Which is the Stronger Image?
All are invited to leave a comment and to let us know which of today’s two featured images they think is the strongest, and why they made their choice.
What’s Up?
The thunderstorms at DeSoto on Friday morning –scattered or otherwise — never materialized. There was no feeding spree in the washover pool, in fact, there were very few birds at all in the pool other than some Willets. Clemens spent the morning on his belly at 1200mm working a Snowy Plover chick. I started with a backlit Great Egret in sparkly golden water and then practiced my flight photography skills on some Laughing Gulls along the dunes. It was a hazy/lazy day and I did not feel like getting wet and sandy. I did walk out into the lagoon and made a few snaps of a bathing Red Knot and then checked Hidden Lagoon on the way back to the car. I ran into a Whimbrel on the beach and made some nice ground-level images. Then I did the same with a Loggerhead Shrike on a limestone road. All in all, it was a decent morning. Especially considering the dire forecast. In general, I tend to ignore der forecasts. If they are accurate, you can always hang out in your vehicle for a bit. If you stay home, you may very well miss some good stuff.
I finished editing three sessions of images and found (and processed) some excitingly good photos that I will be sharing with you here soon. I was please to learn that Geri George sold all three of her Used Gear items within one hour of being posted.
Today is Saturday 5 June 2021. The forecast for ILE this morning is for partly cloudy skies and a gentle southeast breeze. Clemens and I will be heading down to the lake soon to check things out. He is heading home to Fort Lauderdale after brunch.Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.
This blog post took about an hour to prepare, and makes 161 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great if you opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.
Estero Lagoon Least Terns?
If you have been photographing the Least Tern colony at Estero Lagoon and would like to share info with me, please LMK via e-mail.
Please Remember
With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.
New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!
You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.
Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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.
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This image was created on 3 June 2021 at Lake Blue Cypress aboard Clemens Van der Werf’s flat boat. While standing, I used the Induro GIT 404L/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 2/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:12am on a clear morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure performed to perfection by nailing the pupil of the bird’s left eye . Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Osprey — grown chick in nest, face portrait |
Low Osprey Nests
There are some low Osprey nests on Lake Blue Cypress. For Image #1, I went with 1200mm on the 404L tripod. The 304L was at home getting cleaned up by Jim. Clemens maneuvers the boat skillfully and quietly with the trolling motor. Neither the adults, nor the very two big chicks, paid us any mind. I glanced at some of Clemens’s images on his laptop and saw that hey are even more powerful than mine. Why? At 6′ 6″ tall, he was standing on the boat’s rear platform and was much more on the bird’s eye level than I was.
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Image #1A: Topaz DeNoise AI on the Osprey — grown chick in nest image |
Topaz DeNoise AI
As with almost every image I process, this image was run through Topaz DeNoise AI as the first step after being converted. I use DeNoise, now called Standard, for all images made in sunny conditions. I usually go with Low Light for images made in low light; makes sense, no?
Great Topaz News!
Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.
Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.
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This image was also created on 3 June 2021 at Lake Blue Cypress aboard Clemens Van der Werf’s flat boat. While standing, I used the Induro GIT 404L/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/800 sec. at f/8 (stopped down two stops)in Manual mode. AWB at 8:16a when a faint cloud slid in front of the sun. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and again, performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Osprey large chick in nest |
Going Wide 🙂
After creating a few hundred head portraits of the two chicks, I realized that I wanted to create an image that showed the complete necklace of the young female. To accomplish that, I simply removed the TC and stopped down to f/8 for more depth-of-field. Note that I added 1/3-stop more light than in Image #1, that in response to the faint cloud. Zebras make life so, so easy.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
I especially like #1 …
No. 1 for me. I like the direct eye contact, a cute baby and the tight crop which you don’t see very often. Both are very nice images.
Thanks, Jim. No crop — both are full frame.
with love, artie
I like both but especially #2 because “checking its paw’!
I laughed out loud when I saw the big baby osprey picture (#1). I showed it to Stokes and he laughed too! It’s such a fun picture — I’ll take it over the conventional #2 anytime (although that is good image too).
I like the second image better. The space around the bird gives a sense of its environment that is lacking in #1. The first image feels too crowded to me.
#1 because I’m really “close” eye to eye with the osprey. However I like #2 a lot as well.
First image by far in every way.
For me, not being a fan of half cut bodies, the first image feels better. Maybe even stronger crop would emphasize the beautiful face, from ahead like this or little more sideways would work too.