Getting the Color Right is a Necessary Art

What’s Up?

After a big midday rain, we had a wonderful last afternoon at the beach. We enjoyed winds from the southwest and then from the west, with cloudy bright skies. We worked both adult and young Laughing Gulls bathing and the youngsters begging incessantly for food. On Monday morning, I went old school with the 600mm f/4 GMM on a tripod (and both TCs). In the afternoon, I switched the tripod for the panning ground pod and did very well. The weather for our last morning session is supposed to be clear with a southwest wind. This is usually bad for bird photography, but is good for early morning silhouettes with the sun out over the ocean and the wind at our backs. We will, therefore, arrive before the gate opens and hope for some light clouds in the east to provide some sunrise color in the pools.

With nine deposit checks in hand, and with good friend Ed Dow grabbing a single cabin, there are only three openings left on the 2023 Galapagos Photo-cruise of a Lifetime. The trip is now a go. If you have any interest in joining us, it would be best to get in touch via e-mail ASAP.

Speaking of IPTs, I am still looking for someone to do all three Homer Bald Eagle trips and driving the round trip from Anchorage to Homer and back with me. Toward that end, I am offering a ridiculously high discount of $4500.00, $1500 off each trip. The offer may not last long because there are only two slots left on the second IPT. If you are interested, or would like additional details, please contact me via e-mail

Today is Tuesday 19 July. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes one hundred twenty-one 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 to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

The First DeSoto IPT

If you are interested in the first DeSoto IPT, 3 1/2 Days, Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022, know that I just reserved a three-bedroom AirBnB in Gulfport. Share it for four nights with many multiple IPT veteran Monte Brown and me and save a ton on lodging: $83.69/night/person for a whole home. AirBnB photos available upon request. If interested, shoot me an e-mail.

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Follow me on Instagram here. I am trying to feature both new and old images, especially images that have not appeared recently on the blog. Or search for birds_as_art.

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.

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $699.00 each (were $799.00) and the price now includes the insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.

Please Remember

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.

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 on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

If You Enjoy the Blog …

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 on 17 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park in Jacksonville. I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/500 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:18:28am on a then-cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be pretty much perfect. Tracking: Spot S with Bird/Eye-Face Detection enabled performed perfectly as I was focused on the adult that was a tad closer to me. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1: the Photo Mechanic screen capture for the Royal Tern adult with shrimp image

Removing the CYAN/BLUE Color Cast

Sony a1 Auto White Balance is usually quite good, but that was obviously not the case with today’s image, it simply went whacky.

Follow the steps below to neutralize a CYAN/BLUE color cast. You can follow the same procedure for other colors casts.

1- First, adjust the color temperature during the raw conversion.

2- Next, still during the raw conversion, work on the Saturation, Luminance, and only rarely, on the Hue of the CYANs and the BLUEs. In Photoshop, that is done on the Color Mixer tab.

3- Once you are working on your TIF file in Photoshop, open a new layer (Command J), then hit Command U to open a Hue/Saturation window. First select the BLUE channel, move the slider to the right to see the BLUE cast, and then move the slider well to the left to approach neutral. Then do the same thing with the CYAN channel.

Once you understand the basics, you need a calibrated monitor or laptop screen and lots of practice. Do understand that getting the color right is more art than science.

Note the crop and the very minor beach clean-up. The entire image optimization took less than four minutes.

This image was created on 17 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park in Jacksonville. I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/500 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:18:28am on a then-cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be pretty much perfect. Tracking: Spot S with Bird/Eye-Face Detection enabled performed perfectly as I was focused on the adult that was a tad closer to me. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #2: Royal Tern adult with shrimp 3X2 cropped version

The Situation

John Dupps worked along the colony ropes. David Pugsley and I decided to sit near a small, flat calm wash-over tidal pool and see what came by. Well, nothing came by. But some terns flew in and landed on a sandy ridge to our right. With the cloudy skies, sun angle was not a concern. The funny thing is, I thought I had the 1.4X TC on; I had forgotten that I removed it for some reason or another before we sat down. Anyhoo, the chick approached the adult with the small shrimp and looked at it longingly. After a bit, the adult flew off to look for its own chick. I made six identical images and chose one at random. All were super sharp. That leads to the question: is it better to work with the bare 600mm lens wide open, use a stop less ISO, and enjoy additional depth of field (I think), and crop, or to add the 1.4X TC. I have always been a TC kind of guy, but the quality of the cropped image here gives me food for thought.

This image was created on 17 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park in Jacksonville. I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/500 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:18:28am on a then-cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be pretty much perfect. Tracking: Spot S with Bird/Eye-Face Detection enabled performed perfectly as I was focused on the adult that was a tad closer to me. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #3: Royal Tern adult with shrimp pano-cropped version

Which is the Best Crop Format?

Folks often ask if I am wedded to the 3X2 proportions of the images that have been coming out of our cameras for the past 39 years (for me, at least). While I love the 3X2 and 2X3 proportions, I believe that boxy crops, square crops, and pano crops can be the best choice.

With today’s featured image do you prefer the out of camera 3X2 version, Image #2, or the pano crop, Image #3? For me, this one is a no-contest.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, making color corrections, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

Typos

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