Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

On Monday, we put Clemens Van der Werf’s flats boat in at Coleman Landing at Shady Oaks, just 20 minutes from my home. The highlight of the morning occurred early on when a male Snail Kite landed very close to us right down sun angle with a large snail and then extracted the meat. Photos soon. After brunch, we shared and worked on lots of images. After a rib-eye/salad pool-deck dinner I hit the sack early.

Lot of folks commented on yesterday’s Osprey with Black Crappie: Cool Light/Warm Light. And Hand Holding a 600mm f/4 Lens … blog post — I will be sharing my thoughts on that post here tomorrow.

Today is Tuesday 4 May 2021. We are headed to Lake Blue Cypress for more Osprey photography. The forecast is for partly cloudy with south winds, pretty good for bird photography. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and makes 131 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 greatly reduced, 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 3 May 2021 near Coleman Landing at Shady Oaks from Clemens Van der Werf’s flats boat. I used the hand held ??? lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/800 sec. at f/???? in Manual mode. AWB at 7:53am with some heavy cloud cover on the eastern horizon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: this is a representation of the raw file for the Boat-tailed Grackle feeding young image

Aperture/Depth-of-Field Multiple Choice Question

There is a much too much background detail in the original image above. Scroll down to see the optimized image.

What aperture was used for the image above?

a:f/4

b: f/6.3

Please let us know why you made your choice.

This image was created on 3 May 2021 near Coleman Landing at Shady Oaks from Clemens Van der Werf’s flats boat. I used the hand held ??? lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/800 sec. at f/???? in Manual mode. AWB at 7:53am with some heavy cloud cover on the eastern horizon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1A: the optimized version of the Boat-tailed Grackle feeding young image

Turn-around is Fair Play

Probably a decade ago, I taught Clemens to use Viveza. Over the years, it disappeared from my workflow. On Tuesday afternoon, Clemens kindly gave me a refresher course on using Viveza II. I will not soon forget Viveza …

After converting the image in Camera Raw, I executed my crop and then ran Topaz Denoise on Auto. Then I used Viveza to magically soften up the background in today’s featured image and to reduce the brightness and saturation as well. Be sure to compare the optimized version (Image #1A) with the original (Image #1) to see what I was thinking and what I did in Photoshop.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

As noted in yesterday’s (published-rather-late) blog post, Anita North and I enjoyed a fine session with the two crane families on Saturday morning. I took an early nap and an early swim. I edited several folders of images and did some image-sharing and Photoshop with Anita. Clemens Van der Werf came by for a pool-deck dinner. We will be joining him on his flats boat for some photography for the next few days.

Today is Sunday 2 May 2021. The Ospreys at Lake Blue Cypress are on the morning menu. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes 129 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.

145 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Folks new to SONY receive who are in the A1 group receive a free copy of this guide as many of the a1 settings mimic the settings in previous SONY bodies.

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

This image was created on 29 April 2021, the last morning of the second DeSoto IPT. While seated, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 452mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. The exposure was confirmed as about 1/3 too dark by RawDigger. AWB at 7:49:57am on a clear, sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Black Skimmer milliseconds after striking the baitfish

Simply Deadly

Every image that I made during the four morning sessions of the second DeSoto IPT was created with the hand held SONY 200-600 and the Alpha a1. On rare occasion, I added the 1.4X TC to the mix. On the third morning, I lugged the 600 f/4 GM around. And never used it once. For those who can handle the weight — the lens weighs less than 4 1/2 lbs with the foot removed for hand holding, the 2-6 is immensely versatile when you are working with relatively tame birds in decent light.

And the 2-6/a1 combo absolutely kills for flight photography especially when the sun is shining. Heck, my quest to become a better flight photographer began more than five years ago when I switched from Canon to Nikon. And with the switch to SONY three years ago things got even better. I am still not very good, but the gear is now so good that by sheer determination I can create a few very good flight images now and then.

The rig’s relatively small size and light weight make it easy to follow feeding flocks to stay on sun angle. It is much easier to get up and down off the ground with the 2-6 than it is with the 600 GM either on a tripod or hand held. Had I been hand holding the 600 GM for today’s two featured images, I could not have fit the bird in the frame. Zooming out is done in advance and, when done successfully, is the result of making a good educated guess-timate. Today’s featured images were consecutive frames, frames five and six of at least an 8-frame sequence. The first and likely several previous frames were sharp. The next three were not sharp as the bird’s head struck the water. The last four were razor-sharp on the eye. Unusual for me was the fact that all the images in the series were properly framed.

The AF system of the a1 is unmatched by any current camera body. In my hands, the R5 is a close second. And with the light weight of the Alpha a1 I can easily handled the 2-6/a1 rig for long photo sessions, even as I approach my 75th birthday.

This image, the next frame in the series, was of course created on 29 April 2021, the last morning of the second DeSoto IPT. While seated, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 452mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. The exposure was confirmed as about 1/3 too dark by RawDigger. AWB at 7:49:57am on a clear, sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Black Skimmer in full flight with baitfish

Comparing the Two Images

All are invited to leave a comment comparing the virtues of today’s two featured images. Yes, both are exceeding fine images. Both are un-cropped. Which is the stronger image? Which wing position is best. Which image is more dramatic? Which features the best underwing detail? The best head position? The best pose? Is one or the other sharper?

Sony Alpha a1 AF

The performance of the SONY AF system at any focal length (when the a1 is set up properly as detailed in the in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group), continues to amaze me. 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 the next SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mail, I will be sharing what I have learned as to when and it what situations it is best to abandon Zone. We have 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.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

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 39 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, they can call Jim weekday afternoons 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.