Throwing Smoke! And the Photographic Process

This image was created on 22 February on a 2025 Homer Bald Eagle IPT by my friend Steve Shore. He used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 207mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 64: 1/20 sec. at f/5.6 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 1:26:05pm on a cloudy afternoon. Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Bald Eagle striking blur Image courtesy of and copyright 2025: Steven B. Shore

An Unsolicited e-Mail from Multiple IPT Veteran Steve Shore

Hi Artie,

Steve S., Dallas, TX

Thanks Steve!

Thanks Steve! I began my day by receiving your lovely note. Please give a hug to Elisabeth for me. You did a great job with the pleasingly blurred eagle image above. Getting a sharp eye at 1/20 second is not easy! And thanks for being open to trying new techniques and working hard to get better and better.

with love, artie

What’s Up?

The wind and sky conditions have continued to be excellent in the mornings at Stick Marsh. We said goodbye to multiple IPT veteran Vasiili Chernisfhof on Sunday afternoon as he left for his flights to LAX. He said, “This trip was even more amazing than I had expected it to be and by staying close to you, I continue to learn more and more.” By being more selective Vasili has gone from creating 40-50,000 images a day to creating 20-25,000. He is still taking far too many bad ones “just to practice,” but his good ones are getting better and better.

The work of both multiple IPT veterans Judy Stepenaskie and Colleen O’Connor is improving daily. And Anita North continues to make great images every single day. On Sunday evening, we did a long image review session and then created a Camtasia image optimization video as I proceessed one image from each of the ladies.

Today is Monday 31 March 2025. The three aforementioned ladies and I will be headed to Indian Lake Estates to check on and photograph the four baby cranes and possibly the single colt at the end of the South Peninsula. The latter bird surprised me by showing up after I had not seen it for three weeks. I presumed that it had perished. Only about half the crane chicks that hatch survive to fledging. Whatever you opt to do, I hope that you too opt to have a wonderful day. Do remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie, The Work.Com.

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.

Sony Alpha 1 (a-1) Mirrorless Camera Body

Used Gear Page regular, IPT veteran, and dear BAA friend Bill Schneider is offering a Sony a-1 (ILCE-1) mirrorless camera body (Firmware v1.32) in like-new condition for a ridiculously low $3,498.00. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. As this was Bill’s back-up a-1, it was used only rarely.

Please contact Bill via e-mail or by phone at 1-262-269-8628 (Eastern time zone).

I used Sony a-1 bodies as my workhorse cameras for three years. They produce stunning 51MP files with vivid natural colors. The AF system is science-fiction-like. They are rugged and dependable and 30 frames per second is nothing to sneeze at. With a brand new a-1 ii going for $6498.00, you can save $3000.00 by grabbing Bill’s pretty much as good as new copy ASAP. Currently, B&H is offering a used a-1 in 9+ (like-new condition) for $4,507.95. That makes Bill’s a- an absolute steal. artie

This image was created on 28 March 2025 by IPT veteran Bruce Dudek. He used the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens with the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and the Canon EOS R5 Mark II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 2000: 1/4000 sec. at f/2.8 in Manual mode. Be sure to click on the image to see the larger high-res version. Image #2: Fastball hitting catcher’s mitt Image courtesy of and copyright 2025: Bruce Dudek

Via e-Mail from Bruce Dudek

Hello Artie:

Bruce

My Reply

Wow That is a great image. I love it. Talk about throwing smoke! Thanks for thinking of me.

artie

Throwing Smoke!

I last saw Bruce in Iceland in July 2023. I talked with him on the phone for a bit on Sunday afternoon. I asked him about the dirt in the image. He told me that he had noticed that the catcher had been using his open mitt to balance himself between pitches and that when a fastball hit the mitt, the flying dirt looked like brown smoke. While seated on dirt along the first base line, he used a lowered monopod topped by the Wimberley MH-00 MonoGimbal Head. Today’s featured image is a relatively large crop. You can see more of Bruce’s fine wildlife, scenic, and sports photography here on Flickr. Bruce is a Professor of Psychology and an Adjunct Professor of Biology at The University at Albany. He photographs college sports for the athletics department.

The Photographic Process

It does not matter what you photograph. The process is the same:

1- See the shot that excites you.
2- Pick the gear that will get the job done.
3- Plan the execution: perspective, shutter speed, and exposure.
4- Create a series of images and select the best one.
5- Crop and process the photo.

Thanks to Bruce for sharing the image with me via e-mail and allowing me to publish it here on the blog.

Typos

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