Give Me 80 Very Good Minutes. On Backgrounds

This Just In

Our landline (863-692-0906) has been giving us problems for days. If you have left a message and not heard from us, please get in via e-mail. If you would like to leave a deposit for the first Fort DeSoto IPT, for one or both of the Homer IPTs, or for an In-the-Field session, please try me on my cell phone at 863-221-2372 and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

ILE Baby Crane and Eagle In-the-Field Sessions

Right now, I have five tame baby cranes and two baby eagles here at ILE. Timing for a great learning and photo session has never been better. $300 for two solid hours of detailed photographic instruction from this Saturday onwards. If you are interested in joining me, please get in touch via e-mail.

Galapagos 2023 Opening

Due to a cancellation, I have an opening for a single male photographer on the Galapagos 2023 Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT, the world’s finest photographic cruise of the famed archipelago. I am offering the spot with a substantial discount. If you are interested in joining a great group, or have questions, please get in touch via e-mail ASAP.

Iceland

My decades-long dream of spending time on Grimsey Island, Iceland, with the puffins — 13 days in this case!, will be realized this coming July. I am doing back-to-back trips as a participant. If anyone would like information on the world’s greatest Iceland/Atlantic Puffin trip this coming July, please contact me via e-mail.

What’s Up?

Twice early on — in an effort to have my group of two in the exact right spot, I zigged when I should have zagged. Then, we killed them as we enjoyed dozens of incoming Roseate Spoonbills at point-blank range. I loaned Nancy Fischer one of my a1 bodies and she gasped when she looked through the viewfinder and tracked the first incoming bird. She has been using the Sony a7R IV. This weekend I will be creating and sending out this season’s first Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service e-mail. The shooting strategies this year are far different than they were for the past two seasons. If you are planning a visit soon, you will surely want to sign up and receive the back issues and the very latest Stick Marsh Info. I may be offering a few more In-the field sessions at Stick Marsh in early April.

I was glad to learn the Bear Bob Sabine will be doing both 2024 Kachemak Bay sessions and that IPT veteran Sanjeev Nagrath is coming for the second IPT. Please do not hesitate too long if you are thinking of joining me next year in Homer.

Today is Friday 17 March 2023. House guest Mike Gotthelf and I are on our way to Stick Marsh to meet up with IPT veteran Jim Dolgin for an In-the-Field Session. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes three hundred fifty-one days in a row with a new educational post written just for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

My plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then begin posting every other day. It won’t be long now!

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.

The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service

The Site Guide Subscription Service is a new concept. I e-mailed the first issue in late-March 2022. The Basics e-mail includes specific directions to the site, and a map of the rookery area with specific instructions and wind, weather, and where-to-be advice. Sign up now to receive last year’s five e-mails and next week’s update.

To sign up for the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, call Jim in the office weekday afternoons at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand or send a PayPal for the $100.00 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net. Please be sure to include the words Stick Marsh with your PayPal.

I fully understand that you can go to Google Maps, find the Stick Marsh, visit, and likely make some good images. You might think, I can do fine just without artie’s advice. But you will do a whole lot better with it. Especially considering the new conditions I encountered yesterday.

This image was created on 5 March on the 3rd Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagles and More IPT. Seated on a gravel beach I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 2x teleconverter (at 400mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:25:45pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Bald Eagle — adult screaming

Sunny Days in Homer

There are usually not a lot of sunny days in Homer in late winter. Whenever the forecast is for sun, we are always the first boat out to take advantage of the sweet early light. And then we come back to the harbor early so that we can do a second sailing, again taking advantage of the sweet light. Last, we turn around to create sunset silhouettes. Working closely with Captain Gabe this year, we developed several new afternoon and silhouette locations. As the last IPT featured sun all day every day, we enjoyed five out of five very productive afternoons, each with a silhouetted ending.

On Getting Low

In many cases, you can throw the background well out of focus simply by sitting on the ground. Doing so will often yield the smooth, buttery, defocused backgrounds that I love.

This image was also created on 5 March on the 3rd Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagles and More IPT. Standing at full height, I again used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 2x teleconverter (at 292mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:55:45pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Bald Eagle — adult landing on natural perch

The Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens

As you have seen in previous Homer blog posts, the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens is the bomb in Kachemak Bay. Most often, folks used it either bare (the lens alone) or with the 1.4X TC. On many occasions, I used, and advise the use of the 2X TC. As I have said here previously, the new version of this lens is far, far superior to the original versions with super-fast and accurate AF and super-sharp results. In addition, it is small and light, easy to handhold, incredibly versatile, and offers Direct Manual Focus (DMF). Not to mention it incredibly short minimum focusing distance. Kindly use one of the BAA affiliate links if my comments inspire you to add this superb lens to your kit.

Choose Your Perspective Carefully

By considering and then choosing the best possible perspective, you will wind up with the most pleasing background available. For Image #2, I controlled the background by moving up and down the slope of the beach. I picked the exact spot that would put the distant snow-covered background behind the landing eagles.

Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 2x teleconverter (at 400mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. Multi-metering +1 stop. The exposure was determined via Zebras with exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. AUTO ISO set ISO 1600: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Shutter Priority mode. AWB at 6:43:48pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Bald Eagle — adult at sunset

Simple Silhouette Advice

It is almost always best to set the subject against the richest sky color. If the sun is well-muted, that is usually done by placing the subject directly between you and the sun. Then, you either get higher or lower to maximize the color. Though this principle seems obvious, some folks do not get it without some definitive instructions. Several times, I needed to grab the student from behind by their shoulders and escort them to the perfect spot!

Typos

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