Oh What a Morning. Sony 200-600 Hand Held Versatility!

Your Favorite?

All are invited to leave a comment letting us know which of today’s six featured images is their favorite and why they made their choice.

What’s Up?

Multiple IPT veteran Shelly Lake and I had an amazing session with the white pelicans at Lakeland. Shelley has had an a1 for a few months, but never joined the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group 🙁 So we met well before dawn and working with my laptop on the tailgate shelf of my SUV, I loaded my a1 settings (via .DAT file) onto her a1. The word on the street is that the a1 menu is too complex to understand and that it is difficult to learn to use the camera. Once we had my settings on her a1, it took me all of five minutes of instruction to get her ready to go. We concentrated on the AF system (easy-peasy) and on getting the right exposure using Zebras (even easier). Before long we were photographing the American White Pelicans. For whatever reason, the birds were quite Copacetic. We worked them in the shade at first, then in early morning light, and finally in full sun. We worked on choosing the best perspective to get the most pleasing backgrounds, and I double-checked Shelley’s exposures and image designs on the rear monitor of her camera.

Shelly could not believe how amazingly well the Bird Face/Eye Detection AF worked once her Alpha 1 was set up correctly. As for the photography, she said, Artie, this was way beyond anything I could have expected. I leave for San Diego on 14 January. If you would like to join me for some In-the-Field instruction at Lakeland before then, shoot me an e-mail or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up. The weather is looking best for this coming Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday. The details are below.

I was pleased to learn yesterday that three new folks joined the a1 group. Conditions were perfect at sunset but for the most part, the birds were flying in too low.

Today is Wednesday 5 January 2022. The forecast for this morning is for cloudy and still. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took more than two hours to prepare including the time spent on the six image optimizations and makes 56 consecutive days with a new one.

Please remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

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Your-Pick In-the-Field Sessions

The beauty of the Your Pick In-the-Field Sessions plans below is that I am free most days from now till mid-January and we can schedule sessions to coincide with the perfect weather forecast. They are ideal for central Florida locals or folks visiting the region for whatever reason. Interested? Get in touch via e-mail or better yet, try my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up. Inquire for couples and group rates.

Indian Lake Estates In-the-Field Sessions

Two hours of intensive instruction: $300.00. Add a working brunch with image review: $100.00. Sunset shoot: $100.00. Guest room lodging available. Mix and match.

Sunny mornings with east winds are best. Likely subjects include ridiculously tame Sandhill Cranes along with Black and Turkey Vultures, Crested Caracara, Limpkin, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, and more. Bald Eagle possible; crane chicks coming soon.

Lakeland or Circle B Bar Preserve

Two hours of intensive instruction: $325.00. Add a working brunch with image review: $100.00. Mix and match.

Sunny mornings with east winds are best at Lakeland. Likely subjects include point-blank American White Pelican, Anhinga, Limpkin, Common Moorhen, White Ibis, a variety of wintering ducks including Ring-necked and Wood Ducks, and lots more.

Cloudy mornings or afternoons (shooting session only) are best at Circle B Bar Preserve. Likely subjects include Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, White Ibis, Common Moorhen, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Alligator, Wild Boar, and more. If you wish to mix and match, loving at ILE is available.

This image was created 4 January 2022 at my favorite white pelican spot in Lakeland, just one hour from my home. I 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 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:44:34am in the shade on a clear morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C Bird Face/Eye detection performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Small flotilla

The Flotilla

The yellow reflections are available at this spot before the sun makes its way over the buildings and trees. I would have liked this better without the pelican on the frame edge, but I loved the ducks in the background so I executed a small crop from the left and from below while maintaining the 3X2 proportions. The duck in the center is a drake ring-necked and the two darker ones are likely hens of that species. Though there were lots of Ring-necked Ducks at close range in nice light, the pelican photography was so good that we rarely glanced at them!

This image was also created 4 January 2022 at my favorite white pelican spot in Lakeland. I 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: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:58:57am in the shade on a clear morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C Bird Face/Eye detection performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: American White Pelican head and shoulders portrait

Subject in Shade, Background in Sun

I espouse here often on the beauty of images made with the subject in the shade with the background in the sun. Here, after crouching down for the background that I wanted, I went with a ton of Zebras on sunlit water in the background to ensure a perfect exposure for the bird. In such situations, the subjects seem to glow. They are not easy to find, but when you do succeed, be sure to make lots of images.

This image was also created 4 January 2022 at my favorite white pelican spot in Lakeland. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 575mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:04:20am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C Bird Face/Eye detection performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: American White Pelican vertical head and shoulders portrait in early morning light

Sony 200-600 Hand Held Versatility!

Here again, I got low to introduce some of the red reflections into the top of the frame. The ease of hand holding the 200-600 (with or without the 1.4x TC) makes it a deadly weapon when working large, relatively tame birds. I was able to move quickly and get higher or lower as needed to control the background. If you get too low at this spot, you introduce the very distracting far shoreline into the image …

This image was also created 4 January 2022 at my favorite white pelican spot in Lakeland. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 602mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 500. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:41:59am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C Bird Face/Eye detection performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: American White Pelican young bird preening

The Young Birds

The adults far outnumber the young birds at this location. They stand out with their pinker bills. I am not sure as to how to separate birds of the year from the two or three year old birds … In addition to the differences in bill color, the younger birds have grayer feathers about the head and neck. See also Image #6 below.

This image was also created 4 January 2022 at my favorite white pelican spot in Lakeland. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 694mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 500. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:50:00am in full sun. Tracking: Spot S AF-C Bird Face/Eye detection performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #5: American White Pelican adult face portrait

Consider the Exposure Data

If you look carefully at the exposure data for Images #2-#5, you will see that as the light got stronger, the shutter speeds got higher and the ISOs got lower. With Image #5, made in full sun, I was able to stop down 1/3 stop for a slight boost in depth of field. I worked on the BLUEs in Images #4 & #5 during the raw conversion in ACR. I moved the BLUE Luminance slider to the right to get the BLUEs just right.

This image was also created 4 January 2022 at my favorite white pelican spot in Lakeland. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm), and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:52:51 in the shade of a tree on a clear morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C Bird Face/Eye detection performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #6: American White Pelican — feather detail on back of juvenile

Just Peachy

Birds of the year of this species feature brown streaks on the back when they first arrive at Fort DeSoto. I have never seen that in Lakeland. But some of the younger birds have swatches of peach on their backs. I could not resist trying to create some feather pattern images when I saw this bird in the shade.

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. This week, two folks in the group ordered their third a1! I am envious. The group is now up to an astounding 102 lucky and blessed folks. Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. The best news is that all who wish, can request an e-mail that includes a .DAT file with my a1 settings on it, and explicit directions on how to load my settings onto your a1; talk about convenience! (Note: I am now offering updated .DAT files).

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 group 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. Special thanks to Jordan Cait who has been doing an awesome job of proofreading the blog recently and getting in touch via e-mail.