Mike De Rosa: Learning a Ton, Making Great Images, and Dispelling Many Myths About SONY!

What’s Up?

On Friday (I thought it was Saturday …) I worked long and hard on e-mail #20 for the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes: Firmware Update 1.10 and More Odds and Ends. I sent it in the afternoon. I have more work to do on the group today.

It was great to get back in the pool yesterday and to do my late afternoon walk. Today — 3 July 2021, is another hazy, hot and humid one. I publishing this post at 11:21am eastern time and it is pouring for a change! Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Enjoy today’s blog post that details how Mike De Rosa dispelled the myth that it is difficult or impossible to learn to use SONY gear after many decades of using another system, in his case, Canon. Please leave a comment letting us know which of Mike’s images you liked and why you made your choices.

Bedfords currently has zero names on their a1 wait-list, and is expecting five more Sony Alpha 1 bodies soon. Click here to order yours and be sure to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3%, enjoy free 2nd-day air Fed-Ex, and earn free entry into the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group.

This blog post took about five hours to prepare (including the time I spent on the image optimizations) and makes 188 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, and greatly appreciated if you would 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.

JAX IPT #2

Wanna Be Like Mike?
One signed up, two more interested …

Photography, especially of birds in flight, was so phenomenal at the Jacksonville Royal Tern/Sandwich Tern/Laughing Gull/Brown Pelican rookery that I plan on returning fairly soon if possible. The only time I have experienced such non-stop flight action was on the gannet boat in Scotland. Right now I am looking at a 4-DAY IPT starting with the afternoon session on WED 14 July and ending with the morning session on SUN 18 July.It will be worth flying for this one. Couples welcome! As I committed to running this one with just one photographer, it is a go! Limit: 5 photographers/Openings 4 (or 3 or 2).

Please e-mail immediately or call my cell if you would like to join me or learn the details; arranging for a great AirBnB will be one of the keys to success so the sooner the better. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372.

This image was created on 30 June 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, Florida. While seated on the damp sand (using the knee-pod technique), I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/8 (stopped down one stop in error) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:12pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly by grabbing Mike right between the eyes. Mike De Rosa with his SONY 200-600/Alpha 1 rig, wife Norma, and Laughing Gull Image by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Michael De Rosa

Mike De Rosa, 78, was born in Spanish Harlem (on the island of Manhattan in NYC). His Dad was Italian, his Mom Puerto Rican. He graduated City College with a B.S. in Chemistry and followed that up with a Ph. D. in Organic Chemistry earned at Brooklyn College. He was actually teaching Chemistry at Brooklyn while I was finishing up my undergraduate studies in 1969 and 1970. He went on to teach Chemistry for his entire career. He retired as a Professor Emeritus at Penn State Brandywine.

Mike was happily married to Susan for 50 years and lost her to a neurological disorder in 2016. His happy marriage to Norma — who attended the JAX IPT as a non-photographer, is now in its third year. Mike has enjoyed photography for the past 40 years. He attended a Nickerson Beach IPT about five years ago. He is a sweet, kind, and funny man, with a NYC sense of humor.

Via e-Mail from Mike

5/30

Hi Artie, I am interested in some In-the-Field lessons to learn how to use my Sony Alpha 1. Thanks, Mike De Rosa

6/8

Hi Artie, After over forty years as a Canon shooter, I am befuddled by my new Sony a1. I can’t seem to figure it out. Frankly I don’t want spend more money on gear until I’m sure that I am not going to switch to the top of the line Canon body. Using my Sigma 150-600 with a Canon 7D Mark II, I captured an image that was selected in the Top Ten of a 2019 Bird Portrait Competition. We — my wife Norma will tag along, are pretty free beginning this this weekend. Thanks. And best regards, Mike

My Role

I told Mike right off the bat that I could teach him to use his a1 body. I let him know that his results with the Sigma 150-600 would not be on a par as compared to what he could do with the SONY 200-600. I was so positive that I was right, that I purchased a brand new SONY 200-600 from Bedfords for him to use on the JAX IPT. I was confident that he would purchase the lens after he learned to use the a1 and saw what he could accomplish with the 200-600. He went home with the new 2-6 and is looking forward to using it on an upcoming trip to Africa.

I sent him my a1 settings on a UHS II card so that he could mess around with the camera and so that we would be on the same page when he arrived in Florida. He successfully loaded my a1 settings onto his a1, but was still pretty much lost …

Via e-Mail from Mike

7/2

Norma and I had a great time with you and the group during the IPT. Clemens was great too! It was a wonderful experience; the birds and the photographic opportunities were incredible. And I learned a ton. Thanks again! Mike De Rosa

This image was created by Mike De Rosa on the first afternoon of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #1: Fledgling Laughing Gull on dune Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

The First Afternoon

Mike stayed by my side for the first afternoon — wind against sun had us photographing birds on the shaded face of the dune as detailed in the blog post here. First, I taught him how to use Wide AF to photograph static subjects. Then we talked about recomposing for a pleasing image design. Last, I explained how to get the right exposure using the Zebras on the rear wheel system.

He passed the first two lessons with flying colors but struggled with using Zebras to get the right exposure. By the first morning, he had that down pat and — not surprisingly — made very good to perfect exposures for the rest of the trip. This simple portrait of a fledgling LAGU was a big step up.

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, also on the first afternoon of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #2: Royal Tern chick begging on dune Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Getting Better Fast!

With this image, Mike demonstrated that he had mastered using the AF system to come up with a pleasing composition and had used Zebras to come up with a perfect exposure. He had some problems with properly framing the subject for a day or two until I finally beat it into him!

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, also on the first morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 411mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a cloudy partly cloudy morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #3: Laughing Gull — flapping juvenile Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Action, Traction, and Satisfaction

Mike’s improvement from the first afternoon to the second morning was dramatic. Here we see that he graduated successfully by photographing a bird in action with a good exposure and decent framing. This one was cropped a bit from the left and below. Now it was on to the big challenge: photographing birds in flight!

This image was created by Mike De Rosa on the second morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 250mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a partly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #4: Royal Tern screaming in flight Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

The Flight Payoff

Here Mike used Wide AF for flight. He also learned when to set the limit range switch to Not Full for flight, and when to switch it back to Full when working subjects at close range. He showed the versatility of the 200-600 by zooming out to 250mm. His framing was perfect for this full frame image. As was the exposure.

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, also on the second morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 300mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a mostly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #5: Royal Tern in flight with fish for chick Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Another Goal Achieved!

Mike wanted to create a quality image of a Royal Tern in flight carrying a fish and he did just that.

Viveza

Images #4 & 5 were both exposed perfectly in less-than-full-sun conditions. Each original had a pretty much white sky. I have come up with a new technique that enables me to darken and BLUE-up the sky with Viveza without affecting the subject. I will share that in a video ASAP. But I am very busy 🙂

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, again on the second morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 565mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a mostly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #6: Laughing Gull stealing cutlassfish from Royal Tern Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Exceeding Expectations!

With this image, Mike De Rosa exceeded his and my expectations by creating a sharp, nicely framed, unique and dramatic action shot. This was the best by a small margin of a long sequence. Well done, my friend.

I was only able to choose from images made at the beginning of the IPT as when Mike left for home, he still had about 13,000 images to go through. I almost forgot, Mike wanted to learn to use Photo Mechanic to pick his keepers. He’s got that done pat also.

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being just a selection in Menu.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 64 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.