Department Reports & How Would You Crop This One?

Before You Scroll Down …

Before you scroll down, click on the original image to view the high-res JPEG that represents the TIF file that was created from the converted raw file. Take a good look at it. Remembering that it is better to cut than clip, how would you crop this image? Why? Would you have any other image optimization plans to improve the image? All are invited to leave a comment addressing these questions.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III lens or an RF 600mm f/4 that you would like to unload for a good price, please get in touch via e-mail.

This image was created on 7 July 2021 on one of the Jacksonville IPT. Seated on damp sand I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with the One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera. ISO 640. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:46:00pm on a clear sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to view the high-res JPEG. Image #1: Royal Tern with fish for chick

What’s Up?

It was gorgeous on Friday morning (and all day long) here at ILE. A breeze from the SW in the am was not ideal for bird photography. I photographed the baby crane that is no longer a baby, and the two large colts. I learned on important lesson: when using the ankle-pod technique to photograph walking subjects 1/500 second does not cut it. When I upped the shutter speed to 1/800 second, all the images were sharp. At the end of my session, I drove right up to a Great Blue Heron on the edge of a canal with a distended neck; it was in the process of swallowing a large fish 🙁 A minute late and a dollar short.

I was glad to learn yesterday that the sale of Bob Peltz’s Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS and both TCs became pending the first day they were listed.

I downloaded the sixth version of Warren Hatch’s Nikon Z9 Camera User’s Guide and began work on it. We are getting close. I did my bursts and a slow 50-length swim in the early afternoon. I took a mile walk at 5:00pm after my early dinner. It was 88°! Today is Saturday 6 May 2022. The forecast if for rain and drizzle early. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes fifty-seven days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

Gatorland In-the-Field Session

This Sunday, 8 May 2022. 7:00 to 9:00am: $200.00/person

Two hours of intensive instruction. Cheap! You need to have a season photo pass or purchase one for that date to enter. If you are interested, please contact me ASAP via e-mail. You can also learn exactly to make the better photographs at Gatorland in The BAA Middle of Florida Site Guide here .

From the Never Take a Walk Without a Rig Department

As I got to the canal at the end of the South Field on my walk, I saw a bit Softshell Turtle finishing its nest in the Sandy soil. It was a nice photographic opportunity, but I did not have a lens with me. I walked back to the car as quickly as I could and drove back. The mother turtle was still there but it had turned around to face the water. I opened the rear hood of my SUV, got the tripod out, grabbed the 600 f/4, and put a card in the camera. When I turned around, the turtle had disappeared. But a Fish Crow was snooping around. I will check the nest in the morning for predators …

From the You Never Know What to Expect Department

As I turned on the end of the pier, I noticed a small shorebird on the pier less than ten feet from me. I expected it to be a Spotted Sandpiper as I have seen them on the pier many times. The bird looked up at me, jumped up over the railing, and flew away to the north. Its reddish back and large black belly patch made it a breeding plumage Dunlin. This species is uncommon inland. I had seen a few at ILE over the past two decades but never on the pier.

B&H Mother’s Day Specials

Click here or on the logo-link above to see a changing line-up of Mother’s Day Specials. You do not have to be a mother to click or to make a purchase!

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

Send a PayPal for $62.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 and put $62.00 on your credit card. Pick one of your best images and upload the raw file using a large file sending service like Hightail or DropBox and then send me the link via e-mail. I will download and save your raw file, evaluate the exposure and sharpness, and optimize the image as if it were my own after converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw. Best of all, I will make a screen recording of the entire process and send you a link to the video to download, save and study.

This image was created on 7 July 2021 on one of the Jacksonville IPT. Seated on damp sand I used the hand held I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with the One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera. ISO 640. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:46:00pm on a clear sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to view the high-res JPEG. Image #1A: The cropped, optimized version of the Royal Tern with fish for chick image

The Crop and the Image Optimization

The big decision for me was exactly where to crop from the bottom. The sunlit part of the chick’s left foot was distracting as it pulled the viewer’s eye so that is where I started the crop from the bottom. That helped also by eliminating the shadow along the frame edge. I took some off the top for a sei-pano look. Then I selected the baitfish, pulled the curve up, and using the Adobe Camera Raw filter on a layer — yes, you can use that after the raw conversion, moved the shadow slider well to the right.

Do you like the crop? Why or why not? What would you have done differently? Would you have done anything additional in Photoshop? If yes, what?

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

Jacksonville IPT: #1: 4 FULL DAYS — the afternoon of 16 June thru the morning of MON 20 June 2022: $2,099.00. (Limit 6 photographers)

Jacksonville IPT #2: the afternoon of FRI 1 JULY thru the morning of TUES 5 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers)

Jacksonville IPT #3: the afternoon of FRI 15 JULY thru the morning of TUES 19 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers)

Ride with me: add $200.00. I do not like to disappoint: each trip will run with one participant. If necessary.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

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