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.
This Just In
If you are interested in the first DeSoto IPT, 3 1/2 Days, Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022, I just reserved a three bedroom AirBnB in Gulfport. Share it for four nights with many multiple IPT veteran Monte Brown and me and save a ton on lodging: $83.69/night/person for a whole home. Photos available upon request.
What’s Up?
I enjoyed a bit of action on the pier on a gorgeous Saturday morning. Best was a side-lit juvenile Green Heron that landed on the railing not far from me just as the sun came up. Story and mono-podded photo soon.
I have been working hard on the webinar and will be putting the finishing touches on it today.
Speaking of that, today is Sunday 10 July — can you believe it? It goes without saying that I will head down to the lake early. 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 twelve 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 insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.
Great Egret, Big John’s Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, New York
Photo copyright and courtesy of Johann Schumacher Design
Words and Photography by Johann Schumacher
Dazzling white egrets
On a wind-still April morning, the birch in our backyard illumined in a halo of gently falling snow, I hurry to the refuge, envisioning newly arrived breeding-plumaged egrets in a landscape of snow flurries. I find the pristine vista I imagine — the pond transfigured — but not one egret, nor it seems, any other living creature. But what a morning. Drawn into the palpable silence and great peace of the pond, I stay for a long time, quietly watching the magic of falling snow.
A day later, the front passes, and the egrets show — a flock of them, no less — many exquisitely plumed. More than two dozen birds: Greats and Snowies mostly, several night-herons, ibis, and a trio of little blues — one adult and two piebald juveniles. It appears they chose the pond as a roosting site, a first for Big John’s.
Though the event proves short-lived, the occasion presents a unique opportunity to chronicle another chapter in the life of the pond. I am well pleased by intimate photos made during that time. In one of these, photographed under a brooding sky and strong northwest winds, a powerful gust has swept up an egret’s plumes, embracing the solitary, dazzling white bird in an exquisite filigreed silver shawl. On a whim, I entered just this one image in Audubon’s 2018 photo contest. Chosen from over 8,000 photographs, it was included in the Top 100. It is worth noting that 2018 happened to be the centennial of the historic Migratory Bird Treaty Act that halted the senseless, brutal slaughter of egrets and other plumed species.
Getting in Touch with Old Friends
I cannot remember who told me recently that dear old friend Johann Schumacher had an accident at Big John’s Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (JBWR) in Queens New York. Johann and I met at the refuge in the early 1980s and spent hundreds of hours photographing together. Shooting film, of course. My late-wife Elaine and I spent many and evening enjoying a fine meal prepared by Johnann’s wife Liesel. And then looking at slides. I was always amazed by Johann’s wide view’s of JBWR and his skillful use of various types of light. Though we both photographed at the same place our images were totally different. He inspired me in both of those areas.
Having not spoken to Johann for probably close to a decade, I did an online search for his name, and wound up here. The link will take you to the online version of BirdWatching, the reincarnation of Birder’s World Magazine. The magazine, photo editor Gordon VanWoerkom, and founding publisher and editor Eldon Greij played an important role in my early career. Elaine and I had the pleasure of meeting Gordon and Eldon on a visit to Holland, Michigan on our sabbatical trip across North America.
Reading Johann’s article on Big John’s Pond at JBWR brought me back four decades and reminded me of what a splendid writer Johann is. And how he helped me develop as a writer.
Johann and I, Kevin Karlson, Robert Villani, and the late Tom Vero were good friends in the mid-1980s. We had many slide parties either at my home or Tom’s home in Babylon, NY. Each of us went on to become nationally published bird photographers. Johann had a ton of stuff published in the now-defunct WildBird magazine.
Anyhoo, I had an old phone number for Johann but it did not work. I tried various methods of getting in touch without success, but after several days received an e-mail from him:
Hello Arthur,
What a pleasant surprise! Our phone numbers are below. Look forward to hearing from you.
Best, Johann
I called, and we spoke for more than an hour; the decades melted away. I e-mailed him links to two blog posts about my Dad. He wrote back:
Hi Arthur,
What amazing tributes to your father told with insight, grace, affection, and startling detail. The service, sacrifice and horrific experiences that your dad and so many young men (and women) of that generation shared and endured must never be forgotten. I was quite moved – thanks for sharing the links.
Thought I’d share this poem that comes to mind:
Those Winter Sundays
By ROBERT HAYDEN
Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.
I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he’d call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,
Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love’s austere and lonely offices?
Be well.
Johann
Wow, that poem really struck a chord with me, brought tears to my eyes. My Dad would rise early on Sunday mornings to make me French toast lightly done, just the way I liked it. I can see him now gently swaying a small frying pan above the flame with is left hand, the only one he had. That to keep the butter from burning. I didn’t appreciate that then, but I sure do now.
Barn Owl young in nest box, Big John’s Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, New York
Photo copyright and courtesy of Johann Schumacher Design
An Excerpt from Birding at Big John’s Pond in New York City by Johann Schumacher
Leaving the city behind
I stumbled onto Big John’s Pond about 30 years ago. I was freelancing, doing graphic design, and keeping an eye on Micah, our 5-year-old. When work was slow, we’d scamper off to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a half-hour drive from our home in Queens, New York. Too much of a mouthful for Micah, who called it “the Life Preserve.” Understandably, Micah wanted to play, not to walk, so he feigned bouts of ambulophobia, pretending he had lost the use of his legs, collapsing to the ground. We settled on a compromise — the blind at Big John’s Pond. Miraculously healed, he happily settled down to dispatch a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chat with his imaginary friend “Marshee,” and fight the forces of evil with help from his collection of tiny action figures, casting fanciful shadows on the sunlit boardwalk.
A blip on the refuge map, the pond is easily overlooked; it’s a mere quarter-acre ditch collecting rainwater within earshot of Cross Bay Boulevard, the roadway slicing through Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a renowned birding hotspot in Queens with a bird list of more than 330 species. (The refuge is BirdWatching’s Hotspot Near You No. 233.) The story goes that an amicable bulldozer operator with time on his hands, approached by refuge brass, agreed to excavate a small freshwater pond several hundred yards east of the boulevard. “Big John” completed his task in just two days. Grateful rangers named the pond in his honor.
Originally intended to host native amphibians and reptiles, the pond attracts an impressive diversity of birds, located as it is within a world-class urban wildlife refuge at the confluence of the Atlantic and Hudsonian flyways. In my tenure at the pond, I have recorded well over 100 different avian species.
A Barn Owl nest box at the north end of the pond more often than not produces a healthy brace of owl fledglings. Particularly compelling is the pond’s intimate scale and relative seclusion; it is sheltered by an impenetrable maze of phragmites, poison ivy, sumac, maple, and birch woods. The fortuitous placement of a plywood blind accessible by a short wooden boardwalk is the icing on the cake. Built by a troop of Eagle Scouts, the blind has endured fire, flood, and the ravages of superstorm Sandy that devastated much of the refuge and the adjoining communities of Broad Channel, Breezy Point, and the Rockaways.
This is my “go-to-place” for photography. Here I leave behind the clamor, hustle, and hubbub of the city. Casting off the commotion of my own thoughts, I put on the cloak of invisibility that the blind affords, ready to savor the serendipity of unscripted experience.
A heads-up and some common wisdom: Patience is a must, local knowledge indispensable. Attend instruction of winds and weather, the rhythms of the changing seasons, the habits of herons, hawks, waterfowl, and warblers; the songs of spring peepers, gray tree frogs; the summer chorus of cicadas. Ponder the ways of predator and prey; pay attention to language of light, to autumn reflections; contemplate the haunting calls of migrating shorebirds, the patterns wind weaves on the surface of the water, the silences of winter. Refuse to impose your agenda. Return repeatedly.
The Lesson
When an old friend visits your thoughts, give them a call. Do not wait until you hear that they have been injured or that they are ill. Or until you hear of their death.
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.
This Just In
If you are interested in the first DeSoto IPT, 3 1/2 Days, now Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022, I just reserved a three bedroom AirBnB in Gulfport. Share it for four nights with many multiple IPT veteran Monte Brown and me and save a ton on lodging: $83.69/night/person for a whole home. Photos available upon request.
What’s Up?
Conditions were perfect on Friday morning, but the pier was totally dead so I took a ride on the South Peninsula. I zigged when I should have zagged on a preening Sandhill Crane. Working down by the edge of a canal to be at eye-level with the bird, I went vertical with the 600 on the tripod with the 1.4X TC. Had I opted to go horizontal without the TC, I would have been famous when the bird flapped. The reality was that I clipped the wings in every vertical frame. Then I spent 45 minutes with a young Great Egret atop a big bush, a less than ideal perch. I made several hundred images as the bird preened half-heartedly. The best thing I got was a video.
Please note that I moved the first DeSoto IPT back one week to accommodate a friend. If you are interested in joining me, check out these two blog posts to see what you can do at DeSoto with “just” a Sony 200-600 and an a1:
And you can make similar great images with any gear. With the right guidance 🙂
Today is Saturday 9 July 2022. I’ll be heading down to the lake early. I am very proud of this blog post as there is so much to learn. 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 eleven 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!
Unsolicited via e-mail from Pete Myers
I just spent 4 days in the field in a graduate course in bird photography taught by Artie Morris at Fort DeSoto. After almost 50 years of experience pointing cameras at birds from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand and beyond, I thought I was good enough. But what I learned from Artie in just four days has taken me to a whole new level. As he aptly puts it, “birds as art,” not simply bird photography. One of those 4 days was the most satisfying I’d ever experienced, anywhere. The IPT left me euphoric about what I’d learned, and frighteningly committed to recreating my portfolio with the techniques and insights he taught me.
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 insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rife with tame birds. All the images on this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or very early October. I hope that you can join me there this fall. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.
The Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #1
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers/Openings five.
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #2
3 1/2 Days: 7 October through the morning session on Monday 10 October 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3
3 1/2 Days: Monday 31 October through the morning session on Thursday 3 November 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And we will get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.
On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever and whenever you photograph.
There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not unlikely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB information. If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me an e-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.
A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check two months before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.
Up Early, Stay Out Late!
Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
This image was created on 5 October 2021 on a Fort DeSoto IPT. Seated on damp sand and working off the tilted rear monitor, I used the Panning Ground Pod-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 640. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2500 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was within 1/6 stop of being perfect. AWB at 8:25:36am on sunny morning with just a bit of haze.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Calidris sandpiper flapping after bath
Flapping After Bathing
When you see a bird dipping its breast into shallow water, nine times out of ten it will flap when it finishes its bath. Sometimes it will drop back down into the water and bathe again. More often than not, it will fly to the nearest shoreline to preen. Yikes, I almost forgot a hugely important basic: the birds will almost always flapinto the wind. If they happen to be facing away when they bathe, ninety-nine times out of a hundred they will turn and flap into the wind.
The Lesson
The more you know about bird behavior, the better your bird photographs will be.
Anything Bug You?
The bird’s underwings are evenly and beautifully lit, and the image is sharp. The layered o-o-f background is very sweet, and the bird is set against the blue water. What could have been slightly better with a bit of luck?
This image was created on 20 October 2021 on a DeSoto IPT. Using the knee-pod technique, I worked with the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/3200 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:59:34am on a clear morning. RawDigger showed that I could have gone one-half stop brighter.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Semipalmated Plover flapping after bath
Different Perspectives
Notice the different perspectives in today’s two featured images. Using the Panning Ground Pod and working off the rear monitor provided a very low perspective with a layered background. Capturing the jump after the bath is a big challenge when working on a ground pod. It is a bit easier when using the ankle pod technique or when working on a Skimmer with a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro.
Using the knee-pod technique as I did for Image #2 makes it much easier to follow and frame the after-bath flap. And with the birds in a pool, you increase your chances of an all-water background.
Which perspective do you like best: super-low as in Image #1, or regular-low as in Image #2? Why?
The Lesson
Varying your perspective by using different techniques can yield a variety of very pleasing images.
Anything Phony?
Take a close look at the ripples in the lower right corner of the frame. If you had to bet your life on whether or not I added canvas, which way would you go?
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?
There was a huge, anvil-shaped cloud on the eastern horizon at sunrise on Thursday morning at ILE. I walked the pier with the 400 f/2.8/2X/a1 combo experimenting with mid-range shutter speed intentional blurs. I have been learning a lot recently using shutter speeds in the 1/125th to 1/250th second range for flight. This morning I was somewhat amazed by the results. Photos and more soon. After my pier-walk, I worked both crane/colt families and got some good stuff.
Be sure to read all the way down to the Bummer item; you will learn a ton along the way.
Today is Friday 8 July 2022. The forecast for this morning is for partly cloudy and still. I will be heading down to the pier early to see what I can learn. 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 ten 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 insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.
This image was created on 4 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park near Jacksonville, FL. I used handheld Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS lens )at 24mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 1000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/125 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 6:31:06am on an obviously cloudy morning right about the time of sunrise.
Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly as it held focus on the closest bird. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Large, Surreal Storm Cloud on the Eastern Horizon
The Value of the 24-105mm Lenses
As soon as I got out of my car on the morning of the Fourth of July and saw the huge storm cloud out over the Atlantic, I knew that the 24-105 would come in handy. The 70-200 would not have been wide enough. So, for the first time in recent memory, I donned my X-tra Hand vest and stuck the short zoom lens in one of the pockets, protected by a woolen watch cap. It was the ticket to success once the sky brightened up a bit. Even though the cloud was spectacular in life, understand that the properly exposed raw file was washed out and boring. Exposing to the right minimizes noise; you bring your raw files to life during the raw conversion and then in Photoshop.
This image was also created on 4 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park near Jacksonville, FL. Standing at full height, I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/250 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was within 1/6 stop of being perfect. AWB at 7:27:53am on a thankfully then-cloudy morning.
Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: Laughing Gull — large chick flicking wing
Big Cloud Prayer Answered
When the morning forecast calls for a strong west/southwest wind and clear skies, most of the birds will be flying, landing, standing, and taking off into the wind and thus away from you. In those conditions, a cloud on the eastern horizon can be a Godsend, the bigger the better. When the sun is covered by a decent cloud, sun angle barely matters — you are free to shoot in almost any direction. Even faint light on the cloudiest of days has a direction, but rather than being restricted to photographing birds in a 20° or 30° arc on either side of sun angle, you can work those in a 180° or even greater arc.
At 8:07am, the sun made its way over the storm cloud and the soft light party was over.
Juvenile Wing-flicking and Wing-Dragging
Young terns and gulls are often seen flicking or dragging their wings. When I first saw this behavior, I assumed that the juvenile bird had a broken wing. Conversations with researchers and personal experience revealed that many of the birds exhibiting this behavior are just fine. The nearly fledged gull in Image #2 was flicking and dragging its left wing. Last year at JAX I was watching a young Royal Tern dragging its wing around, looking helpless. Until it jumped into the air and took flight with ease.
What Happened to Fat Boy?
With my right wrist and my right shoulder bugging me after handholding the 400 f/2.8 for two days, I went to the tripod-mounted 600mm f/4. I took the lens off the tripod and hung it on my left shoulder via the lens strap when I was moving along on the beach. That turned out to be much more forgiving. While it’s great to have complete freedom when working without a tripod, I, like Rafael Nadal, have my limits.
This image was also created on 4 July 2022 at Huguenot Memorial Park near Jacksonville, FL. Again, I used the handheld/ankle-podded Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was within 1/6 stop of being perfect. AWB at 7:47:33am on a brighter but still cloudy morning.
Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #3: Laughing Gull — large chick begging
Bummer
I was thrilled that I was able to get perfectly parallel to the two subjects and quickly find and frame the birds on the rear monitor — that can be a challenge at times. When the chicks peck at the adult’s neck and bill, that stimulates the parent bird to regurgitate the meal, often partially digested bits and chunks of fish. When the adult bird began to vomit up breakfast, it turned its head completely away from me. By force of habit, I quit shooting for 20 seconds. I did keep a single frame that shows the chick swallowing some orange gunk, but both the adult and the chick were angled away from me.
The Lesson
Subject-to-sensor-plane orientation needs to be considered carefully whenever you press the shutter button. If a bird’s tail is closer to you than its head, it is difficult to create a memorable, dramatic, pleasing, and/or artistic photograph. If you have a good image with the bird facing away, feel free to shoot me a sharpened 2400 pixel wide or tall JPEG via e-mail for a short free critique. Please type the words “Facing Away” into the Subject Line.
Flight Photography at Jacksonville Till You Can’t Lift Your Lens! with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Join me on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park to learn about photographing terns in flight. 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns nest there and there are birds in the air all the time, often carrying all kinds of fish and crabs for their young. Learn about how the relationship between the wind and the sun impacts flight photography and about the best gear for shooting birds in flight. Join me on a workshop at Jacksonville this summer.
Cute & Beautiful: Photographing Chicks in Jacksonville, FL with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
There is an amazing beach near Jacksonville, FL where 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns and 12,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls (along with a few other species) breed each summer. As this video shows, photographing the chicks is easy in the summer. And there is tons of great flight photography as well. If you want to improve your bird photography skills, consider joining me on an Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT).
Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG.
Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.
Jacksonville IPT: 4 FULL DAYS — the afternoon of FRI 15 JULY thru the morning of TUES 19 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers/Openings: 5)
I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.
Morning sessions will average about 3 1/2 hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. We will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.
We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.
Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG.
Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern feeding chick; Royal Tern/4-week-old chick; ink-stained Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern/3-week-old chick begging; Brown Pelican in flight on white sky day; fresh juvenile Laughing Gull on clean beach; Laughing Gulls stealing fish from Royal Tern; tight shot of Royal Tern in flight with fish for young.
What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT
1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.
The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
