Stuff
On Friday we made our third trip in four days to the seabird colony at Hornoya. We had the east wind that we had hoped for and this time we had the clouds that we needed. Photography was great; images and the full story to follow.
The UK Puffins and Gannets IPT is slowly coming more clearly into focus …
BIRDS AS ART
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Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.
Canon 24-105mm L IS Lens
Price Reduced
Charlie Curry is offering a Canon 24-105mm L IS lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $399.00 (was $424.00). The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens hood, and insured ground shipping via major courier to continental US addresses only. Your lens will not ship until your check clears.
Please contact Charlie via e-mail or by phone at 1-407-448-7797 (Eastern time).
When I shot Canon, I rarely made a trip or headed out to the beach without my 24-105 in my Xtra-hand vest. Whenever I’d leave this amazingly versatile B-roll lens behind, I’d wind up regretting it. I use it for bird-scapes, photographer-scapes, landscapes, mini-macro scenes that included bird feathers, dead birds, and nests with eggs (the latter only when and if the nest can be photographed without jeopardizing it), and just about anything else that catches my eye. While I am nowhere near as good as Denise Ippolito is with this lens, I have made lots of good and saleable images with mine, the old version. artie
Three Nikon D850s Available Right Now!
Contact Steve below to get yours tomorrow.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!
Booking.Com
Several folks on the DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
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This image was created with the hand held i-Phone 8+ (at 2X). Image #1: the kittiwake nesting wall at Ekkeroy, Norway |
The Situation
We passed this set of nests on the way to photograph at the spot where Anita and Amy had done well with some chicks in the nest on their previous visit. But for me, there were simply way too many nests way too close together. After we gave up and headed back to the van, I considered the scene above and noted that the bird at the nest marked by the white downward-pointing arrow had a small chick. And it looked as if I would be able to isolate it at 600mm. I wanted to get as high as possible while not putting myself in any danger. I chose to set up my tripod at the spot marked with the white X. Why did I climb the dirt mound to get as high as was safely possible?
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This stitched pano was created on June 13, 2018 at Ekkeroy, Norway. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering +2/3 stop as originally framed: 1/400 sec. at f/7.1. (Should have been +1.) NATURAL AUTO WB at 6:02pm on a cloudy afternoon. Two down and two to the left Single Point/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was just below and just forward of but right on the same plane as the chick’s eye. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: Black-legged Kittiwake at nest with chick, stitched panoClick on the image to enlarge and enjoy a larger version. |
The Editing/Picking my Keepers
I kept 9 images from the sequence of about 30. That included a few frames of the chick getting fed. But I liked the more intimate mood of Images #1 and #2.
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This stitched pano was also created on June 13, 2018 at Ekkeroy, Norway. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering +2/3 stop as originally framed: 1/400 sec. at f/7.1. (Should have been +1.) NATURAL AUTO WB at 6:02pm on a cloudy afternoon. Two down and two to the left Single Point/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was just below and just forward of but right on the same plane as the chick’s eye. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #3: Black-legged Kittiwake at nest with chick, stitched panoClick on the image to enlarge and enjoy a larger version. |
Your Preference?
Which of the two images above do you feel is the stronger one? Please — as always — let us know why you made your choice. And please remember that the more folks who comment the more everyone learns including me.
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the original image capture for Image #2… |
Why a Pano?
Above is the original image capture for Image #2. Image #3 was similarly framed. So why did I decide to create a stitched pano for each? The adult bird was a bit too centered with a bit too much room in the frame behind the bird. Worst of all, I saw in several other images in the sequence that I should have included more of the gnarly red rock that is just peeking into the frame on the upper left. Using one of those other images as my source material, I knew that creating a stitched pano would be a breeze.
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the source material from a previous frame in the series: _MAI5176. |
The Source Material
The source material for both images came from a third image. Image _MAI5176 had been framed with a lot less room behind the end of the tail and a lot more room in front of the bird. And best of all, it included a lot more of the gnarly red rock. Note that rather than stitching both of the full frame originals that I cropped the source material so as to include only what I needed to add plus a bit of extra so that Photoshop could execute a prefect match. In cases like this, if you try to merge the two full frame images Photoshop might become confused and try to do the stitch using one part of the bird from one frame and the other end of the bird from the second frame. This is not at all what you want. Once the TIFFs were place in a separate folder, I hit File > Automate > Photomerge…, browsed to the pano folder I had created, chose Auto, and hit OK.
It’s that simple. Note that on occasion I <em>intentionally create source material in the field being sure to be in Manual mode and being sure to lock focus before creating my source material.
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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 :).
Hey Arthur, You climbed the dirt mound to lessen the angle so you were not shooting up at the birds or not as up if that makes sense. If i understand right you only used two images to create the pano? Both nice images can’t decide which one i like more.
Hi John,
Yes, two images to create each pano.
with love, artie
Hi Artie,
Ditto what Warren said – i’m now getting your blog emails after 1+years of being absent!
Image #1 is the nesting wall. Image #2 – the stitched pano- is my favorite. Class Arthur Morris showing an amazing moment of intimacy between adult and chick. I love it!!
I like #1 which seems to portray a bit more intensity in their interaction. Both are definitely useable. Arthur, I once told you I had taken many shots of Mountain Bluebirds, and you said; “Denny, you only need one.” I recognise the tongue in cheek reply, but these photos illustrate exactly why I take as many as I can get, without disturbing the subjects, of course. Cheers, hope you are well.
Image #1 is my favorite due to the way the chick is looking at the Mother. That look creates the bond between off-spring and Mother.
I concur with Elinor and Adam, image #1 better conveys the special relationship between parent and chick. Since today is father’s day in the US, I’m especially reminded of that bond.
FYI, as of June 15th your blog posts began appearing in my att.net email account again after being absent for about a year.
Thanks Warren. The same thing has happened with me … Who knows.
with love, artie
I prefer image one primarily due to the mother’s position; she appears to be reaching in as opposed to the second shot where the motion appears paused or withdrawing. With respect to tripod/camera position I suspect that you were trying to minimize shooting up and the awkward perspective that can create.
What a difference the gnarly rock makes to have it in the photo. It gives more interest and adds to the diagonal line of the bird. Also like the composition better with the bird back a little further in the frame. That extra thinking makes a big change. Thanks much for this tip.
Forgot to say I prefer image 3 because the adult’s eye (the one most seen) is lighted. Where in 2 it is in shadow. But I do like the chick reaching up to the adult in 2.
A real lesson in isolation. Would guess getting higher would show more of the chick.