What’s Up?
I am currently en route to Kodiak, AK. For mail order or other help please contact Jim by phone M-F at 863-692-0906 or via e-mail at the staffbaa address. To register for an IPT please contact Jennifer by phone during weekday banker’s hours at 863-692-0906 or via e-mail to our Verizon address with ATTN: JEN in the subject line. AS a side note, my right hand man Jim Litzenberg can help you with just about anything BIRDSASART.
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Thanks a Stack! June was a Great Month.
The last six weeks as a B&H affiliate have been quite rewarding. Thanks a stack to the many who used our B&H links for purchases large and small. Right now I am working closely with my B&H rep to have four 400 DO and two 100-400 II BAA Affiliate orders expedited. It has been nearly impossible to come by a 400 DO II. I am hoping that my efforts pay dividends fairly soon…. 100-400IIs are now in stock at B&H. The 400 DO II lenses continue to be in very short supply. The sooner you order, the sooner you will get yours; I am working closely with my contact at B&H to have the current orders expedited when a shipment does actually arrive.
To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H Is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
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Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART
Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few weeks we have sold nearly everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can see the complete listings here. The Used Gear Listings are quite slim as a slew of mostly intermediate telephoto lenses (mostly old 100-400s) along with a 300 II sold within the past week. There are still two old 100-400s priced to all along with some great super-telephoto lenses listed including a Canon 400mm f/2.8L IS and a Sigmonster.
You can see all of the current listings here.
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This in-camera HDR Art Vivid image (dynamic range +/- 2 stops) was created on one of the 2015 Palouse IPTs with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 560mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop yielded a base exposure of 1/320 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. AWB. Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF on the bovine’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. Image #1: Longhorn Steer |
Tooling Around
On one of our day long scouting trips before the 2nd Palouse ITP–what a way to spend your day off, denise and I came across a neat set of ranch ornaments. They were cute as can be. The 200-400 with the TC engaged gave me just enough reach to photograph them pretty much at eye level from the paved road.
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This image was created on one of the 2015 Palouse IPTs with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 480mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. AWB. Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF on the bovine’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. Image #2: Longhorn Cow |
Cow Exposure Questions
All of the images here were taken on a cloudy day.
1-Why did I add only 1/3 stop for the steer image?
2-Why did I add 2/3 stop for the cow image?
3-Why did I add one whole stop for the mother and child reunion image?
4-How would your thinking on the correct exposure compensations have changed on a clear morning at 10:00am with your shadow pointed at the cows?
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This image was created on one of the 2015 Palouse IPTs with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 560mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. AWB. Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF on the bovine’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. Image #3: Longhorn Cow and Calf/Mother and Child Reunion |
Your Favorite?
Which of the three images is your favorite? Be sure to let us know why?
One Last Question
Would you have liked to photograph this situation? Why or why not?
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Subject and focal lengths from upper left to right and then around to center. Palouse Falls: 11mm; homemade kiddie race car: 105mm; barn siding pan blur: 798mm; Rolling fields diorama: 110mm; Crayola drums: 343 mm; Hay barn interior: 19mm; vintage gas station: 40mm; Dilapidated farm building: 13mm; Denise’s tree Infrared: 20mm. Images and card design by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. |
The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 3-7, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12
The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 10-14, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12
Double Header!
Maximize both your travel dollars and your learning experience by signing up for both IPTs.
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Images and card design by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure. |
The Palouse IPTs
Rolling farmlands provide a magical patchwork of textures and colors, especially when viewed from the top of Steptoe Butte where we will likely enjoy spectacular sunrises and possibly a nice sunset. We will photograph grand landscapes and mini-scenics of the rolling hills and farm fields. We will take you to some really neat old abandoned barns and farmhouses in idyllic settings. There is no better way to improve your compositional and image design skills and to develop your creativity than to join us for this trip. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Photoshop and image sharing sessions when we have the time and energy…. We get up early and stay out late and the days are long.
After 6 days of back-breaking scouting work in early June 2014 we found all of the iconic locations and, in addition, lots of spectacular new old barns and breath-taking landforms and views. On three additional scouting days in 2015 we discovered several more truly amazing locations. We will teach you what makes one situation prime and another seemingly similar one a waste of your time.
What’s included: In-the-field instruction, guidance, lessons, and inspiration, our newfound but very extensive knowledge of the area, all lunches, motel lobby grab and go breakfasts, and Photoshop and image sharing sessions when possible. There will be a meet and greet at 7:30pm on the evening before each workshop begins.
You will learn and hone both basic and advanced compositional and image design skills. You will learn to get the right exposure every time. You will learn to develop your creative eye. You will learn the basics of HDR (high dynamic range) photography. You will learn a variety of in-camera creative techniques. Most importantly you will learn to see the situation and to create a variety of top-notch images. Do see both of our blogs for lots more on that in the coming weeks. You will learn how the quality and direction of light combine to determine the success of your images. And–please don’t gasp–we will be working quite a bit with sidelight when creating landscapes. Lastly, we will be doing some infrared photography.
To Sign Up
A non-refundable $699 deposit is due now. The balance will be due on February 15, 2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.
With the spectacular success that we enjoyed in 2015 it seems quite likely that this one will fill up very quickly. Please let me know via e-mail that you will be joining us. Then you can either call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 during business hours or send us a check to leave a deposit; the latter is preferred. If by check, please make out to “Arthur Morris” and mail it to: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via e-mail: artie or denise.
Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options. You can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check. Whenever purchasing travel insurance be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
Can i just make a complement to the excellent comment made by David Peake. My thinking is that if having the 17% grey in mind (for the metered area) I would compensate with adding light when the average tone is lighter than my assumption of 17% greyfor the same area). This would give me the compensation for one of the motives. Then compensate for the further deviations from the cameras assumption of normal exposure (17%grey). Hope it make any sense.
Thanks Jonas but your comments leave me very confused…. artie
Thanks Art for the informative blog post.
Art on a bright sunny day with our shadows towards the cow would we have subtracted 1/3 exposure from metered reading ?
David, By muted tones on the first do you mean darker than a grey tone ?
Sorry all this references to the first image
Cloudy could mean various levels of light arriving through various densities of clouds.
Sometimes brighter and sometimes dimmer. So the more stops of light would indicate more light in the overall scene and the camera meter would indicate a more closed down aperture and thus a darkened subject. Open the aperture and expose the subject with more light to present a better exposed image. The backgrounds are various lightness/darkness and since they are the backgrounds that is OK. The subjects are exposed “correctly”.
Hi Jim,
Yes the light can vary on cloudy days but see David’s correct answer below. artie
Hi Artie,
In today’s post you have arranged the images in a nice progression that clearly illustrates the point.
The overall more muted tones of the first image mean that your camera meter set to evaluative will already have given you more exposure so you only need to add 1/3 to get the whites where you want them.
The second image has more whites and so overall the meter is now going to give you a lesser exposure so you have added 2/3 .
The final image has a large proportion of whites so the meter will take the exposure further down and you will have to bring it back up by adding 1 full stop.
I would apply the same thinking to each situation given the different lighting scenario.
I like image 2 the best. There’s no bull here.
Well done sir. You understand my system of exposure based on the light, the subject size and tonality, and the tonality of the BKGR as detailed in both ABP and in ABP II. artie
Thanks Artie.
I know zip about Lightroom, color gamits 16 bit raw files color space, layer masks, Nik effects and all,that discussion the other day. So it was Nice to get one I could answer.
And I have been paying attention to,the exposure stuff ! I try hard to get as much as possible right in camera. Please don’t shoot me for saying this but I mostly shoot JPEGs and post them right out of camera with little or no post processing.. Don’t own light room nor PS.
Love my canon stuff but I’ve been sipping the Fuji juice and I must say it’s very good!
D