Your Call?
Which of two of today’s five featured images do you like best? Please be so kind as to leave a comment and let us know why you made your choices.
2025 San Diego IPT Feedback
Via e-mail from Adrian Whitchelo-Scott
Good morning Artie,
A huge thank you for an outstanding IPT. I learned a great deal from your wisdom and knowledge from exposure to choosing the ideal shutter speed and so much more. Kindly extend a thank you to Bob for taking on the task of driving us around. I hope to participate in another IPT in the future. In the meantime, I will be watching my sun angle!
Be well,
Adrian (Yo Adrian)
From many multiple IPT veteran, USN retired fighter pilot Warren Robb in a blog comment; January 19, 2025 at 2:13 pm
I would also like to add that for me observing and photographing these amazing birds was great fun and a personally rewarding experience. Your expert guidance on first “seeing the shot” and the mechanics of capturing a properly exposed image with the right gear was invaluable. Thank you Artie for another great IPT.
What’s Up?
After hearing that hundreds of pelicans were hanging out on the closed Ocean Beach Pier, Bob Eastman and I drove down early on Sunday morning to check things out. There were no pelicans there so we headed north to La Jolla. Early on, there were no pelicans. As multiple IPT veteran Vasili Chernishoff would be driving down on Monday, I was thinking, “Boy, I am glad Vasili is not here today.”
Some birds began landing on the cliff, so we walked up the hill and headed down the steps. The clouds to the east provided a respite from the almost constant sunshine of the past ten days. For the first time on this trip, I opted to use the 400mm f/2.8 GM (with both TCs in my fanny pack). No tripod. On what turned out to be a cloudy day, it was the perfect choice.
Bob and I carefully got into position as more and more pelicans landed below us. There were about 15 photographers behind us and all but one of them did not bother to see what we were doing — photographing the birds on the westernmost corner of the lower shelf.
Early on, the few gorgeous birds, one luscious breeding plumage adult and a chocolate covered cherry — a brown young pelican with a glorious fluorescent orange bill pouch, were blocked by other pelicans. With patience, we had many great chances. For me, the clouds were to die for. Bob and I were giddy. At about 8:15, I happened to turn around and was shocked to see that all the photographers had left. The place was empty.
As the perched birds were well below me, all of today’s images were made while I was sitting in the red dirt on a sandstone cliff getting my pants filthy. I did not mention below that while moving around while seated, my palms became covered with gull and pelican poop and my new a-1 ii covered in red dirt dust. You gotta love getting down and dirty!
When the smoke cleared, I had created 8,957 images and kept 367 after the first edit, a less than 4% keeper rate. About 75% of the keepers will make their way to the trash bin after the second and third edits. For the first time in a quarter century of digital photography, I had filled two 160GB cards. That before 9:00am. Then I filled a third card and started on a backup UHS II card. All Delkin, of course. It was one of the best days I have ever experienced in La Jolla. I wound up thinking, “I wish Vasili had been here.” That afternoon I stayed in to watch the two more NFL games.
In the previous blog post, most everyone picked the head shot as their favorite. Multiple IPT veteran and great BAA-friend Pat Fishburne liked Image #5: Brandt’s Cormorant female on seaweed nest best. I also liked that one best because I worked so hard to get it — the perfect framing was a big challenge.
On Monday morning about eight teenagers were having a party on the pelican cliffs, replete with a big picnic basket. On the lower shelf. Zero pelicans landed. And no birds landed on the down the hill cliffs either. There was nary a pelican in sight. It was hard to believe that we were in the same place as the day before. We headed to the bridge club and worked the Royal Tern flock and enjoyed a few nice flyby Brown Pelicans. Then I said to Bob, “Let’s head down the coast to the Green Patch and see if we can rustle up some shorebirds.
When we arrived, there was one Black-bellied Plover; we both made some excellent images with our 200-600s. Though it was still early, we turned to give up and head back to the AirBnB. “Come back,” I yelled to Bob as a handsome first winter Black Oystercatcher flew in and landed pretty much right in front of me. We both got some killer images. Then a Willet flew in and after a few minutes, it nailed a small black crab and I nailed it with its breakfast. Then we worked two Black Turnstone and finally a tame Spotted Sandpiper was hunting and catching flies. 5,228 images and 124 keepers later, Vasili arrived at our new AirBnB. The keeper rate was less than 2 1/2%, but the good ones were really good.
Today is Tuesday 21 January 2025. Bob, and Vasili and I will be headed early to La Jolla to see if we will be the dog, or the hydrant. Whatever you opt to do, we hope that you too have a great day.
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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If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
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The Befores and Afters for Images #1, 3, 4 & 5. |
Merge Avoidance & Seeing the Crop In the Field
The pink coded images represent the raw files, i.e., the originals. The aqua coded photo depict the optimized images. Most of the time, if two avian subjects are merged in an image, overlapping, it is exceedingly difficult or impossible to do the cleanup because the patterns of the edge feather detail are far too complex for any selection method that I know of. When there is some interesting behavior going on and the subjects are overlapping, the best course of action is often to wait until the two subject are not touching. If the action is frantic, disregard my advice and fire away. That said, removing the second subject is a lot easier without any avian merges.
The cloudy skies were a blessing as they allowed us to photograph until nearly 11:00am. But note the dreary looking gray ocean in the raw files. Color Mixer enables you to bring out and brighten the blues. I used Divide and Conquer to cut up the offending birds in Images #1 and 5 and then remove the sections using the Patch Tool. All as detailed in the two offerings below.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II. |
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
The techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.
Please note: the Divide and Conquer technique was inadvertently omitted from DB II. It is detailed in a free excerpt in the blog post here.
Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.
You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.
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The Digital Basics III Video Series |
The Digital Basics III Video Series
I realized more than a year ago that my digital workflow had changed significantly and was toying with the idea of writing a Digital Basics III. More recently, I learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.
As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born.
You can save $26 by ordering the first five videos in Volume I by clicking here. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI.
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This image was created on 19 January at La Jolla. CA. Sitting in the red dirt on a sandstone cliff getting my pants filthy, I used the hand held Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel; 1/1250 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: AWB at 8:28:56am on a cloudy to cloudy-bright morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed with science-fiction-like accuracy. Image #1: Brown Pelican Pacific race breeding plumage looking at neighbor with bill pouch distended. |
In the Field Seeing and Planning
When I saw the bird on the right with its big pouch distended, I knew that removing the extraneous bird would be a snap so the key was making images when there was no overlap. A 3X2 crop eliminated most of the second bird. Before digital, we would never press the shutter button when the second bird was a distracting element. Things, however, have changed drastically for the better.
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This image was also created on 19 January at La Jolla. CA. Sitting in the red dirt on a sandstone cliff getting my pants filthy, I used the hand held Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel; 1/3200 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: AWB at 8:49:04am on a cloudy to cloudy-bright morning. Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed with science-fiction-like accuracy. Image #2: Brown Pelican Pacific race breeding plumage on final approach to a cliff landing. |
The Bare Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM for Flight
Though the lightweight Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens weighs only 4 ounces less than the 600mm f/4, it is far easier for me to hand hold than the six. It is nowhere near as long physically and all the weight is at the rear. Being seated when doing flight with this lens is a huge advantage; by resting your left arm on your bent left knee, you only need to raise the lens a few inches to swing it into action. The soft backgrounds at f/2.8 are to die for.
With image #2, several pelican heads were eliminated from the bottom of the frame by the pano crop.
Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens
Price reduced a shocking $600.00 on 13 July 2024
Price reduced a shocking $400.00 on 20 January 2025
Used Gear Page veteran Robert Hollyer is offering a Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in Like-New condition for a BAA record low $8998.00! (was $9,998.00). The sale includes the front lens cap, the rear lens cap, the lens hood, the lens strap, that hard case & strap, the original product box, 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 Bob via e-mail or by phone at 1-206-359-0018 PST.
I purchased my Sony 400mm f/2.8 two years ago to complement my 600mm f/4. Robert is selling his because he rarely uses it, opting instead for the 600mm f/4! It is far easier for me to handhold the 4 ounces lighter, much smaller, and better balanced 400 f/2.8 than it is to handhold the 600mm f/4. The 400 kills for flight with or without the 1.4X teleconverter. This lens sells new right now for $11,998.00 at B&H and there are used copies going for $10998.00 as well. Act quickly to save a handsome $3,000.00 by grabbing Robert’s might-as-well-be-new 400mm GM lens. And remember, you can’t beat the f/2.8 bokeh! artie
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This image was also created on 19 January at La Jolla. CA. Sitting in the red dirt on a sandstone cliff getting my pants filthy, I used the hand held Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel; 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: AWB at 8:28:56am on a cloudy to cloudy-bright morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed with science-fiction-like accuracy. Image #3: Brown Pelican Pacific race braking to land. |
Vertical Original Flight!
Vertical original flight shots are rarer than the proverbial hen’s teeth. I attempt them most often in Homer with the eagles with the far lighter 70-200 f/2.8. With the 1.4X TC in place on the 400mm f/2.8, I started turning to vertical because the birds were too close to fit into a horizontal frame. Fitting the whole bird in the frame here was a complete miracle.
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This image was also created on 19 January at La Jolla. CA. Still sitting in the red dirt on a sandstone cliff getting my pants filthy, I used the hand held Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel; 1/5000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: AWB at 10:01:25am when the sun peeked out briefly. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed with science-fiction-like accuracy. Image #4: Brown Pelican Pacific race preening back with bill pouch distended. |
A Rare Sunny Moment
Let me rant here for a bit. Sony Zebras are a huge advantage for all types of photography, nature or otherwise. Neither Nikon nor Canon offers in-viewfinder evaluation of exposure. Those folks need to have the viewfinder cluttered by a histogram and then check for blinkies (highlight alerts) after each new situation. With Image #4, the sun came out when my eye was to the viewfinder. I simply raised the shutter speed until I noted faint Zebras on the white stripe on top of the pelican’s head. Another dead solid perfect exposure.
Another rant. As far as I can figure, if you are using a Nikon Z8 or Z9 and working in an automatic exposure mode, you need to press a button and then dial in exposure compensation. I hated that when I used Nikon and it still makes zero sense to me on a high end mirrorless camera body.
And the same is true if you are using AUTO ISO in Manual mode. To me, the latter approach is insanity though it seems to be a big favorite with Nikon folks. Nobody should be using AUTO ISO in Manual mode. Why? Manual mode is about having 100% control of the exposure parameters. If you use AUTO ISO you are ceding control to the camera’s metering system. If you do get a good exposure, it is the result of sheer luck.
Can Exposure Compensation be assigned to a dial with either of the Nikon bodies that I mentioned? If you know how to do that, please leave a detailed comment.
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This image was created on 19 January at La Jolla. CA. Sitting in the red dirt on a sandstone cliff getting my pants filthy, I used the hand held Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and the Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 800: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect: AWB at 10:06:23am on a cloudy to cloudy-bright morning. Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed with science-fiction-like accuracy. Image #5: Brown Pelican Pacific race breeding plumage preening |
Seeing the Crop and the Clean-up In the Field
Once you realize the potential of your high-end mirrorless camera body, you can learn to visualize the crop and the clean-up in the viewfinder. At times, the top of the adult bird’s head merged with the preening young pelican to our right. I simply waited until there was some space between the top of the adult’s head and the young bird.
The trick to pulling off what I call the “horizontal bill preening images” is to press the shutter button when the plane of the bird’s face and the bill are perfectly parallel to the back of your camera body, aka the imaging sensor.
Should You Upgrade to or Purchase a Sony a-1 ii?
I ordered my second a-1 ii three days ago.
Aside from the improved ergonomics as compared to the a-1, other nice features include the fact that the rear screen tilts both ways. Pre-capture will surely prove to be a plus while in my option, the Speed Boost feature is a total waste for bird photography. In addition, the resolution on the rear monitor has been improved dramatically. Not to mention at Bird Face-Eye tracking on the a-1 ii is vastly improved as compared to both the a-1 and the a9 iii and that the 51MP files are to die for. And don’t forget the Pre-Capture feature!
So, the big question is, is the a-1 ii “worth” a gear upgrade. Remembering that I can never know whether or not something is worth it to you, I can say that I was not floored when using my a-1 ii. The differences between the a-1 ii and the original a-1, are neither huge nor eye-opening. The huge difference between the new camera body and the a9 iii is, of course, the 51MP a-1 raw files (as compared to the 24MP files rendered by the a9 iii).
With the price of a new a-1 having recently dropped $1500.00 to $4,998.00, the decision for new Sony buyers is a very tough one. The a-1 ii sells new for $6,498.00. And the price of used a-1 bodies will continue to drop (but surely not as much as I had thought before using the a-1 ii).
If you do purchase an a-1 ii, be sure to use one of my two affiliate links so that you will receive my a-1 ii settings (in the form of a CAMSEa1ii.DAT file), the Buttons and Dials Guide, and an Info Sheet. Folks who do not purchase their new a-i using my B&H link or from Bedfords here and entering the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout will be able to purchase the a-1 ii guide for $227.43. If you are at all confused and do not want to screw up your order, please get in touch via e-mail.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
First for me is #5 for the strong diagonal composition, the bill tip to the wing, and of course the West Coast color. Second is #1 for the unusual composition and the comically huge lateral bill compared to the seemingly small torso.
“Nobody should be using AUTO ISO in Manual mode. Why? Manual mode is about having 100% control of the exposure parameters. If you use AUTO ISO you are ceding control to the camera’s metering system. If you do get a good exposure, it is the result of sheer luck.“
Hi Artie! Sometimes you choose to shoot in shutter priority mode. What advantage does that strategy give you over shooting in manual mode with Auto ISO?
My favorite is #1. Love the background, the perch, the pose and the somewhat comical characterization of the bird.
Art: What a great phototour you have had in San Diego — I sure wish I could have been with you (although I’ve enjoyed having my daughter visit)! My favorite is #4 — which is so sharp and life-like that I expected it to fly off my screen. My second choice is #3 — such a funny pose, it made me laugh.