On Field Etiquette or the Lack Thereof, Getting the Green Pelican Backgrounds, and Getting Lucky at 1/60 Second

Your Call?

Which of today’s three featured images is your favorite? You are cordially invited to leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice. For me, this one is a very close call.

Induro GIT 304L Tripod

Out of production for more than two years, BAA has just one left in stock. The 304L has been my go-to tripod for more than a decade. Best to grab the last one here right now.

What’s Up?

It finally happened: an only fair morning at La Jolla. It could have been great. But. After a spectacular sunrise, I noticed a single photographer sitting low in the rocks in the crevice near the point, up top. He was still and quiet and did not scare any birds. When nearly all of the young pelicans flew off, I walked up behind him and said, “Good morning.” No response. Louder. No response. Louder still, from 10 feet away. No response. I was going to suggest that if he moved back to the main cliff, that there was a good chance that lots of pelicans would fly in.

There were several possibilities:

1- He was deaf.
2- He had ear buds in and was listening to music.
3- He chose to ignore me.

I figured that if he did not speak English, he would have at least turned around.

I decided to head south and explore the low cliffs.

If he is there tomorrow, I will make sure to get his attention.

Along the coast, I photographed some surfing pelicans and some surfing humans. And I played around with a tame Whimbrel that was hanging out with two young Black-bellied Plovers. In the afternoon, working with slow shutter speeds at 840mm off the tripod, I worked tight detailed head shots of the pelicans by the downhill fence.

Today is Wednesday 28 December 2022. It is supposed to rain overnight and be partly-sunny turning sunny in the morning. So much for the ominous weather forecast. I never worry about dire forecasts until it begins to rain heavily. This blog post took two hours to prepare and makes two hundred seventy-five days in a row with a new, educational post just for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

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!

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.

Bedfords Amazing 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 🙂

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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 26 December 2022 at La Jolla, CA. While standing at full height 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. ISO 1000. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 7:20:17am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Spot (S) was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #1: Brown Pelican (Pacific-race) in pre-breeding plumage (white-necked)

Lots Of …

On the day after Christmas, there were again a zillion pelicans on the cliffs. And, with the day being a federal holiday, there were almost as many photographers. As would be expected, several of those were quite lacking in field manners. There was one man working with a 600 lens on a tripod. Twice, I set up to shoot to his side. And twice he moved right in front of me. I said, “Excuse me, you just blocked me.” He said, “I was here first.”

Go figure.

Getting the Green Background

On the pelican cliffs at La Jolla, the best way to get a green background is to have some birds perched well up on the upper cliff either in the shade or on a cloudy day. There are patches of green vegetation on the opposite cliff. You need to line things up carefully as there is lots of of grey and brown there as well.

There was a young (thirty-something) photographer working this bird with me while 25 others down the slope ignored the beautiful bird with the white hind-neck. I complimented him on knowing his way around birds as he moved very slowly when changing his perspective.

A late-arriving photographer came through the gate and walked briskly between us and the bird. I raised one hand, motioning him to slow down, and said, “slower please.” He continued on, turned back to me, and said, “I gotta be somewhere.” I said, “You might have scared our beautiful bird.” He said, “Did I scare it?”

Go figure.

This image, of the same bird, was also created on 26 December 2022 at La Jolla, CA. While standing at full height I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 1250. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/60 sec. at f/14 (stopped down 2 2/3 stops). AWB at 7:20:17am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Spot (S) was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #2: Brown Pelican (Pacific-race) in pre-breeding (white-necked) plumage — resting

Point-blank Resting Pelicans and Depth of Field

I added the 1.4X TC and moved a bit closer to the bird. I made some images at f/6.3 and then went down to f/11 and eventually to f/14. Focusing on the eyes, the feathers of the folded near-wing and the breast sharpened up nicely, but the distal half of the bill is soft as it inside the zone of sharp focus. As I point out often here, when you are working anywhere near the minimum focusing distance, depth of field with long effective focal lengths — 840mm in this case, will be measured only in fractions of an inch. Notice that I am confident of making sharp images at 840mm with shutter speeds as slow as 1/60 sec. Even using the self timer I would not be confident at 1/30 sec.

This image, of the same bird, was also created on 26 December 2022 at La Jolla, CA. Again, while standing at full height I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 1250. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/60 sec. at f/14 (stopped down 2 2/3 stops). AWB at 7:36:22 am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Spot (S) was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Image #3: Brown Pelican (Pacific-race) in pre-breeding (white-necked) plumage — bill pouch fully distended

Getting Lucky

When teaching folks to photograph the pelicans at La Jolla, I recommend that if they are working with a long focal length and the bird does a head throw, that they acquire focus quickly, frame the image as best as they can, and press the shutter button without attempting to change any of their settings. So when the beautiful bird leaned forward and distending its bill pouch, I did as I teach but figured that I had zero chance at 1/160 sec. But, as the golfer stops for an instant as he or she transitions from the backswing to the downswing, my bird held still just long enough to produce one fairly sharp image. The other eleven in the series were all badly motion-blurred.

The Lesson

When you are working around other photographers, use common sense, move slowly, keep your eyes open, and be sure to look behind you whenever you move.

Typos

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