Stuff
I’ve been sleeping well and resting a lot.
Please remember that you can help support my efforts here on the blog simply by clicking on the Amazon logo-link on the right for even the smallest purchases;make it a habit!
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART
Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.
Nikon D850s Right Now!
D850s are at least 3 weeks back-ordered at B&H. I have helped several folks get a D850 in the past few days. Steve Elkins — see item next — has several on hand right now waiting for your phone call. From blog regular Gloria Matyszyk: My camera has shipped! Thanks for this great photography company connection!
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!
Booking.Com
Several folks on the DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
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This image was created on April 26 on the 2018 Gatorland IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 450mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 1250. Matrix metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AUTO0 WB at 10:01am in the shade on a clear day. Center d-9/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected Af point was on the left side of the top of the head of the chick in the dead center. This is the unadulterated RAW capture … |
Picture Within the Picture
Before you scroll down, click on the Photo Mechanic screen capture above to enlarge it and see if you can come up with a crop that will yield a halfway decent image within the underexposed much-too-dark original.
Exposure Question
In view of the fact that the histogram is not too, too bad — there is some data in the right-most (fifth) box — why are the chicks so badly underexposed?
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This image was created on April 26 on the 2018 Gatorland IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 450mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 1250. Matrix metering +1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AUTO0 WB at 10:01am in the shade on a clear day. Center d-9/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected Af point was on the left side of the top of the head of the chick in the middle. Snowy Egret chicks in nest: Only Four! |
Yes, Digital is Amazing
By comparing the original with the optimized version immediately above, it is easy to see that digital capture is indeed amazing.
A Great New Workflow Tip
I have been using ACR (Adobe Camera RAW) to convert all of my Nikon RAW (NEF) files since day one. ACR is the conversion engine in Photoshop and is very similar to the exposure engine in Lightroom. With properly exposed images I always start by setting the white point using the WHITE slider and then setting the black point using the BLACK slider. Tim Grey Dodge and Burn was used to selectively lighten the visible irises and darken the pupils. As there was a decent amount of luminance noise in the master TIFF file I applied a layer of Neat Image to the entire image with the Y slider set to 75. Smooth as a baby’s tush.
The New Revelation (for me!)
Over the past few weeks I began to realize that when you are working with underexposed RAW files that it is best to first lighten the image by moving the Exposure slider to the right and then adjusting the white (and black points). It’s that simple.
D850 Image Quality
Today’s optimized image shows again how well D850 RAW files can hold up to both cropping and underexposure.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a Paypal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. |
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
Your guessed it, everything mentioned above and tons more is covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.
The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):
Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.
Though I have become more proficient converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw, I continue to optimize my Canon image in DPP 4. You can learn how and why I converted (and still convert) nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. And, yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 The RAW conversions for all three of today’s featured images was straightforward once I entered my camera/ISO specific recipes (as detailed in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide). You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
Help Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
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.
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
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 :).
In regards to the exposure question, the bright white on the upper right side of the image is what you’re seeing on the histogram. The chicks appear to be shaded. On the corrected image; however, it looks like the parent bird is overexposed with some loss of detail on the right side. Couldn’t you bring that back with localized adjustment, considering how dark the original is?
Good job Steve. You are correct on all counts. There are a few spots on the adult’s plumage that come in at 255, 255, 255. I could have done better there by moving the Highlight slider more to the left.
with love, artie
Thanks for the outstanding Mother’s Day shot.
Thanks George, and happy Father’s Day to you 🙂
with love, artie