Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Grand Prize: You Be the Judge

Join in the fun and learn a ton while you still have the chance by clicking here. Voting for the Grand Prize winning image in the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition will be closed at 8am this coming Tuesday, September 18.

This image of a molting adult Black-bellied Plover was created yesterday afternoon from my SUV with the Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus Lens and the Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera (Body Only). ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. The big lens was supported by a BLUBB (Big Lens Ultimate BeanBag) resting on the lowered window of my vehicle. Converted in DPP. 61-Point 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.

Pissed Off

Not me, the plover. 🙂 This bird was a big bully. It spent most of the afternoon beating up other black-bellieds and bluff-charging the SHort-billed Dowitchers that were foraging nearby. I managed a few frames of one fight but with the wind from the east I got nothing usable. In this image the bird is performing a threat display that is being directed at another plover feeding nearby in an effort to defend its feeding territory.

As you might surmise I am loving my 1D X. The AF system is actually better than the similar AF system in the 5D Mark III . As I said before I even got my hands on a 1D X, “It will be a 5D III on steroids.” My assessment proved to be accurate. That said, the 5D III has a superbly effective and accurate autofocus system.

This is a DPP (Digital Photo Professional) screen capture showing the active AF points at the moment of capture.

1D X AF

Even though the latest version of BreezeBrowser Pro supports the 1D X, the Show Focus Points feature does not function. As you can see in the screen capture above showing the original image, 61-Point AF worked superbly here (though I could have pointed the lens even more to the right). Note that I cropped from the left and below to get the subject even more into the corner of the frame. I have set up my 1D X so that only three of the AF Area Selection Modes are active. I will be sharing all of my thoughts on the 1D X AF system in the 1D X User’s Guide; as I am beyond swamped, it will be a while before I even begin working on that….

Careful readers will note that I have been doing more and more of my 1D X conversions with DPP recently, that with help from brilliant BPN member Arash Harzeghi. I am trying hard to get Arash to write a basic guide to doing conversions in DPP as the results are clearly superior to ACR conversions in terms of color fidelity and image quality.

NIK COlor Efex Pro

Note that the bird in the optimized image that opens this blog post seems spotlit. After I applied an 80/3O NIK layer (80 Tonal Contrast/30 Detail Extractor) I painted the effect in on the bird using a Hide-All Mask. Then I clicked on the layer and pulled the curve (Control M) quite a bit to lighten only the subject. A new technique was born. I love the spotlit look of the subject as compared to its dreary rendition in the original capture as seen in the screen capture.

Learn how to use Regular and Hide-All Masks in our Digital Basics File, an e-mailable PDF that includes our complete digital workflow, our customized keyboard shortcuts, and dozens of great Photoshop tips.

NIK 15% Discount

As regular readers here know, NIK Color Efex Pro has drastically changed my digital workflow. Remember that you can save 15% on all NIK products by clicking here and entering BAA in the Promo Code box at check-out. Then hit Apply to see your savings. You can download a trial copy that will work for 15 days and allow you to create full sized images.

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If You Photograph Nature, You Gotta Read This!

Denise Ippolito at Nickerson Beach photographing terns on the morning after the IPT. When you come across a single photographer photographing a small group of birds the best course is to let them be and to give them and the birds a wide berth as you pass by…. Image above created at f/5.6 with the:

Field Etiquette for Nature Photographers

I was walking along a narrow path next to Little Estero Lagoon while scouting for a Southwest Florida IPT. About 50 yards ahead of me there were two American Oystercatchers foraging. The only problem was that 35 yards ahead of me a photographer was lying on his belly photographing the pair of attractive birds. They were catching big worms and the light was lovely… What to do? The guy was on the wet sand was facing away and was not at all aware that I was there. If I called to him (to ask if I could join him) I risked scaring the birds away. So I stood there for 30 minutes and watched with a bit of envy. Finally I decided that I would join him by starting my crawl from way back so as not to flush the birds.

I advanced slowly a few yards, remaining well outside of this species usual circle of fear. I slowly and carefully got down on one knee and the birds did not notice me, but as I lowered myself to the prone position, one of the birds (to my dismay) screamed its strident alarm call. Both birds leaned forward and took flight. I felt absolutely terrible and was about to explain that I had waited for half an hour when the photographer turned towards me and exclaimed, “Artie, it’s great to see you!” Then Tim Fitzharris—a friend, a well-known professional nature photographer and author, and one of the folks who inspired me early on, reached into an upper pocket, grabbed his walkie-talkie, raised his wife (who was in their small motor home nearby with their son Jesse), and said, “Joy, you would not believe whom I just ran into while crawling in the mud!”

Folks are usually not so glad to see you when you scare their subjects away….

You are walking down a desolate beach when you see a photographer working a beautiful Reddish Egret, a species you have dreamed of photographing. What to do? First off, as we saw in the example above, you need to stay well back. If you opt to leave the photographer and his subject, be sure to give both a wide berth while passing them. Many photographers think, “I will be polite and walk around this situation,” and then they choose a route that flushes the bird (or especially, a flock of birds; it is usually easier to approach a single bird than it is to approach a flock: scare one, scare all…) As a general rule, plan your route by doubling the distance that you think necessary to avoid flushing the subject(s).

If the photographer is aware of your presence, you have another option: you can ask as quietly as possible or gesture by pointing appropriately to indicate “Can I join you?” If they nod or assent, you need to be especially careful as to how you make your approach. First, you must consider your route. Approaching from directly behind the photographer is almost always best. You can actually hide behind the person who was there first as you make your approach. If the photographer is standing and you are going to approach while standing, you need to keep the front leg of your tripod low. It is often best to carry your tripod in front of you rather than on your shoulder. And you will need to move slowly, very slowly. I am often amazed at folks who think that “slowly” means to walk as if you were in a supermarket and were late for dinner… If you are walking through shallow water or muck or algae, listen to your footsteps. By doing so and placing each foot down carefully you can make your approach much less obtrusive.

If the photographer is kneeling you need to get down on your knees while you are well back and then again, make your approach slowly. If the photographer is down on his belly, you need to get down on your belly, again, while you are well back, and crawl your way in. Walking right up to a photographer who is either kneeling or crawling is unconscionable. In all cases your number one concern must be to avoid flushing the subject or the flock.

If there is only one flock of birds in sight and there are several photographers already in position then you have a bit more freedom; you can approach carefully without asking, make sure to go in low and slow. As always, you need to take great care to avoid flushing the flock. There are of course many grey areas here… In some situations, as with an obviously tame bird, you can simply approach without much concern. An example might be a fisherman-friendly Great Blue Heron that is used to being in close proximity to humans. As with all aspects of photography, knowing your subject is of paramount importance. If I came across someone photographing a Horned Lark while lying flat on the grass I would never even consider approaching as this species is notoriously flighty.

If you encounter a tour group that is photographing the only birds on the beach, then joining them would—in my opinion—be appropriate. If, however, they are tossing fish to attract the birds, then it might be inappropriate to join them unless you ask or are invited to do so. An option would be to take a position well behind the group while using a longer lens. And, by the way, if you are a member of a tour group, the restrictions on approaching birds or animals being photographed by other members of the group are greatly relaxed. That said, be sure to move slowly and to get low if need be. And if you are a member of a tour group, it is doubly imperative that you be doubly considerate of other photographers who are not part of your group.

” … if you are a member of a tour group, the restrictions on approaching… other members of the group are greatly relaxed….” If you’d like to join us in Katmai next September please contact me via e-mail. Image above created with the hand held:

There is one exception to the above. If one of the group has split well off from the group and gotten close to a nice bird (or a nice flock of birds), I would suggest that you treat them as if they were a stranger, that is, with great respect.

At Homer, Alaska, when it was legal to feed the Bald Eagles there, I would routinely spend more than $1,400 on fish over a ten day period; herring is a relatively healthy eagle snack. Many photographers, certainly more than a dozen, followed my group around the Spit as if they were members of the group. They joined right in, often getting in front of the folks in my group. Though I did not say a word—except to those who carelessly stepped in front of others—I firmly believe that their behavior was inappropriate. When folks are paying for a service, it’s rude to intrude.
In all group situations, it is imperative to be aware of the position of the others in the group. If someone is looking through their viewfinder at a subject, you are not free to walk in front of them as you please. To do so is inconsiderate. You can either walk behind them or, you can ask them if it would be OK for you to pass. When I want to get by someone quickly, I often stand just outside their field of view and say “Say when…” implying that they should let me know when it is OK to pass.

If you want to walk in front of someone who is changing teleconverters or chatting with a friend then you can do so with impunity. I saw a woman at the Venice Rookery berate another photographer for walking in front of her tripod mounted lens (even though the complaining photographer was more than 10 feet away from her rig!) If you are photographing with or in the vicinity of a group and you opt to stay well back from the subject or the flock while everyone else is photographing the same subjects from much closer range, it is usually best for you to adjust your position in response to the folks up front changing their positions. I have seen folks photographing a subject from a hundred yards away chastise other photographers who were working a tame subject from much closer range with short lenses. If you choose to stay well back and work with a long lens, you are the one who needs to move. With your narrow field of view you will only have to move a very short distance to get a clean shot. On the other hand, if several folks are working a subject with a long lens, it would not be proper for you to block them by approaching the subject.

If you have worked hard to get close to a great subject or a flock of birds—remember that working the edge of a flock is usually best, be sure to exit as carefully as you approached so that you do not disturb the birds. And that is true whether you are by yourself or with a large group. I have on countless occasions seen a selfish photographer who is finished working a bird or a group of birds simply stand up when they were done thus flushing the bird(s). That is like saying, “I am done and I do not care at all about you or the birds….”

If you are photographing migrant songbirds in wooded areas or edges such as The Tip at Point Pelee National Park near Leamington, Ontario or at the Convention Center on Padre Island, TX, the guidelines are quite different. If there are several photographers around, it is pretty much open season as the warblers, tanagers, vireos, and the rest of the cast are usually intent on feeding and are pretty much oblivious to our movements. Be sure, however, to move slowly, to be fairly quiet, and to avoid cutting in front of others. In such situations the birds move to the next bush or fly away pretty much when they are ready to… On the other hand, if there is a single photographer in the woods working a thrush—they are usually quite skittish, it is usually best to take another path and search for your own bird. Another option would be to stand quietly and hope that the bird moves towards your position.

Here are some guidelines to follow when photographing from your vehicle on a refuge tour route or a shoreline with vehicle access (like East Beach at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg, FL.) If the car in front of you is close to a skittish subject, it is best to either give them a few minutes with the subject before trying to get into position, or, if possible, to pass them by without scaring off the subject. If in doubt, it is best to give them a bit of time with the subject before you attempt to go by them. If you are positive that the bird or animal is tame you can approach at any time. When you do approach, do so slowly and with extreme care. On a related note, it is best to approach subjects with your telephoto lens in place on the window; raising the lens and sticking it out the window once you are close to the subject will often frighten it away. (Note: if you are photographing from your vehicle with a big lens it should be on a BLUBB.) Here’s another fine point: if you position your vehicle in front of the car that was on the scene first and the animal moves towards you position, you are not obligated to move your vehicle. If the other driver is savvy, they will simply pull ahead of you and hope—as will often be the case—that the subject continues to move in the same direction.

Under no circumstances is it permissible to leave your vehicle and approach a photographer working from their vehicle. At Merritt Island, I had just pulled up to a huge flock of White Pelicans doing their group feeding thing—they were herding and catching huge mullet–in a pool right next to the road when a car pulled up behind me. A guy got out with an intermediate telephoto lens and all the birds flew away, about two miles away… At East Beach at Fort DeSoto I had a group of five American Avocets right outside my car. Another photographer left his vehicle, walked several hundred yards towards my position with his big lens on his shoulder, and scared all the birds away. You gotta love it. When the inevitable occurs, it is fine—if you are comfortable doing so—to let the offender know politely that their behavior was inappropriate. No matter how egregious the offense, screaming or cursing will not help the situation at all.

It goes without saying that we all must follow the rules when working in controlled areas. If the signs say “Stay on the Path,” then we must stay on the path. If the sign says “Area Closed,” then we must not enter. To do otherwise gives all photographers a black mark. At present, because of the actions of a relatively few, many refuge managers consider all photographers criminals. If you encounter another photographer breaking the rules you might consider informing them as politely as possible that their behavior is improper. If the other photographer ignores your request, it is best to move on. You might consider jotting down a description or better yet, a license plate number, and letting the authorities know what you observed. Best would be to photograph the offending photographer in action and then photograph their license plate. When you do opt to report someone to the authorities you are—in my opinion—obligated to leave your contact information.

The suggestions above are guidelines based on my 28 years of field experience. There are of course lots of grey areas and close calls. At all times, however, it is best to obey the posted rules,to use common sense, and to be considerate of others and the subjects that they are photographing.

Malcolm MacKenzie photographing at Nickerson Beach with his 400mm f/2.8L IS II lens and a 1DX. Malclom was a participant on the Nickerson Beach IPT; though he was part of the group I cautioned others not to approach him in this situation as he had gone off on his own, gotten to a good spot, and had some young Black Skimmers and just fledged Common Terns right in front of him. Malcolm’s gear:

Comments, Questions, and Your Thoughts

Comments, questions, and your thoughts on anything above are of course welcome. Feel free to share your tales of folks who really need to study the materials here 🙂 Please do leave a comment.

Nickerson Baby Beach-nesting Birds IPT: July 23-25, 2013: $1099. Introductory slide program: Monday, July 22, 2013. Limit 12/Openings 8. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito.

Join Denise and me on Long Island, NY next summer to photograph Common Tern chicks, baby American Oystercatchers, and just-hatched Black Skimmer chicks along with the adults. The opportunities will include chances to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship feeding, display flight and combat, and copulations. Car-pooling is recommended; if we opt to return to the beach before 5pm there is a $30/vehicle parking fee that is not included so it is best to share that expense. Parking in the morning is free.

I expect that many who have photographed with us at Nickerson before at different seasons will wish to join us for this very special Nickeron IPT. Both Denise and I will be speaking at the 2013 NECCC event the weekend before this IPT.

Bear Boat/Bears Catching Salmon IPT: September 2-9, 2013 from Kodiak, AK: $6699. Happy campers only! Maximum 6 + two leaders: Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito. Openings: 3.

We will take one or more float planes to the boat mid-morning on September 2. e will photograph bears that afternoon and every day for the next six days (weather permitting of course). We should have bears catching salmon every day. In addition, we will get some nice stuff on Mew Gull and Glaucous-winged Gulls dining on roe and the remains of predated salmon. We may–depending on where the concentrations of bears are located–get to photograph harbor seals and some hauled out Steller’s Sea Lions (an endangered species). Halibut fishing (license required) is optional. On September 9, our last morning on the boat, we will photograph in the early morning and then take return to Kodiak via float plane.

Please e-mail for complete details.

NYC Weekend Nature Photography Seminar

Presented by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure and Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Hilton Garden Inn, Staten Island, New York. December 8-9, 2012 from 9am-4:30pm.
Weekend: $169. SAT or SUN: $99. Lodging available for out of town guests.
Saturday: Image Capture Sunday: Image Evaluation and Processing

Click here for complete details including the Saturday and Sunday schedules, club and group discount info, and registration incentives and for more info on the In-the-Field Seminar Follow-up Workshop.

Artie, the grizzled veteran, is widely noted as one of the premier bird photographers, tour leaders, and educators on the planet. Denise, who specializes in flowers, is the mega-creative up-and-comer, a popular lecturer, a skilled field instructor, and an amazing Photoshop wizard who will share her tips and tricks with you. Both artie and denise are full time professional nature photographers.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours

Click here for complete IPT information including the current schedule and links to general IPT info, deposit and cancellation policies. and the required registration and release forms.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate 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.

Staples 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….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. 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.
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.

Delkin 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards

All of the images above were catpured on Delkin’s new 64gb 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Card. Learn more about these great cards by clicking here and learn why the more expensive 1000X cards are overkill for still photographers.

This image of an adult Great Black-Backed Gull with a dead juvenile skimmer was created with the hand held Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS II lens, 1.4X III TC, and the unfortunately discontinued Canon EOS-1D Mark. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus and recompose. (I was seated with the rig braced on my left knee.) Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, more spectacular version. Denise and I stayed very late on Friday evening after all of the group had headed home. I found a Great Black-backed Gull dining on a baby skimmer well after sundown. Being a bit tired after three full grueling days I had headed out with only the 300 f/2.8L IS II.

Why Join a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour?

Why join a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)? They are expensive. They do not include transportation or lodging. So why are most sold out long in advance? I’ve heard that artie does not care if you learn and that he will push you out of the way to get his shot. What gives? Denise Ipplolito and I recently co-led my Nickserson Beach/Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. We had a full house of 10 including four repeat clients. After the IPT we received the e-mails below.

If you’ve ever spent a single dime on improving your skills as a nature photographer I urge you to read every e-mail presented here.

From Canon-gal Dierde Sheer-Gross:

To Artie and Denise, and to all of my new fellow bird photography adventurers, Many Thanks! The IPT was the GREATEST!!!! I so loved our time together. I learned a “ton,” so many new things about photography (equipment; technique; composition; anticipation and positioning; remembering to “tell the story;” the importance of the background; I could go on. And I learned a “stack” about birds and their behaviors; and the post production tips and techniques were terrific: Photoshop, Nik & beyond; and I even learned some about life–that Artie really is a sweetie. Many, many, many thanks. I am looking forward to the next ones and to seeing you both at the NYC Seminar. With affection and a passion for the birds, Deirdre
ps: I hope that you don’t mind but I going to post this on your web sites.
pps. The was quite a punch seeing that shot of the Black Backed Gull.The realities of survival: whew.

Note: See the opening image above.

From Canon-using Scotsman Malcom MacKenzie:

Artie It was great to spend some time with you both. It was a terrific workshop and I was surprised at how sloppy I had become in my approach to bird photography: Thanks for getting me back on track! Artie, you work so hard at making sure that we all have a great learning experience that I wonder if you forget yourself in the equation. Please take care of your health; you mean a great deal to a lot of people out there in the world. Regareds, Malcolm

Note: I let Malcolm know that his more than kind words brought tears of happiness to my eyes.

More from Malcolm:

Denise, I just wanted to thank you again for all the hard work that you put in on the Nickerson IPT. From your great opening presentation on Tuesday evening–I love your creative approach, to the farewells on Friday at sunset, you were fantastic. As I mentioned to Artie, I had become somewhat sloppy I had become in my approach to bird photography… You and Artie got me tuned up (translated: kicked my butt) and I feel much better about my readiness for my trip to Africa on Friday. I am looking forward to joining you on some more workshops in the near future. I am wishing you well as you ramp up your career; I am sure that it will be a successful one. Malcolm

From Nikon-user Tim Thompson:

Art/Denise, The Nickerson IPT was fabulous!! What a super group led by two very dedicated and informative professionals. Artie, I loved the way you and Denise led the IPT and made adjustments as needed. Positive, creative energy from the get-go and it flowed with us until the end. We had super IPT participants/teammates who really love photography. As I sit here writing to you, I am having withdrawal symptoms for Nickerson and JBWR!!! Three for three on the Merrick Bagel Shop outings and two for two on restaurant selections. Loved the IPT format and have zero complaints. Enclosed please find five of my favorites from the trip. I did slight cropping (very minor and when/where needed) and in some cases exposure adjustments (when/where needed). I welcome your comments. Wishing you continued good health and keep on doing the amazing …..inspirational things you guys do! Tim

Note from artie: on our two Nickerson mornings we homesteaded for brunch at a great bagel store in Merrick with lots of room. And did the same thing in Broad Channel after our East Pond morning. We actually did some high level instruction in both spots while enjoying lox and cream cheese and chicken salad and lots more. Brunches and lunches are always on me. The group was so wonderful that I treated everyone to dinner not once but twice. At two great places: Center Thai Bistro in Rockville, Centre and Prime Catch Seafood Grill and Bar also in Rockville Centre. Both were superb.

From Canon shooter Pierre Giard, a professional photographer who drove from Canada to join this IPT:

As was said previously by my colleagues, this was a fantastic IPT and I really loved every minute of it. One of the many reasons I attended the IPT was to get inspirations for my future workshops and this was definitively achieved and more. I feel it will be difficult to be surrounded by a better group of talented and dedicated photographers in the future. Thanks again Denise and Artie: you are great leaders and both of you are models to follow for my own business. Kind regards to all. Pierre

From Nikon shooter Eric Loken:

Art and Denise, Thanks for a great session. Great instruction, great group of photographers and a great venue. We couldn’t have asked for more. I even got a few nice images. I will send some along shortly for your review. Thanks again, Eric

This sweet image of a juvenile Least Sandpiper was created on the IPT by participant Kitty Kono with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR II AF lens and the Nikon D3X. Image courtesy of and copyright Kitty Kono (with thanks). I chose this image to represent the many fine images that were sent to Denise and I for critiquing after the IPT. In addition, Kitty had presented this image for critiquing during an afternoon group review session in the motel.

From Nikon user Kitty Kono:

Dear Art and Denise, Again, I cannot thank you both enough for four exceptionally wonderful days. I loved every minute and learned so much. Here are five of my favorite photographs for review. Hope you all had a restful weekend. And I so hope to join you in another adventure sometime in the near future. Take good care and I will be connecting with you through your websites. My best, Kitty

From Canon user Gaurav Mittal who again traveled from India to join his 2nd IPT this year:

Hello Guru Artie, It was nice to see you again and to meet Denise. It was a pleasure to meet everyone in the group. I hope that no one caught a cold from me as I have now come down with a bad cold and fever and had to take a lot of breaks on my way back to DC. As always it was a great learning experience and will email you some images soon. Love and regards, Gaurav

Note: Gaurav got sick in the Pribilofs the week before and it has been taking him a long time to recover. Get better soon!

From Nikon guy Mike Goodman:

Artie, Denise & group, Let me add my voice to the thanks for a great workshop, amazing photo ops & a most delightful & dedicated group of serious photographers. I learned lots & am appreciative of the energy & genuine caring that Art & Denise brought to the IPT. It was a fabulous & intense 3 days. I will be emailing my images in a week or so as I am currently on a business trip to lovely Brookings, South Dakota… Mike

Note: as to the “intense,” we were in our vehicles every day between 4:30 and 5:00am to take advantages of pre-dawn opportunities to create pleasing blurs. And we were on the beach every day till about 8pm. And, we did a program each afternoon at the motel after our naps…. Yes, IPTs are intense photographic experiences.

From Malcolm’s friend Stanley Goldberg:

Dear Artie and Denise, You guys could not have done more for myself and my fellow participants at the recent Nickerson IPT. Your energy level and enthusiasm along with your knowledge of the birds and photography made this experience extraordinarily enjoyable and educational. Regards, Stanley

From Canon newbie Susan Malspeis:

Denise, Thanks for the great workshop and all the help. I have never been on a workshop where someone checked in with me and set me on the right course as often as you did at Nickerson. It was amazing and your efforts were super-appreciated. Sue

Nickerson Baby Beach-nesting Birds IPT: July 23-25, 2013: $1099. Introductory slide program: Monday, July 22, 2013. Limit 12. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito.

I am proud to announce the brand new July 2013 Nickerson Baby Beach-nesting Birds IPT. Join Denise and me on Long Island, NY next summer to photograph Common Tern chicks, baby American Oystercatchers, and just-hatched Black Skimmer chicks along with the adults. The opportunities will include chances to photograph a variety of breeding behaviors including courtship feeding, display flight and combat, and copulations. Car-pooling is recommended; if we opt to return to the beach before 5pm there is a $30/vehicle parking fee that is not included so it is best to share that expense. Parking in the morning is free.

I expect that many who have photographed with us at Nickerson before at different seasons will wish to join us for this very special Nickeron IPT. Both Denise and I will be speaking at the 2013 NECCC event the weekend before this IPT.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours

Click here for complete IPT information including the current schedule and links to general IPT info, deposit and cancellation policies. and the required registration and release forms.

I created this image of another hungry Great Black-backed Gull on the last afternoon before I headed from my Mom’s back to the home office with the the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens and the Canon EOS-1DX. ISO 800: Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central Sensor 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.

Which Do You Like Best?

Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the three images here you like best. And why.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate 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.

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….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. 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.
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.

Delkin 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards

All of the images above were catpured on Delkin’s new 64gb 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Card. Learn more about these great cards by clicking here and learn why the more expensive 1000X cards are overkill for still photographers.

This backlit sunflower image was created the afternoon before Denise Ippolito’s A Creative Adventure sunflower workshop in Newton, NJ in early August. I used my favorite new macro rig, the 500 f/4L IS II: Canon 500mm f/4L IS II lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/13 sec. at f/16 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the flower center and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Leaf Too Long? Confessions of an Edge-Freak

I loved the backlight here and made several images moving a bit to the left or right. This was my favorite frame because it had the nicest background and because it had the strongest backlight. But. I clipped the leaf on the edge of the frame. For me, that is a cardinal sin. I tried bringing in the tip of the leaf from one of the properly framed images, but nothing worked despite repeated attempts. So I gave up.

Here is a close-up view of my crime.

In the Art of Bird Photography II in the chapter on Advanced Composition and Image Design I (think that I wrote) “If an object is worth including in the frame be sure to include the whole thing with at least a small border.” If I did not write that there, I have said is a thousand times here, at seminars, and on IPTs. Become an Edge-Freak. It is much easier to deal with objects that merge with the frame edge in the field than it is in post processing.

In Digital Basics I wrote something to this effect: “We have taught you how to use lots of tools and we have taught you many techniques, but sometimes you need to put your thinking cap on, get creative, and come up with something new.

Here is a close-up view of of the repaired leaf.

I came across this image yesterday and suddenly a plan to repair the leaf came to mind. I made a Quick Mask of the upper edge of the leaf and put it on its own layer. I moved it to my right a bit, re-positioned it, and warped it. I left the layer intact, went back to the background layer, painted a Quick Mask of the lower edge of the lead, and repeated the additional steps above. Then I added a Layer Mask to each of the two edge layers and painted away as needed to give the now shortened leaf a nice point. All that was left was to paint a third Quick Mask with some brown center of the sunflower behind the formerly offending leaf, move it into place, add a Layer Mask, and paint away as needed to reveal the pointy tip of the new leaf below. It sounds like a lot of work but actually took about four minutes. That compared to the 40 minutes that I spent on my misguided efforts.

Most everything above is covered in detail in Digital Basics. Advanced Quick Masking Techniques including warping and re-positioning are covered in APTATS I.

This is the optimized image; note that the leaf is not longer clipped. Let’s call this Image A.

I was not sure that I liked all the specular highlights in the optimized image so I went back to work using the Clone Stamp Tool at reduced opacity, varying between 40 and 70%.

This is the image after I dealt with the specular highlights. Let’s call this Image B.

Do understand that our the image directly above, Image B, is what our eyes would see. The specular highlights are caused by points of light being reflected (if that is the right word) off internal lens elements.

Which Do You Like Better?

Take a moment to let us know which image you like better, Image A or Image B. And be sure to let us know why.

Delkin 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards

You can learn more about Delkin’s new 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards by clicking here and learn why the 1000X cards are overkill for still photographers. These cards are as important to my 5DIII as the batteries in the vertical battery grip!

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used to create the images in today’s 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 500mm f/4L IS II lensI decided to leave the 800 at home for the bear boat trip and quickly fell in love with the 500 II for its light weight, great versatility, and four-stop IS. A complete review will be coming soon.

Canon EOS-5D Mark III. Man, I am in love with this camera body. Both the files and the AF system are superb.

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….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. 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.
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.

This, as requested by Diane Miller, is a 100% crop (unsharpened) of an image created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-1DX. Mongoose M3.6 with the Skimmer II Ground Pod. ISO 800: Evaluative metering -1 1/3 stops: 1/800 sec. at f/9 in Av mode. AI Servo/Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

100% Proof

The unsharpened 100% view above looks pretty good to me. Surely a similar image created with the 800 alone and the 1DX would show a bit more feather fine detail but by my standards, it is professionally sharp. Most folks here know the pen test for sharpness. I devised this test about ten years ago when it was not uncommon to sell an image or two for publication. What’s the pen test? When the buyer signs the check to purchase the right to publish an image, that is proof to me that the image is sharp enough…. Do remember that the images that come out of digital cameras will be inherently unsharp as compared to a sharp film image.

What do you think?

This moderately worn juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper image was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-1DX. Mongoose M3.6 with the Skimmer II Ground Pod. ISO 800: Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. 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.

Lots More With the Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter

The image above shows two things:

1-It is routinely possible to create sharp images when the Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter is teamed with the Canon EOS-1DX and the Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens.
2-AF is more than good enough to track moving subjects.
3-The metering system of the 1DX does not recognize the loss of one stop of light with the off-brand teleconverter so it is necessary to use one stop less light than you would without the Kenko 1.4X TC in place. As always, you need to be diligent about checking the histogram and make sure to check for blinkies after you create a single image in a new situation. (Note to self: remember that one!)

In this image I love the raised foot, the grass, and the tertial feathers that were blown out of place by the south breeze. The whitish-grey framing is courtesy of the bathing gulls; I needed to move to my left so that the gull reflections did not directly intersect the young shorebird.

This bathing adult Laughing Gull image was again created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-1DX. Mongoose M3.6 with the Skimmer II Ground Pod. ISO 800: Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. 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.

Though the 1DX autofocus system is similar to that of the 5D Mark III I have developed and been using some new strategies as far as the AF Area Selection Modes. I will be sharing what I learned only in the 1DX User’s Guide. I can say that I have been amazed by more than a few things in this area….

This bathing juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs image was also (heck, that’s the point here) created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-1DX. Mongoose M3.6 with the Skimmer II Ground Pod. ISO 800: Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. 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.

The blazingly fast frame rate and sure AF of the 1DX allowed me to create several sharp, well-framed images in each bathing bird sequence.

This Great-blacked Back Gull was dining on a juvenile skimmer last night at Nickerson. As with all of the images here, this one was created with the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-1DX. ISO 400: Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/8 in Av mode. Note the two perfect head angles! 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.

Things were looking dire at the beach on Saturday night. The wind was from the east which is bad for flight and for photographing birds on the sand–they will be flying and facing away from you and from the light. But a bad wind for flight is a good wind for potential silhouettes. Only the hoped for color never materialized as the clouds on the western horizon thickened. But, when I walked out on the beach at about 6:15 pm I came across this adult gull enjoying dinner and spent about an hour with it. I will share another image from the series with you here at some point. Or in a Bulletin.

I began standing behind my tripod at full height to minimize the problem of other gulls in the background. When the scene cleared up a bit I knelt behind my tripod with the legs shortened for a more pleasing perspective. At one point I got down flat but there were too many problems with beach-goers heading home in the background.

NYC Seminar

Do consider joining Denise Ippolito and me for a great weekend nature photography seminar in Staten Island, NY in mid-December. For complete details including registration and discount info, click here.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used or mentioned in this Bulletin. 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.L IS lens Right now this is my all time favorite super telephoto lens. But my 600 II is coming soon…. It has great reach, AFs with my EOS-1D Mark IV, is relatively light, and the the four-stop IS is amazing.
Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 DGX 1.4x AF Teleconverter. A life-saver for those who own the 800 f/5.6 and either the 5D III or the 1DX. It is sharp and light.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III. Man, I am in love with this camera body. Both the files and the AF system are superb.
Canon EOS-1DX. This superb full frame professional digital camera has changed my approach to bird photography like no other body ever has. Lightning fast with a killer AF system; as predicted, it is a 5D III on steroids.
1.4X III TC The latest version of the 1.4X TC is designed to work best with the Series II Super-telephoto lenses.
The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body has been discontinued. With the new professional body, the full frame EOS-1DX, focusing only to f/5.6, it is my belief that discontinuing the Mark IV is quite unfortunate for a variety of reasons.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III. Man, I am in love with this camera body. Both the files and the AF system are superb.

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….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. 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.
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.

Delkin 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards

All of the images above were catpured on Delkin’s new 64gb 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Card. Learn more about these great cards by clicking here and learn why the more expensive 1000X cards are overkill for still photographers.

This adult Killdeer was photographed from my car with my rig resting on a folded up sweatshirt on the lowered driver’s side window; oh how I wish that I had brought my travel BLUBB to NY! With the Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, with the 1.4X III TC and the discontinued Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) AI Servo/Rear Focus AF on the closest bird’s face and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Living and Learning After the Thunderstorm

I had planned to head to the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on Monday afternoon with my friend Tom Pfiefer, president of the Nature and Wildlife Photographers of Long Island group. The club has lots of highly skilled members and great speakers at most of their monthly meetings. Learn more about NWPLI here. But the weatherman intervened. And amazingly the predicted thunderstorms materialized so I stayed home and got some work done. Just before 6pm it got a bit brighter so I headed to a local state park that several folks had told me about. I found some shorebirds in a parking lot rain puddle and had a ton of fun. Better yet, I got to see my old friend Johann Schumacher. Johann goes back a lot further than Tom; we started photographing together at JBWR in the early ’80s.

I worked the small killdeer flock on and off for about 90 minutes before heading home. The image above, the last one that I created, was my favorite though I did get lots of other keepers.

Clean-up Along With a New Content Aware Fill Trick

Bill and background clean-up–see the before and after animated GIF above–was as usual done with the Patch Tool, a few Quick Masks, Protect and Defend Cloning, and the Spot Healing Brush. But I have been trying Content Aware Fill recently with varying results–sometimes amazingly good and sometimes ludicrously bad. As with the Patch Tool, it is best to work large so that you can work small–if that makes any sense at all. Enlarge the image anywhere from 200% to 1000% depending on the size of the flaw and then work only on one single small flaw at a time. If there are several flaws in a small area and you try to repair them all at once you will usually be doomed to failure. Note: most of the background clean-up, as you can see in the animated GIF below, involved eliminated specular highlights. All of the above BTW is with CS-5.

All of the techniques above are of course covered in detail in our Digital Basics File that includes my complete digital workflow along with dozens of additional Photoshop tips and free updates.

With NIK Color Efex Pro: painted in 100% Detail Extractor to the whites of the face and neck with a Hide-All mask and an 80% layer of Tonal Contrast on the bird only after selecting the bird with the Quick Selection Tool. As regular readers know NIK’s Color Efex Pro 4 is now an integral part of my workflow. You can save 15% on all NIK products by clicking here and entering BAA in the Promo Code box at check-out. Then hit Apply to see your savings. You can download a trial copy that will work for 15 days and allow you to create full sized images. Click here for a cool NIK tutorial.

I have CS-6 on my laptop, where, BTW, I optimize all of my very best images. When I open it I am totally confused. Tim Grey has graciously provided me access to a collection of his CS-6 video tutorials. I will report back as soon as I have a chance to study them and get started with CS-6. In the meantime, you can check them out here. The first one that I will be checking out is “Photoshop CS6 Quick Start for Photographers.”

Anyway, back to my great new Content Aware Fill (CAF) trick. Previously, when using CAF I would first hit L for the Lasso Tool, and then use the CAF keyboard shortcut (Shift f5)–I hate to waste time with those drop-down menus. Then I would need to hit P for the Patch Tool (a custom made keyboard shortcut). Here is what I discovered. If I make a selection with the Patch Tool you can simply hit Shift f5 to activate CAF. This saves me lots of time as I do not have to repeatedly hit L and then P again when I want to try CAF while doing image clean-up. At times, CAF leaves small but telltale defects along the edges of the repair just as the Patch Tool does. Now I can simply do a quick Patch Tool repair to clean those up, again without having to toggle between L and P.

BTW again, all of our customized keyboard shortcuts and instructions on creating them are included in Digital Basics.

Avoiding Lumpy Bills

Working on small areas using the Patch Tool, small Quick Masks, the Spot Healing Brush, and Content Aware Fill will result in smooth repairs. If you use only the Clone Stamp Tool you will likely wind up with lots of lumpy looking repairs. Note the smooth appearance of the bill in the optimized tight crop in the animated GIF above.

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

If you can learn this much in five minutes from a simple blog post think how much you will learn and how much your photography and image optimization skills will improve after you spend an entire weekend with Denise Ippolito and me…. See all the details and discount info here. If you live within a three hour drive of Staten Island and do not take advantage of this opportunity…. Nuf said. 🙂 It will be great.

Crazy B&H Canon Rebates

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Crazy B&H Canon Rebates

B&H is offering crazy-huge instant rebates of up to $300 on a variety of Canon lenses and Speedlites including many of my absolute favorite intermediate telephoto lenses like the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, the 70-200mm f/4L IS, and the 100-400mm L IS. Click here or on the image above now for complete details; these offers expire on 1 September.

Purchases made using the links above will help us be able to continue providing free information on the blog and in the BAA Bulletins.

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B&H Sigma Lens Specials

I have, on many occasions, seen the incredible images made by Robert O’Toole with the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO autofocus lens. It is lightweight, relatively inexpensive, sharp as a tack at f/8, and it features an almost ridiculous minimum focusing distance. The OS refers to the optical stabilizer in the lens. Best of all, B&H is now offering some very nice rebates on both the Canon and Nikon versions of this lens as well as on a wide variety of other Sigma lenses.

Click here to learn more about the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO autofocus lens with Canon mount.
Click here to learn more about the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO autofocus lens with Nikon mount.
Click here to learn more about the rebate offers for all Sigma Canon mount lenses.
And click here to learn more about the rebate offers for all Sigma Nikon mount lenses.

Purchases made using the links above will help us be able to continue providing free information on the blog and in the BAA Bulletins.

This group of southbound migrant Black-bellied Plovers was created at the north end of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY on the afternoon of August 13. I was on the ground behind my tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, with the 1.4X III TC and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/9 in Av mode. Central sensor (by necessity) AI Servo/Rear Focus AF on the closest bird’s face and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

A Different Look/Lots to Learn

When I walked down the path to the East Pond late that afternoon everything was perfect. It was just before high tide when the birds from the surrounding bay are forced to the pond to feed, rest, and preen. And I had heard that the water level was perfect with lots of shoreline and habitat available for the shorebirds. The date was perfect too; the first juveniles of several species should have just arrived. As the pond came into sight, I saw that the water level was indeed perfect. There was only one problem. There were no shorebirds anywhere. There were no birds in the northwest corner of the pond. There are always birds in the northwest corner of the pond…. And there were no birds on the first spit to the south. Yikes!

As I walked south with all my gear I saw that there was a small group of shorebirds roosting in the shallow water just to the east of the second spit. I passed one photographer who was milling around photographing nothing. I made my way through the soft wet muck of Mud Cove–it was a bit messy and I was in old sneakers having forgotten to put on my preferred surf booties. I splayed the tripod legs and began the long belly crawl towards the flock that was made up of all adult birds. The adults are far more skittish than the juveniles that would be arriving en masse over the next two to eight weeks. I had a single young Semipalmated Sandpiper land in front of me and begin bathing. I waited for him to flap his wings after the bath and made six frames. You can see the best one and read that whole story here on BirdPhotographer’s.Net.

That bird flew off and I continued my belly crawl. A group of three more juveniles SESAs landed right in front of me. I framed the image I wanted and just as I was getting ready to push the shutter button I heard a noise behind me and all three birds took flight. I glanced behind me to the right and learned that the photographer whom I had passed had decided to join me and scare my subjects away. As he was on the ground he should have easily been able to join me without flushing the small flock. But…. He was crawling atop a big black plastic garbage bag that rustled and snapped each time that he moved.

In as kindly a voice as possible I said to him, “If you want to stay with me as we try to approach the larger flock you need to leave the plastic bag behind. You just scared off the birds that I was on.” He agreed to do so. As I began belly crawling I saw another problem–he was crawling rather than belly crawling; each time he moved forward he raised his butt about three miles in the air. He was crawling on his knees. I said, “You’ve got to keep your butt on the ground. Push your rig forward and then pull yourself forward with your elbows. You have to stay completely flat. If you are gonna crawl with me you need to learn to do it right.” Heck, you can’t beat free lessons.

After we moved up a bit more I realized that the relatively large flock was simply too far off for me to create images of the single birds. All were adults: mostly molting black-bellies with a few dowitchers and a single red knot in the mix. Three fading, molting adult Stilt Sandpipers fed along the outer margins of the resting flock. That’s when I created the image above.

Here are some questions for you? You may find some or all of them to be educational in nature. Feel free to take a crack at one or all of them.

1-What was the main reason for creating this relatively wide image?
2-Why did I focus on a bird on the left side of the frame?
3-Why didn’t I go to a much smaller aperture like f/18?
4-Why isn’t the active focusing point showing in red in the BreezeBrowser screen capture below?
5-Why did I add one stop to the exposure?
6-Why was I on my belly?
7-Why was it necessary for me to use the central sensor?
8-Do you find the arrangement of the individual birds pleasing or not? Either way, why?
9-Why did I cut off the bird on the right frame-edge?
10-Why did I execute a small crop off the right side of the original frame?

This is the BreezeBrowser Main View screen capture for the RAW image. You can see that I cropped a bit from the right and the bottom. Coming soon and finally: How to Run Breezebrowser on a Mac. Note that the latest version of BreezeBrowser supports the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. Note as usual the perfect histogram with the light-toned bellies of the birds well to the right in the fifth histogram box. In The Art of Bird Photography II (ABP II: 916 pages on CD only) I teach you to get the right exposure using digital capture every time. Best of all, it is easy to learn.

Recommended Reading

Juvenile shorebirds will be arriving over the next week or two days all across the continental US. You can learn to age and identify all of them in my

Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers

. Unlike many of the advanced guides this book is written in simple, easy to understand language. You will learn that at this time of year it is actually easier to age most species as either adults or juveniles than it it to identify them as to species. You can order a copy here. If you wold like your copy personalized let Jim know to hold it until I get back to Florida on 4 September.

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

If you can learn this much in five minutes from a simple blog post think how much you will learn and how much your photography and image optimization skills will improve after you spend an entire weekend with Denise Ippolito and me…. See all the details and discount info here. If you live within a three hour drive of Staten Island and do not take advantage of this opportunity…. Nuf said. 🙂 It will be great.

Crazy B&H Canon Rebates

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Crazy B&H Canon Rebates

B&H is offering crazy-huge instant rebates of up to $300 on a variety of Canon lenses and Speedlites including many of my absolute favorite intermediate telephoto lenses like the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, the 70-200mm f/4L IS, and the 100-400mm L IS. Click here or on the image above now for complete details; these offers expire on 1 September.

Purchases made using the links above will help us be able to continue providing free information on the blog and in the BAA Bulletins.

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Killer B&H Nikon Rebates

B&H is offering killer instant rebates of up to $450 on Nikon gear. First choose a camera body and then add a lens to the bundle. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8G ED Autofocus lens is one of the choices! Remember, two of my very best friends are on the Black Side: James Shadle and Todd Gustafson both use Nikon gear and I love them both. Click here or on the image above for details.

Purchases made using the links above will help us be able to continue providing free information on the blog and in the BAA Bulletins.

Yikes!

The Nikon rebates expire tomorrow, August 25, at midnight. Honest; I just got them.

B&H Sigma Lens Specials

I have, on many occasions, seen the incredible images made by Robert O’Toole with the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO autofocus lens. It is lightweight, relatively inexpensive, sharp as a tack at f/8, and it features an almost ridiculous minimum focusing distance. The OS refers to the optical stabilizer in the lens. Best of all, B&H is now offering some very nice rebates on both the Canon and Nikon versions of this lens as well as on a wide variety of other Sigma lenses.

Click here to learn more about the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO autofocus lens with Canon mount.
Click here to learn more about the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO autofocus lens with Nikon mount.
Click here to learn more about the rebate offers for all Sigma Canon mount lenses.
And click here to learn more about the rebate offers for all Sigma Nikon mount lenses.

Purchases made using the links above will help us be able to continue providing free information on the blog and in the BAA Bulletins.

B&H Event Space Event

Yesterday, on Tuesday, August 21, Denise Ippolito and I presented “Creating Pleasing Blurs,” an illustrated slide lecture, at the B&H Superstore in Manhattan as part of their Event Space series. With an enthusiastic full house of 80 it was a huge success. We asked for questions during the program and got them in spades. Denise and I each shared one of our favorite new pleasing blur images to begin the program; each generated so many questions that it took 25 minutes to get to the third slide. The interactions were great and taking advantage of the teachable moment always leads to increased learning. Denise and I were thrilled to have many folks come up to us after the program and offer kind remarks: “The images were beautiful and amazing;” “That was the most inspirational program I have ever attended:” “I was not expecting much when I signed up for this Event but it was fabulous;” “Great program–we enjoyed it tremendously,” etc.

Just of the record book: A Guide to Pleasing Blurs

Artie and Denise & Nickerson Beach/JBWR IPT Crew. Image courtesy of and copyright 2012: Helen Bohmart Pine. From left to right: Kitty Kono, yours truly, denise, Macolm MacKenzie (I think), Dierdre Sheer Gross (pointing), Michael Goodman, Stanley Goldberg, unknown photographer, & Tim Thompson. My favorite part: Helen made me look tall and thin!

Before the program started we were chatting with many friends old and new. An enthusiastic lady photographer by the name of Helen Pine showed the image above to Denise on her i-Pad. Denise liked it so much that she sent Helen over to show it to me. I loved it too. I told Helen that if she sent me a 1024 wide jpeg that I would run it on the blog. Here is the e-mail that she sent me:

Hi Artie, I enjoyed meeting you and Denise at B & H today and seeing your presentation. Many of the images took my breath away! My husband and I are long-time subscribers to your Bulletins and your Blog and new subscribers to Denise’s blog as well. We purchased Digital Basics in 2006 and enjoy receiving the updates when you publish them. In addition, we have purchased and followed the recommendations in several of your Site Guides. We also have Denise’s “Guide to Creative Filters & Effects.” We thank you so much for your generosity in sharing your knowledge and experience. We have learned so much from you.

I am attaching the photo I took of you and the group at Nickerson Beach on August 16. It’s a composite of two photos and run through Topaz Simplify 3.

Thanks again, Helen Bohmart Pine

Thanks!

Thanks a stack to Helen for her kind words and for sending the image along. I have never used Topaz Simplify but I love the look. Denise uses it often. You can help two starving artists and support their blogs by making your Topaz purchases after you click on the photo-link below. 🙂

Crazy B&H Canon Rebates

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Crazy B&H Canon Rebates

B&H is offering crazy-huge instant rebates of up to $300 on a variety of Canon lenses and Speedlites including many of my absolute favorite intermediate telephoto lenses like the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, the 70-200mm f/4L IS, and the 100-400mm L IS. Click here for complete details.

Congratulations to Lou Coetzer, of Pretoria, South Africa. His image, Jacana chick on Lily-leaf, was awarded first prize in the Portrait Category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. Nikkor 600mm f/4 VR with the TCE 2.0X converter and the Nikon D4. ISO 1000. EV -0.7: 1/3200 sec. at f/8 on custom-mounted Wimberley V-2 head. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy it in its full glory.

First Place: Jacana chick on Lily-leaf, Lou Coetzer

From Lou: African Jacana chicks are precocial; they are up and about and fend for themselves right after hatching. While leading photographic safaris in April 2012 on the Chobe River, Northern Botswana, I was able to keep an eye on a stretch of water that we call “Jacana Alley” because of the abundance of African Jacanas. We had been watching a male sitting on a nest for several days waiting for the chicks to hatch. As we neared the nest on a still morning I was greeted by the amazing sight of 3 tiny, one-day old chicks running around on their own with no adult in sight. Such young chicks are rarely left out in the open….

One chick was separated from the other two and was working very hard to get back to its family. Attempting to make its way to the safety of a large reed bed it stopped on a water lily leaf for a moment, halted by a stretch of open water. As it contemplated its next move it looked straight at me for just a moment.
Then, out of the blue, the male jacana landed close to the chicks, called them to him, tucked them under his wings, and disappeared deep into the reed bed.

Almost without exception, everyone who has seen this image has been blown away by the killer sweet light, the killer-perfect reflection–I’ve never seen such a still morning, the sharpness, the beautiful lily pad, the impeccable composition, and the too-cute chick staring right down the lens barrel.

Congratulations to Kiran Poonacha of Bangalore, India. His image, Short-toed Snake Eagle with snake, was awarded second prize in the Portrait Category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. Canon EOS-1D Mark IV with the Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens and the 1.4 X TC with a bean bag Bean Bag rested on SUV window. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy it in its full glory.

2nd Place: Short-toed Snake Eagle with snake, Kiran Poonacha

From Kiran: As I was looking for raptors to photograph in the Karnataka grasslands on the outskirts of Bangalore. I saw this Short-toed Snake Eagle looking for food. I thought I might as well wait as there was not much activity going on. Luck being on my side he swooped down and got hold of a Checkered Keelback snake. Usually he would bite down on the snake and swallow it, but instead he decided to carry his prey to an anthill and then kill it. After a struggle the snake gave in and the bird made a successful kill. While the fight was on I moved in with my SUV as birds are not very shy when approached in a vehicle. After the eagle made the kill it took a break to look around if any other bird or animal was around to steal its food. At that moment I noticed a pair of mating dragonfly enter the frame and created a burst of images.

Wow! This image has is all: a beautiful bird on a lovely and unique perch; a lead grey background; some tiny flowers; the snake wrapped around the bird’s far leg, its bloodied head below; and the raptor’s yellow eye staring; soft, sweet light. All nicely framed by some out-of-focus vegetation.

Congratulations to Judd Patterson of Palmetto Bay, FL. His image, Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), was awarded third place in the Portrait Category of the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. Canon EOS-5D Mark II with the Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens, 550 EX Speedlite, Gitzo tripod. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy it in its full glory.

Third Place: Resplendent Quetzal, Judd Patterson

From Judd: I had flown south into the “tropics” but now I was at nearly 10,000 ft in the cloud forest in the Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. The weather was decidedly cool, like a crisp fall morning in the Rocky Mountains. I knew that these birds nested in this particular valley, but I needed a little luck to find the right spot. In front of me was a marvelous tree full of small-fruited avocados, the perfect attractant. As the morning dawned several Resplendent Quetzals, surely one of the world’s most spectacular birds appeared in the tree and were gorging on the fruit. As I looked over the lichen-encrusted branches, I could hardly believe my good fortune in finding such a fitting scene for this gorgeous bird.

There is not a lot to say here with an absolutely stunning bird in an absolutely stunning setting. In nice, soft light. I love the pose, the killer tail, and especially how the greens and plum colors on the avocado fruits match the colors of the bird.

Congrats!

Congrats to the three winning photographers and to those who created the eleven other spectacular images that made it to the final round of judging. Getting a single image to the final round is a great accomplishment. 1153 images entered, this category was, as expected, hugely popular, the most popular by far. And as many noted, many of the 14 images that went to the judges are beyond spectacular.

The prizes (see below) will be shipped once the Grand Prize winner is announced; 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 very coming soon.

Bird Portrait Category Prizes

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 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
Choice of Canon/Nikon Lens Plate	Choice of Canon/Nikon Camera Body Plate	.	4th Generation Design
.	Better Beamer	Better Beamer Replacement Fresnel	Visual Echoes
TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	TriKlear Kit	Lens Pen
Magnum Xtrahand Vest	.	.	Vested Interest
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

This sunflower multiple exposure image was created on Denise Ippolito’s A Creative Adventure sunflower workshop in Newton, NJ this past Saturday. I used my favorite new macro lens, the 500 f/L IS II: Canon 500mm f/4L IS II lens, 1.4X III TC, and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/13 sec. at f/16 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the flower center and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Sunflower Multi-Magic and Sherb

The 5D Mark III was one of the stars of the morning on Denise’s workshop. Everyone enjoyed the Multiple Exposure feature. Several folks put cards in our 5D IIIs and had a blast. And the Nikon folks–including several who had never tried the technique–were inspired to use the multiple exposure feature on their cameras. Denise was able to help the Nikon folks out. Things are a bit more complex with Nikon than with the 5D III. You can see several of Denise’s sunflower Multis here. Denise, who is co-leading the Nickerson Beach IPT with me this morning–we leave in 15 minutes!), presented a truly superb introductory slide lecture for the group last night and blew everyone away with great images and a great spiel. You can learn more about her workshop offerings here.

For the image above I tried something new. I set the camera up for a 5-frame Multiple Exposure. For the first four frames I rotated the camera slightly in the tripod collar. For the last frame, I did not rotate the lens but I defocused the image quite a bit by turning the manual focusing ring. (Remember, I use Rear Focus.)

In sum, I created a four-frame multiple exposure with a sharp/soft focus on top.

You can learn how I set up for Multiple Exposures in the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. in our 5D III User’s Guide here. The guide, still in progress (save $10) includes everything that I know about the camera and it’s great but complex autofocus system.

Sherb

It was a pleasure seeing Sherb Naulty again after so many years. We met at the opening of my Canon Explorers of Light-sponsored exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington, DC: “On a Wing and a Prayer;The Migratory Birds of North America.” My understanding is that because of budget cuts the exhibit still hangs today. There are 60 images in three groups of twenty in different locations. If you know that to be true, please let us know by leaving a comment. Soon after the opening I worked with Sherb on an advertising gig.

Sherb signed up for Denise’s workshop after seeing the notice in the last BAA Notes. Always smiling (and eager to learn more), he is the epitome of a Happy Camper. He had so much fun learning about the EOS-5D Mark III. that he upgraded his 5D the very next day and kindly used our B&H affiliate link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/847545-REG/Canon_5260B002_EOS_5D_Mark_III.html/BI/6633/KBID/7226. Note that when you click on the link all reference to BAA(the “/BI/6633/KBID/7226” suffix) disappears. Not to worry, the order will be tracked to us.

When I asked Sherb about his first name he wrote, “Sherb is short for Sherburne! It was between George and Sherburne. It was my grandfather’s middle name. My full name is Sherburne Fairfax Naulty; quite a collection!! True story, when I was about 11 or 12 my mom asked me if I wanted to change my name. Apparently the pediatrician had given her a really hard time about naming me what she did. Have never been in a situation where there were 2 Sherb’s. Enjoy, Sherb

Delkin 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards

You can learn more about Delkin’s new 700X CompactFlash Pro UDMA Enabled Cards by clicking here and learn why the 1000X cards are overkill for still photographers. These cards are as important to my 5DIII as the batteries in the vertical battery grip!

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear used to create the images in today’s 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 500mm f/4L IS II lensI decided to leave the 800 at home for the bear boat trip and quickly fell in love with the 500 II for its light weight, great versatility, and four-stop IS. A complete review will be coming soon.
1.4X III TC The latest version of the 1.4X TC is designed to work best with the Series II Super-telephoto lenses.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III. Man, I am in love with this camera body. Both the files and the AF system are superb.

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….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. 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.
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.