A Fine Ending to a Great Trip!

A Very Tough Call

Which of today’s two superb images do you think is best (he asked modestly)? Please leave a comment let us know why you made your choice.

Though there were more than a dozen photographers on the cliff this morning, I would be quite surprised if any of them made a single image as good as either of today’s two featured photographs (he stated modestly). That surely out of many thousands of images.

What’s Up?

I enjoyed a final last morning with the pelicans on Wednesday. I headed back early to my AirBnB to pack for my flights tomorrow which is now today – Thursday 27 January 2022. The forecast for this morning does not matter. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and makes 76 days in a row 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 earn 3% cash back 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.

This image was created on 26 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 547mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:34:11am on a sunny morning. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Brown Pelican — prey-breeding adult preening

Wave Placement

As I say here often, usually with regards to photographing along the shore with the gentle waves of the Gulf of Mexico, good photographers need to learn to observe all aspects of breaking waves and note how they impact their images. And the same is true when the waves are six to eight footers like those we’ve had in San Diego for the past three days.

As a general rule, a wave breaking through the middle of your subject is to be avoided at all costs. On the other hand, they can add tremendously to the artistic success of your images. Note the cresting wave in the upper left corner of the frame that serves to elegantly frame the elegant bird. Note also the lovely early morning light falling on both the bird and on the relatively distant Pacific Ocean background.

Photoshop Hanky-Panky?

If you see any evidence of any major Photoshop hanky-panky in Image #1, please leave a comment and state your evidence clearly.

This image was created on 26 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 437mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:45:51am on a sunny morning. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Brown Pelican adult in flight on sunny morning

My Best Flight Image

Funny that I should make my very best flight image on the last morning of the trip. The bird is a gorgeous adult in full breeding plumage. The head angle is perfect for the pose. The bird is nicely angled in the frame. The light is sweet. The image is razor sharp. And there is not a shadow to be seen on the near-underwing, the belly, or the face.

Notice that when the sun is shining I go to the 200-600 for hand held flight photography. Zooming out 163mm here enabled me to fit the bird into the frame. This image was cropped proportionately from the right and from below.

The San Diego Site Guide

The San Diego Site Guide

Whether you are visiting San Diego for photography for the first time, or live in the area and have done the pelicans many dozens of times, you will learn a ton by studying the San Diego Site Guide. Why spend days stumbling around when you can know exactly where and when to be depending on the wind direction and sky conditions? In addition to the pelican primer, there is great info on the best beaches for the gorgeous gulls, on Marbled Godwit, on the lower cliffs, Lesser Scaup, and Wood and Ring-necked Ducks as well.

This is one of our oldest guides, so the photos are not great. But the information is still solid and relevant. All of the great spots are detailed. I met a nice man shooting a Sony 600 GM with the a7r IV. He did not know where to be every morning. He will be there this morning! If you would like to see some great San Diego images, do a search in the little white box on the top right of each blog post for San Diego, La Jolla, Santee Lakes, Coronado, or Scripps.

In any case, you can learn more or purchase your copy here.

Typos

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