What’s Up?
I will be heading up to Long Island on the Auto Train on 22 July and heading back to Florida on 21 August. I will be announcing two Nickerson Beach IPTs and one Jamaica Bay shorebird IPT soon. It has been sunny, cold, and windy in the mornings here so I have not gotten down to the lake recently.
There is an only one spot left on the first Homer IPT. Please e-mail for late-registration discount e-mail. Homer #2 is sold out.
Today is Wednesday 20 December 2023. Jim will be distributing Digital Basics III/Volume I/#3 this afternoon. Details on Volume I/#3 in the next blog post. Wherever you are and whatever you choose to do, 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.
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.
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B&H
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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, prior purchases.
Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.
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 December 2022 on a San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour at La Jolla, CA. I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 70mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600: 1/125 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:42:14am long before the sun came over the hill. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Brown Pelicans and gulls on cliff in pre-dawn light — |
The Sony 70-200mm GM II Lens Alone in La Jolla
Somewhat surprisingly, the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens alone (without a teleconverter) is deadly and versatile in San Diego in winter. On the San Diego IPTs, we arrive very early to take advantage of the pink/purple/blue pre-dawn light. In any system, the 70-200mm lenses are hugely popular among nature photographers for creating scenics and bird-scapes. This one was created at the wide end, 70mm.
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Image #1A: This is an un-sharpened 100% crop of the Brown Pelicans and gulls on cliff in pre-dawn light image |
Sharpness and Depth of Field
Both sharpness and depth of field are incredible in the un-sharpened 100% screen capture above. The sharpness must be credited to the high quality of the lens and good handhlding technique.
Your Call #1
Note that every bird in the frame has been rendered in sharp focus. What two factors resulted in the remarkably deep depth of field at f/2.8?
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This image was created on 11 January 2023 on a San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour at La Jolla, CA. I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 180mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600: 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:08:09am in the shade 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 #2: Brown Pelican — in flight — cliff background |
70-200mm for Flight?
Imagine having to zoom out from 200mm when photographing a Brown Pelican in flight. Many would ask, How did you happen to have a 70-200mm lens in your hand at just the right time? I did not just happen. When photographing birds, you need to keep your eyes open and moving. Bird behavior is often repetitive. When I saw pelicans flying into the narrow cove and landing, I ran up to my rental car, switched the 400mm f/2.8 for the 70-200mm f/2.8, got into position, and went to work. It was simply a matter of using the right tool for the job. Join me on an IPT to learn to see the shot, to evaluate a great variety of bird photography situations.
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This image was created on 5 January 2023 on a San Diego Instructional Photo-Tour at La Jolla, CA. I used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/640 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:22:31am in the shade on a cloudy dark morning. Tracking: Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Brown Pelican — Pacific race resting on shelf |
Different Perspectives, Different Backgrounds
By moving around and checking things out, you can offer find new and different perspectives. Find the spot where you are looking down at the rocky beach and you can enjoy creating a great variety of images. When I made Image #3, I was standing at exact same spot as when I made Image #2. It pays to prospect! Join me on a San Diego IPT to learn all of my secret spots.
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Your Call?
Which version do you like, the Before or the After? Why?
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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. |
The 2024 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPTs
San Diego IPT #1: 4 1/2 DAYS: TUES 23 JAN thru the morning session on SAT 27 JAN 2024: $2699.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6/Openings 4.
San Diego IPT #2: 3 1/2 DAYS: WED 31 JAN thru the morning session on SAT 3 FEB 2024: $2149.00. Limit: 6 photographers
Please e-mail for information on personalized pre- and post-IPT morning 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.
I discovered some really neat new spots on my 2022/23 visit. As a result, the first and second IPTs may include an afternoon or two of landscape photography.
Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.
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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.
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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, at times 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. Each IPT will include one or two duck sessions.
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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 shoot. 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.
Deposit Info
A $699 deposit is required to hold your slot for one of the 2024 San Diego IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, 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.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Under the paragraph “Sharpness and Depth of Field” the second to last word “handled” I think should be “handheld”
On your question, I agree that the distance to subject is one reason for the great depth of field but I think the other reason is because the angle you were pointing down and the angle of the top of the rock the birds were resting on is very close to the same so that the entire group of birds were nearly parallel to the sensor.
Thanks and fixed.
What you say is true — the closer you are to parallel, the greater the depth of field. Consider, however, the following:
At the focus distance of 81.7mm with the 70mm focus distance and the f/2.8 aperture, the depth filed in front of the point of focus is 47.85 meters, and the depth of field behind reaches to infinity. That is one ton of depth of field.
with love, artie
I agree with Jordan: distance and only being 70mm.
If the focus point is at 100 feet, a 70mm on a full frame at 2.8 will be in focus from about 25 feet in front of the focus point / plane to about 50 feet behind it.
With the distance being “out there” the d-o-f becomes reasonably large. Getting closer reduces the d-o-f fast.
Have a good holiday, all.
Thanks, GB. See my response to Joel 🙂
with love, artie
Hi Artie, My favorite is: Image #2: Brown Pelican — in flight — cliff background
What two factors resulted in the remarkably deep depth of field at f/2.8? Factors are: distance from the lens and the focal length of the lens.
Image #1 and #1A Brown Pelicans and gulls on cliff are interesting and well made. Image #2 and #3 Brown Pelican are also interesting and well made. And the other images showing many birds and others are well made and interesting!
Artie, on “Your Call #1”, the distance from your subject and the focal length (70mm) allowed you to have every subject in the frame in focus.
On “Your Call #2”, I prefer the “After”. My eye is drawn immediately to the bright areas that removed from the “Before”, drawing me away from the subject. (Nice image, BTW; I love the feeling of depth).
All the best.
Many thanks, much love. m I love those rock too!
artie