What’s Up?
Yesterday I learned from neighbor Ron that the Bald Eagles that have nested successfully at ILE for the past three winters have been hanging out by the original nest that had they abandoned last season. I am hoping, of course, that they lay eggs in the old nest as it is ten thousand times better for photography than the cluttered nest that they used to successfully fledge two young last February.
I cleared some more space on my laptop on Saturday and now have 5.17 TB available on my 8TB Solid State Hard Drive (SSHD).
Today is Sunday 8 September 2024. I will head down to the lake to check on the eagles and see what else is about on another typically humid morning. Whatever you are doing today, I hope that you too choose to have fun and to enjoy life.
Please remember to use the B&H 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!
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.
Supporting My Efforts Here
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In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear.
Need a New Laptop?
Need a new laptop for photography? Consider the Apple 16″ MacBook Pro (M3 Max, Space Black).
Key Features
Apple M3 Max 16-Core Chip
128GB Unified RAM | 8TB SSD
16″ 3456 x 2234 Liquid Retina XDR Screen
40-Core GPU | 16-Core Neural Engine
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Bluetooth 5.3
Thunderbolt 4 | HDMI | MagSafe 3
SDXC Slot | FaceTime HD 1080p Camera
Backlit Magic Keyboard
Force Touch Trackpad | Touch ID Sensor
macOS
In other words, the bomb. Looking to spend a bit less? Click here and search for Apple MacBook Pro M3. Feel free to e-mail or call (863-221-23720 for laptop advice.
Why Not Buy Your MacBook Pro From Apple?
If you purchase a laptop from Apple and have a problem right off the bat they will fix it for you in a few days or a week after you send it to them. They will not replace it. If you purchase a laptop from B&H and have a problem right out of the box, they will send you a new one no questions asked.
Price Drop
Canon EOS-1DX Mark II Digital SLR Camera with Extras!
BAA Record-low Price!
Price reduced $200.00 on 25 November 2023.
Price reduced $400.00 on 6 SEPT 2024.
John Nelson is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark II dSLR camera in excellent condition for a BIRDS AS ART record low $999.00 (was $1599.00). The sale includes the original box, one battery, the charger, the front body cap, four (4) 128 128GB CFast memory cards, cfast cards, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact John via e-mail.
The 1DX Mark II is a rugged, fast Canon professional digital camera body. It features an excellent AF system and high quality image files with great dynamic range. When he used Canon, it was the first choice of Arash Hazeghi, the world’s premier photographer of birds in flight. Two 1DX II served as my workhorse bodies for several years. And I loved them. artie
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This image was created down by the lake near my home on 7 July 2024. Working from the front seat of my SUV I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, 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/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:46:08am on a still, sunny morning. Upper Center Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Osprey in fresh juvenal plumage with its reflection |
Questions, Comments, Suspicions?
2024 was a poor year for breeding Ospreys. The nest on a utility pole near the base of the pier fledged three young. While there are an additional six nests down by the lake, none produced any chicks.
In late June and July of 2024, most mornings found one or two adult and/or juvenile Ospreys bathing in the shallows just left (south) of the pier. On still mornings, there were great opportunities for photographing the birds and their reflections.
If you have any questions, comments, or suspicions with regards to the creation of today’s featured image, please ask or comment below. Be sure to click on the image to see the larger, sharper high res version. There will be lots more on this new topic coming soon.
Cliff Beittel: no spoilers please!
The Sharpness of the Reflection
After clicking on the image to enlarge it, determine whether the reflection is as sharp as the bird itself.
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The BLUBB |
The BLUBB
If you are shooting from a vehicle with a long lens and are not working off a BLUBB, you are putting yourself at a big disadvantage. Beware of cheap imitations; there are many beanbags available today, but if you want to make sharp images, none come close to the BLUBB.
Whatever beanbag you are using, if your super-telephoto lens has a Direct Manual Focus switch, be sure turn the switch to the OFF position. This prevents you from throwing off accurate focus as you frame the shot. (Note: with some camera bodies, you may also need to turn DMF off in the camera menu.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Pretty nice! My Dad never pronounced his “Th’s”, so sounds good to me.
+1 to the comments. No ripples traversing the “reflection indicating trickery.
Suspicions? I suspect this isn’t really a reflection, but you cut the image in half, flipped the half, and created a “reflection.”
Wow, I went back and looled, Joel was right — no ripples in the reflection! How did I miss it?
The reflection isn’t quite as sharp but I suspect it isn’t real because it appears to be on top of the the circle of ripples in the water. Normally the ripples would be part of the reflection.
There is a typo in the second sentence under the paragraph regarding questions….. “tree” should be “three”.
Thanks times two, Joel. The “h” key on my laptop is sticking 🙁
with love, artie
I turned the image upside down. There are no ripples on the original, either!