Canon 100-400mm EF f/4.5-5.6L IS II Zoom Lens

BAA Record-low Price!

Many multiple IPT veteran Warren Robb is offering a Canon 100-400mm EF f/4.5-5.6L IS II zoom lens in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $1248.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the front lens cap, the lens case, the original product box, a digital-camo LensCoat lens cover (worn since day one), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only.

Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Warren via e-mail or by phone at 817-915-5820 (Central time zone).

This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98 meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an EOS R, R5, R6, or R7! This lens sells new for $2399.00 so you can save a handsome $1151.00 by grabbing Warren’s lens right now. artie

The Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And we will get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever and whenever you photograph.

There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB information. If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me an e-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.

A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check two months before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Up Early, Stay Out Late!

Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Spoonbills at DeSoto

Over the past years, Roseate Spoonbills have become regular visitors to Fort DeSoto Park. I know when and where to find them and can teach you to approach them successfully. Do consider joining me on a DeSoto IPT.

What’s Up?

I headed down to the lake in the dark on Tuesday morning and did a 2.4-mile rope flow walk. When I was done, I headed to the Vulture Trees and created 421 images and two videos, most of preening Turkey and Black Vultures. It was the first time I photographed since returning from Long Island on the first of September. I did my bursts after my nap and then an easy 1/2-mile swim. The shoulder is feeling great as I’ve gotten back to doing my hanging and stretching exercises every day.

I was glad to learn of the sale of Jim Miller’s a7R IV and Don Selesky’s Canon 100-400 II, the latter before it was even listed. And I was thrilled to learn that long-ago multiple IPT veteran Greg Hritzo and wife Jenni will be joining me on the second DeSoto IPT. And Greg is thrilled to be getting back into bird photography after 15 years of abstinence. He will be trying out a Sony A1 and a variety of super-telephoto lenses.

I am offering a late-registration discount on the first DeSoto IPT. Please e-mail for details.

Today is Wednesday 14 September 2022. 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 seventy-three days in a row with a new one.

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!

Instagram

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.

This image was created on 24 September 2020 on a Fort DeSoto IPT. Seated on damp sand I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and the mega-mega-pixel a7R IV (now replaced, for me by The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.). ISO 2000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1600 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 8:31:21am on a party cloudy morning. Zone/AF-C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Laughing Gull attempting to steal baitfish from Brown Pelican

Your Opinion

All are invited to leave a comment letting us know what they like or do not like about today’s featured image.

It’s Always Something!

Aside from the fact that Fort DeSoto has the potential to offer great photography every day of the year, it is the great variety of avian action and flight opportunities that get me juiced up ever time that I walk onto the beach with a super-telephoto lens. As the late Gilda Radner said often in the role of Roseanne Roseannadanna on Saturday Night Live, “It’s always something!” At DeSoto, it seems that there is “always something” interesting to photograph. Looking back, it is hard to believe that Radner died (of ovarian cancer) in 1989, more than five years before I lost Elaine (to breast cancer).

Kleptoparasitism

K. Nishimura, in Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, 2010

Kleptoparasitism, literally meaning parasitism by theft, is a form of resource acquisition where one animal takes resources from another. Although kleptoparasitism of food is the best-known example, the stolen resources may be food or another resource such as nesting materials. As with theft in human society, kleptoparasitism may be stealthy or aggressive.

Guy Beauchamp, in Social Predation, 2014

In kleptoparasitism, a predator loses some or all its prey to competitors from either the same or different species (Brockmann and Barnard, 1979). Kleptoparasites obtain food without actually expending time and energy searching and capturing prey. Kleptoparasitism is a form of contest competition as it results in the loss of resources through direct interactions.

Hugh Powell, an excerpt from Winged Pirates: Kleptoparasitism As A Lifestyle
from All About Birds on TheCornellLab website. You can read the entire article here.

Next time you go out birding, watch for pirates. They may not brandish cutlasses, guzzle grog, or walk the plank, but they’re out there, lounging in the leafy shade or plying the winds, just waiting to pounce on passing treasures.

The Common Raven commits larceny of all kinds, including (according to Native American legend) stealing a piece of the sun to bring light to the people of the Pacific Northwest. And gulls don’t even limit their misdeeds to other birds: they nab ice cream cones from beachgoers and shoplift Doritos from convenience stores.

Doing the research for this blog post really opened my eyes. On Galapagos Photo-Cruises, the frigatebirds are constantly harassing several species of boobies to steal their prey. The chases are often spectacular. And the Brown Noddies often grab tidbits brought to the surface by predatory fish or diving Blue-footed Boobies. In San Diego, the Brand’s Cormorants repeatedly and persistently steal nesting material from their neighbors, often grabbing the entire nest made of seaweed in one fell swoop. And Brown Pelicans, gulls, and cormorants often join huge feeding sprees on baitfish brought to the surface, again by predatory fish. At Jacksonville, the Laughing Gulls — often in groups, harass the terns forcing them to drop the baitfish they are carrying. The gulls are adept at grabbing the meal out of the air as it plummets down to the sand.

And at DeSoto, the Laughing gulls frequently land on the heads of fishing pelicans hoping to grab a morsel as the larger birds squeeze the water out of their bill pouches after scooping up a bill-full of small baitfish.

If you have seen any neat or different examples of kleptoparasitism, please do share by leaving a comment. Eagles after Ospreys, anyone?

Huge crop of the Laughing Gull attempting to steal baitfish from Brown Pelican image

The Sony a7R IV was No Slouch for Bird Photography

Out of curiosity, I re-opened the optimized file for today’s featured image and zoomed in to about 225% and was amazed to see a tiny wriggling baitfish in the pelican’s bill pouch.

When selling multiple IPT veteran Jim Miller’s a7R IV three weeks ago on the Used Gear Page, I wrote:

For the past several years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. Before the a1, I typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the a7r IVA sells new right now for $3498.00 (and the only “improvement” over the original a7R IV is more resolution in the rear monitor), you can save a cool $1601.00 by grabbing Jim’s sweet a7r IV ASAP. Though this 61-MP body is especially attractive to landscape and macro photographers, it is great for birds as well; you can pretty much crop to your heart’s content. For photographing bird in flight, I do not recommend its use with the 200-600 G lens. artie

Typos

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

Weapons of Mass Destruction Arriving

Steve Elkins of Bedfords let me know that he will be receiving two Sony 600mm f/4 GM lenses this week. These have been nearly impossible to come by. If you want to change your life, order one right now and be sure to use the BIRDSASART code at checkout to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air Fed-Ex. Click here to order yours now and make sure that you get one of the two (even though it will show up as Place Back Order.) That done, it would not hurt to shoot Steve an e-mail.

Use the discount code and receive any BAA book, e-guide, or e-book free.

This all-new card includes only 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/Openings: 3.

San Diego IPT #3: 3 1/2 DAYS: FRI 20 JAN thru the morning session on MON 23 JAN 2023: $2099.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Openings: 5.

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.

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 $599 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.

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.

What’s Up?

Me, late. I was in bed a bit after 8:00pm. My left knee (too much walking?) and my right shoulder (too many decades of carry a big lens incorrectly and too much swimming?) have been bugging me, so I took two Advil PM last night. (Dr. Oliver recommends that I never take even one.) I slept an unheard of (for me) eight hours to my first pit stop at 4:00am. I dozed on and off and finally got out of bed at six. For me, that is sleeping in. For whatever reason, I could not get Bosque out of my head for those last two hours. I will e-mail former refuge manager Phil Norton today.

Anyhoo, yesterday morning I decided to wear my knee brace for my rope flow walk. I walked the pier out and back and was thinking that my knee felt fine. Then I realized that I had put the brace onto my good knee, my right. I decided to switch the brace to my left knee, the bad one. I walked up the few steps to the bathroom on the small hill to the left of the base of the pier. I checked out the bench there and was pleased to see that it was clean and dry. So, I sat, took the brace off my right knee — the wrong one, and placed it on my left knee — the right one. I put my sneaker back on to resume my walk when I felt a few nips through my socks and knew instantly what was going on. There were a few dozen fire ants on my legs and they were stinging me through the thin, grey socks (and elsewhere). I’ve been wearing shorts for my walks on the still, warm mornings. I brushed off as many as I could on the way back to the car just a short distance away. I took off the sneakers and socks, put them behind the driver’s seat, drove home, and put them into the washing machine. I wound up with three large welts, all on my right leg. Once everything was dry I drove back to the lake and finished my walk.

I did my swim at about noon and then turned on the TV. Today is Monday 12 September 2022. The plan is to take one full day off from all physical activity. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes one hundred seventy-one days in a row with a new one.

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!

Instagram

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.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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.

Insta-Delete or Dead Solid Perfect Exposure?

This image was created on 20 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA on a San Diego IPT at Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 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) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:17:08pm on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #1: The Photo Mechanic screen capture for the original Brown Pelican head throw — bill pouch from below image

Is This an Insta Delete?

While picking your keepers in Photo Mechanic, would you tag this one as a keeper or leave it un-tagged for deletion? Before you scroll down, ask yourself, why or why not? The image sure looks over-exposed to me.

This image was created on 20 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA on a San Diego IPT at Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 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) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:17:08pm on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #1A: The RawDigger screen capture for the Brown Pelican head throw — bill pouch from below image

A Different Story

Examining the raw file in RawDigger reveals that the image is not over-exposed, but is, instead, a dead solid perfect exposure. The 853 OvExp pixels (out of 51 million) are in the specular highlights on the edge of the visible portion of the upper mandible. All images, including verticals, present horizontally in the app. You always want the specular highlights to show as over-exposed else your image will be many stops underexposed.

Learn more about RawDigger e-Guide here.

This image was created on 20 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA on a San Diego IPT at Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 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) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:17:08pm on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #1B: The optimized Brown Pelican head throw — bill pouch from below image

The Image Optimization

Nothing much out of the ordinary is required when optimizing images that are exposed far to the right as long as there are no blown highlights. I began by moving the Exposure slider to -0.15, setting the white and black points, and moving the Highlights slider well to the left. The Clarity, Dehaze, and Vibrance sliders were set by rote. I will admit to doing some Color Mixer work to juice up the Oranges and Yellows of the bill pouch. Most of that (and tons more) is detailed in Digital Basics II.

This image was created just before but in the same second as the image above. Both of course on 20 January 2022 at La Jolla, CA on a San Diego IPT at Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 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) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 9:17:08pm on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #2: Brown Pelican head throw — bill pouch from below image

Your Call

The last image was created just before Image #1 and was part of about a ten-frame sequence. Head throws can occur unexpectedly and do not last long. The best strategy is to acquire and fire. The 30 frames per second shooting speed of the a1 gives you lots of different poses, even when creating short bursts. If you have a preference for either Image #1B or Image #2, please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.

Framing Tight Head Throw Images

Framing tight head throw images can yield images with tons of interesting detail, but framing them is a big challenge. Best, as I did not do here, it to work wide in horizontal format so that you might create useable images that work as horizontals or when cropped to a vertical.

Typos

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