The Streak Continues: 218
It is just before 5:00am here in Bamburgh (say BUM-bu-Ruh) as I finish today’s blog post. What was supposed to be our third full day on the puffin boat was cut short as the researchers closed the island to protect the very cold and wet Arctic Tern chicks. Our morning landing was delayed by the bad weather but when we did land we were again blessed with cloudy bright conditions. We did enjoy a late-in-the-day castle photography session in gorgeous light. Pictures to follow.
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This braking puffin image was created on the third puffin boat morning landing with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +3 stops off a dreary sky: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF on the base of the bird’s left leg (as originally framed) was active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. |
Not a Nice Morning…
It was raining pretty good. It was cold. It was windy. It was dark. We could not land at the best location because there was a big swell on. After somewhat of a sight-seeing cruise, the captain announced that we would be landing at a secondary site. The concrete steps were seaweed-covered treacherous. The wet yellow-lichen rocks were treacherous as well. I passed the first group of puffins by–too distant. The next group was perfect. We set up and had a ton of fun.
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This image was also created our third puffin boat morning landing, this one with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +3 stops off the dreary sky: 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 in Manual mode. Central sensor Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus AF squarely on the bird’s face was active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. |
Like Shooting Ducks in a Barrel
Had we not enjoyed cloudy conditions, the morning would have been a waste as the wind was from the west as the light would have been in our faces as the birds were landing right at us into the stiff breeze.
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This image was also created our third puffin boat morning landing with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering 3 stops off the dreary sky: 1/2500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. Two sensors up from the Central sensor AI Servo/Surround/Rear Focus AF squarely on the bird’s upper breast just below the neck was active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. |
Studying and Understanding Bird Behavior
After a few minutes I noted that there were several flapping rocks. If a bird landed on one of them or climbed up from the cliff below to the top and perched on one of them, the bird would invariably flap within 30 seconds. Sharing that with the nearby group members really opened some eyes. At first they thought that I was some kind of clairvoyant…. Figuring out that behavioral pattern lead to lots of excellent images for all present.
Your Favorite?
Please take a moment and let us know which of the 3 images presented here today is the strongest, and why you picked it as your favorite.
Image Question
In the last image, why did I go with two sensors above the central sensor as my active AF point?
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Nickerson Baby Beach-nesting Birds IPT: 3-Full Days/July 15-17, 2014: $1199. Introductory meet and greet: 8pm, Monday, July 14, 2014. Co-leaders Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito
Late Registration Discount: Call Jim weekdays at 863-692-0906 for details. Or contact me via e-mail.
With a small group pretty much guaranteed, do consider joining us on Long Island, NY this coming July to photograph Black Skimmers–it’s looking like a great year for skimmer nesting, Common Terns with chicks, American Oystercatcher families, and possibly some just-hatched Black Skimmer chicks. The opportunities will include chances to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship feeding, display flight and combat, and copulations. Car-pooling is recommended; if we opt to return to the beach before 5pm on cloudy days for example) there is a $30/vehicle parking fee that is not included so it is best to share that expense. Parking in the morning is free.
Because of the late date, your non-refundable payment in full is due when you register.
Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) Though we prefer a check, you can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan.
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Typos
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These Blogs are great Art. Thank you for taking the time each day to share your findings and opinions with the public. I try to focus on birds in flight with my photography and have been keen to see how the 300mm 2.8 V.ii performs with the 1.4 and 2X TC attached. Hand holding is my preferred technique as I feel the tripod limits your ability to act quickly and capture a moment. I have been loving the 20 year old 400mm F5.6 combined with the 7D but have been wanting to make the move to the 300mm 2.8 to take advantage of lower light opportunities. Thanks again and keep ’em coming!
Rob
:). If you do go for the 300 II please use one of our product-specific B&H affiliate links. If you can handle the weight, you will love it. artie
Number 2 is my favorite. I like the out stretched wings, the feet being separated, and the head angle. Very nice.
Number 2 was my favorite. It reminded me of a photo of a Navy jet landing on an aircraft carrier. Flaps out and wheels and landing hook down!
Good. Gooder, Goodest. Not necessarily in that order. I like all 3!
Hi Artie,
My favorite image is a toss up between the second and third photos. Why? I love in-flight shots and in the second photo the complete bird is in focus minus a little motion blur in the wings. The motion blur captures a nice dynamic. In the last photo I again like the motion dynamic of the wing flapping. I love them both!
In regards to why you picked the focus point you did… It would be to distribute the front to rear focus of the depth of field so it captures as much of the bird in focus as possible. Had you picked a point on the Puffin’s head, it may well have picked up on the tip of the bill and the front portion of your depth of field would have focused on thin air. How do you have your focus set up? 1/3 front/2/3 back?
Thanks for the fun!
Wayne
In the last image, why did I go with two sensors above the central sensor as my active AF point?
To include the wide base of lichen.
Doug
Hi, Artie. Images 2 and 3 are my favorite; image 2 for the wonderful braking action and image 3 for the overall composition and wonderful feather detail in the right wing. In image 3, you wanted to focus on the bird’s breast to get the eye in focus–it was in the same plane as the breast–and if you’d tried to focus on the eye the camera might instead have focused on the bill.