CYAN Sky Corrected & Eye Doctor (Nictitating Membrane) Work...

What’s Up

Now that the 2013 audit is finished and my 2014 taxes are ready to be filed I figured that I would be left wondering what to do on Thursday. Not! Not only was I busy all day catching up (after two solid weeks of staring at credit card and bank statements and Excel files), but I realized how much I must get done before leaving in less than a week for Old Car City, the B&H programs, and a family bar mitzvah. All that I can say is Yikes! Then home for two days before heading to Chile and then the Southern Ocean for three weeks. And then home for five days before heading to Bosque. Yikes and double yikes!

We signed up another victim for the San Diego IPT today 🙂 If you’d like to explore the possibility of joining us in White, GA next week for Old Car City click here for details or shoot me an e-mail.

If everything goes as scheduled this blog post which took about 3 hours to prepare–I ran into lots of problems with the two animated GIFs–should be published at 5:30am on Friday, October 2, 2015. Enjoy and learn.

Artie’s New Tripod

The many, many folks who e-mailed asking for info on the new tripod that I have been using for a year will need to be just a bit patient. I need to wait until the tripods are in stock before sending the info. After everyone who requested the info has had a chance to act, the info will be made public via blog post. This will be really big news….

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 months, we have sold just about 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. After a short lull several items have sold recently. Beth Starr has finally found a buyer for her Sigmonster.

Price Reductions!

Used Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L Lens

Price reduced $100 on 10/1//2015!

Alan and Sara Levine are offering a used Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L lens in excellent plus condition for the BAA lowest-ever price of $799. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the lens case, the lens strap, the original box, and insured shipping via FedEx Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Alan via e-mail or by phone at 908-325-2080 or 908-391-1522 (Eastern time zone).

I put my then beloved “toy lens” on the map more than 20 years ago by pioneering its use for photographing birds in flight. Wow, did I love that lens along with the Canon A2 camera body and Fuji Velvia pushed one stop to ISO 100! Though I sold mine a few years back it is still a great lens for flight for those who do not depend on IS and it makes a great starter lens as well. Put it on a tripod with the 1.4X III TC, a 7D II, and the Mongoose M3.6 and you will enjoy 896mm of effective reach. Again, this lens is priced to sell. artie

Used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Lens

Price reduced $200 on 10/1//2015!

The Levine’s are also offering a used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS lens in excellent plus condition for $2975, another BAA record low price for this item. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the lens trunk, the lens strap, and insured shipping via FedEx Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Please contact Alan via e-mail or by phone at 908-325-2080 or 908-391-1522 (Eastern time zone).

The 300 f/2.8 lenses are the #1 choice of the world’s best hawks in flight photographers. And they make a great hand holdable rig when coupled with either TC. If you own a 7D Mark II this can be your workhorse super-telephoto lens. artie

This is a re-do of yesterday’s Image #1 so it was of course created at Bosque last November 22 at 7:11am with the tripod mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the rugged Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops off the light blue sky (in very early morning light): 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was just below the base of the bird’s neck. It is likely that one or more of the assist points was active. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Color corrected re-work of Image #1: Sandhill Crane in flight: downstroke, very early morning light

Kudos

Kudos to the many who replied to the questions in yesterday’s post here. Opinions were widely scattered as to the best wing position, wings up or wings down with a slight edge to the latter. The same was true when considering the really red early morning light in Image #1 versus the more neutral light (and processing) in Images # 2 and #3.

That said, the CYAN cast in the sky in Image #1 was simply too much for me (and for Patrick Sparkman and several others as well). Thus I re-did Image #1 as presented above. See the first of two animated GIFs below.

The Color Correction

It took me several tries to get the sky color right while eliminating the CYAN cast. First I used the Average Blur Technique on a layer at about 50%; leaving it at 100% left the sky way too MAGENTA. Then I worked on the WHITEs in Selective Color adding BLACK and subtracting CYAN. Same with the BLUES with much less effect. Lastly I selected the bird with the Quick Selection Tool and hit Control + M (Curves on a Layer) and reduced the RED saturation about 25 points to make the bird less RED. I added a Regular Layer Mask and erased the bird’s red crown to restore the vibrance there. Voila.

The CYAN Sky

I am not sure how that ugly CYAN sky got by me on the first go round. I far prefer the more neutral version. Give the animated GIF above a moment to play and you can see the before and after.

Digital Basics

Everything above and below (plus tons more!) is detailed in my Digital Basics File–written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style. The Digital Basics File is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, details on using all of my image clean-up tools, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, several different ways of correcting color casts, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, Contrast Masks, Digital Eye Doctor techniques (see more below), using Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, a variety of ways to make selections, how to create time-saving actions, the Surface Blur (background noise reduction) settings as taught to me by Denise Ippolito, and lots more.

APTATS I & II

Learn the details of advanced Quick Masking techniques in APTATS I. Learn Advanced Layer Masking Techniques in APTATS I. Mention this blog post and apply a $5 discount to either with phone orders only. Buy both APTATS I and APTATS II here to save $15 on the pair; or call Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-221-2372 to order by phone.

Digital Eye Doctor and the Nictitating Membrane

In the animated GIF above you can see that the crane’s nictitating membrane was partially covering the eye at the moment of exposure. I made a Quick Mask of the rear half of the eye, flopped it horizontally, positioned it, and warped it. The first Quick Mask was refined by a Regular Layer Mask. I needed a second smaller Quick Mask to cover the lower part of the nictitating membrane. The nictitating membrane is a bird’s semi-opaque third eyelid. They will often move it into place when feeding young or courting, but at other times as here, it is more like a blink. If you have a good image that is ruined it is bad luck but can easily be corrected by folks who are proficient in Photoshop. Darkening the pupil and running a Contrast Mask on the face and head are SOP, standard operating procedure. See the Digital Basics and APTATs info above if you would like to learn about what I did (and do most every day).

The Bosque Site Guide

If you can’t make or afford one of the two Bosque IPTs, be sure to get yourself a copy of our Bosque Site Guide. All BAA Site Guides are designed so that with a bit of study you can show up at a great place and know exactly where to be at what time on what wind and in what lighting conditions. And on what wind. With a Site Guide on your laptop you will feel like a 22-year veteran on your first visit. Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. If you plan on visiting Bosque it would be foolish to make the trip without having this guide in hand. Why spend money on gear and travel and then spend days stumbling around in the wrong spot? If you have visited previously, and are still unsure of where you should be at this time of day with that wind, this guide will prove invaluable to you as well. Even folks visiting Bosque for the tenth time will learn a ton as I share my secrets and hold nothing back….

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Just 2 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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.

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.”) 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. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Just 3 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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.

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.”) 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. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail after July 29.

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