What’s Up?
On Saturday morning I put out some fish carcasses on the South Peninsula to get the local birds re-accustomed to the location. Then I drove off to do some flowers and by the time I returned there were about twenty Turkey Vultures, a juvie Bald Eagle, and an adult Crested Caracara. Surprisingly, there were no Black Vultures. I did not make any photographs at the Road Kill Cafe, but I will be back tomorrow morning with a vengeance.
Much of what I have learned about Topaz DeNoise and Sharpen AI was learned by watching Alan’s various videos and webinars and I am looking forward to his next presentation on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 (8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central, 6 PM Mountain & 5 PM Pacific time).
To learn more about Alan’s videos and e-books, please click here. See especially The Guide to Songbird Setup Photography.
Today is Sunday 17 October 2021. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization and the tight crop.
Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) 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 who, like me, 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.
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, 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 for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Important Note
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases when you purchase from Amazon using any of the links on the blog. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂
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Audubon’s Oriole, Hidalgo Co, TX. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 600mm lens, ISO 800, f/7 at 1/1250 sec. Image courtesy of and copyright Alan Murphy. |
Alan Murphy
If you are seriously into bird photography, the name Alan Murphy will be quite familiar to you. Simply put, his images are spectacular. The Audubon’s Oriole image above is one of my very favorite Alan Murphy images.
The idea for Alan Murphy’s first eBook, “The Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography,” popped into my head not ten minutes into the great program he did for the Nature and Wildlife Photographers of Long Island group way back in 2009! I let him know my thoughts right after the conclusion of that program and thus, the songbird set-up guide was born. When we first teamed up to tackle that project, he shared the following story with me:
“Twenty years ago when I first became interested in bird photography, I purchased a copy of the original ‘The Art of Bird Photography.’ I was confused about several topics, including and especially the use of extension tubes. So I got Arthur Morris on the phone. Though he did not know me from Adam, he generously shared 30 minutes of his time with me and answered all of my questions. That is why, to this day, I go out of my way to be help other photographers.”
As I had zero memory of that phone call; I felt that it was most kind of Alan to share the story with me.
In his first eBook, Alan shared many long-held secrets that were carefully developed over time. It was a spectacular start and has helped thousands of folks—including me—to improve their craft and create stronger images. As you read through or watch all of Alan’s educational materials, the words amazing, simple, brilliant, clever, innovative, and practical will come to mind frequently. You will constantly find yourself saying aloud, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I will be using tips and ideas from all of Alan’s e-Books and videos when I finally set up my ILE backyard for bird photography.
To learn more about Alan’s videos and e-books, click here.
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To register, click here. |
Alan Murphy’s Using Topaz Software in Your Workflow Webinar
FOCUSED WILD PHOTO ADVENTURES
Tuesday, October 19, 2021 (8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central, 6 PM Mountain & 5 PM Pacific time)
Replays available for one week
To register, click here.
Alan will show you how he uses both Topaz DeNoise AI & Sharpen AI in his processing workflow. The webinar will include:
• At what stage in the processing he uses each software.
• The best settings for each and how to determine them.
• How to set the preferences for each product to get best performance.
• How to use the mask feature to selectively make adjustments.
• Common mistakes that people make.
• An overview on Topaz Gigapixel.
This Zoom webinar will be recorded and be available online for 7 days after the live event.
PLUS time for Q&A!
Great Topaz News!
If you are new to Topaz …
Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.
Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.
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Birds Through the Lens Volume 1 |
Birds Through the Lens Volume 1
Click here to purchase.
The first video in the series will cover topics which include:
How to look for, find and choose the right perch.
What perches do not work and why.
How to match the perch for a particular species.
How to present a perch to the scene
How to trim a perch to look fantastic
How to support the perch
How many perches do you set up
Working with mounds, stumps and elevated perches
How to choose a good background
How to deal with background challenges
How to break up a flat background so it’s mottled
How to find and use gradient backgrounds
How far should the background be from the perch
Should you wear camo
Working from a blind
How to set up your lens and tripod for blind work
The correct tightness of your lens support
Is concealment important
Plus, many tips for being a better bird photographer
This Hi Definition MP4 video can be either downloaded to your dropbox, computer, tablet, mobile device, or can be streamed.
Total run time: 1 hour.
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Birds Through the Lens Volume 2 |
Birds Through the Lens Volume 2
Click here to purchase.
This second video in the series is now available and covers topics that include:
How to prepare your backyard for photography
How to work with backyard feeders
What feeders work best for bird photography
How to get birds from your feeders onto perches
How to set up a water drip
How to work with berry perches
How to make and use home made suet
How to bring in woodpeckers
What food works best for what species
How to set up perches around feeders
Photo blinds for the backyard
The video can be downloaded to your Mac or PC, streamed to your favorite device, or saved to your Dropbox Account.
Total run time: 1 hour: More than 1 hour.
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Birds Through the Lens Volume 3 |
Birds Through the Lens Volume 3
Click here to purchase.
This third video in the series is now available and covers topics that include:
How to do ambient light Hummingbird photography
How to setup for multi-flash Hummingbird photography
How to photograph songbirds in flight using a tiny feeder
How to setup and use a PhotoTrap trigger system
How to make and use a decoy owl for photographing Raptors in flight
What gear and settings work best
Blind construction and camo for flight photography
Flight photography techniques that will help you succeed
The video can be downloaded to your Mac or PC, streamed to your favorite device, or saved to your Dropbox Account.
Total run time: 1 hour: More than 1.5 hours.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail
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