Photographing Pelicans in Southern California with Arthur Morris

A B&H Event Space Program

Photographing Pelicans in Southern California with Arthur Morris

On Tuesday Nov 22, 2022, I will be presenting another B&H Event Space program from 5:00pm – 6:00pm ET.

Arthur Morris, one of the world’s premier photographic educators, has been photographing the spectacular Brown Pelicans in San Diego, CA for more than three decades. The Pacific-race pelicans in La Jolla are much more colorful than their eastern relatives; they sport fire-engine red, olive-green bill pouches in winter. In addition to his favorite pelican images, Artie will share images of many of the other species that frequent Southern California each winter.

During this live-streamed presentation. Artie will share his thoughts on the best gear, on designing pleasing images, on capturing all types of pelican behaviors, on seeing and using the light, and on getting the right exposure in varying lighting conditions. He will share photos ranging from tight head portraits to small-in-the-frame bird-scapes. There will be lots of great flight photography tips as well.

Using Canon, Nikon, and Sony gear, photographing birds has been Artie’s passion for the past forty years.

Register for this free, online-only presentation here.

What’s Up?

Too much work, too little play. I swam 48 lengths in the early afternoon and walked and putted 3.1 miles on the golf course just before dusk. The rest of the day was work, work, and more work.

Today is Thursday 17 November 2022. I may try to get down to the lake for a bit in the morning. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes two hundred thirty-five days in a row with a new one. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

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!

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.

This image was created on the 24 January 2022 on a San Diego IPT. Seated on a rock on the upper shelf at La Jolla and working off the tilted rear monitor, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: 1/1000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 1/3 stop). RawDigger showed that the exposure was dad-solid perfect. AWB at 9:56:58am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Brown Pelican — Pacific race, head portrait

The Skinny on the Down Low

I was sitting on the edge of the upper shelf hoping to photograph some of the pelicans on the lower level without having to climb down. Unexpectedly, a gorgeous pelican molting into breeding plumage landed right in front of me on a rock just above the lower shelf. When I raised the lens to my eye, I had pelicans in the background. When I rested the lens on my bent left knee and — with my reading glasses on — worked off the tilted rear monitor, I still had pelicans in the background. I leaned forward as far as I could without falling off the rock and — with my reading glasses on — worked off the tilted rear monitor. Both feet were hanging down, my heels against the rock I was sitting on, and I braced both elbows on my knees. In addition to eliminating the distracting pelicans from the lower background, it effectively moved the ocean farther away from the subject thus yielding the gorgeous, out-of–focus Pacific-blue backgrounds that I love working with at La Jolla. While this is certainly not the most stable set-up ever, 1/1000 second was fast enough to yield sharp images.

This handsome bird is just about finished molting into full breeding plumage. In another week, the entire hind-neck with be a rich dark-brown color often with a bit of a reddish tint.

Success in bird photography is often a matter of inventing new techniques in the field, techniques that innovatively solve problems that pop up on an almost daily basis. See yesterday’s blog post for a recent example. Consider joining me on an Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) and get to see how that works in person.

This all-new card includes images created on my JAN 2022 visit to San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The 2022/23 San Diego Brown Pelicans (and more!) IPTs

San Diego IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS: WED 21 DEC thru the morning session on Saturday 24 DEC 2022. $2099.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Openings: 5.

San Diego IPT #2. 4 1/2 DAYS: SAT 7 JAN thru the morning session on WED 11 JAN 2023: $2699.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Sold Out.

San Diego IPT #3: 4 1/2 DAYS: THURS 19 JAN thru the morning session on MON 23 JAN 2023: $2699.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers.

Please e-mail for information on personalized pre- and post-IPT sessions.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Ducks; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Northern Shoveler and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions (both depending on the current regulations and restrictions). And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation, you will hear my thoughts on exposure along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and SONY Zebras. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode so that you can get the right exposure every time (as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant). Or two seconds with SONY zebras … And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great takeaways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well, often with 70-200mm lenses! And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of those opportunities. Depending on the weather, the local conditions, and the tides, there are a variety of other fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

Did I mention that there are lots of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter? Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

The San Diego Details

These IPTs will include four or five 3-hour morning photo sessions, three or four 1 1/2-hour afternoon photo sessions, and three or four working brunches that will include image review and Photoshop sessions. On rare cloudy days, we may — at the leader’s discretion, stay out in the morning for a long session and skip that afternoon. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. And so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own as well. In the extremely unlikely event that Goldfish Point is closed due to local ordinance (or whimsy) — that has never happened in the past fifty years, I will of course do my very best to maximize our photographic opportunities.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Deposit Info

A $699 deposit is required to hold your slot for one of the 2022/23 San Diego IPTs. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART”) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due three months before the trip.

Variety is surely the spice of life in San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Again, not much. I swam a mile — 44 lengths in the morning, and then 44 more in the afternoon.

Many wonder why I spend so much time watching every NFL game on TV (courtesy of Direct TV’s NFL Package). The ending of the Buffalo Bill/Minnesota Vikings game was far beyond remarkable. The Vikings had trailed 27-10 in the third quarter. With two minutes to go and the Vikings trailing by only four, Justin Jefferson made one of the all-time great catches, stealing the ball from a Bills’ cornerback with one hand while crashing to the ground and controlling the ball. You can see that catch at the beginning of the video here. On the ensuing Minnesota drive, Justin Jefferson apparently won the game with a catch that was ruled a touchdown. But they ruled him down just short of the goal line.

It looked as if the Vikings would score to win the game, but the Bills stuffed a quarterback sneak from the 1/2-yard line. The Bills win! Or not? Bill’s QB Josh Allen fumbled the snap on the next play and a Minnesota player fell on it for the game-winning touchdown. Or not? After the kickoff, Kelly moved the Bills down the field in less than forty seconds for a game-tying field goal (benefitted by a bad call on a bobbled catch). In overtime, the Vikings drove the length of the field on a six-minute 16-second drive that stalled on the 15-yard line. They kicked the go-ahead field goal with 3:44 left in overtime. The Bills answered with a drive of their own and were in position on the 20-yard line to win the game with a touchdown or settle for a game-tying field goal. Watch the video to the end to see the stunning conclusion to the NFL game of the year.

Yesterday’s Post

Of yesterday’s featured images, I’d have to agree with Jim Saxon:

James Saxon/November 14, 2022 at 3:37pm

I don’t think I can pick a favorite considering that from the beginning to end they all tell a story about survival. I like the sequence and feel you need all images to tell the story. #3 is my favorite because of the amount of snake still visible which provides a sense of scale with the heron’s prey. Thanks for sharing the entire sequence.

Today is Tuesday 15 November 2022. I got lots accomplished yesterday but still have tons more work to do on the urgent and ongoing problems at NANPA (North American Nature Photography Association). This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes two hundred thirty-three days in a row with a new one. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

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!

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.

Some days are stones. Except when they are not!

Wednesday past was totally boring as compared to Tuesday past. I walked for almost three hours without much to show for my efforts. Then, at the four-trail intersection, I came across the great blue that fishes there regularly. And then the fun began.

This image was created on 9 November 2022 at Circle Bar B Preserve in Lakeland, FL. I used the Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65/Wimberley MonoGimbal Head-supported Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 640. 1/1000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:39:22am on a then partly sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Great Blue Heron subduing armored catfish

Why the Rig Change?

On the previous day, I had killed with the lighter albeit slower by four clicks Sony 200-600mm lens on a lightweight tripod. Yet the next day, I switched tracks and carried the heavier 400mm f/2.8 GM lens with the 1.4X TC and the monopod. Why the change? On Wednesday, the first morning, the skies were partly cloudy with hints of blue. So, I knew that I would have a decent amount of light to work with. On that excellent morning I had one GBH with the armored catfish carcass, and one with the snake. In between, I added the 1.4X TC to work two different backlit Anhingas. But on Thursday, 9 November, the skies were solidly cloudy when I arrived. Therefore, going with the 400 f/2.8 and the 1.4X TC, I would have four clicks more light: f/4 as compared to f/6.3. That yields four clicks less ISO. Again, my instincts turned out to be perfect.

Armored Catfish

There are three invasive species of Armored Catfish in Florida. They are almost impossible to exterminate. They displace native species, can cause severe bank erosion, and harass and cause problems for the manatees.

Living and Learning from Mistakes

On 8 November, I went with 1/500 sec as my minimum shutter speed when working the GBH subduing the snake. That was not fast enough to freeze the action when the bird shook the snake violently. So, the next day, with a faster rig, I upped that to 1/1000 second when photographing the great blue trying to kill and swallow the catfish. The change in strategy paid off with one very special image (out or more than 200).

The Background Clean-Up

During the raw conversion I upped the Luminosity of the GREENs and the YELLOWs on the Color Mixer tab. That had the effects of softening the background. But I found some of the stuff in background around the prey item to be distracting. To clean those up, I used my usual cadre of clean-up tools and techniques. Those included the Clone Stamp Tool (used in conjunction with Divide and Conquer), the Patch Tool, the Spot Healing Brush, Content-Aware Fill, a series of small Quick Masks refined by the addition of a Regular Layer Mask, and Protect and Defend Cloning on a Layer. (The latter is found only in the original Digital Basics.)

Lastly, I applied a layer of Gaussian Blur to the whole image, added a Hide-All (Black, or Inverse layer mask), and painted in the effects at 33% increments as needed to smooth over my clean-up efforts.

While the optimized version maintains the natural history of the moment, it looks a heck of a lot better to me.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

Typos

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