What’s Up?
I am somewhere in South America. I hope that you are well. Jim and Jen are at the office most days to help you with your mail order needs and Instructional Photo-Tour sign-ups. I still need folks for San Diego, Japan, Galapagos, the Palouse, and the Bear Boat (Grizzly Cubs) trips. Among others 🙂 Please e-mail for couples and discount info for all of the above. Click here for complete IPT info.
I will have intermittent internet access for the rest of my South American adventure. I get back home late on December 25, 2016. Best and great picture making, artie
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of the folks whom I see in the field, and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
The Streak: 376!
Today’s blog post marks a totally insane, irrational, illogical, preposterous, absurd, completely ridiculous, unfathomable, silly, incomprehensible, what’s wrong with this guy?, makes-no-sense, 376 days in a row with a new educational blog post. There should be no end in sight until my big South America trip next fall. Or not… As always-–and folks have been doing a really great job recently–-please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the new BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would appreciate your business.
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This image was created on my Fort Desoto scouting trip on the morning of September 25 while lying down on the soft sand with the hand held Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/9. AWB. I selected the AF point that was two rows up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter Button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). See the screen capture below for the placement of the selected AF point. This image was cropped a bit from above, the left, and below. Laughing Gull preening tiny feather |
Look Ma! No Eyes. Does this one work for you?
Most images of birds and wildlife that do not feature eye contact with the subject are usually not very successful. But there are exceptions. I love this one for a variety of reasons:
1- The low perspective always adds intimacy. And in decent light the colors always look more luscious to me as compared to images made from a higher perspective. Or maybe it is just that the backgrounds are more distant and thus cleaner…
2- I love that the bird is grabbing the tiny father with such care. That adds more intimacy.
3- I love the diagonal of the bill and the line of the head and the neat shape formed by the bill and the neck and the feathers the bird has grabbed.
4- I like the swirly little dark blue wave right at the level of the feet. The more indistinct wave through the upper legs–not so much…
5- The distant azure blue sky and cyan toned water background in the upper half of the image really sing to me.
6- I think it’s neat that new tail feathers are growing in as the bird is molting into basic plumage.
Does this image work for you?
Does this image work for you? Please leave a comment and let us know what you like or don’t like.
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DPP 4 RAW Conversion Screen Capture |
DPP 4 RAW Conversion Screen Capture
The histogram in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion screen capture shows that the exposure was right on with some data from two of the three color channels well into the fifth box. With the early morning light there was lots of RED in the WHITEs. I toned that down by reducing the Color Temperature to 4400 and by moving the color Focus Tune control diagonally away from RED. As noted here many times before, the ability to select any AF point and any AF Area Selection mode when working at f/8 is a Godsend with both the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II/a> and the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.
Side by Side DPP 4 Active AF Point Comparison
For the horizontal image here on the left, Image #2, I used AF Expand as shown and tried to get the selected AF point right on the bird’s eye. Even when the bird is standing completely still it is not that easy when hand holding at 800mm. Being on a tripod would have been a lot smarter. With Image #1, on the right here, I went with 61-Point with excellent results. Note that the AF system activated a cluster of AF points just forward of and below the eye and tracked the subject perfectly. Actually, I was moving a lot more than the bird; that is why you must use AI Servo AF with static subjects when hand holding…
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To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
As always, 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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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 🙂
Thanks all for your kind comments. I had lots showing one or both eyes as the bird preened but this one talked to me. My only wish is that I had been able to get completely parallel to the subject.
I am online briefly in Lima and hope to get a What’s Up post done before I hit the sack tonight.
later and love, artie
Without the eye contact, all the emphasis is put on the action itself and not on the subject looking at its own behavior.
Works for me too. I really love the background (and foreground) waves and colours. And love the way the bird is pulling at one feather.
I really must try getting lower.
It works for me for all the reasons you gave, plus those above. Plus, i love the amazing feather detail including the white feathers on the bird’s breast. Wow! The clarity and detail is spot on.
When I first viewed the image my response was “hmmmm, not so hot”. But when I enlarged it, I became enlightened. The soft tonal gradations throughout the image, the solidarity of the bird make for a warm, intimate moment. Having the bird’s eye in the photo would have changed the scene dramatically. I am not sure you intended this outcome. If you did, its a great creative photograph. If you noticed it once you got it up on your screen, its a great catch and you took advantage of the wonderful scene. Love it. Guess that’s why you call it “Birds as Art”.
I don’t see it as a portrait at all. Without the eye contact, the bird loses his individuality. However, it is a very successful photograph about a moment in time; it’s about an actiion and composition. Without the eye contact you are drawn more to other parts of the bird and the scene: the lovely feathers and all of the detail in them, that wave you mentioned, the subtle tonality. I like the photo a lot.
It works for me but it did take a few seconds to get used to not seeing the eyes, not something we usually see. A cracking image showing the bird going about it’s daily life.
It definitely works for me too. Great capture. Without the eye contact, it seems way more “intimate” and unobtrusive.
It works for me. Not just for the great reasons you’ve already given but, for the glimpse in to its daily routine. Something beautiful and different from the ‘standard’ portrait.