112mm Full Frame Flight! What Would You Do With It?

Before You Scroll Down …

Before you scroll down, click on the original image immediately below 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. Then leave a comment and let us know how you might have optimized it. Then you can scroll down and see what I did with the too-tight flight shot.

This image was created on a San Diego IPT on 19 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 112mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. ISO 800: 1/2000 sec. at f/4 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 12:09:47am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Image #1: Brown Pelican 2-year-old in flight

112mm Full Frame Flight!

With the right wind, the absolutely amazing Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens can be used without a teleconverter to photograph the incoming pelicans at La Jolla. I will most often use the 1.4X TC for incoming flight, and go with the 2X TC when trying for the elusive head throws.

The variations in the plumage of both adult and sub-adult Pacific-race Brown Pelicans always amazes me. Every season, we see a several unique birds wearing plumage combinations that we have never seen before.

You zoomed out enough to avoid clipping any wings, but just barely. Before you scroll down, think about how you would process this image. Even if you do not leave a comment, you can learn a ton by just thinking it through.

What’s Up?

It was cloudy black at dawn, so I went down to the lake to check things out at 7:30am. I was glad to see that the Softshell Turtle nest appeared to be undisturbed. Then the sun came out. With a stiff SW wind, I headed home early. I watched and videoed some Honeybees tearing the stamens off a Magnolia blossom in my driveway. I watched lots of NBA and NHL playoff games while working on images and answering e-mails. Today is Sunday 8 May and I am headed to Gatorland to photograph Great Egret and Tricolored Heron chicks. 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-eight 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!

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.

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.

New Listings

Canon EOS 7D Mark II with a great extra!

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition with only 4504 shutter actuations for a very low $649.00. The sale includes one battery and the charger, the strap, the original product box, and everything that came in it, a Really Right Stuff Modular Sliding L-Plate (RTS B702-L Set — a $150.00 value), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

If you are looking to get started with a Canon dSLR, Sandy’s 7DII is for you. Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about two years ago when we both committed to using full-frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. The 7D Mark II is one of the greatest-ever values in a digital camera body. artie

Canon Extender EF 1.4X III

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (teleconverter) in like-new condition for $249.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, soft case, original product box and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

As regular readers know, TCs are so important to what I do that I always travel with three 1.4X teleconverters and two 2X teleconverters. (Note: they do fail on occasion …) artie

Canon Extender EF 2X III

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon Extender EF 2X III (teleconverter) in like-new condition for $259.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, soft case, original product box and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

As regular readers know, TCs are so important to what I do that I always travel with three 1.4X teleconverters and two 2X teleconverters. (Note: they do fail on occasion …) artie

Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM Lens

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS USM lens (the original version) in like-new condition for a silly-low $249.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the soft case, the lens hood, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

When I shot Canon, the original version of this lens was my never-leave-home-without-it all purpose zoom lens. Whenever I would leave it in the car, I would get 50 yards away and wished that I had it with me. It sells new for $1299.00 and is backordered in most places. artie

Two Canon 580 EX II Speedlights (flashes)

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a pair of Canon 580 EX II Speedlights (flashes) in near-mint condition for a ridiculously low $249.00 (or $149.00 for one). The sale includes the soft cases, the stands, the original product boxes, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

Anyone looking to create a Canon multi-flash set-up for hummingbirds will want to grab both of Sandy’s 580 EX flashes ASAP. I think that I paid something like $600 apiece for mine when I shot Canon. artie

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 a San Diego IPT on 19 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 112mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. ISO 800: 1/2000 sec. at f/4 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 12:09:47am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: The optimized version of the Brown Pelican 2-year-old in flight image

The Image Optimization

For me, images like this with the bird steeply angled and tight in the frame scream for a square (or at least for a boxy) crop. I went with a perfect square.

1- I leveled the image and added canvas above and below in one fell swoop by using the Content-Aware Crop Tool. Tip: put the cursor outside of the crop mark and rotate the image as needed using the love handles.

2- I repaired the hole in one of the secondary feathers on the bird’s right wing using Content-Aware Fill.

3- I darkened the Pacific via the Color Mixer tab of the Camera Raw Filter. And yes, all the tabs and sliders in the Camera Raw Filter are available in Photoshop after the raw conversion.

This all-new card includes images created on my JAN 2022 visit to San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2022/23 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPTs

San Diego IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS: WED 21 DEC thru the morning session on Saturday 24 DEC 2022. $2099.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers.

San Diego IPT #2. 4 1/2 DAYS: SAT 7 JAN thru the morning session on WED 11 JAN 2023: $2699.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Openings: 4.

San Diego IPT #3: 3 1/2 DAYS: FRI 20 JAN thru the morning session on MON 23 JAN 2023: $2099.00. Deposit: $699.00.

Please e-mail for information on personalized pre- and post-IPT sessions.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Ducks; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Northern Shoveler and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions (both depending on the current regulations and restrictions). And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on exposure along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and SONY Zebras. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode so that you can get the right exposure every time (as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant). Or two seconds with SONY zebras … And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well, often with 70-200mm lenses! And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of those opportunities. Depending on the weather, the local conditions, and the tides, there are a variety of other fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

Did I mention that there are lots of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter? Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The San Diego Details

These IPTs will include four or five 3-hour morning photo sessions, three or four 1 1/2-hour afternoon photo sessions, and three or four working brunches that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy days, we may — at the leader’s discretion, stay out in the morning for a long session and skip that afternoon. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own as well. In the extremely unlikely event that Goldfish Point is closed due to local ordinance (or whimsy) — that has never happened in the past fifty years, I will of course do my very best to maximize our photographic opportunities.

A $599 deposit is required to hold your slot for one of the 2022/23 San Diego IPTs. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due three months before the trip.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for both big international trips and US-based IPTs is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality travel insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

Variety is surely the spice of life in San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.

Typos

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