Refining Your Photographic Vision by Lying in the Snow with the 600mm f/4 IS/1.4X III TC, EOS-1D X Combo

And The Insane Streak Goes On

I wrote this post midday on Thursday in Japan on the way from Lake Kussharo to Rausu where we–especially Malcolm MacKenzie–are hoping to get out on the boat to photograph the Steller’s and White-tailed Sea Eagles… The road to Rausu opened this morning. Now we just need some sea ice within range…. We had an absolutely amazing morning with the swans with tons of flight and displaying action and wide angle & 1200mm chances as well. Oh, and I forgot fish eye opps. And every focal length in between.

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Today’s blog post took 2 hours to prepare. Enjoy. Update from 6pm Japan time on February 21: after much trepidation we absolutely killed, killed, killed on our morning and afternoon eagle boat trips. More tomorrow.

This resting Red-crowned Crane image was created on Wednesday, February 20, 2014 on the Japan in Winter IPT with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the snow: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Color temperature: 7000K. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF on the bird’s eye and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Lying Down on the Job

We were all hot to photograph a crane lying down on the snow resting. We had a few near misses where a bird would lie down only to be surrounded by other cranes or stand back up almost immediately. On our last afternoon at the Itoh sanctuary I made a few frames of the bird above but was less than thrilled that the crane did not give me a decent head angle and that there were a pair of out-of-focus crane legs in the upper right corner. Then I decided to get low.

This, the same resting Red-crowned Crane, was photographed with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. The rig was supported by the lowest fence rail. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the snow: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Color temperature: 7000K. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF on the bird’s eye and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Getting Low

I took the 600 off the tripod, got down in the snow, and supported the lens on the lowest fence rail. I created the image above and quickly thereafter, the image below, and felt immediately that I had gotten too low as there was not quite enough snow between the top of the bird’s head and the distant woods.

This, again the same resting Red-crowned Crane, was photographed with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. The rig was supported by the lowest fence rail. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the snow: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Color temperature: 7000K. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF on the bird’s eye and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

When Supporting the Lens

In situations like the one above where you are supporting a big lens–in this case on a fence rail, it is important not to rest the focusing ring on the support else focus will likely be thrown off when you re-compose. The same goes when working on a bean bag. And that is true whether you are using Rear Focus or One-Shot AF. If you can work in AI Servo AF and keep AF active at the moment of exposure your images will likely be sharp.

Soon after I made the image above the resting crane was surrounded by other cranes. Nature called so I headed to the rest room.

The Blue Color Casts

As I knew that the image below would be my favorite, I did not do any final color corrections to the three images above. Folks with a discerning eye for color will note the small but definite BLUE cast in each of the images above. With the image above I ran an Average Blur Color Balance adjustment layer at 80% and followed that up by reducing the BLUE saturation 100%. The brightest WHITEs on the snow came in at R= 209m G=210, B=210, just about perfect.

You can learn do do an Average Blur Color Balance (and to create a matching action as well) in my Digital Basics File. as detailed in my Digital Basics File, an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Digital Basics includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, my killer image clean-up techniques, Digital Eye Doctor, and lots more.

Learn the details of advanced Quick Masking techniques in APTATS I. Mention this blog post and apply a $5 discount with phone orders only. Learn advanced Layer Masking Techniques in APTATS II. Mention this blog post and apply a $5 discount with phone orders only. by the pair, APTATS I and APTATS II and we will be glad to apply at $15 discount with phone orders only.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

Big News

After seeing the accurate colors that I get from my DPP RAW conversions Japan in Winter co-leader Paul McKenzie is switching to DPP conversions and Denise Ippolito is considering doing the same. Now that is amazing…. To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here.

This, again the same resting Red-crowned Crane, was photographed with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. The rig was supported by the middle fence rail. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the snow: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Color temperature: 7000K. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF on the bird’s eye and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The Middle Rail

When I returned from the john I was surprised to see the crane still lying on the ground and was thrilled to see that it was now in the clear and giving up a nice parallel head angle. Instead of resting the lens on the bottom rail I went off the middle rail. This yielded the desired all snow background. After just a few images the crane stood, walked up the gentle slope to the crane departure area, and took flight.

In Retrospect

In retrospect I decided that while I loved the final image, that the photo with the woods in the background held a different appeal. As noted above, I needed to get a bit higher to put some space between the top of the crane’s head and the tree-line. Live and learn.

Images copyright 2012: Denise Ippolito & Arthur Morris. Card design by Denise Ippolito. Click on the image to enjoy a spectacular larger version.

Holland 2014 7 1/2-Day/8-Night: A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART/Tulips & A Touch of Holland IPT. April 17-April 24, 2014: $4995 Limit: 12/Openings: 5

We still have room for 5 more flower photographers on this great trip.

Join Denise Ippolito, Flower Queen and the author of “Bloomin’ Ideas,” and Arthur Morris, Canon Explorer of Light Emeritus and one of the planet’s premier photographic educators for a great trip to Holland in mid-April 2014. Day 1 of the IPT will be April 17, 2014. We will have a short afternoon get-together and then our first photographic session at the justly-famed Keukenhof. Most days we will return to the hotel for lunch, image sharing and a break. On Day 8, April 24, we will enjoy both morning and afternoon photography sessions.

The primary subjects will be tulips and orchids at Keukenhof and the spectacularly amazing tulip, hyacinth, and daffodil bulb fields around Lisse. In addition we will spend one full day in Amsterdam. There will be optional visits the Van Gogh Museum in the morning and the Anne Frank House in the afternoon; there will be plenty of time for street photography as well. And some great food. On another day we will have a wonderful early dinner at Kinderdijk and then head out with our gear to photograph the windmills and possibly some birds for those who bring their longs lenses. We will spend an afternoon in the lovely Dutch town of Edam where we will do some street photography and enjoy a superb dinner. All lodging, ground transportation, entry fees, and meals (from dinner on Day 1 through dinner on Day 7) are included. For those who will be bringing a big lens we will likely have an optional bird photography afternoon or two.

Click here for additional info or to register.

Join me for the 2014 Tanzania Summer Safari!

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari, 14-day African Adventure/leave the US on August 9. Fly home on August 24: $12,999.

Co-leaders Todd Gustafson & Arthur Morris. The limit is 12. Three photographers/van; you get your own row of seats. Our trip is a bit more expensive than the average safari for good reason. It is the best. We have the best driver guides with a total of decades of experience. They have been trained over the years by Todd and by me to drive with photography in mind. We have the best and most knowledgeable leaders. We stay in the best lodges and camps. We hope that you will join us for what will be Todd’s 35th African safari, and my 8th.

If you are seriously interested please e-mail me; I will be glad to send you the illustrated PDF with the complete itinerary and deposit info.

What else makes this expedition unique?

•Pre-trip consultation and camera equipment advice
•Award-winning photographers as your guides
•A seamless itinerary visiting the right locations at the best time of year
•Hands-on photography instruction in the field
•Specially designed three roof-hatch photo safari vehicles
•Proprietary materials for preparation, including free copy of “A Photographer’s Guide to Photographing in East Africa.”
•Post-safari image critiques

All-inclusive (double-occupancy) except for your flights to and from Kilamajaro Airport, bar drinks, soda & water (except at the Intimate Tented Camp where everything is free for our entire stay), tips for drivers and camp staff, personal items, and trip insurance.

Breathe deeply, bite the bullet, and live life to its fullest; we all get only one ride on the merry-go-round… Join me on this great trip. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The Southern Ocean…

If you would like to explore the possibility of joining me on the Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris Antarctica/The Extended Expedition Voyage< trip: Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Falkland Islands: December 13, 2014 to January 10, 2015, click here for additional information and then shoot me an e-mail.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here.

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IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. See especially info on the South Florida, Holland, and Nickerson Beach IPTs. Two great leaders on most trips ensure that you will receive individual attention, have all of your questions answered, and learn a ton including how to think like a pro, see the situation, and get the right exposure every time. In addition you will have fun, and make lots of great images. Click here for IPT details and general information.