Your Call?
Which of today’s three featured images do you like best? Please leave a comment and be sure to let us know why.
What’s Up
Tuesday was a tough day at Nickerson. It started off OK, but the sun broke through early and the wind switched from east to south making things difficult. The afternoon was wild as a huge storm approached late in the day.
Today is Wednesday 11 August and the forecast is even worse with similar sky conditions and a southwest wind. You gotta love it. We may wind up doing some beach macro … Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes 225 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.
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Click on the composite to view a larger version. The Homer 2020 IPTs image |
Homer Bald Eagles Winter 2022
The photography on this trip of a lifetime is beyond amazing. You can do the whole trip with either the Canon 100-500 or the SONY 200-600 along with any 70-200mm lens. Flight photography until you cannot raise your arms, creative set-ups, lots of snow we hope (earlier in the season is best for that), and lots of opportunities for point-blank head portraits and talon shots. All in a variety of spectacular settings. This is an expensive (but competitively priced) trip. If you are seriously interested in joining me for the world’s best Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle trip(s) — mid-FEB thru early MARCH 2022, please contact me immediately via e-mail for dates and details. I have found a roommate for all eleven days! The trip is close to a sellout.
Please Remember
With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.
New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!
You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.
Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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.
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This image was created on 9 August 2021 at Nickerson Beach. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 9:08am on a partly cloudy morning. Tracking: Center Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and created a sharp-on-the-eye image. Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #1: Common Tern juvenile in flight. |
Juvie in Flight
For whatever reason, getting a good image of a juvenile Common Tern in flight has proven to be a tough chore. Most of them are sitting on the sand waiting to be fed 🙂
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This image was created on 9 August 2021 at Nickerson Beach. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 411mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 9:31am on a partly cloudy morning. Tracking: Center Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and created a sharp-on-the-eye image. Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #2: Common Tern starting dive/dorsal view. |
Framing Loosely
Taking advantage of the great versatility of the 200-600, Images #2 and #3 were framed loosely and then cropped a bit to ensure of not clipping the action. With the bird flying straight at me in Image #1, I stayed zoomed out to 600mm.
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This image was created on 9 August 2021 at Nickerson Beach. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 362mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 9:05am on a partly cloudy morning. Tracking: Center Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and created a sharp-on-the-eye image. Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #3: Common Tern taking flight with Mole/Sand Crab. |
The Money Shot
In the old days, when it was possible to sell images of birds, this would have been the “money” shot, the one that showed neat behavior and completed the story: what’s going on here?
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
#1&2 have been done before. #3 is my vote…nicely unusual to say the least. Crashing waves, my fav.
Tough call though I would have to say it’s between 1 and 3. The serenity and perfection in 1 is compelling as is the wave splash and action in #3.
I like image 3 the best, although the bird doesn’t stand out from the background as much as I’d like, due to the color (basically white on white.)
#3. Fish in mouth, active wave background.
I like the pose and angle of the tail in #1, also the non-busy OOF background.
It is a toss-up for me between “beginning dive” (image 2) and “crab for young” (image 3). I like the angle of the bird in image 2, with the clear view of the face. Also, the way the background is clearly split between the white and the blue. With image 3 you are telling more of a story than image 2. Also, the position of the wings and the tail feathers show a lot of action. This is further highlighted by the crashing waves in the background.
#3 for the action and story implied. #1 is my 2nd favorite as the wing symmetry and head view are classic.
I like #2 because you don’t usually see a dorsal shot. It’s a neat perspective.
#3 is by far the best for me because of the crashing wave background. It’s unique to me. I’ve never seen that kind of background. The wave tells where the bird lives and you get a feel for how hearing and seeing the wave crash would be if you were there.
I like image 2 the best. Really just for the topside perspective. Image 3 is a close second.