!

And next consider these:

Michael Gotthelf: I like C because it has a very dynamic feel. Also the head is turned a little more towards the viewer almost engaging the viewer.

Esther Corley: I too tend to like C because the best part of it is in focus, and that part lends a feeling of action (the wing) …

Elinor Osborn: C is my favorite because the spread and blurred wing lets the viewer know exactly what the bird is doing. D has the wing totally blurred so it is not clear what the blur is. All four are great as a sequence but taken singly, C is the only one where the behavior is clear to the viewer. In processing, I might like a little water on the bottom cropped off below the wave, and a bit of background added on top.

Bingo, bingo, and bingo, and see my comments on the image optimization below with regards to the crop from the bottom. Note: multiple IPT veteran Frank Sheets, who –with life-partner Laurie — will be in the Galapagos this August, also commented on the less than ideal image designs when he wrote, Both A and B, the head is too high in the frame, creating an unbalanced (top heavy) image. Again, see my solution below.

This image was the first of a sequence of four created on Saturday afternoon on the last DeSoto In-the-Field Meet-up session with the hand held Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/11. AWB. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -5. Two rows up and one to the right of the center AF point AI Servo/Expand/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure as is best when hand holding. The selected AF point was on the side of the bird’s breast just below the neck and on a line that is just forward of the eye. Image #2 (A): Dunlin in breeding plumage resting after bath

The Image Optimizations

I converted Image #1 first in DPP 4. Then I copied the recipe to Image #2 and converted that one too. Then I brought both TIFF files into Photoshop and — using the simplest tutorial in APTATS II — moved the bird in Image #1 down in the frame. The total time to move the bird down was no more than 15 seconds. Then, I moved the bird in Image #2 down and forward in the frame. The total time to move the bird down and forward was less than 30 seconds.

I painted a Quick Mask on the face and breast of the bird in each image and applied a Contrast Mask: Unsharp Mask at 15/65/0 to add some sharpness (selectively).

In one of the images I carefully selected the bird with the Quick Selection Tool, refined it with the + and – Lasso Tools, and then put the selection on its own layer. Making the selection alone took well more than five minutes. Then I applied my NIK 25/25 Tonal Contrast/Detail Extractor recipe to that layer only. If you can tell which image had the 25/25 recipe applied to the bird only please leave a comment.

Everything above is detailed in my Digital Basics File, an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete (former PC) digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, details on using all of my image clean-up tools, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, the basics of Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro, Digital Eye Doctor techniques, using Gaussian Blurs and Dodge and Burn, a variety of making selections, how to create time-saving actions, and tons more.

I am working on an all-new Current Workflow e-guide that better reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow. It will include a section on ACR conversions, DPP 4 BASICS, and a simplified method of applying Neat Image noise reduction. Along with all of the Photoshop stuff from Digital Basics that I still use. Learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. Click on the card to enjoy a spectacular larger version.

2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Monday July 3 through Wednesday July 12, 2017: $5999 + $1499: Limit 10 photographers — Openings: 4).
All who register will be required to join the (really cheap) two-day Gannet/Bass Rock Add-on. See below for details.

Please call 863-692-0906 for info on the substantial Late Registration Discount.

Here are the plans: take a red eye from the east coast of the US on July 2 and arrive in Edinburgh, Scotland on the morning of Monday July 3 no later than 10am (or simply meet us then at the Edinburgh Airport–EDI, or later in the day at our cottages if you are driving your own vehicle either from the UK or from somewhere in Europe). Stay 7 nights in one of two gorgeous modern country cottages.

There are five days of planned puffin/seabird trips and one morning of gannet photography, all weather permitting of course. In three years we have yet to miss an entire day because of weather… In addition, we will enjoy several sessions of photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. Click on the card to enjoy a spectacular larger version.

The Details

We will get to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet; Arctic, Sandwich, and Common Terns, the former with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks. We will be staying in upscale country-side lodging that are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The shared rooms are decent-sized, each with a private bathroom. See the limited single supplement info below.

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners are included. All 5 puffins boat lunches will need to be prepared by you in advance, taken with, and consumed at your leisure. I usually eat mine on the short boat trip from one island to the other. Also included is a restaurant lunch on the gannet boat day.

If you wish to fly home on the morning of Monday July 10 we will get you to the airport. Please, however, consider the following tentative plans: enjoy a second Gannet boat trip on the afternoon of Monday July 10 and book your hotel room in Dunbar. If all goes as planned, those who stay on for the two extra days will make a morning landing at Bass Rock, one of the world’s largest gannetries. We will get everyone to the airport on the morning of Wednesday July 12.

Great News on the UK Puffins and Gannets/Bass Rock Extension

On the morning of Jul 10, 2017, we will sleep late and head up to Dunbar Harbor for lunch and an afternoon Gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. One gannet boat trip is included in the IPT but everyone always wants more.

Then, as a possible mega bonus — we are scheduled to make a Bass Rock landing on the morning of Tuesday July 12, 2017. I am hoping to go two for two! If not, we do another chumming trip for flying gannets.

Included will be two nights lodging at the wonderful Dunsmuir hotel, two fine dining meals there, any additional meals, all boat, guide, and landing fees, and all transportation including the early morning transfer to the Edinburg Airport on the morning of WED July 12.

So far all five sign-ups are maximizing their travel dollars by signing up for the extension in part because I priced it so cheaply at $1499 despite my greatly increased costs.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. Click on the card to enjoy a spectacular larger version. Scroll down to join us in the UK in 2016.

Deposit Info

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples of course are more than welcome–please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on March 29, 2017. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. 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. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Single Supplement Deposit Info

Single supplement rooms are available on a limited basis. To ensure yours, please register early. The single supplement fee is $1575. If you would like your own room, please request it when making your deposit and include payment in full for the single supplement; your single supplement deposit check should be for $3,575. As we will need to commit to renting the extra space, single supplement deposits are non-refundable so please be sure that check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check of running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance be sure to read the fine print careful even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

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To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

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Typos

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