Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Your Fave?

Which is the strongest flight shot? If you leave a comment, please let us know why you made your choice.

What’s Up?

I got to the beach at 6:30am on Wednesday. Clemens was off biking with his group; they did a tidy 25 miles. Then Clemens had a Zoom meeting. It was pretty dark at first — I started photographing Least Tern chicks standing still on the beach at eye level at 1/250 sec. at f/4 at ISO 3200. As I said, it was pretty dark. Things got better as far as light was concerned but I was pretty much not feeling it. Every time I tried for a flight or action shot I was too late. So I concentrated on photographing the adults that landed on the beach for more than a second with all manner of fishes and other sea creatures for their chicks. It was cloudy-bright and the wind was shifting from the southwest to the east so I called Clemens, and he did indeed drive to the beach with his wife Audrey. We wound up leaving the beach at 1:30pm, that after I filled a large flash card (160GB) for the first time ever: 2950 a1 images. I tried garbage-canning a bunch of mis-framed images in the field — I have never had to do that before, but I could barely make a dent and quickly re-filled the card.

It had been like a pressure cooker — super high humidity and zero breeze. At about 1:00pm a front came through with a cool onshore breeze soon followed by thunder, lightning, and rain. We got off the beach at just the right time. After shooting for seven straight hours, I was beyond knackered. We drove back to Clemens’ place where I ate my first meal of the day. And then I took a long nap. Clemens worked on some images and then headed back to the beach for more Least Tern chick action.

As the Sony Alpha a1 is becoming more readily available, the Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group has grown to an astounding 57 folks! Most folks have earned free entry into the group by getting their bodies from Bedfords or from B&H.

Today is Thursday, 17 June 2021. The forecast for Southeast Florida for this morning is for an east wind with clouds and scattered thunderstorms. I will head home after the morning shoot. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes 173 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great if you opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

This image was created on 27 May 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park. I used 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. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/7.1 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:20pm on a dead-clear afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed as expected: perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Least Tern — wings down, facing flight

A Whole New World: Picking Your Flight Keepers

While picking my keepers from a good afternoon of Least Tern flight photography on Thursday afternoon past, I had some thoughts that I wanted to share with you here. I created more than 1600 images in a 90 minutes session. The wind was strong from the west and there was lots of action. The vast majority of the images were sharp or razor-sharp on the eye or eyes. Less than a handful of my a1/200-600 images were totally out-of-focus, all of those due to operator error. I kept less than 50 on the first edit. Editing the relatively huge file took me about 15 minutes, in part because I know exactly what I am looking for: I know what works and what does not. And in part because of the great speed that Photo Mechanic attains with a1 raw files; if you keep the button down, it’s like watching a movie.

Many of the images were mis-framed with various parts of the bird cut off by the frame-edge (operator error again).

What struck me was that I deleted well more than a thousand sharp, well-composed, well lit images of the fast tiny birds in flight, was that each one of those would have been a solid keeper just a year or two before. Well more than a thousand. Now we are looking for those special images, ones that stand out as relatively spectacular, usually because of the wing position or the flight pose. And sometimes because of the size of the bird in the frame and/or outstanding sharpness. As always, and as discussed here recently, we are looking for those images that are different and special. Super-sharp and in the center of the frame no longer cuts it …

This image was created on 27 May 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park. I used 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. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:28pm on a dead-clear afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed as expected: perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Least Tern flight looking serious

Pugnacious!

This one made it as a keeper because of the pugnacious look on the bird’s face. If you see anything strange about the processing of this image, please leave a comment.

This image was created on 27 May 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:47pm on a clear afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed as expected: perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Least Tern point-blank flight

Super-tight Flight

This one survived the cut because the bird was so large in the frame and so sharp that I needed to crop in just a bit for a pleasing image design.

SONY 200-600 G Lens

As discussed yesterday, when the sun is shining, the SONY 200-600 G lens can be deadly, especially for bird in flight when the wind is coming from somewhere behind you.

Sony Alpha a1 AF

Barring operator error, the performance of the Sony Alpha a1 AF system at any focal length — including at 1200mm as seen in recent blog posts — is, when the a1 is set up properly as detailed in the in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group, more than remarkable. Early on, there was lots of discussion within the group with many preferring multiple back button approaches. For me a simple shutter button approach with the right AF settings that yield 99% sharp-on-the-eye images is best. By far. It is super-simple and mega-effective. In recent SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mails, I shared what I have learned as to when and it what situations it is best to abandon Wide. And with what. The group has already learned to limit the AF Area choices and to switch AF Areas quickly and conveniently. The default method of switching AF points with the C2 button is both slow and cumbersome. In addition, recent e-mails have detailed the best program to use to pick your a1 keepers and the big problem with the Camera Set. Memory menu item.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

For me, today’s featured image would not have been possible without my Sony Alpha a1. The speed of initial focusing acquisition is amazingly quick as is the tracking accuracy. And all of that will be even truer for tomorrow’s featured image.

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based advice. We are now up to an astounding 57 blessed folks! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

My 1 1/2 hour drive was not too bad. Since I left early, I was able to grab a 30–minute nap at a 7-11 ten minutes from the spot were I met Clemens on Monday morning. The Least Tern colony we visited is thriving. I think there are more than 100 young birds including chicks of all sizes and lots of fledged and flying young. And there are still birds on eggs. Learn more about our great but very challenging morning below.

Thanks to all for the birthday good wishes and to those who commented on the Black-necked Stilt images as well.

Today is Tuesday 15 June 2021. the forecast for Southeast Florida is for light southwest winds with isolated thunderstorms early followed by clouds. Just like it was Monday. We will be headed back to the beach again to try to make some more magic. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took more than an hour to prepare and makes 171 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great if you opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Still Need One for Jax In-the-Field

If you are interested in four (two 1/2 and three full) days of In-the-Field Instruction at a great new spot in the Jacksonville, FL area — the afternoon of Sunday 27 June through the morning session on Thursday 1 July 2021, please get in touch ASAP via e-mail for details, or call me on my cell at 863-221-2372. If you have a four-wheel drive truck or an SUV that would do well on the beach, that would be an amazing plus. Inexpensive lodging at a gorgeous AirBnB just 25 minutes from our shooting location is available. We only have room for one more in the 4 bedroom home.

We will be going to the beach in my vehicle (unless you have a 4wD vehicle) for all eight sessions at Huguenot Memorial Park. We will have thousand of birds to photograph. Mainly nesting Royal Terns with chicks of all sizes and Laughing Gulls with large chicks and fledglings. There are nesting Brown Pelicans there as well. We will have tons of flight photography. The terns will be carrying all sorts of fish and shrimp and other prey items for the young. There may be less action for the afternoon sessions, but with any luck at all we will have the larger Royal Tern chicks (and possibly recently fledged young) swimming in the surf (along with young laughing gulls).

This image was created on a beach in Southeast Florida. Standing at full height, I used the 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 2500. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:20am on mostly cloudy, sometimes stormy morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly by nailing the beak of the bird on our right. As this is a healthy crop, the depth-of-field was provided by the distance to the subject. Click on the image to see a larger version. Least Tern Chicks fighting over immature flying fish

The Quest for Different: Birthday Gift #1

As we discuss here often, the quest in nature photography is to create something different. It is fairly easy to create perfect field guide type portraits of the tern chicks in sweet light (though we did not have any on Monday morning). The challenge is to make sharp images of the birds in action. With that standard in mind, the image above works very well for me. I am adding it to tomorrows webinar program.

Least Tern Chicks Food Fight!

There is lots of color variation in Least Tern chicks. There are blonde ones, tan ones, brown ones, grey ones, and as they get older, many are starkly black, white and silver. The day dawned mostly cloudy so we did not have a lot of light early on. Going with the 2X TC and the 600s left us fighting for shutter speed using too high ISOs. So I switched the 2X TC for the 1.4X. Much better. Faster and more accurate AF with manageable ISOs. By exposing to the right — RawDigger showed that this image could have gone 1/3 stop lighter, the noise at ISO 2500 was negligible. The sun came out very briefly and then came the rain and the thunder and lighting. We took shelter at the rest rooms and chatted with some campers who were not happy about getting rained out on their first day of camp.

It let up and we headed back for more. Today’s featured image was made after our break. The adults land with a fish and every chick within ten yards comes running. Almost instantly either a chick is fed or the adult takes flight in search of its own young. Usually by the time you are pointing your lens at the subject the action is over and you are looking at sand. Once a chick has a fish, it is often mobbed by others. In this case the upside down brownish–grey chick was fed the fish, and I can assure you that it did not get to swallow it. Anyhoo, when I saw this series I was thrilled on all counts.

Thanks to Dr. Fish, blog regular David Policansky for verifying the identify of the prey item.

Sony Alpha a1 AF

Barring operator error, the performance of the Sony Alpha a1 AF system at any focal length — including at 1200mm as seen in recent blog posts — is, when the a1 is set up properly as detailed in the in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group, more than remarkable. Early on, there was lots of discussion within the group with many preferring multiple back button approaches. For me a simple shutter button approach with the right AF settings that yield 99% sharp-on-the-eye images is best. By far. It is super-simple and mega-effective. In recent SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mails, I shared what I have learned as to when and it what situations it is best to abandon Wide. And with what. The group has already learned to limit the AF Area choices and to switch AF Areas quickly and conveniently. The default method of switching AF points with the C2 button is both slow and cumbersome. In addition, recent e-mails have detailed the best program to use to pick your a1 keepers and the big problem with the Camera Set. Memory menu item.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

For me, today’s featured image would not have been possible without my Sony Alpha a1. The speed of initial focusing acquisition is amazingly quick as is the tracking accuracy. And all of that will be even truer for tomorrow’s featured image.

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based advice. We are now up to an astounding 49 blessed folks. Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

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