What’s Up?
After watching the second half of the Super Bowl on Monday morning on TIVO, I was on a bit of a high. Peeking out the pool deck door, I saw that it was going to be a clear sunrise. With the wind from the northwest, I realized that conditions would be perfect for a backlit flapping-in-the-nest eaglet image. I glanced at the clock: 7:25am — too late.
On a health note, I completed a 36-hour fast on Monday morning and celebrated the Chiefs win and the end of the fast with the end of the scallops and four ounces of butternut squash. My overnight blood sugar readings had been fabulous and I only made one pit stop while getting 8 1/2 hours of otherwise solid sleep. I will run that by Dr. Oliver and consider adding a weekly fast-day. At the suggestion of DeSoto IPT participant Bob Ries, and my chiropractor, T.J. McKeon, I began wearing a FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitor about two months ago. The sensor on the back of my upper arm sends blood sugar readings to my phone every minute. I can only say that the program has been educational, inspirational, and motivational. Questions are welcome.
Today is Tuesday 14 February 2023. I will be leaving early to pick up In-the-Field student Gary Chappel in Winter Haven and continue on to the American White Pelican location in Lakeland. After our morning shoot we will head toward Tampa and grab brunch somewhere. We will be meeting multiple IPT veteran Mike De Rosa and wife Norma at the secret rookery in North Tampa and then heading to our AirBnB in Riverview for the 1-1/2 Day Hooptie Deux Spoonbill IPT. It will be great to spend some time with Captain James Shadle (aka Froggie) and do some catching up. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes three hundred twenty-two days in a row with a new educational post. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
Please, please, pretty please remember to use my B&H or Bedford’s affiliate programs for all your new gear purchases. If you use B&H, please be sure to click on any B&H link in the blog to start your search. Or simply start with this link. There is always the option of e-mailing me for gear advice and for the correct links.
The plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then posting every other 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.
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Induro GIT 304L Tripod
Out of production for more than two years, BAA sold its last one in December. The good news? We have two more new-in-the-box tripods. They are now available for shipping. The 304L was my go-to tripod for more than a decade. Best to grab order yours right now to avoid being disappointed.
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
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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.
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This image was created on 12 February 2023 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect with portions of the sky over-exposed, just as I wanted it. AWB at 8:17:44am on partly cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Osprey in flight with stick for nest |
Always Give It a Shot
I am often too lax. I see a situation and think, That won’t last long enough for me to get a shot. But when I saw this Osprey flying around with a big stick trying to land in a ridiculous spot and build a nest on a telephone pole, right by a big transformer, I thought, Why not? So I grabbed the 400 f/2.8 from the pillow on the passenger seat of my SUV, got out, set the exposure, and turned off Zebras. It was difficult shooting through all the utility wires, but the bird kept trying and failing so I have a few good chances. I created 56 flight images of the bird seen above and kept one.
The Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM Lens
After telling folks for several decades that the 400mm f/2.8 lenses were worthless for bird photography, I borrowed one in Homer last year and purchased my own within months. Every week I am finding new and different uses for this super-fast, super-sharp lens. Though it weighs only four ounces less then the Sony 600mm f/4GM, I can handhold it forever. I can handhold the 600 only for a very few minutes. How can that be? The weight in the 400 f/2.8 is much further to the rear of the lens. Easy-peasy.
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This image was also created on 12 February 2023 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated on grass, I used the foot-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000. 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be about 1/3 stop too dark. My excuse: the sun was going in and out. AWB at 8:31:13am on partly cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Sandhill Crane foraging in dirt |
Dirt
The powers that be here at Indian Lake Estates have destroyed several acres of wetlands vegetation near the pier to construct a beach. Right now they are paying folks to re-arrange the dirt. Many truckloads of expensive white sand are soon to arrive. Who is gonna swim with alligators?
Anyhoo, some of the local cranes along with a few Cattle Egrets are enjoying foraging in the disturbed earth. I liked the tan background, so I again got out of the car and went to work. With the bird foraging right in front of me, I used the foot-pod technique to get really low. Tracking (center) Zone was the way to go. I created more than one hundred images of this one bird feeding. And kept just one. At one point, the bird grabbed a snail shell and whacked away at it, eventually getting the meat out for a small treat. As the bird was facing directly away from me, I never created a single frame.
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This image was created on 12 February 2023 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated on grass, I used the knee-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be about 1/3 stop too dark. My excuse: the sun was going in and out. AWB at 8:36:45am on partly cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Sandhill Crane scratching |
Scratching
Your Call?
Which of today’s three image do you wish was yours? Why?
I got up and down many times in an effort to stay square to the subject as it enjoyed the dirt beach. At one point, the bird began to scratch its chin. The knee-pod put me on the right level. First he scratched for quite a few seconds. Then it took a short break and scratched again. I created 140 scratching images and kept just three in addition to this one. After the dust cleared, I had kept six raw files out of 306, a less than 2% keeper rate. That despite the fact that more than 250 of those images were perfectly usable.
Storage is Cheap/Why Edit So Tightly?
Two days ago, blog-regular Anthony Ardito left this comment (in part): |
To comment on culling images (picking your keepers), I do agree that now with high MP files data adds up. However, storage is, relatively speaking, cheap when compared to the investment in camera bodies and lenses.
I have a 12 TB external drive that is a backup drive. It cost next to nothing. It will never get filled up. Nor will your 8TB Macbook M2 drive. (You will upgrade to the next MacBook Pro before your current drive is even half or three quarters full.
Have a backup plan with cloud storage in mind. You get 1 TB cloud storage free with MS OneDrive. Adobe & Google also have free cloud storage although not as generous. Organize your files in a way to utilize that free storage.
FLY EAGLES FLY!
Anthony missed two important points above.
#1 Kansas City was the better team in the Super Bowl.
#2: He makes a huge assumption when he talks about organizing your files. Folks who shoot aggressively and rarely if ever edit their image folders by picking the keepers and deleting the rejects are simply burying themselves in images. I know many photographers who have way too many hard drives and have no way to find a given image. They are simply opting to bury themselves in digital photographs. As noted in the IPT confirmation letters, I urge everyone to strive to edit their session or day folders before they head back onto the field. It’s either that, or get buried by images.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Good morning Guru. Hope you’re doing fine.
I remember clearly that you were against using 400mm f/2.8 super telephoto lens. However, I was never in agreement with it. Use it with fantastic results often paired with 2x extender. Needless to say; I’m talking about the Canon brand.
However, when portability is an issue; I pick up the other great, EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM, again paring it with 1.4x or 2x version III extenders.
I didn’t go mirrorless, no plans to switch either.
Thank you for the post Guru.
Anthony, Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am hoping that the Eagles and the Chiefs make it back to the big game next year so that Mahomes can kick their butts again!
with love, artie
All three images are good and interesting! Image #1 Osprey in flight with stick is funny to see. Image #2 Sandhill Crane foraging in dirt is also funny to see. Image #3 Sandhill Crane scratching made me laugh about it.
Thanks, Sue!
a
My favorite is the osprey. I make too many images and delete too few, but I usually delete at least 80% of the wildlife/bird images I make. I am somewhere between hopeless and totally organized with the images I keep. I do label many folders and for one project with thousands of images made over a decade or more I can find any particular image I want in a minute or two. My images are all backed up.
Thanks for sharing David. The trick is not to become hopelessly buried in image files.
with love, artie
For me, I wish I had taken #1. Why? Because (as well as its being a beautiful image–especially those eyes, centered at the convergence of the three lines made by the front edges of the wings and the stick) it’s an OSPREY. The first osprey I ever saw outside a book was on the Charles River in Boston, almost sixty years ago. I was looking out at the water when an osprey dove into view, snatched a fish, and flew off. About fifty feet in the air, the fish managed to flip free and fall back toward the river. The osprey dove again, resnatched the falling fish just at the surface of the water, and again flew off, this time with the fish secure in its beak. I’ve been an osprey fan ever since.
Hey Walter,
Thanks for sharing you Osprey love story with us.
artie
I wish they all were mine but I like #3 best. It is more intimate and probably the most difficult to capture with the 400.
Happy Valentines Day
Hey Stranger,
The eagles are waiting for you!
with love, artie
400/2.8s are lighter than ever, and focus accuracy doesn’t suffer with a 2x like it did on DSLRs, so it makes perfect sense. I don’t have any big glass anymore, but a 400/2.8 makes more sense for what I do than a 600.
Thanks. I am loving mine. Strangely, I do have some image quality problems with the 400 f/2.8 and the 2X TC.
with love, artie
Well here we go again. Florida has saltwater crocodiles and they are becoming a little more abundant but I have never heard of an American crocodile attack on a human being, let alone in fresh water, despite crocodile attacks in many other areas of the world. American crocs think and behave differently. On the other hand there is no shortage of alligator attacks on humans and especially on small children. And don’t rule out dogs because even their presence excites these reptiles to come around and hang around. I don’t think you want to use your 400 f2.8 to document what should never be an incident. I suspect you live in an HOA and are familiar with your docs and Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes. I know other communities do this as well but it is, nevertheless, not too smart and the liabilities will not be ignored by the Florida prosperous and successful liability attorneys that don’t have to work very hard when the situation is made to order. Speak up at your meetings. Unfortunately when you speak up, if an attack should one day occur, you will be the first deposed witness to testify that the community was warned.
Yes, that is a good lens but only on the Sony. And with that low f stop you can but a converter on it and barely notice, in Florida sunshine the difference, but greatly enjoy the improved range.
Florida alligator attacks, like shark attacks almost always occur in the water. The exception is when you walk a dog and any size dog will do. When walking dogs stay away from the water’s edge and keep moving.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I have been so busy traveling and photographing for the past two decades that I have not been able to attend any board meeting. My bad.
a
I like #2. It’s unique & colorful and shows off that f/2.8. Although I love in flight, #1 is just a bit ubiquitous.
Just a bit. Fly quietly and carry a big stick.
with love, artie
My additional thoughts on storage and editing (i.e. deleting files)…
I have often gone back to old folders and looked at images taken years ago that I probably should have deleted…back then. I’m sure glad I didn’t delete them. With today’s AI software, I’ve recently created some great images with circa 2009 OOF, high ISO, Canon 7D files. The same with some 1Dx II images from 2016.
Don’t get me wrong, I do cull my images, but I tread lightly. My first pass is to pick winners, not to delete losers. The obvious one’s are gone, but the less obvious can sit there waiting for a better day. 🙂
My second point is I try not to think about that superbowl. Although a great game…very upsetting. After the Phillies losing the world series and now this, Phila. fans have great sorrow in their heart. We will get over it, and lose again. Maybe that’s why we’re the worst fans in sports…we’re just downright angry all the time!