A Tough One …
Which of today’s featured images is the strongest. Please leave a comment letting us know which image you like best and why you made your choice.
What’s Up?
Monday morning was cold and cloudy with a stiff NW wind. I took a nice walk with the Sony 70-200 II, the 1.4x TC, and the a1. No good pix. When the sun rose above the big cloud to the east at 8:00am, I headed home. Monday sunset was not much better as it was dead clear with a north wind. Most of the birds were flying too high or too low. Right at sunset, I had one good chance when a single White Ibis flew slowly into the wind right through the richest color.
I usually swim 44 to 60 lengths of the pool. Though it was a bit chilly midday on Monday, the pool was a very pleasant 89° (thanks to the heater/chiller). Not sure why, but the water felt so good and I was so relaxed that I swam an easy mile — 88 lengths. Tomorrow is supposed to be 15° cooler! Maybe I will take the day off …
Today is Tuesday 4 January 2022. I am looking forward to working with multiple IPT veteran Shelly Lake early today in Lakeland for a Your Pick In-the-Field session. If you would like to join me for some In-the-Field instruction at either ILE or Lakeland in the next ten days or so, shoot me an e-mail or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up. The details are below.
Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare. This post makes 55 consecutive days with a new one.
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.
Price Drop
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
Price Reduced on 1/4/22
BAA Record-low Price for Near-mint
Blog regular Elinor Osborn is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM in like-new condition (except for “On/OFF” written on the lens foot) for a BAA record low $1396.00 (was $1425.00).. The sale includes the original box, the Lens Case LZ1326, the Lens Hood ET-83D, the lens strap, the instruction sheet and booklet, the front and rear lens caps, and insured ground shipping via FedEx to lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until I receive a bank (cashier’s) check and confirm its validity via a phone call to the issuing bank.
Please contact Elinor via e-mail or by phone at 1-802 586-9994 (Eastern time)
This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98 meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an R5! The lens sells new for $2399.00 so you can save some hard cash by grabbing Elinor’s copy now. artie
Your-Pick In-the-Field Sessions
The beauty of the Your Pick In-the-Field Sessions plans below is that I am free most days from now till mid-January and we can schedule sessions to coincide with the perfect weather forecast. They are ideal for central Florida locals or folks visiting the region for whatever reason. Interested? Get in touch via e-mail or better yet, try my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up. Inquire for couples and group rates.
Indian Lake Estates In-the-Field Sessions
Two hours of intensive instruction: $300.00. Add a working brunch with image review: $100.00. Sunset shoot: $100.00. Guest room lodging available. Mix and match.
Sunny mornings with east winds are best. Likely subjects include ridiculously tame Sandhill Cranes along with Black and Turkey Vultures, Crested Caracara, Limpkin, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, and more. Bald Eagle possible; crane chicks coming soon.
Lakeland or Circle B Bar Preserve
Two hours of intensive instruction: $325.00. Add a working brunch with image review: $100.00. Mix and match.
Sunny mornings with east winds are best at Lakeland. Likely subjects include point-blank American White Pelican, Anhinga, Limpkin, Common Moorhen, White Ibis, a variety of wintering ducks including Ring-necked and Wood Ducks, and lots more.
Cloudy mornings or afternoons (shooting session only) are best at Circle B Bar Preserve. Likely subjects include Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Common Moorhen, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Alligator, Wild Boar, and more. If you wish to mix and match, loving at ILE is available.
Sony Alpha 1 Bodies in Stock at Bedfords/free card offer!
Steve Elkins of Bedfords let me know late yesterday that he had several Sony a1 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. Right now, 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!
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 waitlists 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
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link immediately above). My link works with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂
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.
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This image was created on 16 December 2021 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter (at 346mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. Multi-metering +2 1/3 stops; AUTO ISO set ISO 200: 1/25 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 5:38:38pm just after sunset. Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Icterid blur |
In the New Kid on the Block: Versatile, & Deadlier Than Ever blog post here, I asked, Does anything about Image #2 (now above) bug you? One thing about it bugs me. What is it?
Neil Hickman
December 18, 2021 at 7:46pm ·
Could it be the one colour boring background? I think the cyan colour is fine for close to the horizon, but a few wispy clouds could have made a more interesting background.
Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
December 21, 2021 at 8:27am
Hi Neil,
I do not mind solid sky backgrounds. And yes, a few puffy clouds would have been nice. But what bugs me is the color of the sky; it is too CYAN and not BLUE enough. I worked on the sky color but could not come up with anything that made me happy. I far prefer the BLUE sky in Image #3. with love, artie
BTW, my favorite of the four images in that post was Image #1: Icterid blur. My second fave was Image #3: Turkey Vulture braking to land.
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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.
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My Favorite Goldeneye
In the Extraordinarily Uncommon R5 Goldeneye Images. And, if someone held a gun to your head … blog post here, I wrote, 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.
I chose the portrait (above), over the action shot. While I love the raised foot and the splashes in Image #2, the sun on the bird in Image #1 is to die for. It lit up the colors of the bird and the background beautifully. In addition, Brian Sump did a superb job with the processing so that both the whites and the dark tones revealed lots of detail. If I could say that one of those images were mine, I’d go with the sunlit portrait in an instant.
Note: I am against gun violence.
You can see what folks in the Avian Forum on BPN, had to say about this image here.
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This image was created on 22 December 2021 down at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, FL Standing at full height, I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 204/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 125. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/20,000 sec. at f/8 (stopped down 1 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:23:47 am on a then very sunny morning. Focusing information will the revealed in a future blog post soon. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1A: Yes, a preening Anhinga |
Mega-blasting Silhouette Lessons
In the What Gives? ISO 125: 1/20,000 second at f/8! blog post here, I wrote:
If you think that you can explain the exposure data — ISO 125: 1/20,000 second at f/8, please leave a comment. What was the background? What was the lighting?
Jake Kneale left a comment that hit the nail on the head:
My guess is a preening anhinga against the specular highlights of water in full sun
Yes, I was shooting into the blasting highlights of the full sun on the water. On a clear day, when the sun is in the frame, if you avoid over-exposing the sun, the rest of the image will be black. Period. Beware, however, of trying to include the un-muted sun in the frame as you risk eye damage. There is a way to do it without endangering your vision, but it is quite tricky.
If you want to try this, see the section on Photographing the Bright Sun in The Art of Bird Photography II (on CD). An electronic download is available here. If you are really serious about attempting this difficult shot without hurting yourself, you need to look carefully at a 5-stop, or better yet, a 10-stop ND filter that fits the drop-in filter drawer of your super-telephoto lens.
This last bit of advice is super-important: when shooting into the blasting highlights of the sun, you must focus manually. All AF systems are blinded by the brightness of the scene. If you camera offers a Focus Peaking feature, use it in these situations.
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This image was created on 12 January 2020 at San Diego, CA. While standing at full height, I used the no-longer available GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the Sony a9 ii(now replaced, for me, by The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). ISO 640. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:15:10am on a mostly sunny morning. Expand Flexible Spot S AF-C performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger higher-res version. Image #2: American Coot in holiday reflections |
Image #2 for Me
In the Happy Holidays! Christmas Coots Times Two blog post here, I wrote:
I feel that one of today’s featured images is by far the stronger of the two. Which one is it? And why?
Like many who left a comment, I feel that Image #2 is by far the better image. Several folks explained why they made the same choice:
Mo
#2 is much better. I like the position of the coot in the frame, the background color is better, & the tilted head position gives the image more interest.
Chris Davidson
Mo, summed up my thoughts perfectly! The curious pose is wonderful, and the lighter and brighter colors really amp up those glorious red and green reflections in the water. I agree. low is not always the way to go. A BIRDS AS ART holiday classic IMO!
Are the folks who preferred Image #1 wrong? Not at all. Judging art is 100% subjective and 100% personal. It’s that “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” thing.
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This image was created on 24 December 2021 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from my stepladder, I used the no-longer available GIT305XXL Grand Series 5 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). Multi-metering +1.7 stops/Auto ISO set ISO 1600. 1/1250 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 5:36:44pm right after sunset on a clear afternoon. Tracking: Zone AF-C Bird Face/Eye detection performed well enough. As this is a healthy crop and two birds were removed from the frame, let’s call this one a photo illustration. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a higher-res version. Image #2: Cattle Egret landing at evening roost |
Loving the Action Shot
In the Late Afternoon Sunset Quickies blog post here, my favorite was Image #2: Cattle Egret landing at evening roost. I definitely like both images, but the richer colors, the inclusion of the far shoreline, and the dramatic flight pose were the deciding factors.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
The Preening Anhinga gets my vote — an excellent study of the balance/imbalance of negative and positive space. Simplicity and complexity all at once. Art starts here.
Thanks, Chuck. I like that one a lot too.
with love, artie