Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

You Be The Judge: Blur/Voting Still Open

If you have not yet voted on the images in the Blur category you can do so here.

Action Category Voting Analysis and Related Comments

Totals of the Judges’ Votes (each of 5 judges awarded each image 1-5 points):

1-Siskins Fighting, David Pattyn: 21
2-Common Tern feeding chick, Vladimir Kogan: 20
3-Galahs battling, Jan Wegener: 19
T4-Snowy Egrets midair combat, Cheryl Molennor: 18
T4-Great-Crested Grebe displaying, David Pattyn: 18
T6-Roseate Spoonbills squabbling, Richard Bohnet-: 17
T6-Bald Eagle face off, Clemens van der Werf: 17
T6-Upside down Bald Eagle fight, Clemens van der Werf: 17
9-American Oystercather chicks chasing, Marina Scarr: 16
10-Bald Eagle ground warfare, Clemens van der Werf: 14
11-Dalmatian Pelican fish grab, David Pattyn: 13
12-Long Billed Curlew flapping after bath, Gaurav Mittal: 12

Public Voting Totals (each of you was asked to vote your five favorite images 1-5 points with 5 being your favorite):

1-Roseate Spoonbills squabbling: Richard Bohnet: 143
2-Siskins Fighting, David Pattyn 140
3-Common Tern feeding chick, Vladimir Kogan: 137
4-Great-Crested Grebe displaying, David Pattyn: 98
5-American Oystercather chicks chasing, Marina Scarr: 75
6-Bald Eagle face off, Clemens van der Werf: 64
7-Upside down Bald Eagle fight, Clemens van der Werf: 56
8-Snowy Egrets midair combat, Cheryl Molennor: 45
T9-Galahs battling, Jan Wegener: 39
T9-Dalmatian Pelican fish grab, David Pattyn: 39
T9-Bald Eagle ground warfare, Clemens van der Werf: 39
12-Long Billed Curlew flapping after bath, Gaurav Mittal: 10

Analysis of the Voting

Action was another popular category with 445 images submitted. 15 images were sent to the five judges. Three images were disqualified after we received the RAW files, 2 of those for cropping more than 75%, that is, more than 50% of the length and the width.

Thanks as always to Darrell, Chris, Julie, and Tim. And a big time thanks also to Peter Kes and Denise Ippolito for pitching in during the first rounds of image selection. We worked very hard for nearly three full days to get from more than 5500 images down to the final 163.

Correlation between the judges panel and the public vote was relatively high with Siskins Fighting coming in 1/2 and Common Tern feeding chick finishing up 2/3. Probably the biggest mismatches were the Galahs battling at 3/9 and the Roseate Spoonbills squabbling at 6/1. Kudos to David Pattyn who placed 3 images in the top 11 and to Clemens van der Werf who had three eagle images in the top 10.

Congratulations David Pattyn of The Netherlands. His image, Siskins Fighting” was awarded first prize in the Action category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Click on the image to see a larger, even more spectacular version. Tripod-mounted Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 1600: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode.

Siskins Fighting, David Pattyn

Photographing songbirds in flight or in action is a huge, huge challenge. Here, the fabulous interaction between the two birds, the spectacular pose of the lower bird, the feet and claws of the upper bird, and the remarkable sharpness made this image a winner. Amazingly, it is only a small crop from the RAW file. Spectacular as this one is, had the bird on the left raised its wings fully this image would have been ever stronger.

Congratulations Vladimir Kogan of Israel. His image, Common Tern feeding chick, was awarded second place in the Action category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Click on the image to see a larger, even more spectacular version. Nikon D3, AF Nikkor 200-400 mm f4 G VR (at 400mm) + AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II, 1/320; f7.1; ISO 500, GT5541LS Systematic 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs; Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1 dp.

Common Tern feeding chick, Vladimir Kogan

What’s to like? Soft yellow light, a beautiful arrangement of the three birds, the chick and the guarding parent razor sharp, a perfect exposure, killer reflections, still, still water, and the shutter button pushed at the exact right instant. In other words, a lot! Note, however, that with the incomplete reflection a nice crop from the bottom might have moved this fine image up one spot.

Congratulations to Jan Wegener of Melbourne, Australia. His image, Galahs battling, was awarded third place in the Action category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Click on the image to see a larger, even more spectacular version. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 600 f/4L IS, ISO 800. 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1

Galahs battling, Jan Wegener

Start with a nice low angle, add in two attractive red birds with raised pink crests, and throw in two perfect head angles and a killer face to face fighting pose. Have one birds talons grabbing he breast of the other as the victim screams in protest. What to you wind up with? One very fine action image.

Snowy Egrets midair combat, Cheryl Molennor

A strong image with a good exposure and two sharp birds battling it out. The wing position and the hanging feet of the bird on our left are quite appealing.

Great-Crested Grebe displaying, David Pattyn.

The sharpness, the raised crest, the open bill, and the flying spray all contribute to the success of this very strong image.

Bald Eagle face off, Clemens van der Werf

Part of the problem for Clemens here was that he had three excellent images competing against each other. During the initial rounds of judging there were many,many excellent eagle images. We picked the three strongest. I for one never imagined that they were all made by the same photographer. With two good head angles and both birds with their wings swept back this was an obvious selection for the final round.

Upside down Bald Eagle fight, Clemens van der Werf

With one bird on its back and the upper bird reaching down with out-stretched talons this one was the strongest of the three eagle images for me.

Roseate Spoonbills squabbling, Richard Bohnet

Excellent exposure control in a difficult situation, excellent sharpness, a killer interaction with the rear bird on the attack with its wings raised, and a great splash make this one special. Had the bird on our right had it’s wings raised fully this one would surely have placed higher. The bill of the bird on our left is slightly lost in the black background.

American Oystercather chicks chasing, Marina Scarr

Cuter than cute with great action. And everybody loves chicks. The two poses and the interaction are superb. Problems here include the head of the front chick turned away, a bit of motion blur, and the rear foot of the lead bird being hidden behind a small pebble. Kudos to marina for achieving sharp focus and firing the shutter at just the right moment.

Bald Eagle ground warfare, Clemens van der Werf

A spectacular image in its own right with one wing buried in the snow, the right hand bird screaming with the underwing detail in the near wing revealed beautifully, and the left hand bird on the attack with talons at the ready.

Dalmatian Pelican fish grab, David Pattyn

Dramatic action and skies and some nice reflections make this one special. The clipped tail of the left-most bird and the two birds in the background on the right are both problematic. Eliminating those two birds would have been both relatively easy and permitted under the rules.

Long Billed Curlew flapping after bath, Gaurav Mittal

Despite the gentleman who commented that this image was not sharp, its extreme sharpness is quite remarkable. The raised wings, the one raised foot, the lovely framing, and the complementary background colors make this a very strong last place/last place image.

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And the Winners in the Action Category Are!

Congratulations David Pattyn of The Netherlands. His image, Siskins Fighting” was awarded first prize in the Action category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Click on the image to see a larger, even more spectacular version. Tripod-mounted Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 1600: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode.

Siskins Fighting, David Pattyn

From David:

Near winter’s end, when food becomes more difficult to find, more and more birds visit our garden feeders. In some years—for no obvious reasons—we have lots of Siskins; in others we have none. In March 2011 there were lots of Siskins around and thus they were very aggressive toward each other in competition for food. I placed seed in a crack in the log and focused manually on the spot where I hoped the action would occur. Autofocus simply does not work in situations like this; the action is over before you have a chance to frame the image and acquire focus. While working from inside my home office I would look directly at the log rather than through the viewfinder. Whenever there was any action I would release the shutter with the remote cord in my hand. It took lots of trial and error and many hundreds of images to get everything just right but getting one superb image made it all worthwhile.

Photographing songbirds in flight or in action is a huge, huge challenge. Here, the fabulous interaction between the two birds, the spectacular pose of the lower bird, the feet and claws of the upper bird, and the remarkable sharpness made this image a winner. Amazingly, it is only a small crop from the RAW file.

Congratulations Vladimir Kogan of Israel. His image, Common Tern feeding chick, was awarded second place in the Action category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Click on the image to see a larger, even more spectacular version. Nikon D3, AF Nikkor 200-400 mm f4 G VR (at 400mm) + AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II, 1/320; f7.1; ISO 500, GT5541LS Systematic 6X Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs; Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1 dp.

Common Tern feeding chick, Vladimir Kogan

From Vladimir:

Every spring the Common Terns arrive from Africa. When they do, I start photographing them and continue to do so throughout the breeding season. I observed the terns their feeding chicks for long periods. But to create an artistic frame with a sharp reflection you need the following conditions: very early morning, the first rays of the sun on a clear day, soft lighting, and a complete lack of a wind. From many early morning photo sessions I had this combination of the required parameters only on rare occasion.

What’s to like? Soft yellow light, a beautiful arrangement of the three birds, the chick and the guarding parent razor sharp, a perfect exposure, killer reflections, still, still water, and the shutter button pushed at the exact right instant. In other words, a lot!

Congratulations to Jan Wegener of Melbourne, Australia. His image, Galahs battling, was awarded third place in the Action category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Click on the image to see a larger, even more spectacular version. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, 600 f/4L IS, ISO 800. 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1

Galahs battling, Jan Wegener

From Jan:

Galahs are often found in big groups. They are very playful birds. I spotted this group on a soccer field in Melbourne, Australia and was amused by their humorous displays and fights. These squabbles are of a playful nature; the birds do not cause any serious harm to each other. This behavior usually takes place before the breeding season and the fights only last a couple of seconds. Galahs in the cities are usually not overly skittish and when you approach them carefully they allow you to get quite close. Watching a flock of these colorful avian clowns never gets boring and always offers some unique photo opportunities.

Start with a nice low angle, add in two attractive red birds with raised pink crests, and throw in two perfect head angles and a killer face to face fighting pose. Have one birds talons grabbing he breast of the other as the victim screams in protest. What to you wind up with? One very fine action image.

Congrats!

Congrats to the three winning photographers and to those who created the other 9 spectacular images that made it to the final round of judging. Getting a single image to the final round is a momentous accomplishment.

This was a popular category with 445 images submitted. 15 images were sent to the five judges. Three images were disqualified after we received the RAW files, 2 of those for cropping more than 75%, more than 50% of the length and width. Here is another big time thank you to Darrell, Chris, Julie, and Tim. And a big time thanks also to Peter Kes and Denise Ippolito for pitching in during the first rounds of image selection. We worked very hard for nearly three full days to get from more than 5500 images down to the final 163.

The Action category was designed for images that feature a bird or birds in action. Pretty straightforward. But spectacular.

The prizes (see below) will be shipped once all the winners are announced as several folks had more than one top three image. Be sure to patronize our sponsors; without them, this contest would not exist. There will be more educational stuff from this category coming soon.

Action

First Prize	Runner Up	Highly Commended	Sponsor
$100 Gift Certificate	$50 Gift Certificate	$25 Gift Certificate	B&H PHOTO VIDEO
Wimberley V2 Head	P-5 camera body plate	Plamp	Wimberley
16 GB 450 X UDMA Compact Flash Card	Sensor Scope	Universal Memory Card Reader	Delkin Devices
Level 3 Gift Subscription	Level 2 Gift Subscription	Level 1 Gift Subscription	Nature Photographer Magazine
$30 Discount Certificate	$25 Discount Certificate	$20 Discount Certificate	Canvas On Demand
Laptop Bag or Pixel Sunscreen	Pixel Pocket Rocket	AA Battery Holder	Think Tank
$50 Gift Certificate	$25 Gift Certificate	$10 Gift Certificate	Lens Coat
Canon/Nikon Lens Plate	Canon/Nikon Camera Body Plate	.	4th Generation Design
.	Better Beamer	Better Beamer Replacement Fresnel	Visual Echoes
TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	Lens Pen
ABP II	.	.	BIRDS AS ART
.	Double Bubble	.	HP Marketing
BreezeBrowser Pro/Downloader Pro Combo	BreezeBrowser Pro	Downloader Pro	Breeze Systems
Sito HD Version Gold Web Site			Sito HD

You Be the Judge: Action

It’s not too late to vote on the great images in the Action category of the BAA 1ST International Bird Photography Competition. Click here to take part in the fun and learning.

New York City Weekend Nature Photography Seminar December 8-9, 2012

Details for this great weekend seminar are available here. Do consider joining Denise Ippolito and me for a great learning experience. Do click on the link to see many of Denise’s incredible tree and flower images. Camera club discounts available; see the details at the link.

5D Mark III Guide Pre-publication Version Still Discounted

Click here for details. When the guide is complete it will sell for $50. Folks who purchase now will receive the final version and any updates for no additional charge so ordering now is a win-win proposition. If you click on the link above you will see that the list of items not yet covered continues to shrink….

I spent the better part of Tuesday and today working on the 5D III UG; when I am done, the price goes to $50. Buy now to save! The more I study this camera the more I learn how complex it is. Rudy Winston at Canon has been a huge help as has Denise Ippolito who helped me with the section on Multiple Exposures. I still have some work to do.

Nickerson Beach/JBWR Photo-Tour August 15-17, 2012: Only 1 slot left!

Nickerson Beach/JBWR Photo-Tour August 15-17, 2012: $999. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory slide program: Tuesday August 14 at 7pm. Limit 8/Openings:1.

This photo-tour is almost sold out. But with two great leaders each with tons of experience at this site and the promise to learn a ton of great Photoshop stuff it does make a lot of sense.

For more info and a collection of images click here.

This image of an adult American Oystercatcher cutting one of the surf clam’s two adductor muscles was created at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) on the bird’s neck/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. With the long effective focal length being seated behind my lowered tripod made it seem as if I were right on the ground. This image was created precisely at 7:14:04pm. Let’s call this one “Opening the Clam.”

When the Stars Line Up; What You Can Do in 22 Seconds

When I posted the last image that appears below in a recent blog post here, I promised to post the other three keepers from that series. Regular readers have heard me say often, “I don’t–as a general rule–make a lot of images, but when everything lines up just right I will hold the shutter button down or at least take a lengthy sequence of images. The four images here were selected as keepers in BreezeBrowswer from a 16 frame sequence that was created in twenty-two seconds. Note that at some point in the sequence I had time to change the shutter speed from 1/1000 sec. to 1/800 sec.

This image of an adult American Oystercatcher was created at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) on the bird’s neck/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. This image was created precisely at 7:14:08pm, just four one hundredths of a second after the preceding image. Let’s call this one “Wave Washes Over the Clam.”

Note that in the 22 seconds that it took to create the 4 images presented here that the subject-to-imaging-sensor orientation changed quite a bit from frame to frame.

This image of an adult American Oystercatcher was created at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) on the bird’s neck/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. This image was created precisely at 7:14:18pm. Let’s refer to this one as “Proud of My Accomplishment.”

Note in the image immediately above that the breaking wave has covered the narrow wedge of sand that we see in images 2 and 4.

This image of an adult American Oystercatcher dining on a surf clam was created at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) on the bird’s neck/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. This image was created precisely at 7:14:26pm. Let’s go with “Just Dessert” for this image.

Note that the patterns and colors in the background are different in each image, a function of the relatively distant breaking waves.

Which Do You Like Best?

Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the four images you like best and why. Or, let us know if you prefer the whole sequence to any one image. And why for that too.

Math Question

From the information presented here can anyone know for sure if I was holding the shutter button down or if I was being selective?

Shopper’s Guide.

Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.

Below is a list of the gear talked about in this blog post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.
Canon EF 1.4X III TC. This new TC is designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. The very best professional digital camera body that I have ever used.

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
GT3532 LS. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. I’ll be commenting on this new model soon. In short, I like it.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.

Behavior Category Voting Analysis and Related Comments

Totals of the Judges’ Votes (each of 5 judges awarded each image 1-5 points):

1-Grey Heron with fish, Vladimir Kogan: 20
2-African Fish-Eagle capture, Isak Pretorius: 19
3-Marbled Godwit with sand crab, Gaurav Mittal: 18
T4-Spectacled Spider-hunter displaying, Bjorn Olesen: 17
T4-Red-crowned Cranes calling in snow, Paul Mckenzie: 17
T4-African Jacana on the run with chicks, Lou Coetzer: 17
T4-Gymnogene (African Harrier-Hawk), Tommy Savage: 17
T4-Black-necked (Eared) Grebes mating, David Pattyn: 17
T9-Prairie Chicken displaying, David R. Neilson: 16
T9-Laysan Albatross feeding chick, Paul Mckenzie: 16
T9-Long-eared Owl threat display, Paul Bannick: 16
T9-Gull with stolen chick, Richard Pittam: 16
T9-Common Kingfisher with fish, Kevin Elsby: 16
T14-Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with beetle, Rolf Nussbaumer: 15
T14-Emperor Penguin Family, Marcello Libra: 15
T16-Thrush with caterpillar, Morteza Nemati
T16-Great-crested Grebes mating, David Pattyn
T16-Great Egret chicks, Cheryl Molennor

Public Voting Totals (each of you was asked to vote your five favorite images 1-5 points with 5 being your favorite):

1-Spectacled Spider-hunter displaying, Bjorn Olesen: 155
2-Grey Heron with fish, Vladimir Kogan: 117
3-African Jacana on the run with chicks, Lou Coetzer: 60
4-Red-crowned Cranes calling in snow, Paul Mckenzie: 59
5-Common Kingfisher with fish, Kevin Elsby: 55
T6-Gymnogene (African Harrier-Hawk), Tommy Savage: 48
T6-Laysan Albatross feeding chick, Paul Mckenzie: 48
8-Long-eared Owl threat display, Paul Bannick: 44
9-African Fish-Eagle capture, Isak Pretorius: 42
10-Emperor Penguin Family, Marcello Libra: 41
11-Black-necked (Eared) Grebes mating, David Pattyn: 34
12-Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with beetle, Rolf Nussbaumer: 30
13-Prairie Chicken displaying, David R. Neilson: 24
14-Great Egret chicks, Cheryl Molennor: 23
15-Great-crested Grebes mating, David Pattyn: 15
16-Gull with stolen chick, Richard Pittam: 14
17-Thrush with caterpillar, Morteza Nemati; 11
18-Marbled Godwit with sand crab, Gaurav Mittal: 5

Analysis of the Voting

First off, even though this is the strongest category so far by a wide margin, fewed folks voted. By a large margin. Having to click on each image to enlarge it and then carefully considering your favorites take time. Perhaps some folks may begin to understand the amount of work that it took to get from more than 5,500 images down to 163. Judging is work. Hard work. Thanks to all who continue to put in the time to join us here.

When I posted the 18 images for the public voting in the Behavior Category here I suggested that the results of the judges votes as compared to the public vote might be quite different due to the large number of very strong images here. To some degree that was the case though Grey Heron with fish did very well with both groups. The biggest mystery to me was the Marbled Godwit with sand crab image which finished 3rd with the judges and last in the public vote. Why? I have no clue.

It would seem the individual geographical bias might have played a role in the judge’s voting. Peter Kes who helped with the initial culling has spent a ton of time in Africa; he was quite keen on the upside down African Harrier-Hawk. Mr. Morris, shorebird lover that he is, felt strongly about the Marbled Godwit. On a personal note, every time that I looked at the Spectacled Spider-hunter image I liked it a bit more than the previous time. I felt that David Pattyn’s Great-crested Grebes mating was the stronger of his two finals images, yet it wound up tied for last in the public vote. I wonder which of the two David fancies. Paul Mckenzie placed two images in the top 9 in the judges vote, and was even stronger in the public vote with 2 of the top 5 images.

I will sum up by saying that the judge’s panel seemed to favor images with the sweetest golden light.

Kudos to all whose images appear below and thanks to all who entered photographs in this hotly contested category. The images below are presented in the order of the judges’ placement along with my comments. I am sure that many of you will find my comments both interesting and educational.

Grey Heron with fish, Vladimir Kogan.

The judges were thrilled by the sweet early evening light, the superb sharpness, the heron’s raised foot, the perfect view of the fish with its dorsal fin raised and open mouth, the absolutely perfect head angle, and by the pleasing image design with the bird framed nicely by the gold reflections at the top of the photograph.

African Fish-Eagle capture, Isak Pretorius

This image features beautiful control of a difficult exposure with detail in both the dark tones and the whites, nice detail in the far underwing, the perfect wing position–the full downstroke, a perfect head angle, a de-focused background, a killer splash with the complete hole in the water included, a suitable pano crop, and very sweet light.

Marbled Godwit with sand crab, Gaurav Mittal

I love shorebirds. I love this one for the golden early morning light and the raised wings with killer underwing detail. For its sharpness. The combination of blues and golds is too sweet, as is the white foam from a breaking wave. The sand crab in the bird’s beak is the icing on this third place cake. I felt that this one would have been even better with the placed a bit more to our right in the frame.

Spectacled Spider-hunter displaying, Bjorn Olesen

This obviously spectacular image features an incredibly sharp face, beautiful soft light coming through the raised wing feathers, and some lovely foliage especially the sharp stuff in the upper right. Had the bird not been well above the photographer this surely would have placed higher with the judges.

Red-crowned Cranes calling in snow, Paul Mckenzie

Mood, mood, mood. Falling snow, beautiful birds, mystical trees in the background and a lovely image design came together pretty much in perfection.

African Jacana on the run with chicks, Lou Coetzer

Spectacularly sharp with a perfect exposure. If only the feet of the chicks had not merged with the adult’s body and been more visible….

Gymnogene (African Harrier-Hawk), Tommy Savage

The somewhat mixed lighting was handled beautifully in post-processing. Getting a good look at the face when these birds are foraging upside down along a large branch is near-impossible. Only a view of the talons could have made this stronger.

Black-necked (Eared) Grebes mating, David Pattyn

Intimate behavior, soft light, razor sharpness, and a water level perspective are the strengths of this image. Under contest rules, cleaning up the vegetation in the water was allowed. For me doing so would have improved the artistic merits of an already very strong image.

Prairie Chicken displaying, David Neilson

David submitted several very strong images across several categories; it was difficult to choose the best one to move along. This one is pretty close to perfect: soft light, bowing pose, inflated purple sac, killer low angle, soft light, drooped wings, puffy white undertail coverts, raised tail and eyebrows, and a simply gorgeous bird displaying.

Laysan Albatross feeding chick, Paul Mckenzie

This outstanding image features soft light, interesting behavior, a clean background, and two perfect head angles.

Long-eared Owl threat display, Paul Bannick

A spectacular young bird in exhibiting a spectacular threat posture in a lovely setting make for a very strong image. Not clipping the feet in situations like this is to be commended.

Gull with stolen chick, Richard Pittam

Spectacular action and timing. Two perfect head angles with the hapless chick’s wings hanging down. Sharp as could be. Had the gull’s wings been raised this would have placed very high.

Common Kingfisher with fish, Kevin Elsby

This image features spectacular action and timing, flying water droplets, the nicely raised foot, and a beautiful bird and perch. A slight head turn towards us and a better look at the fish would have put this one over the top.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with beetle, Rolf Nussbaumer

Strong points here include the soft light, the perfect head angle, the raised wings revealing beautiful underwing details, the namesake long tail, and what looks like a milkweed beetle snack.

Emperor Penguin Family, Marcello Libra

Getting to Snow Hill: about $15,000. Making a beautiful and intimate image: priceless. A bit more space all around and a better look at the chick’s face would have improved this one.

Thrush with caterpillar, Morteza Nemati

Sharp as a razor. Perfect subject to sensor juxtaposition. And a fuzzy caterpillar are all pluses here. The out-of-focus foreground rocks are a distraction. Ideally the bird would have been standing on the highest point of the rock its on giving us a better view of the feet.

Great-crested Grebes mating, David Pattyn

There are lots of positives with this image: the male’s raised crest and open bill, the position of the female’s head, the soft light, and the low perspective. The stringy vegetation above and to the left of the female’s head are distracting (and could have been removed). As could the dark spots on the male’s breast. Lastly, a bit more light on the male’s head would have been ideal.

Great Egret chicks, Cheryl Molennor

This is superbly done. The huge challenge with this type of image is getting two perfect head angles with a nice juxtaposition. Check. Check. Two sharp eyes and sufficient depth-of-field add. The slightly uneven light/dark portions of the background above the chicks is mildly distracting.

Congrats

Congratulations to all above for sharing their excellent images with us.

5D Mark III Guide Pre-publication Version Still Discounted

Click here for details. When the guide is complete it will sell for $50. Folks who purchase now will receive the final version and any updates for no additional charge so ordering now is a win-win proposition.

I spent the better part of today working on the 5D III UG; when I am done, the price goes to $50. Buy now to save! The more I study this camera the more I learn how complex it is.

New York City Weekend Nature Photography Seminar December 8-9, 2012

Detail for this great weekend seminar are available here. Do consider joining Denise Ippolito and me for a great learning experience. Do click on the link to see many of Denise’s incredible tree and flower images. Camera club discounts available; see the details at the link.

Nickerson Beach/JBWR Photo-Tour August 15-17, 2012: Only 2 slots left!

Nickerson Beach/JBWR Photo-Tour August 15-17, 2012: $999. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory slide program: Tuesday August 14 at 7pm. Limit 8/Openings:2.

This photo-tour is filling faster than anticipated. But with two great leaders with tons of experience at this site and the promise to learn a ton of great Photoshop stuff it does make a lot of sense.

For more info and a collection of images click here.

5D Mark III Guide Pre-publication Version Still Discounted

Click here for details. When the guide is complete it will sell for $50. Folks who purchase now will receive the final version and any updates for no additional charge so ordering now is a win-win proposition.

New York City Weekend Nature Photography Seminar December 8-9, 2012

Detail for this great weekend seminar are available here. Do consider joining Denise Ippolito and me for a great learning experience. Do click on the link to see many of Denise’s incredible tree and flower images. Camera club discounts available; see the details at the link.

Nickerson Beach/JBWR Photo-Tour August 15-17, 2012: Only 2 slots left!

Nickerson Beach/JBWR Photo-Tour August 15-17, 2012: $999. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory slide program: Tuesday August 14 at 7pm. Limit 8/Openings:2.

For more info and a collection of images click here.

And the Winners in the Behavior Category Are!

Congratulations Vladimir Kogan of Israel. His image, Grey Heron with fish, was awarded first prize in the Behavior category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Click on the image to see a larger, even more spectacular version. AF Nikkor 200-400 mm f4 G VR lens, the AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II, and the Nikon D3. ISO 400: 1/1250 sec. at f/7.1. Skimmer Ground Pod II with the Arca-Swiss Monoball Z1.

Grey Heron with fish, Vladimir Kogan.

From Vladimir:

Grey Heron is a very cautious bird; as a rule it will not approach closer than 80-100 meters to even a well-disguised blind. Once this heron caught a large Tilapia it began moving slowly but steadily in my direction without the slightest sign of fear, eventually approaching within 20 meters of my hiding place. This was the rare moment in my 3 years of photographing this species. The fish was very large for the bird; after many attempts to swallow it the bird threw it on the shore of the lake where it became prey to a mongoose.

The judges were thrilled by the sweet early evening light, the superb sharpness, the heron’s raised foot, the perfect view of the fish with its dorsal fin raised and open mouth, the absolutely perfect head angle, and by the pleasing image design with the bird framed nicely by the gold reflections at the top of the photograph.

Congratulations to Isak Pretorius of Johannesburg, South Africa. His image, African Fish-Eagle capture, was awarded second prize in the Behavior category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Chobe river, Botswana. Canon 600mmf/4L IS USM with the EOS-1D Mark III (handheld!). ISO 800: 1/2000 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode. Click on the image to see a larger, even more powerful version.

African Fish-Eagle capture, Isak Pretorius

From Isak:

This photo was created on the Chobe river during a photographic boat safari. Fish-eagles catching fish is the order of the day. I’ve photographed fish eagles before, but what made this place stunning was the quality of light. During the late-winter months the morning sun is diffused by the smoke and dust in the sky over Botswana. With the still waters of the Chobe river reflecting this soft light, the lighting conditions are almost studio-like. The wide river also makes for soft subtle backgrounds that accentuate the bird. I was fortunate in this photo that all the variables outside of my control came together perfectly.

This image features Beautiful control of a difficult exposure with detail in both the dark tones and the whites, nice detail in the far underwing, the perfect wing position–the full downstroke, a perfect head angle, a de-focused background, a killer splash with the complete hole in the water included, a suitable pano crop, and very sweet light.

Congratulations to Gaurav Mittal of India. His image, Marbled Godwit with sand crab, was awarded third prize in the Behavior category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. Morro Bay, CA. Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens with the 1.4X TC and the EOS-1 Mark IV (hand held!). ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. Click on the image to see a larger, even more beautiful version.

Marbled Godwit with sand crab, Gaurav Mittal

From Gaurav:

Photographing birds makes me feel closer to life, I feel as if I am one with the birds. At every opportunity I dance when I see them. Morro Bay was an amazing experience: People made me feel welcome: The sunlight was golden; It was windy but beautiful; The Marbled Godwits were simply gorgeous. I was awe as I made an effort to photograph its behavior. I was nervous as I pressed the shutter and captured this beautiful moment. The godwit splashed its feet in the water and grabbed the soft-shelled crab. After this entire event I felt in the presence of God. Having witnessed an amazing moment through my camera, priceless. I lowered my camera closed my eyes and took in the moment, my imagination at work.

I love shorebirds. I love this one for the golden early morning light and the raised wings with killer underwing detail. For its sharpness. The combination of blues and golds is too sweet, as is the white foam from a breaking wave. The sand crab in the bird’s beak is the icing on this third place cake.

Congrats!

Congrats to the three winning photographers and to those who created the 15 other spectacular images that made it to the final round of judging. Getting a single image to the final round is a momentous accomplishment. Pretty much every image would have made a suitable first place winner. As you will see when the voting results and analysis are published things were very tight in Behavior.

It was a hugely popular category. We began with 754 images. Getting down to the 18 images that were sent to the five judges was a difficult and excruciating task that took many hours. Here is another big time thank you to Darrell, Chris, Julie, and Tim. And a big time thanks also to Peter Kes and Denise Ippolito for pitching in during the first rounds of image selection. We worked very hard for nearly three full days to get from more than 5500 images down to the final 163. The Behavior category was designed for images that exhibited interesting avian behavior. The entrants outdid themselves by a wide margin.

Prizes (see below) will be shipped once all the winners are announced as several folks had more than one top three image. Be sure to patronize our sponsors; without them, this contest would not exist. There will be more educational stuff from this category coming soon.

Behavior

First Prize	Runner Up	Highly Commended	Sponsor
$100 Gift Certificate	$50 Gift Certificate	$25 Gift Certificate	B&H PHOTO VIDEO
choice of lens plate	P-5 camera body plate	Plamp	Wimberley
16 GB 450 X UDMA Compact Flash Card	Sensor Scope	Universal Memory Card Reader	Delkin Devices
Level 3 Gift Subscription	Level 2 Gift Subscription	Level 1 Gift Subscription	Nature Photographer Magazine
$30 Discount Certificate	$25 Discount Certificate	$20 Discount Certificate	Canvas On Demand
Laptop Bag or Pixel Sunscreen	Pixel Pocket Rocket	AA Battery Holder	Think Tank
$50 Gift Certificate	$25 Gift Certificate	$10 Gift Certificate	Lens Coat
Canon/Nikon Lens Plate	Canon/Nikon Camera Body Plate	.	4th Generation Design
.	Better Beamer	Better Beamer Replacement Fresnel	Visual Echoes
TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	Lens Pen
Kwik Camo Blind-Regular	.	.	Essential Photo Gear
ABP II	.	.	BIRDS AS ART
.	Double Bubble	.	HP Marketing
BreezeBrowser Pro/Downloader Pro Combo	BreezeBrowser Pro	Downloader Pro	Breeze Systems
Sito HD Version Gold Web Site			Sito HD

B&H Rebates

Click here to enjoy double rebates of up to $550 by selecting one of four Canon dSLR camera bodies (including the killer EOS-5D Mark III) and then adding a lens from a large selection. The lenses included many of the intermediate telephoto lenses that I use and recommend. This offer expires in less than ten days on June 30, 2012.

You Be the Judge: Behavior

The judging for the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition has been complete for some time. All of the judges including me were stunned by the quality of the images. We have been and will continue to be posting all of the images that were sent to the judges category by category. Each of you will have a chance to judge each category. Please read the directions below carefully. Your votes will not determine the winning images but it has been and will continue to be fun to see how everyone’s votes compare to the votes of the judges. So far the top pick of the public vote has matched the top pick of the judge’s panel in three of four categories. The images in the Behavior category are so incredibly strong overall that I suspect that that will not be the case here…. In retrospect there are a dozen or more images here that would have been worthy first place choices.

This was a hugely popular category. We began with 754 images. Getting down to the 18 images that were sent to the five judges was a difficult and excruciating task that took many hours. Here is another big time thank you to Darrell, Chris, Julie, and Tim. And a big time thanks also to Peter Kes and Denise Ippolito for pitching in during the first rounds of image selection. We worked very hard for nearly three full days to get from more than 5500 images down to the final 163.

The Behavior category was designed for images that exhibited interesting avian behavior. The entrants outdid themselves by a wide margin.

Before you vote, please sure to click on each image so that you can view it at full size. Then pick your five favorites and vote them 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 with 5 being your very favorite. Like this:

Red-crowned Cranes calling in snow: 5
Prairie Chicken displaying: 4
Black-necked (Eared) Grebes mating: 3
Great-crested Grebes mating: 2
Grey Heron with fish: 1

The “Sample Vote” above is for illustrative purposes only. Please do not let the sample vote, the votes of others, or the names assigned to the images influence your vote. Please put each of your five favorites on its own line by hitting “enter” after each one. No ties; please assign a single digit, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 to each of your five favorites. As you will see there are a great many beautiful, interesting, and even thought-provoking images here.

If you wish to comment on any or all of the images, please do so below your five voting lines; this will make tallying the votes easier. Votes cast by those who fail to follow the formatting directions will be relegated to the Trash Bin.

The voting will be closed at 8am eastern time on Monday, June The actual winning images for this category will be posted on Monday, June 25. A tally of the public vote along with my analysis and comments will follow soon thereafter.

Thanks for voting and please remember to breathe deeply and have fun.

Thrush with caterpillar

African Jacana on the run with chicks

Emperor Penguin Familiy

Laysan Albatross feeding chick

Red-crowned Cranes calling in snow

Prairie Chicken displaying

Black-necked (Eared) Grebes mating

Great-crested Grebes mating

Grey Heron with fish

Gymnogene (African Harrier-Hawk)

Common Kingfisher with fish

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher with beetle

Gull with stolen chick

Great White Egret chicks

Long Eared Owl threat display

Spectacled Spider-hunter displaying

Marbled Godwit with sand crab

African Fish-Eagle capture

Nickerson Beach/JBWR Photo-Tour August 15-17, 2012

If you missed the announcement for this exciting trip click here for details (along with 25 pretty nice images). And click here to see a great collection of co-leader Denise Ippolito’s “Blasts from the Past” Nickerson Beach images.

Hand of Man Category Voting Analysis and Related Comments

Totals of the Judges’ Votes (each of 5 judges awarded each image 1-5 points):

1-Great Egret on spillway by Ron Henderson: 23
2-Parrot in box by Charles Bergman: 21
3-Duckling and Lincoln Memorial by Matt Hansen: 18
4-Starling on broken lamp cover, David Bell: 17
5-Short-eared owl and wind turbines, Arni Stinnissen: 16
6-Burrowing Owl on wooden cross, Judd Patterson: 15
7-Bird on the fence, Blake Shaw: 14
T8-Black-tailed Godwit, Kevin Elsby: 13
T8-Jay on tombstone, Richard Cox: 13
T8-Penguins and ship, Christopher Marsham: 13
T11-Ring-billed Gull and plastic bottle cap, Rodney Flowers: 11
T11-Vultures on structure: Michael Leonard: 14
13-Kingfisher on barbed wire, Girish Vaze: 10

Public Voting Totals (each of you was asked to vote your five favorite images 1-5 points with 5 being your favorite):

1-Great Egret on spillway by Ron Henderson: 183
2-Duckling and Lincoln Memorial by Matt Hansen: 165
3-Burrowing Owl on wooden cross, Judd Patterson: 101
T4-Parrot in box by Charles Bergman: 76
T4-Black-tailed Godwit, Kevin Elsby: 76
6-Kingfisher on barbed wire, Girish Vaze: 75
7-Penguins and ship, Christopher Marsham: 62
8-Jay on tombstone, Richard Cox: 54
9-Short-eared owl and wind turbines: Arni Stinnissen: 47
10-Bird on the fence, Blake Shaw:: 38
11-Starling on broken lamp cover, David Bell: 18
12-Vultures on structure, Michael Leonard: 16
13-Ring-billed Gull and plastic bottle cap: Rodney Flowers 5

Analysis of the Voting

When I posted the thirteen images for the public voting here I wrote, “So far the top pick of the public vote has matched the top pick of the judge’s panel in two of the three categories that have been posted; I suspect that the same will be true here despite that fact that there are again so many fine images.” As it turns out that I was right on the button. Great Egret on spillway was the pick of the litter and 3 of the four top vote-getters in each category were a match as well. What does that prove: a good image is a good image no matter who is looking at it.

Kudos to all whose images appear below and thanks to all who entered photographs in this hotly contested category. The images below are presented in the order of the judges’ placement along with my comments. I am sure that you will find my comments both interesting and educational, especially my constructive criticism of the first and second place images as voted by the judges’ panel.

Congratulations to Hand of Man Category Winner Ron Henderson of Dallas, TX. His “Great Egret on spillway” image was created at White Rock Lake in Dallas with the Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS lens (at 170mm) with the Canon EOS-5D Mark II rested on railing. ISO 100. Evaluative metering -1 1/3 stops: 1/10 sec. at f/32.

Great Egret on spillway by Ron Henderson

The strengths of this image include the graphic look created by the repeating pattern of the steps, the rich blue and gold tones, and the movement of the water. The Great Egret provided the perfect accent. Many great images might have been improved at capture; had Ron moved about three inches to his right he would have avoided the merge of the tip of the bird’s bill and the edge of the step….

Congratulations to Charles Bergman. His image, “Parrot in box” was awarded second prize in the Hand of Man Category in the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. The bird in the box, a Blue-headed parrot chick (Pionus menstruus) was photographed on a small river in the Amazon Basin in eastern Ecuador. 24-120mm lens (at 42mm) with the Nikon D200. ISO 100: 1/40 sec. at f/11.

Parrot in box by Charles Bergman

The helpless, wet, disheveled parrot chick placed in the battered, equally bedraggled cardboard box combined to make this a powerful, story-telling image. The jungle setting and the young boatmen complete the story. Note that the perfect head angle strengthens our connection to the baby parrot. Again there was room for improvement at capture; had Charles moved a few feet to his left he could have placed the two men more on the right side of the frame to better balance the bird in the box. I believe that the resulting composition, which would have shown less of the boat, would have been even more powerful.

Congrats to Matt Hansen. His “Duckling and Lincoln Memorial ” image was awarded third place in the Hand of Man category. The Mallard duckling was photographed on May 23, 2010 as it emerged from the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

Duckling and Lincoln Memorial by Matt Hansen

We are all fans of the underdog struggling to survive. Each of the many compositional elements from the crack in the sidewalk to seemingly interested folks to the huge marble structure in the background are perfectly positioned. Those, combined with the perfect timing that captured the splash, made this one a winner. Note that Matt chose to break a basic compositional guideline by having the subject look out of (rather than in to) the frame. With good reason!

I loved this one from the get-go. It was my second pick.

Starling on broken lamp cover, David Bell.

This unique image is nicely designed. Running a contrast mask on the broken glass would likely have improved this one.

Short-eared owl and wind turbines, Arni Stinnissen.

This beautifully conceived and designed image carries with it a powerful environmental message: wind turbines kill too many birds each year. The placement of the bird relative to the blades of the two turbines and beautiful dorsal view both added to the success of this image.

Burrowing Owl on wooden cross, Judd Patterson.

Burrowing Owls rarely land on natural perches. The bird’s raised wings and haughty attitude and Judd’s careful choice of perspective (that minimized the wooden cross) made this image a popular choice with all voters.

Bird on the fence, Blake Shaw.

Simplicity rules in this beautifully designed and elegant silhouette. And the pano crop was a perfect choice. I love the slight upward angle of the fence and the singing pose. It it were mine, I would have removed the pin needle (???) on the fence behind the bird.

Black-tailed Godwit, Kevin Elsby.

A gorgeous species (heck, I am a shorebird lover) set against a lovely soft background with swatches of color are the strengths of this image. Much of the time we strive to eliminate as much “hand of man” as possible from an image. In this case, for this category, including more of the fence post would have been a winning move.

Jay on tombstone, Richard Cox.

A beautiful bird in golden light set against a pleasing background are the big pluses here. The problem here for me is the exact opposite of the problem with the godwit image: too much hand of man. Had Richard pointed the lens up or executed a pano crop I am fairly sure that the resulting image would have been stronger. Not to mention some tombstone clean-up.

, Penguins and ship, Christopher Marsham.

Christopher’s well composed image which features the juxtaposition of a group of Emperor Penguins with the ship in the background is quite interesting. The crossed flags are perfectly positioned in the frame. I feel that this image needed a bit more room all around.

Ring-billed Gull and plastic bottle cap, Rodney Flowers.

I really like the simplicity of this image. The bright sun was well handled, the raised wings added interest, and the bright blue plastic bottle cap with a bit of sand icing was the perfect hand of man touch.

Vultures on structure, Michael Leonard. 14

Here I love all the huge elements of the structure, especially the diagonal ones. The image is beautifully framed and designed, and Micheal did a great job of image processing as he dealt with mixed lighting. Though most of the birds are in the sun and some in the shade the image has a nice even (low contrast) look to it.

Kingfisher on barbed wire, Girish Vaze.

Barbed wire, a lovely bird, and a sweet background are the strengths of this image. A small crop from the left and below would have strengthened it as would a bit more head turn towards us. This image was much more popular with the public than with the panel of judges.

Questions and Comments Welcome

As always, your questions and comments are welcome. Lastly and as always, I would be glad to learn of any typos.

Congratulations to Hand of Man Category Winner Ron Henderson of Dallas, TX. His “Great Egret on spillway” image was created at White Rock Lake in Dallas with the Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8L IS lens (at 170mm) with the Canon EOS-5D Mark II rested on railing. ISO 100. Evaluative metering -1 1/3 stops: 1/10 sec. at f/32.

Great Egret on spillway by Ron Henderson

The strengths of this image include the graphic look created by the repeating pattern of the steps, the rich blue and gold tones, and the movement of the water. The Great Egret provided the perfect accent.

From Ron:

This picture was made while I was on a walk by the lake with my daughter Emily, age 13 on a late afternoon near the end of February, 2012 . I used a slow shutter speed to blur the rushing water.

Congratulations to Charles Bergman. His image, “Parrot in box” was awarded second prize in the Hand of Man Category in the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. The bird in the box, a Blue-headed parrot chick (Pionus menstruus) was photographed on a small river in the Amazon Basin in eastern Ecuador. 24-120mm lens (at 42mm) with the Nikon D200. ISO 100: 1/40 sec. at f/11.

Parrot in box by Charles Bergman

The helpless, wet, disheveled parrot chick placed in the battered, equally bedraggled cardboard box combined to make this a powerful, story-telling image. The jungle setting and the young boatmen complete the story. Note that the perfect head angle strengthens our connection to the baby parrot.

From Charles:

I was traveling in a remote part of the Amazon, staying with the people in indigenous communities. This chick had recently been removed from a nest in a hollow tree and placed in a ragged cardboard box; it would be transported into the wild bird trade. It is legal for indigenous people to capture parrots and other creatures for pets; it is not legal for them to sell them. The trade in the back country is an open secret.

Congrats to Matt Hansen. His “Duckling and Lincoln Memorial ” image was awarded third place in the Hand of Man category. The Mallard duckling was photographed on May 23, 2010 as it emerged from the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. .

Duckling and Lincoln Memorial by Matt Hansen

We are all fans of the underdog struggling to survive. Each of the many compositional elements from the crack in the sidewalk to seemingly interested folks to the huge marble structure in the background are perfectly positioned. Those, combined with the perfect timing that captured the splash, made this one a winner. Note that Matt chose to break a basic compositional guideline by having the subject look out of (rather than in to) the frame. With good reason!

From Matt:

This image is part of the ongoing “Uniquely D.C.” project that I’m working on, portraying the monuments and memorials in unique ways. A Mallard family was heading toward the edge of the Reflecting Pool and I knew that a possible moment was about to happen. This duckling, the runt, had some problems jumping high enough to get out but finally was able to summon enough strength to make it over the ledge.

This iot a photo I would usually submit to competitions, but in the guidelines you mentioned that Photoshop was ok, so I figured, “Why not?” If you compare the raw and optimized images you will see that a man in the background was removed as I felt he distracted from the Memorial. I do have an optimized version with him included if you prefer.

Congrats!

Congrats to the three winners above. One hundred sixty four images survived the first cut in this category. You can see the thirteen images that were sent to the judges here. Getting to the final round is quite an accomplishment. Prizes (see below) will be shipped once all the winners are announced as several folks had more than one top three images. Be sure to patronize our sponsors; without them, this contest would not exist. There will be more educational stuff from this category coming soon.

Hand of Man

First Prize	Runner Up	Highly Commended	Sponsor
$100 Gift Certificate	$50 Gift Certificate	$25 Gift Certificate	B&H PHOTO VIDEO
choice of lens plate	P-5 camera body plate	Plamp	Wimberley
16 GB 450 X UDMA Compact Flash Card	Sensor Scope	Universal Memory Card Reader	Delkin Devices
Level 3 Gift Subscription	Level 2 Gift Subscription	Level 1 Gift Subscription	Nature Photographer Magazine
$30 Discount Certificate	$25 Discount Certificate	$20 Discount Certificate	Canvas On Demand
Laptop Bag or Pixel Sunscreen	Pixel Pocket Rocket	AA Battery Holder	Think Tank
$50 Gift Certificate	$25 Gift Certificate	$10 Gift Certificate	Lens Coat
Canon/Nikon Lens Plate	Canon/Nikon Camera Body Plate	.	4th Generation Design
.	Better Beamer	Better Beamer Replacement Fresnel	Visual Echoes
TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	Lens Pen
LA MkII	.	.	RAW Workflow
ABP II	.	.	BIRDS AS ART
.	Double Bubble	.	HP Marketing
BreezeBrowser Pro/Downloader Pro Combo	BreezeBrowser Pro	Downloader Pro	Breeze Systems
Sito HD Version Gold Web Site			Sito HD

You Be the Judge: Hand of Man

The judging for the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition has been complete for some time. All of the judges including me were stunned by the quality of the images. We will be posting all of the images that were sent to the judges category by category. Each of you will have a chance to judge these images one group at a time. Please read the directions below carefully. Your votes will not determine the winning images but it has been and will be fun to see how everyone’s votes compare to the votes of the judges. So far the top pick of the public vote has matched the top pick of the judge’s panel in two of the three categories that have been posted; I suspect that the same will be true here despite that fact that there are again so many fine images.

Below are the thirteen images in the Hand of Man category that were sent to the five judges: Darrell Gulin, Chris Van Rooyen, Julie Zickefoose, Tim Laman (who filled in for a honey-mooning Andy Rouse), and yours truly. Here is another big time thank you to Darrell, Chris, Julie, and Tim. And a big time thanks also to Peter Kes and Denise Ippolito for helping me choose the images that were sent to the judges. We worked very hard for nearly three full days to get from more than 5500 images down to the final 163.

The Hand of Man category was defined as follows: the composition must include man-made elements. After a somewhat slow start HOM turned out to be a very popular category.

Before you vote, please click on each image to view it at full size. Then pick your five favorites and vote them 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 with 5 being your very favorite. Like this:

Great Egret on spillway: 5
Kingfisher on barbed wire : 4
Burrowing Owl on wooden cross: 3
Jay on tombstone: 2
Bird on the fence: 1

The “Sample Vote” above is for illustrative purposes only. Please do not let the sample vote, the votes of others, or the names assigned to the images influence your vote. Please put each of your five favorites on its own line by hitting “enter” after each one. No ties; please assign a single digit, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 to each of your five favorites. As you will see there are a great many beautiful, interesting, and even thought-provoking images here.

If you wish to comment on any or all of the images, please do so below your five voting lines; this will make tallying the votes easier. Votes cast by those who fail to follow the formatting directions will be relegated to the Trash Bin.

A tally of the public vote along with the actual winning images for each category will be announced approximately 48 hours after each posting.

Thanks for voting and please remember to breathe deeply and have fun.

Black-tailed Godwit

Great Egret on spillway

Kingfisher on barbed wire

Burrowing Owl on wooden cross

Jay on tombstone

Bird on the fence

Short-eared owl and wind turbines

Parrot in box

Penguins and ship

Ring-billed Gull and plastic bottle cap

Vultures on structure

Duckling and Lincoln Memorial

Starling on broken lamp cover

No Images Today…

I got back very late on Saturday night, actually at 1:50 am Sunday morning, from the whirlwind familiarization tour that Denise Ippolito and I attended with eight others last week. One of those attending was a young Indian photographer, National Geographic videographer Sandesh Kadur. Sandesh (say “sun-DAYSH”) asked if I would do an interview article with eight images for a relatively new magazine in India. Saevus Magazine is India’s first premium wildlife and natural history magazine. It is about compelling storytelling, stunning visuals and in depth natural history for readers across all ages and groups. The first draft of the text for the interview appears below. If you spot any typos or have any questions on any of the topics below that might help me flash out the interview it would be greatly appreciated if you left a comment below.

I will be doing a blog post on Sandesh soon. Those who cannot wait can learn more about him here.

Text for the interview article for Saevus Magazine

1. What inspired you to take up bird photography?

I had birded for seven years and had seen the work of two local photographers, the late and very tall Thomas H. Davis Jr. and an older eastern European man named Tony Manzoni. At a slide program that Tony did he showed an image of a Least Bittern that got me thinking: “I would like to do that.” And the rest as they say, is history.

2. Did you have formal training in photography?

Zero. Well, actually one course: two hours for eight Tuesday nights, a basic course set up by New York City Audubon Society. Taught by a guy who turned out to be a lifelong friend, Milton Heiberg, who now lives in central Florida about 90 minutes from me. He has long been very proud of my success.

3. Do you think it is important to have any such training to become a natural history photographer?

Not at all. It is far more important to have a good background in birding and natural history. Though I birded for only seven years I did so with great passion heading out most mornings before going to work as an elementary school teacher in New York City and then heading back out most days after work. That and both days on weekends. So by the time I bought my first telephoto lens in August 1983 I knew a lot about the birds and how they acted.

4. How is bird photography as a genre different from other forms of photography?

I don’t know as I know little about other forms of photography; I am quite narrowly focused on birds and wildlife photography…..

5. What are your favorite birds to photograph and why?

Shorebirds were my first love. That goes back to my days at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, New York, where I learned birding and then photography. The refuge butts right up to Kennedy Airport. Today I love photographing all types of birds, even the most common ones, but shorebirds, raptors, owls, and colorful songbirds are all right up there for me.

6. You often suggest ‘Visualizing the photograph in your mind before you have even taken it’. Can you please elaborate on this and explain to our readers how to learn to excel in visualization.

Well, I am not sure that I ever said exactly that. Once I see a situation I can visualize where I need to be and what I need to do to create the image that I realized instantly is there. Most often the process involves seeing the light and combining that with the best possible background; a great deal of my work is as much about the backgrounds as it is about the bird.

Beginners are advised to look at as many great images as possible: in books; on calendars; on photographers’ web sites; and on educational web sites like Bird Photographers.Net (http://www.birdphotographers.net). In the field it is a good plan—if possible—for beginning photographers to move left or right, or up or down without their gear to learn how the light will affect the subject and how their choice of perspective will affect both the image and particularly the background.

7. Who are your target audience or clients and how do you reach them?

My target audience comprises everyone who loves photographing birds and wants to learn how to do just that only better. We reach most people via a huge web presence specifically via the blog (www.BIRDSASART-blog.com) and our free educational Bulletins. Subscribe at our website here: www.BIRDSASART.com. I average about four to five blog posts a week and each almost always includes 1-5 images with our legendary BIRDS AS ART educational captions; there is always tons of learning going on. I am not very skilled at promoting the business via the customary social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Not sure if I will ever have the time to partake there…. Everyone can learn a ton by visiting or subscribing to the blog at www.BIRDSASART-blog.com.

8. What do you do apart from photography in your free time?

I swim every day. And I enjoy a variety of sports on TV including professional football (our NFL football, not your soccer), golf, and professional basketball. I used to participate in all three of them on a pretty much informal level; now I enjoy them vicariously. And for whatever reason I enjoy watching No Limit Texas Hold-em poker tournaments on the tube even though I have never played a single hand.

I enjoy cooking and eating good, healthy food. As I travel a lot I am always in search of tasty Indian or Thai food; finding a great curry dish with chicken or pork as protein is always a treat. And best of all the curry dishes do not raise my blood sugar much at all. I am a type II diabetic who has opted to go on insulin for tight control of my blood sugar levels.

9. Please share with us your experiences with ‘BIRDS AS ART’ Instructional Photo-Tours.

I enjoy being in the field with groups of photographers who are serious about improving. We attract folks with a wide range of skills, from those who are just starting to established pros. I have been blessed to have met dozens, even hundreds, of sweet and happy campers on my IPTs over the years. Many of them have become highly skilled photographers and several have gone on to careers as professional photographers. Best of all I have met many wonderful friends.

We try to teach folks to learn to analyze conditions and situations so that when they get back on their home turf they are much better equipped to make great images. And we always get in some Photoshop instruction so that they do not ruin their images after capture. Far too many out there over-process their images with too much saturation and too much sharpening. It pains me to see good images transformed into poor images. Our Digital Basics File has gone a long way to help folks improve their after-capture skills just as “The Art of Bird Photography” and “The Art of Bird Photography II” (the latter on CD only) has helped them perfect their in-the-field skills.

We have had people from the world over join us. Most recently I had the pleasure of meeting and working with a fine young Indian photographer on the Morro Bay IPT. Gaurav Mittal traveled all the way from India to join the group and will be returning with me to one of my soul places late next fall, Bosque del Apache NWR in San Antonio, New Mexico. He is quite skilled so watch out for him!

10. What would be your advice to upcoming Indian photographers who are seriously planning to take up a career on bird photography?

It is the same advice that I would give to upcoming photographers the world over. Number one and most important is for them to make sure that they are photographing what they love and are passionate about doing so. The industry has changed dramatically over the past decade. It is the rare photographer today who can succeed just by selling still images. Learning to write, learning to teach, and establishing a web presence is almost paramount to success. I always advise young pros to find their own niche and to develop markets for their work. Most pros today will counsel them to consider another career. Not me; they should not be discouraged. A life in photography is too wonderful a dream to give up on because of a few naysayers.

I would like to thank my new friend Indian photographer and videographer Sandesh Kadur for setting up this interview article. We met in June 2012 on a much too short familiarization tour of Trinidad and Tobago. Thanks also to Sandesh for opening my eyes to dSLR video. He is a kind, sweet, and very skilled young man.