My all-time favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption. Tied for second are Forrest Gump and My Cousin Vinny. What are you three all-time favorite movies?
What’s Up?
As the pool pump continues to die, I have been swimming my daily quarter mile in 70 to 74°F water. I get out shuddering but both my left knee and my right shoulder have been doing great, and the cold thermogenesis does wonders for my blood sugar.
I am happy to report that there is only one slot left on the San Diego IPT and that both Homer IPTs are sold out. Hooray. Anita North is flying home from Nairobi after spending four months photographing all over Africa.
Today is Sunday 8 December 2024. Bob Eastman and I will be heading down to the lake again before sunrise. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H 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!
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
It’s Safe to go in the Water Now
Sony a-1 Firmware Update Update
Last spring, Sony announced firmware update v2.00 for the a-1, its flagship camera body. In short order the firmware story became an embarrassing fiasco. Over time, they announced v2.01 that caused terrible problems when the camera was used with the hugely popular 200-600 G lens. After some time, they released v2.02. About six weeks ago, with some trepidation, I purchased a used a-1 and updated it to v.2.01, and then to 2.02. I am happy to report that it is now possible to go back into the water.
The last update, v2.02, offers some great stuff for bird photographers.
v.2.02 Benefits
Battery life with 2.02 is fine. There are no issues with the 200-600 G lens. Bird Face-Eye AF is significantly improved. Wide AF with Bid Face-Eye tracking has improved drastically. Formatting a card takes about two seconds as compared to 10 seconds or more with previous firmware versions. But the very best news is a brand new feature called Focus Recall. Huge thanks to Arash Hazeghi for pointing it out to me as we worked on an update to the Sony a-1 (a9 iii) flight guide. I took what he taught me about programming Preset Focus/Zoom to a single button for flight photography and turned it into what will surely turn out to be a huge game-changer for general bird photography.
I call it “double button focus recall.” I programmed two easy-to-reach (previously unassigned) buttons to PRESET Focus Distance. I can then register a close focusing distance to one button and a far focusing distance to the other. A tap of either button instantly brings me to either as needed.
I will be working on a new e-mail to my Sony a-1 Group today or tomorrow detailing a fabulous menu find by Bob Eastman that makes switching from Manual mode with ISO on the Thumb Dial to Shutter Priority with AUTO ISO and Exposure compensation on the Thumb Dial much easier than it had been previously.
Fresh caught Alaskan seafood caught sustainably. Save $20 on your first order by clicking here.
Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company
Ever since my two daughters sent me a big box of salmon filets and sea scallops from Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company for my birthday a few years ago, I have been ordering salmon and scallops from them. Now that Junior’s Fish Market in Lake Wales is closing, I will be depending on Wild Alaska every month. I always order Sockeye filets and the Sea Scallops. The stuff comes frozen solid, is easy to prepare, and tastes pretty much as good as the fresh stuff would.
You can save $20 on your first order by clicking here. Eating wild caught seafood is about as healthy as you can go. The scallops are a real treat. When you sear them, be sure to cook them in the liquid that comes in the bag and be sure not to overcook them. I bake or broil the lightly seasoned salmon filets skin side down in olive or coconut oil.
Buy Direct from the Fisherman
Captain Tony has been fishing in Alaska since 1990. Wild Alaska is famous for their wild caught Sockeye and King Salmon! All of our other fish, including Ahi Tuna, Shrimp, Scallops, Cod, etc., are responsibly sourced, caught the right way and closely inspected by Capt. Tony to meet our high standards of quality and freshness. They catch and process all 5 species of wild pacific salmon, and source our other seafood products from high quality sustainable fisheries.
The stuff tastes great and is good for you. Internet orders to the continental United States are shipped from their fulfillment center in the Midwest allowing their seafood products to reach US customers in perfect condition. The flavor and texture of their salmon and other products remain fresher than fresh is because the stuff is frozen the same day it is caught.
I created this image 30 November 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height near the base of the small hill just north of the parking lot by the pier, I used the 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 via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +1.3 stops. AUTO ISO set ISO 1600: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open). AWB at 5:33:49pm on a clear afternoon with just a hint of haze in the low western sky.
Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Bob Eastman with his trusty Sony 200-600mm G Lens
Image by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
The Long Lost Brother I Never Had
Bob and I are out before sunrise pretty much every day and we both love staying till after sunset.
Bob drove down from Wisconsin for a visit. We have gotten along so well that not only is he extending his stay, he is joining me in San Diego for the whole trip. Actually, it is likely that we get along better than most brothers. Since Bob arrived on 25 October, we have been in the field early every morning. Sunday morning will be 44 straight crack-of-dawn photo sessions. We have probably taken five or six afternoons off. Zero arguments. Zero disagreements. Zero unpleasant comments. Nothing but appreciating life, friendly banter, and lots of laughing. That despite the fact that twice I have attempted to seriously injure my friend Mr. Eastman.
A few days ago, I was driving a bit too fast on the South Field and hit a pretty deep depression. As Bob has a plate with eight screws in his neck and three rods in his lower back, this was not a blessing. Having failed to finish him off going forward, I tried something new going in reverse. But first, a bit of a backstory. My $80,000 BMW X5 SUV has lots of bells and whistles. When I pull out of my garage, lots of red lights and a warning siren are constantly firing despite the fact that I am dead-centered and in no danger of hitting anything. At times, the brakes engage and keep me from backing up. Even worse, there are time when I am backing up in some 8-inch high grasses that the warning siren goes off and the brakes lock. I need to pull forward to escape.
This morning — me driving, I was backing up on the South Field along the edge of the south canal with the car pointed north, trying for a ridiculous long shot of a pair of cranes across the canal. I backed into a very solid 12-inch diameter cabbage palm trunk at about eight mph. What a thud. The back-radar that easily detects blades of grass failed to warn me of the tree. Until after I hit it 🙁
I looked in the rearview mirror to see if Bob survived and when I saw the look of pain and anguish on his face, I wanted to cry and felt like crawling under a rock. Saturday evening, Bob is still smiling and is ready to go dancing down at the lake on Sunday morning.
This image created on Thursday 5 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1600. 1/1600 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:31:16am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Northern Mockingbird perched in berry bush
Challenging Mornings
The morning bird photography action has slowed down quite a bit the past few days, mostly because of the clear skies and a brisk wind from the north. December fifth was the last partly cloudy, still morning in these parts. We began with some dancing cranes in soft light. After that, we came up pretty much empty but for working some Northern Mockingbirds along the edge of the lakeshore marsh. When this particular bird took flight, I managed a frame or two with the whole bird in the frame but the flat-as-a-pancake wing positions were far from pleasing so I deleted them all. Not to mention that 1/1600 shutter speed is fat to slow for a songbird taking flight.
The next blog post will feature the long-promised, comprehensive YouTube Shutter Speeds for Bird Photography video. You will want to bookmark it for future study and reference as it will contain a wealth of information.
Note the classic rule of thirds image design.
This image was created by my friend Bob Eastman, also on Thursday 5 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated right behind me shooting hand held through the lowered window, he used the 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 via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11:41am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Northern Mockingbird taking flight
Image courtesy of and copyright 2024 Bob Eastman
Image optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
200-600 vs. 600 +1.4X TC
While I am working in the front seat at 840mm with the big lens on a BLUBB-, Bob is almost always working in the back seat with the handheld 200-600 GM lens. Most folks would assume that I have some sort of gear advantage. But that is not always the case. While I will always have more reach, Bob has a huge hand-hold-ability advantage. It is much easier to follow flight and action when hand holding the 2-6 at 600mm than it is to be working with the larger, much heavier 600mm f/4 GM lens and a 1.4X teleconverter on the world’s best big lens beanbag. With the latter setup, following flight and action is extremely difficult at best (if not impossible). We are both using a Sony a-1 with Firmware 2.02 and its significantly improved AF.
As we continued to stalk the perched mockingbirds, I took the BLUBB off the window and went with my hand held 200-600. I had advised Bob to up his shutter speed and he did. I was on the bird for something like two minutes hoping that it would take flight. When fatigue set in, I lowered the lens just as the bird jumped right at us to flycatch. I got nothing while the younger man in the back seat nailed it. Way to go, Bro!
This image created on Friday 6 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 2000. 1/500 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:19:50am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #3: Northern Mockingbird perched in berry bush
Lead-Gray Skies
Early on Friday morning the light was gorgeous and the storm cloud sky in the west was a gun metal lead-gray. We were searching desperately for an avian subject but our three main perches were empty. We were glad to find another mockingbird to photograph.
Again, note the classic rule of thirds image design.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
This image was created on 5 December 2024 — hey, that is today! — down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld peashooter rig, the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 242mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 3200: 1/1250 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:21:14am just as the sun came over the distant pines to the east.
Wide/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane courtship dance jump
What’s Up?
Despite perfect conditions this morning, Thursday 5 December, 2024, Bob Eastman and I did not have a lot of good chances but for the pair of cranes that danced for us very early on. As the birds are silly tame, I went with the peashooter rig to gain 1 1/3 stops of light at f/4 as compared to the 200-600mm G lens at f/6.3. When this one came up in Photo Mechanic, I wanted to jump for joy, just as I did when opening a multitude of presents during the holidays when I was a little boy growing up in Brooklyn. I was thrilled with the sharpness at only 1/1250 sec. and love the wide, bird-scape look of today’s featured image.
My Mom, Hazel Louise Morris, was Protestant when she married my Dad, PFC Robert Edward Morris, a non-practicing Jew. When I was about nine, my Mom took some classes and converted to Judaism. For many years before that, the holidays were a bonanza for the Morris children, my younger sister by two years, Ilene Carol Morris, my much younger sister, the late Arna Lee Morris, and me, Arthur Edward.
Why a bonanza? We always had a Christmas tree and celebrated Hanukkah as well. That meant eight nights of presents in addition to the thrill of opening more gifts on Christmas morning. How good can it get?
There are lots of children in and around San Diego, one of my favorite cities in the world — Hazel and Bob are buried there, who do not receive a single holiday gift. Martin Wood, president and CEO of Delkin Devices who make the flash cards that I have used and depended on of the past quarter century, first became involved with Toys for Tots in 2004. The involvement began when the airport manager at Ramona Airport, Bo Donovan, asked Martin to participate in the annual program. The first year, Delkin Devices and Donovan raised $1,500 for Toys for Tots. Toys for Tots is a program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve that collects (and purchases, with donated funds), new, unwrapped toys during the fall and winter to distribute to children in need as Christmas gifts. Major Bill Hendricks of the Marine Corps Reserve founded the program in 1947 in Los Angeles, California.
Martin Wood with Delkin HR Director Paige Rinehart and a local TV anchor with Delkin Devices’ 2023 donation check for $20,000!
Please Help/Toys For Tots
Martin and Delkin need your help to reach their goal this year. As above, he has always put his money where his heart is, with the needy children of San Diego. Please stop what you are doing and help by clicking on the convenient Donate Button below and making a PayPal donation. Nobody but you will know that you have donated, but I can guarantee that you will be enveloped by a warm glow if you do.
Martin Wood with Delkin CFO Frank Provost, two San Diego Marines, and last year’s huge Toys For Tots check for $147,520!
An e-Mail From Delkin Devices President and CEO
Update on 19th annual Toys for Tots Three Days Out!
Hello Generous friends, Things have improved, but we are not there yet!
So far, we have collected $32,050 from all our generous sponsors, and folks giving to help the less fortunate kids in Southern California. We are technically $118,200 short of our goal for the event. Toys like everything else have gone way up in price, making this even more important.
Last year a box of toys cost around $325. This year it is closer to $500!
But do not despair, this is not far off from where we were three days before the collection last year.
We have hundreds of boxes of toys coming in. These are counted at around $500 each. Last year we ended up around 298 boxes, so those could be enough to put us over the goal.
We have Bikes and eBikes, they are counted at $75 for small, $125 for large, and $250 for eBikes. And we always collect a few checks and cash at the event, last year just over $11k. The day of the event sometimes adds 20+ boxes of toys from the generous folks walking into and out of Wal-Mart. Remember, it helps poor kids, it is with the Marines, whom you can trust, it is non-denominational, and it is tax deductible!
Paige and I along with Jorge Barajas (Delkin Quality Engineer) will be on TV, both 7/39 and Telemundo tomorrow at 6:15AM, between news programs in the AM to promote the event. Our ads in the papers are paying off, we get a box or two a week of toys from folks dropping off at the building. An article about this, our 19th year, was in the Poway Chieftain, which brought on more donations.
Big Box Storage, a sponsor has their bus stop ads all over town, and will probably bring a box to the event. Wake World has their annual auction, please pop over and buy some donated Delkin products along with many others that all goes to the Tots. This year a local business has a boat on auction! Check it out here.
Please donate any amount you can, even $5 goes to the Marines as a worthy donation to buy a toy for a kid who might get nothing!
Date Saturday, December 7th, 2024
Time 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM (we will be there earlier and later)
Location Poway Wal-Mart — 13425 Community Rd 9off Poway Rd) Parking Lot
See the Military Trucks and Jeeps (WWII) at the office and the event. Marines will be there, a giant American Flag, and a Marine Corp Crane. Plus, a free lunch with Taco Love, Holiday Music, happy, friendly people, etc. Please invite your neighbors, friends, Family, and all those you know to help us this year. Send me your ideas and advice to continue growing this event. 100% of every penny and Barbie doll goes to the kids through the US Marines.
Thanks very much.
Martin
The 2024 BIRDS AS ART Toys For Tots check.
Please Give What You Can Comfortably Afford
A donation of as little as $5.00 can put smile on the face of a child this holiday season. Please Donate whatever you can afford. Every little bit helps but you need to act fast.
Thanks with love, artie
Hanukkah
Hanukkah (also spelled “Chanukah”), is an eight-day winter “festival of lights,” which begins each year on the 25th day of the Jewish calendar month of Kislev. Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the dates of Jewish holidays according to the Gregorian calendar change yearly. For this reason, the beginning of Hanukkah can range from late November to late December.
In short, Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a group of Jewish warriors defeated the occupying Greek armies. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and spirituality over materiality.
This festival commemorates events in Judea more than 2,000 years ago when the Syrian king Antiochus ordered the Jews to abandon the Torah and publicly worship the Greek gods. This act provoked a rebellion led by Judas Maccabeus, climaxed by the retaking of the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Syrians had desecrated. The army of Jews won despite their small numbers. In an eight-day celebration, the “Maccabees” (as the rebels came to be known), cleansed and rededicated the Temple.
According to the Talmud, there was only enough consecrated oil to re-light the candelabra for one day, yet, miraculously, it remained lit for eight days until a new supply of pure oil (likely olive oil), was made.
Adapted from the article by Catherine Boeckmann on the ALMANAC website here.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
There are some great buys in this holiday “book.” Click on the logo-link above to view it online. Use the left and right arrow keys to access the pages in the book. To purchase an item, you must click on the SKU, the stock-keeping unit #, the number just to the left of the price. Check out the great buys on the SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD (Solid State) V2 (Black) External Hard Drives that I use every day for only $259.99 each. Happy shopping.
What’s Up?
Tuesday morning was so-so. The most fun I had was photographing an adult and a young crane picking bugs off of my SUV. Tuesday evening was so-so. We did photograph the silhouetted cranes on the hill just south of the parking circle but spent most of our time talking to a young ILE mother and her young (aspiring gymnast) daughter, Ramsey about the cranes. Sharing avian info with others always leaves you with a warm glow.
Yesterday, with Bob doing most of the work, we planted The Perch III in the marsh adjacent to the South Peninsula. Two days before, Bob, again doing most of the work by himself, erected Bob’s Skinny Perch in the same location. He had a Red-shouldered Hawk on that perch the first afternoon. On Monday there was a Great Egret on The Perch II at sunset. On Tuesday, it was an Osprey. Both birds flew as we began our slow approach in my SUV :-(.
Today is Wednesday 4 December 2024. Bob Eastman and I are headed to Lakeland to see if the American White Pelicans are at the lakes. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H 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!
If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
It’s Safe to go in the Water Now
Sony a-1 Firmware Update Update
Last spring, Sony announced firmware update v2.00 for the a-1, its flagship camera body. In short order the firmware story became an embarrassing fiasco. Over time, they announced v2.01 that caused terrible problems when the camera was used with the hugely popular 200-600 G lens. After some time, they released v2.02. About six weeks ago, with some trepidation, I purchased a used a-1 and updated it to v.2.01, and then to 2.02. I am happy to report that it is now possible to go back into the water.
The last update, v2.02, offers some great stuff for bird photographers.
v.2.02 Benefits
Battery life with 2.02 is fine. There are no issues with the 200-600 G lens. Bird Face-Eye AF is significantly improved. Wide AF with Bid Face-Eye tracking has improved drastically. Formatting a card takes about two seconds as compared to 10 seconds or more with previous firmware versions. But the very best news is a brand new feature called Focus Recall. Huge thanks to Arash Hazeghi for pointing it out to me as we worked on an update to the Sony a-1 (a9 iii) flight guide. I took what he taught me about programming Preset Focus/Zoom to a single button for flight photography and turned it into what will surely turn out to be a huge game-changer for general bird photography.
I call it “double button focus recall.” I programmed two easy-to-reach (previously unassigned) buttons to PRESET Focus Distance. I can then register a close focusing distance to one button and a far focusing distance to the other. A tap of either button instantly brings me to either as needed.
Here is a practical, real life example. I am walking out on the pier. There are some very tame Turkey Vultures and a Limpkin perched on the railing. As I slowly approach the birds, I focus on the nearest one and then press and hold the near-focus button. Th camera registers the focus distance my current close focus distance. I might or might not create a few images. Before continuing my approach, however, I take a moment to focus on the end of the pier and this time I press and hold the far focus button. That becomes my far focus distance. Then I tap the close focus button for the birds on the railings and go to work.
I glance up and see an Osprey carrying a large Crappie in its talons flying over the end of the pier. I tap the AEL button to get to my pre-registered far focusing distance. The AF system will have a relatively easy time of seeing the subject. And once the bird is framed, initial focusing acquisition will be virtually instantaneous. Had the AF system been left at the close focusing distance (while working the birds on the pier railing), there is a good chance that the system would have been temporarily blind when I attempted to acquire focus on the Osprey in flight.
Understand that neither the close nor the far focusing distances need to be anywhere near precise. As long as the AF system is in the general neighborhood (as far as focusing distance is concerned), it will not struggle to acquire focus. Once the Osprey flies by, Artie simply taps the AF-On button to instantly get back to the approximate focusing distance for the birds on the railing.
Yesterday I sent the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes e-Mail J (23 OCT 2024) Firmware Update Update item to the entire group; it began like this:
Dear a1 Gang,
I hope that all of you are well, having fun, and making some great images. Big time thanks and congrats to the twenty folks in the group who have gotten my v2.02 settings onto their a-1 bodies. Many of them helped by letting me know of typos and other errors in the two instructional e-mails. After ten full days or working every morning with my v2.02 Firmware a-1, the 600mm f/4, and the 300mm f/2.8 (each with either TC), I can wholeheartedly recommend that most everyone with an a-1 would be best to update to Firmware v2.02.
If you are a member of the a-1 group and have not received e-Mail J, please e-mail me with your current and correct e-mail address 🙂
a-1 Group members can receive the two e-mails by sending a PayPal for $50.00 (with the words a-1 v2.021/v2.02 Firmware updates in the Subject line) to birdsasart@verizon.net or by calling the office at 863-692-0906 with a credit card to pay the $50.00. No worries if you have already updated to v2.02 — pay the $50.00 and I’ve got you covered.
If you are not a member of my a-1 group and would like to update your camera body and get all of my current setting on it, you will need to either send a PayPal for $125.00 (with the words a-1 v2.021/v2.02 Firmware updates in the Subject line) to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 with a credit card to pay the $125.00.
All of the images in today’s blog post were created with my v2.02 CAMST202.DAT on my α-1 mirrorless camera body.
This image created on 2 December 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/3200 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:18:45am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1 Turkey Vulture (TV) sitting on The Perch II minding its own business
It Had Been a Very Cold and Slow Morning
We began before dawn, but at 8:15am we had little to show for our efforts. With the guys replacing some of the rotted boards on the pier, the vultures on the railings took flight into the north wind. We decided to check The Perch II one last time before heading home for breakfast. I was not surprised that one of the Turkey Vultures had landed on it. It was nothing to get excited about, but as we had been practically skunked all morning, we approached in my SUV and stopped to make a few images.
This image also created on 2 December 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Still seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:19:31am on a sunny morning.
Wide AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: Excuse me! Black Vulture (BV) expecting the Turkey Vulture to give up its spot
Incoming Left!
“Black Vulture flying in from our left,” I shouted. Bob Eastman had seen the bird approaching the perch with the TV on it. As he was hand holding the 200-600, he got on the incoming BV and panned with it as it attempted to drive the TV off the perch. His problem was that when the BV hit the perch, he could not stop panning quickly enough. So, even though he was working a lot wider than I was — 600mm vs. 840mm, he wound up clipping most of the action shots badly with the left frame edge. A similar problem occurs when a diving bird hits the water, you naturally keep on panning 🙁
Working at 840mm on the BLUBB-, I opted to stay on the bird on the perch. As the intruding vulture entered the frame I followed my own oft-given advice by holding the shutter button down until things settled down about 3 seconds later. I was not concerned with the framing or the performance of the AF system. I just shot. In short order, I created more than 100 images of the action. At first glance, I was disappointed as dozens and dozens of the early images had severely clipped wings. I was shocked, however, at how well Wide AF-C had done. The Bird Face-Eye tracking was dramatically improved with Firmware v2.02. The wings of both birds were so badly clipped in Image #2 that there was no chance of making repairs. But as this was the absolute peak of the action and was plenty sharp, I went with an aggressive crop.
I was fortunate that I had decreased the exposure by 1/3-stop as compared to Image #1 by increasing the shutter speed from 1/3200 to 1/4000 sec. That change helped render the action sharp.
This image also created on 2 December 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Still seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:19:32am on a sunny morning.
Wide AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #3: Clipped!
Clipped!
The original frame here was my very favorite of the long sequence. Image #3 shows that I clipped the ends of the first and second primaries of the TV and then added canvas above to lay the foundation that I would need to complete the wing tip repairs.
This image also created on 2 December 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Still seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:19:33am on a sunny morning.
Wide AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #4: The Source Material
Nice, But Better as Source Material
Though Image #4 is fine as a standalone photo, it is nowhere near as strong as Image #3. While reviewing the sequence in Photo Mechanic, I had my eye out for an image that I could use to grab the two missing primaries. Created a second or less after the clipped image, I knew at first glance that this one would be perfect and would provide the two needed primary tips. Therefore, I pressed the 2 key to give this image a Yellow color code in Photo Mechanic.
This image also created on 2 December 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Still seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/4000 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:19:32am on a sunny morning.
Wide AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #5: Wing Tips Repaired
The Repair
It made a lot more sense to work on one of the missing wingtips at a time. So that is what I did. Working on the source material image, I painted a Quick Mask of the 2nd primary of the Turkey Vulture’s near (right) wing. After putting it on its own layer, I used the Move Tool (V) to drag it roughly in place atop Image #3. I hit T to Transform the layer then rotated and warped it until it fit perfectly. Lastly, I added a regular layer mask to refine the overlap. After merging that layer, I repeated the process with missing 1st primary tip. It was my very best wingtip repair ever (he said modestly).
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).
You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
The techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.
Please note: the Divide and Conquer technique was inadvertently omitted from DB II. It is detailed in a free excerpt in the blog post here.
Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.
You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.
I realized two years ago that my digital workflow had changed significantly and was toying with the idea of writing a Digital Basics III. More recently, I learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.
As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born.
You can order your copy here. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI.
This image also created on 2 December 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Still seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/2500 second at f/7.1 (stopped down 2/3 stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:20:06am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #6: Brotherly Love
When the Dust Cleared
When the action subsided, I was stunned to see that the Turkey Vulture had not given up the perch to the incoming Black Vulture. Though smaller, the BVs almost always dominate a carcass, forcing the larger, shyer, less aggressive TVs to wait patiently in the background for a few scarps of leftovers. In 25 years of observing the vultures at ILE, I had never before seen the two species sitting side by side, so close to each other, so peacefully.
Note that I lowered the shutter speed two clicks while stopping down two clicks for a bit of additional depth of field. It was more than enough to render the eyes of both vultures sharp.
This image also created on 2 December 2024 down by the lake at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Still seated in the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/2500 second at f/7.1 (stopped down 2/3 stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:20:06am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: ExpandSpot A-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #7: Alone at Last
Alone at Last
After perhaps three or four minutes of peaceful coexistence on the perch, the Turkey Vulture decided to fly away on its own free will and volition. The Black Vulture was left sitting alone on The Perch II.
Typos
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