The New Technique: Making Early Morning Backlit Hay While the Sun Shines in Your Face & the Wind is Behind You

What’s Up?

I enjoyed sleeping in on the rainy Thursday morning and got a ton of work done. I was glad to learn that repeat In-the-Field client Dan Gerstman will be doing me at the East Pan and that multiple IPT veteran and good friend Muhammad Arif will be joining me there on Saturday. We will be hanging around to do the Jamaica Bay Shorebird Festival. If you plan on attending, bring a lens for some free photo tips. Meet at the visitor center at 9:00am sharp.

But the best news of all was that blog regular Bob Eastman is signing up for the first and the third Homer IPTs. He will be borrowing my big SUV for six days and tooling around Homer during the second IPT. It will be great to finally meet him as we seem to be kindred spirits. If you’ve been thinking about Homer, best to act soon as it is filling nicely. Especially if you want to do the second and third trips back-to-back.

On Thursday afternoon, I headed to Nickerson. It was sunny with a south by slightly west wind. Not bad, not great. For the first 90 minutes, I did handheld skimmer flight with the bare 600 and the a1, concentrating on the midair battles. A friend found a nest with three tiny, pure white, day-old chicks. Even though the wind was excellent, the mother bird spent most of the afternoon facing to the east. Bummer. I moved to the north and worked with both TCs for the last half hour of light. I think that my best image was of a medium-sized skimmer chick swallowing an Atlantic Silversides, one of the last series I made just as the sun disappeared behind a cloud.

I forgot to mention yesterday that on Wednesday morning at JBWR I glanced to my left as I was photographing the phalarope and saw a dark bird with pointy wings flying lazily. “Looks like a young Laughing Gull but just might be a Peregrine Falcon.: I was chasing TCs so photographically, it did not matter which it was. Because of the lazy flight pattern, I had just about decided on juvie Laughing Gull when the bird turned slightly to its left, pumped its wing several times, and executed a shallow stoop on the flock of shorebirds just to my left. Once again, I was caught with my proverbial pants down, but it sure was a thrill seeing the powerful predator flying right at me at high speed. Next time …

Today is Friday 12 August 2022. I will be headed early to the East Pond. I am excited as the weather is looking really good. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes one hundred forty-one days in a row with a new one.

So far, eight folks have been in touch about joining me at either Nickerson or JBWR in the coming weeks for an In-the-Field session or two. The first window for doing shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is closing now, the second window is from 24-26 August. See the additional details below.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

Clockwise from the upper left corner back around to the center: Wilson’s Phalarope, JBWR; just fledged Common Tern, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, adult skimming, Nickerson; Black Skimmer killing tiny skimmer chick, Nickerson; American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise, Nickerson; Common Tern chick swallowing baby bluefish, Nickerson; Short-billed Dowitcher, juvenile, double overhead wing stretch, JBWR; Black Skimmers, predawn flock blur, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, 10-day old chick, Nickerson. Click on the card to view a larger version. Nickerson Beach/East Pond JBWR composite

Nickerson Beach/East Pond at Jamaica Bay (JBWR) In-the Field Workshops

Both Nickerson Beach and the East Pond at JBWR offer some of the best midsummer bird photography on the planet. Hundreds of pairs or Black Skimmers and Common Terns along with more than a dozen pairs of American Oystercatchers breed at Nickerson each season so there are lots of chicks of all sizes and handsome fledged young to photograph. Provided that the water levels are low, hundreds of young shorebirds in their handsome fresh juvenile plumages stop by the pond each August on their way south.

Nickerson often reveals nature at it rawest, most basic level. Most days we get to photograph all sorts of dramatic behaviors ranging from skimmers and terns fishing and feeding (and tending) their you. There are often chances to shoot a variety of predatory encounters — gulls eating large skimmer chicks, skimmers eating skimmer babies, and Peregrine Falcons hunting. And rarely, if we are lucky, Peregrine Falcons catching! Consider joining me to learn a ton both about bird photography and the birds.

I am taking the Auto Train north on 31 July and will happily spend all of August on Long Island. I head south on 31 August and should be back home on 1 September (barring anything unforeseen). I am offering In-the-Field sessions at both Nickerson Beach and the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. If you are interested, please get in touch via e-mail or text me at 863-221-2372.

Whether you are a local or would like to fly in for several days of instruction — a sort of private, or small group. — at worst, IPT, LMK via e-mail so that we can work on a schedule that could possibly include both Nickerson and Jamaica Bay.

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Follow me on Instagram here. I am trying to feature both new and old images, especially images that have not appeared recently on the blog. Or search for birds_as_art.

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

Send a PayPal for $62.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 and put $62.00 on your credit card. Pick one of your best images and upload the raw file using a large file sending service like Hightail or DropBox and then send me the link via e-mail. I will download and save your raw file, evaluate the exposure and sharpness, and optimize the image as if it were my own after converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw. Best of all, I will make a screen recording of the entire process and send you a link to the video to download, save and study.

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $699.00 each (were $799.00) and the price now includes the insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906. Order yours here while they last.

Please Remember

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.

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, 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 earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex 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 check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists 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 a 1, 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.

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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 (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — 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.

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. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was also created on 8 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While seated on dry sand with my eye to the viewfinder, I used the lowered, no-longer available except from BIRDS AS ART, Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1250. 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, it was determined that the raw file was about 1/2 stop too dark because you must expose for the brightest sky close to the sun. AWB at 6:17:16am on a mostly clear morning less than 20 minutes after sunrise. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Yellow/orange backlit Black Skimmer incoming with baitfish for chick

The New Technique: Making Early Morning Backlit Hay While the Sun Shines in your Face & the Wind is Behind You

The “new” technique, making good early morning backlit images when the sun is shining in your face and the wind is behind you (AKA wind-against-sun) conditions, is not really new. I have been using it sporadically for years at various locations including Nickerson Beach. The new twists this season include sitting to eliminate the distant background, working for more than an hour after the time of sunrise, using the 2X on occasion, especially when doing the (smaller) terns, and exploring different processing options.

This image was also created on 8 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While seated on dry sand with my eye to the viewfinder, I used the lowered, no-longer available except from BIRDS AS ART, Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (wide open at 840mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1000. 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, it was determined that the raw file was about one full stop too dark, again, because you must expose for the brightest sky close to the sun. Thus, areas away from the sun will be under-exposed to varying degrees. AWB at 6:21:17am on a mostly clear morning, again less than 20 minutes after sunrise. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Stark, Black & White Black Skimmer starting dive silhouette

Post Processing Options

Understand that the properly exposed raw files in this situation should and will appear washed. That said, the golden color will always be there. You can process the images toward the gold end using a variety of techniques that are covered in BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. In addition, several of these methods have been mentioned in recent blog posts. Or you can convert them to be rendered as stark black and whites, as I did with Image #2. The choice is yours.

This image was created on 8 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While seated on dry sand with my eye to the viewfinder, I used the lowered, no-longer available except from BIRDS AS ART, Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter (at 1200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/5000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, it was determined that the raw file was about 1/3 stop too dark (due to operator error). AWB at 7:02:31am on a mostly clear morning less than seven minutes after sunrise. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Golden backlit Common Tern landing with baitfish for chick

Maximum Focal Length for the Smaller Terns

I found a spot where the skimmers and terns are nesting close together near the top of a dune. As both species fish predominately early and late in the day, there is lots of landing flight action. Once you go to 1200mm, there is a possibility of clipping the wings of the skimmers (as I did with Image #2). The huge advantage, however, is getting more pixels the subject when photographing the Common Terns; they are a lot smaller than the skimmers. Know that the terns will often kite before landing (“hover” is the incorrect term used by most folks use).

While I opted for the golden silhouette look for this image, I could have processed it to reveal details and color on the tern (as I did with the skimmer in Image #1), or, I could have opted for the stark silhouette look as in Image #2.

Coming or Going?

Is this bird in Image #3 above flying toward us or away from us? How do you know?

This image was created on 8 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, Long Island, NY. While seated on dry sand with my eye to the viewfinder, I used the lowered, no-longer available except from BIRDS AS ART, Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter (at 120mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 800. 1/5000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, it was determined that the raw file was about 1/3 stop too dark (due to operator error). AWB at 7:04:43am on a mostly clear morning more than an hour after sunrise. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: Golden backlit Black Skimmer landing with baitfish for chick

Later in the Morning

As you approach an hour after sunrise, the sun will of course be higher in the sky. The backlight will not be as dramatic as it was right after sunrise, but with the wind behind you, trying for backlit incoming flight is often your best option. For best results, concentrate on incoming birds that are in line with the sun while flying well below it and are just above the grasses. Remember, nearly all the birds on the beach will be facing away from you.

Jeez, I Almost Forgot to Mention

How about making razor-sharp flight images at 1200mm with the Sony A1? Who could have ever dreamed it?

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

2023 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs

IPT #1: MON 20 FEB 2023 through the full day on FRI 24 FEB 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 3.

IPT #2: SAT 25 FEB 2023 through the full day on THURS 2 MAR 2023. Six full days/24 hours on the boat: $6600.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 2.

IPT #3: FRI 3 MAR 2023 through the full day on TUES 7 MAR 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers. Openings: 4.

Save $1,000.00 by doing back-to-back trips.

These trips feature non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.

In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require a ton of good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.

If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.

We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.

Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader, who is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer. But only if that is what you want.

You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes.

You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode.

Most importantly you will learn to pick your best flight images from tens of thousands of images.

You will enjoy working with the two best and most creative boat captains on their sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck crafts.

The second and third IPTs are the only Bald Eagle workshops that feature an incredibly helpful first mate.

Only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.

Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

What’s Included

One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.

What’s Not Included

Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.

Please Note

On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips, or 24 hours for the second trip, the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $225/hour.

Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer.

Deposit Information

A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check as above.

In Closing

I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of the three trips is to sign up for all of them. Can you keep up with me? If you have any questions, or are good to go for one, two, or all three trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.

Typos

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