Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The One Big Secret to Making Great Bird Photographs
With Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART — Free NANPA Webinar

Yes, boys and girls. There really is just one big secret. It will be revealed at the very end of the webinar. Join me on July 13 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm EDT to learn a ton. Click here to register. This program is free and open to all. Covered topics will include seeing the shot, finding the best perspective, getting close to free and wild birds, the importance of wind direction in bird photography, understanding the direction and qualities of natural light, flight photography tips, getting the right exposure, image composition and design, and lots more.

What Up?

Mr. Lazy Man slept in on Tuesday morning and left early to drive the four hours from Jacksonville back to ILE. He was home before 11am. And took a nap.

Today is Wednesday 6 July 2022. The morning forecast for ILE is for clear and sunny with a faint breeze from the ESE. Jon Hoiles and I could have used some of that at Huguenot Memorial Park as we were working with wind-against-sun conditions most of the time. 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 eight 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!

JAX

If you would like to join me for the July 15-19 Jacksonville IPT, or for some In-the-Field sessions there on those dates, please get in touch via e-mail.

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.

This image was created on 2 July 2022 on the beautiful beach at Huguenot Memorial Park. I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. (Sorry for boring you.) AWB at 6:56:04am on sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Most of the time, Bird works just fine for human subjects. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Jon Hoiles on the beach with his Nikon rig

Jon Hoiles

Jon Hoiles retired from the Navy in 2020. As director of the Navy blood program, he held the rank of Commander. He now works for Cerus, a company
headquartered in Concord, California, that develops and supplies vital technologies and pathogen-protected blood components to blood centers, hospitals, and ultimately patients who rely on safe blood. Jon is currently the product manager for pathogen-reduced red blood cells. Simply put, Cerus and Jon work to ensure that donated blood (in it various forms) is safe.

Jon got the bug for bird photography about 10 years ago while stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He was out doing landscapes and would often run into some bird photographers. What they were doing looked a lot more fun to him than taking pictures of seascapes and waterfalls. His first birds were Black-Faced Spoonbill, Japanese Common Kingfisher, and Japanese White-eye that had to be photographed on cherry blossoms in the spring.

Via e-mail from Jon

Art,

Thanks again for a great trip to photograph the Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls at Huguenot Memorial Park. What a great location. They say you learn from your mistakes, and, while I am happy with the image I made, I know I missed quite a few. I underexposed far too many, had too many birds with clipped wings, paid no attention to shadows, and had lots with uninteresting or distracting backgrounds (especially the birds in flight). I’d also like to take the 600mm f/4 out there next time. And the 800mm when that gets delivered!

The Z9, on the other hand, did great. It took me some time to figure out the best way to use the various autofocus modes, but, with the help of Warren Hatch’s great Z9 Guide, I had it figured out and the camera worked very well.

Thanks again for your help with getting the TC-E14 (teleconverter) ordered with Bedfords. I look forward to shooting with you in the future. It is always a treat and great a learning experience.

Jonathan

My Reply

Hey Jon,

Thanks for the images and thanks again for joining me. Clipped wings happen all the time with fixed focal length lenses (and even with zooms as everyone gets greedy). The shadows result from working off sun angle. And getting the right exposure is more difficult than with Sony. I’d advise getting into RawDigger. One last suggestion: when you have tons of light for flight photography with an f/5.6 lens, aim for 1/4000 second or 1/3200 second. You will still enjoy relatively low ISOs.

with love, artie

This image was created on 2 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park by multiple In-the-Field participant Jon Hoiles. He used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and the vaunted Nikon Z9 Mirrorless camera body with the FTZ II Adapter Kit. ISO 360: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 Image #2: Royal Tern braking to land

Blessed by Soft Light

On Saturday afternoon we enjoyed the best conditions of the weekend with light clouds and the wind from the south. We stood near the ropes and had the birds landing at us. Jon and the Z9 did the rest.

This image was created on 3 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park by multiple In-the-Field participant Jon Hoiles. He used the handheld Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and the vaunted Nikon Z9 Mirrorless camera body with the FTZ II Adapter Kit. ISO 180: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 Image #2: Royal Tern chick begging

Wind Against Sun and Chick Feeding

So if the wind was in Jon’s face, why was this begging chick facing right at him? Because the adults land into the wind and the chicks face them expectantly.

Jon on the Z9 Guide

The guide was great. Nikon’s default method of changing AF methods is difficult at best to use. You need three hands. Warren’s multi back-button approach saves the day. Not to mention his complete coverage of all relevant menu items and lots of great tips. I am glad that I read the guide completely. When I got to JAX I realized that I had left the battery charger at home. I remembered reading how to charge the camera directly using a compatible USB cable so I opened up the guide, found the info, and saved my weekend.”

You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store for $69.00. Or Call Jim weekdays at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. The Nikon Z9 Guide for Wildlife Photographers

The Nikon Z9 Guide for Wildlife Photographers/by Warren Hatch
Editorial Consultant: Arthur Morris

In this downloadable e-book (you will receive a link by e-mail), you’ll learn everything a wildlife photographer needs to know about the Nikon Z9. The Z9 is one of the most complex camera bodies ever made. In this guide, the brilliant Warren Hatch will teach you exactly how to set up your Z9 for bird, wildlife, and nature photography. The camera offers hundreds of settings and options. Selecting the right combination of these is essential in order to effectively use the Z9 in the field.

This 83-page guide, created in the tradition of the many mega-successful BIRDS AS ART Camera User’s Guides, includes:

1- Extensive information on the autofocus system and the optimal settings for the various shooting situations that wildlife photographers encounter including and especially for birds in flight.

2- The camera controls – what they do and how to customize them for your shooting style and varying conditions.

3- Configuring the camera so that you never need to take your eye from the viewfinder when the action unfolds.

5- Insights and details on using legacy F-mount lenses on the Z-9.

6- Practical advice about the camera batteries and chargers.

7- How to take advantage of the new capabilities introduced with firmware v2.00.

8- The AF-area Modes you should use and those you should avoid.

Order yours here in the BAA Online Store for $69.00. Or Call Jim weekdays at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand.

Alan Murphy on the Z9 Guide

I was excited to learn that Warren had written a guide to the Nikon Z9 as I have been learning so much about the camera from him. I’ve had the Z9 for several months. Whenever I was puzzled by my new mirrorless camera body, I’d call Warren. He always had the answer. Now, everything that he knows about this great camera body — it continues to amaze me, is available to everyone. Warren’s Z9 guide is great asset for Nikon shooters.

The Backstory

I’d been thinking about trying to find someone competent to write a Z9 for BIRDS AS ART ever since I heard that Nikon had released a mirrorless camera that was great for bird photography. Warren Hatch attended an IPT several decades ago, learned the basics, and was inspired by the original The Art of Bird Photography. When a participant on the last 2022 Homer IPT had to leave early, Warren joined the IPT for several days. He raved about his Z9. After he told me about the work he had done extracting metadata for the last ten years of Nikon camera bodies for ExifTool, I was pretty sure that I had found the author I needed for a Z9 guide …

When I broached the subject of doing a Z9 guide for BIRDS AS ART, he did not seem too thrilled. But I talked him into it. We sent him a few of my Camera User’s Guides for reference. I was shocked when he sent me a link to his first draft in what seemed like only a week. Even better, the layout and design of the document was beyond impressive. I was busy getting ready for the GNPA EXPO (and then came home with COVID) so it took me a while to get into it. As the editorial consultant, my job was to bust Warren’s b____s when it came to clarity and readability. So I did. We exchanged three or four edited versions, each one a great improvement from the previous version. When we were almost done, Warren enlisted the help of Kaitlin Marks-Dubbs who did a professional job of copy editing the document. The last step was to send the final draft to the esteemed and talented lifelong Nikon shooter Alan Murphy who gave the project his blessings. That brings us to the publication of The Nikon Z9 Guide for Wildlife Photographers by Warren Hatch. 🙂

So Who the Heck is Warren Hatch?

When it comes to Nikon camera bodies and nature photography, Warren Hatch is not chopped liver.

Warren retired from the information technology field eight years ago. He began as a computer programmer and retired as the Chief Information Officer of a multibillion-dollar consulting firm. He has been photographing full-time since then. His images have been honored by Audubon, Nature’s Best, and other international photo contests. Like me, photography is both his profession and his passion. For decades, Warren has made a concerted effort to understand what each and every camera body feature does and believes that his in-depth knowledge of his cameras’ buttons, dials, and capabilities has improved his photography.

Because of his close ties to Nikon, Warren was one of the first in the US to get his hands on a Z9. Not to mention a Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens!

For the past ten years, Warren has extracted the encrypted metadata from the Nikon NEF (raw) files for all Nikon professional camera bodies. The metadata contains the camera settings that include detailed autofocus information that is not available in Nikon’s NX Studio. He shares the extracted metadata with Phil Harvey who uses it in his hugely popular ExifTool software.

Typos

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

The One Big Secret to Making Great Bird Photographs
With Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART — Free NANPA Webinar

Yes, boys and girls. There really is just one big secret. It will be revealed at the very end of the webinar. Join me on July 13 from 4:00 to 5:00 pm EDT to learn a ton. Click here to register. This program is free and open to all. Covered topics will include seeing the shot, finding the best perspective, getting close to free and wild birds, the importance of wind direction in bird photography, understanding the direction and qualities of natural light, flight photography tips, getting the right exposure, image composition and design, and lots more.

What’s Up?

Jon Hoiles and I enjoyed another great morning at Huguenot Memorial Park just northeast of Jacksonville, FL. That despite a brisk southwest wind blowing right at the sun on a clear morning. Conditions for flight were so bad that we were actually doing landing-away shots. We had a decent sunrise and then worked the chicks for two hours. We both have sore butts. It stormed all afternoon, so I stayed in and got lots of work done both on the blog and the upcoming webinar.

I was thrilled to learn on Saturday that two folks more folks signed up for the August 2023 Galapagos trip. It may very well be sold out soon.

Be sure to scroll down all the way to view Images #2 and 2A, and to read my comments on “ghastly?” And be sure to click on each image to see the high-res version to increase your viewing pleasure.

Today is Sunday 3 July 2022. The forecast for this morning in Jacksonville is for more of the same — sunny to partly to mostly cloudy with a breeze from the west. Again, this is generally a kiss of death forecast for bird photography, but we will be out there again teaching and learning and having a ton of fun. When Jon got out of my vehicle in the morning, he said, “I can’t believe a place like this exists!”

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and makes one hundred six 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.

This image was created on 1 July 2022 at St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/1000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be a perfect. AWB at 4:15:03pm on a finally and thankfully cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Spot S with AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled. — I did not think fast enough to switch to Animal, but the system performed well enough. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: American Alligator with a nearly-fledged Great Egret chick in its jaws

A Ghastly (?) Scene at St. Augustine

The young father to my right let out a scream to alert his young son that a gator had grabbed a bird that had fallen into the moat. The big reptile swam slowly from my right to left. “It may surface soon” I called out. And it did. The preponderance of alligators actually protects the young birds from ground predators like raccoons and opossoms.

Women’s Hats

Many of you know that in the late 1800s, more than 50 species of North American birds were being slaughtered annually, their feathers used by the millinery trade to adorn women’s hats. By the turn of that century many millions of birds were being killed by plume hunters each year. To learn how the carnage was ended, click here to read How Two Women Ended the Deadly Feather Trade on the Smithsonian Magazine website.

The above came to mind when I realized that the gator appears to be wearing an egret for a hat!

Getting the Right Exposure

This is one of the most difficult exposures that you could ever hope (or hope not to) run across: a dark, almost black subject with a white bird in its jaws. I am glad the sun was not out! With Zebra technology getting it right was almost too easy. I picked my shutter speed, 1/1000 second in case the gator started thrashing around. I went with my usual wide-open aperture, f/4. Then I simply increased the ISO until I saw faint Zebras on the whitest feathers. And fired away. See the RawDigger item below for confirmation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Image #1A: RawDigger screen capture for the American Alligator with a nearly-fledged Great Egret chick in its jaws image

Ho Hum, Another Perfect Exposure

What can I say? The combination of Zebras live in the viewfinder (with your camera set up properly) and post-capture study of the raw files in RawDigger makes it pretty much child’s play to come up with perfect exposure after perfect exposure. Even in the most difficult situations. It would be impossible to overstate how much I have learned by studying RawDigger and how much better my exposures have become since I started with the program almost three years ago. The raw file brightness for today’s featured image is perfect with the G channel almost making the 16000 line.

RawDigger — not for the faint of heart …

Nothing has ever helped me learn to create perfect exposures to the degree that RawDigger has. I think that many folks are — as I was for many years, reluctant to learn that most of their images are underexposed by one or more full stops and that highlight warnings in Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, and your in-camera histogram are often bogus as they are based on the embedded JPEGs. Only your raw files tell the truth all the time. Heck, I resisted RawDigger for several years … Once you get over that feeling, RawDigger can become your very best exposure friend no matter what system you are using. On the recent IPTs and In-the-Field sessions, we have demonstrated that fact. Convincingly.

The RawDigger Adapted (pink) Histogram

In the RawDigger e-Guide, you will learn exactly how to set up the Adapted “pink” RawDigger Histogram and how to use it to quickly and easily evaluate the exposure or raw file brightness of images from all digital cameras currently in use. RawDigger was especially helpful to me as I have struggled with R5 exposures and learned my new camera body, the Sony Alpha a1.

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first, we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We puzzled as to why the Max G values for different cameras were different. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to evaluate your exposures and the raw file brightness quickly and easily the Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

This image was created on 1 July 2022 at St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via guesstimated with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/1000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 4:15:34pm on a finally and thankfully cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Spot S with AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled. — I did not think fast enough to switch to Animal, but the system performed well enough. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: American Alligator swimming away with a nearly-fledged Great Egret chick in its jaws

Going Away

The gator turned right as it approached a small island and swam away from me. I kept shooting figuring “What the heck? What better could I be doing? Even with the gator heading away, I liked this frame because the egret’s head broke the surface.

The Image Optimizations

Even with a dead-solid perfect exposure, great care was required when optimizing both of today’s featured images. First, I used Select > Color Range to select the WHITEs, placed the selection on its own layer, removed the BLUE, and restored some detail with a Linear Burn. Next, I selected the dark tones of the gator using the Quick Selection Tool, placed the selection on its own layer, and went Filter > Camera Raw Filter. There, I applied a big Shadow slider adjustment, and, in Curves, moved the Darks and the Shadows sliders to the right being sure not to overdo it.

Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2A: a large crop of the heron’s head in the American Alligator swimming away with a nearly-fledged Great Egret chick in its jaws image

What’s the Best Part?

When I asked myself that question for Image #2, the obvious answer was the head of the young bird that had broken the surface. So, I executed a relatively huge crop to create the image above. Sony Alpha a1 file size and image quality allowed for the big crop. I did select the young egret’s face and head and applied some Topaz Sharpen AI to that layer only. I will admit that it did a great job.

Ghastly?

As far as ghastly goes, remember that I am always rooting for the predators. Gators and raptors gotta eat too.

Typos

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