Extraordinarily Uncommon R5 Goldeneye Images. And, if someone held a gun to your head ...

Understanding Wind and Sky Conditions Question

At 5:00pm on Sunday afternoon, there was some gorgeous color in the western sky but with a brisk wind from the west/southwest, I did not even bother setting up my sunset silhouette stepladder. Why not?

Well Done By Joe Usewicz

From yesterday’s post here:

Differences?

After clicking to see the high-res versions, compare the optimized Bald Eagle image, Image #1, with the raw file, Image #2, and leave a comment detailing the differences that you see. There are at least three or four fairly major ones.

In-the-Field Workshop veteran Joe Usewicz, the only person to respond, wrote:

Hi Artie,

I figured I’d give it a shot.

It looks like you cropped both the left side and right side to remove some branches. Probably had to clean up the lower left with clone stamp. And removed the moss at the top of the photo. Also removed some of the white poop spots.

Let me know what I missed. Now back to the games.

Joe

I responded:

Thanks for leaving a comment, Joe. And well done. Actually, I cropped proportionately from the left, right, and below, using Original Ratio.The rest of your comments are spot-on. Most of the white stuff was poop. One small white feather was eliminated as well. Note: I rarely use the Clone Stamp Tool for image clean-up. As detailed in Digital Basics II, most of that is done with the Patch Tool and with Content-Aware Fill.

with love, artie

What’s Up?

It poured for 30 minutes at 5:00am on Sunday morning. It dawned very foggy so I did not head down to the lake until about eight. There was not much around and I was ready to head home. I took a ride out to the end of the South Peninsula and found an acre of Black Vultures with their wings spread, sunning themselves in sauna-like conditions. I spent an hour with them and made a very few good ones. Aside from a few cranes, sunset was close to a bust.

Today is Monday 20 December. The forecast for this morning is for mostly to partly cloudy with a breeze from the northeast. I will head down to the lake in a bit to check on the eagle nest and see what’s about. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes 40 consecutive days with a new one.

If you are thinking of an R5 after reading today’s blog post, you might wish to visit the Top Ten Reasons to Love the Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body and the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM Lens blog post here. As detailed below, using one of my affiliate links to purchase your Canon RF gear earns a nice discount on the BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide.

Please 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.

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 on items priced at $1,000 or more. With items less than $1000, there is a $50 flat-fee. 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%. If you are interested, please click here, read everything carefully, and do what it says. To avoid any misunderstandings, please read the whole thing very carefully. If you agree to the terms, please state so clearly via e-mail and include the template or templates, one for each item you wish to sell. Then we can work together to get your stuff priced and listed.

Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice only to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past years, we have sold many hundreds of items. Do know that prices for used gear only go in one direction. Down. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Sony Alpha 1 (free card offer!) and Canon EOS R5 Bodies in Stock at Bedfords

Steve Elkins of Bedfords let me know on Saturday that he has several Sony a1 bodies and several Canon R5 bodies in stock. If one of them has your name on it, please click here and be sure to enter the BIRDSASART coupon code check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. If you purchase and R5, 3% of the purchase price will be refunded to your credit card when the body ships. Right now with the Alpha 1, in lieu of the 3% credit refunded to the card you used for your purchase, you will receive a Sony 160GB CFexpress Type A TOUGH Memory Card, a $399.99 value! Either way, be sure to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex.

Brand New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex 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 check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. 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 a 1, 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.

Important Note

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Please Remember Also

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 (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — 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.

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. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created near Denver, CO by Brian Sump. Working off the tilted rear screen, he used the handheld Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital Camera. Exposure determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 1600: 1/6400 sec. at f/7.1 (stopped down 2/3 stop). AWB early on a then sunny morning. Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Common Goldeneye — drake floating in early morning light

Looking at Great Images

Looking at as many good and great images as possible is one of the best ways to improve your own bird photography. I visit BPN often both to learn and to be inspired. Thanks to Brian Sump for allowing me to share his very fine Common Goldeneye images with y’all here on the blog today.

To see more of Brian’s images and to learn more about him — he was a college and an Arena League football star, see the blog post here. If you missed the Morris to Sump video, you just might enjoy it. That Brian has been photographing birds for only a very few years is very hard to believe.

You can see what I, and other folks in the Avian Forum on BPN, had to say about this image here.

High Shutter Speed/High ISO Question

Why do you think that Brian went with such a high shutter speed (1/6400 sec.) and such a high ISO (ISO 1600) in bright sunny conditions? There are three intertwined answers.

This image was created near Denver, CO by Brian Sump. Working off the tilted rear screen, he used the handheld Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital Camera. Exposure determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 1600: 1/6400 sec. at f/7.1 (stopped down 2/3 stop). AWB early on a then cloudy-bright morning. Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Common Goldeneye drake — a running start for take-off

Extraordinarily Uncommon R5 Goldeneye Images

It is easy to make lots of images of common bird species. Goldeneye is fairly common in Colorado. Creating images that are truly outstanding is a huge challenge. I came across both of today’s featured images in the Avian Forum on BPN.

Amazingly, Brian created this take-off image while working off the tilted rear screen of the R5 with the lens at ground level … Please do not try this at your local lake without parental supervision.

You can see what I, and other folks in the Avian Forum on BPN, had to say about this image here.

If Someone Held a Gun to Your Head …

If someone held a gun to your head and asked, Which of today’s two featured images is the strongest, would you go with Image #1 or with Image #2? All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice.

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Fernando Ramos

The excellent Canon EOS R5/R6 Camera User’s e-Guide is unlike anything I’ve encountered. Your detailed instruction supported by excellent reasoning is exactly what I needed to help me set-up my Canon EOS R5. Thank you for sharing your expertise with me; as a result, you saved me immeasurable time. Fernando

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Joel Eade

Thank you so much for the R5/R6 guide and I am honored to have had an image included! It is a wonderfully written, extremely comprehensive document that would benefit any R5 user. It is evident that a tremendous amount of time and effort was required to create it. After reading through, I can say it that flows in a logical fashion and that each item is carefully described in a way that is not difficult to follow. I agree with 99% of your set up suggestions 🙂 Joel

Cover Image courtesy of and Copyright 2021 Brian Sump (Sump scores!) The BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

The BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5/R6 Camera User’s e-Guide: $75.00

Purchase your RF body and or lenses using either my B&H links or from Bedfords, using the BIRDSASART code at checkout, and enjoy a discount on this great guide. You’ll earn a $1 discount for very $10 you spend.

The guide is 82 pages long: 21,458 words. There are more than 50 DPP 4 Autofocus-depicting screen captures. And a 31 minute 44 second educational video. This guide took three and a half months of hard work and a ton of help from at least seventeen very helpful and generous folks.

The guide covers — in great detail — all Menu Items that are relevant to bird, nature, and wildlife photography. It does not cover video. The section on AF methods and the AF Gallery has been expanded from the R5/R6 AF e-guide. It remains the one of the great strengths of this guide. I share my thoughts on what I am sure is the single best AF Method for photographing birds in flight. As most of you know, the guide includes a simple and easy way to change AF Methods that was introduced to me by Geoff Newhouse. In the AF Gallery you will see exactly how Face Detection plus Tracking AF works. In the Educational R5 Gallery video, I share my favorite R5 images along with dozens of bird photography tips and techniques.

In addition, I teach you how to get the best exposures with your R5. Detailed instructions on using the great In-camera HDR and Multiple Exposure features will be appreciated by creative folks who like to have fun. The three shutter modes are explained in detail as well. Bruce Dudek solved the can’t-get-to-Auto ISO problem that had stumped everyone at Canon. This information is of course shared in the guide. You will learn how to set up your EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) and Screen toggle options. Not to mention that the mysterious performance of the Q Button is revealed and simplified. Brian Sump’s images reveal how well you can do when using the R5 with EF lenses using one of the three Canon EF-EOS R Mount Adapters (as Donna did with Image #1 below). You will learn how I use Customize Dials to put either ISO or EC on the Thumb Dial and how to set up and save Custom Shooting Modes (C1-C3) that can remember both your Customize Dial and Customize Button settings! That is something that none of the SONY bodies do. 🙁 Near the end of the guide I share my all-important MY MENU items with you.

Like all BAA educational materials, the R5 guide is written in my informal, easy-to-follow style. I am quite proud of this guide and look forward to hearing your thoughts on our hard work.

You can purchase your copy of the BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide for $75.00 here in the BAA Online Store or by calling Jim in the office weekday afternoons at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.