What’s Up?
On Wednesday morning it dawned still and cloudy so I started off photographing flowers in our butterfly garden. I was planning on working for only a few minutes and then heading down to the lake to check out the birds. But I wound up staying for more than an hour. By the time I got down to the lake there were few birds and the light was strong, so I headed home early and got in the pool. I’ve been swimming every morning before my first meal.
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The BAA Used Gear Page
The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Past Sales list at the bottom of the page.
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SONY e-Guide Discount Program
Purchase a (new) qualifying SONY camera body (a7r iii, a7r iv, a9, a9 ii) from Bedfords or using a BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate link, and you will receive a $40 discount on the SONY e-guide. Purchase a (new) SONY 200-600mm G lens from Bedfords or using a BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate link, and you will receive a $25 discount on the SONY e-guide. Purchase a (new) SONY 600mm f/4 GM lens from Bedfords or using a BIRDS AS ART B&H affiliate link, and you will receive a free SONY e-guide with one or two videos.
Please send your Bedford’s or B&H receipts to me via e-mail to receive your discount and your ordering instructions. Folks purchasing from Bedfords and using the BIRDSASART code will save $50. Folks sending their B&H receipts may need to wait a few days to have their purchases confirmed. Folks using Bedfords will have their purchases confirmed immediately.
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107 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris |
The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)
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.
Money Saving Reminder
If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase of more than $1000.00, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
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Photo Mechanic Screen Capture for today’s featured image |
Lying Down (backwards) on the Job
I wanted to get low to improve the background. Getting on my belly was too low as I wound up with mostly a sky background. So I simply reclined and turned the lens to vertical. The first time that I saw my friend Anita North use the lying down backward technique I thought that she was nuts. Getting the image anywhere near level is a challenge. I do not like having the level active in the Finder as it takes up the center of the screen and is distracting. But after creating so many images on Monday with the horizon badly skewed, I activated the level in the Finder with my a9 ii. The good news is that you can toggle it on and off so that it is available when needed.
The Problems with this Image
- The horizon is not level.
- The bush in the background right above the cranes head in the center of the frame wrecks the compositional balance.
- The Great Egret on top of the bush is a huge distraction.
- With the subject looking to our left, the bird should be more toward our right in of the frame; in other words, the bird is too centered and there is too much room behind the bird.
But with the elegant pose, I decided to work the image to come up with something pleasing.
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This image was created at Indian Lake Estates, FL on Monday 24 AUGUST 2020. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 430mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 400: 1/400 sec. at f/8. The exposure was confirmed as perfect by RawDigger. ABW at 8:01am on a clear morning. Upper Center Zone Continuous AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Sandhill Crane colt (hatched May 9 or 10) finishing wingstretch |
The Image Optimization
After converting the RAW file in Capture One Pro 20, I brought the image into Photoshop and leveled it: R for the Ruler Tool and then Command + forward slash for Image > Rotate > Arbitrary. Then I expanded canvas a bit above and left (using the technique detailed in the last blog post here), and cropped the image from below and the right (all to improve the placement of the subject in the frame). Next I needed to move the bush to our right. First I eliminated the Great Egret using the Clone Stamp Tool at zero hardness. Then I created a Quick Mask (Q) of the bush. I made sure to include lots of the sky and the lake to the left so that when I moved the bush to the right hand of the frame with the Move Tool (V), the bush in its original position was covered.
The result was a far more pleasing image design.
Note the crop-a-bility of sharp 9 ii image files. Note also the perfect head angle in relation to the sun as I was working about 30 degrees off sun angle.
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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)
All of the techniques mentioned above — including and especially the use of Quick Masks — and tons more (with the exception of Capture One RAW Conversions) — along with all of 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. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my MacBook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. 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.
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: all 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 two years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One Pro 12 and continue to do so today.
To purchase Capture One, please use this link. Then 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.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.
To introduce folks to our MP.4 videos and the basics involved in applying more NeatImage noise reduction to the background and less on the subject, I’d be glad to send you a free copy of the Free Noise Reduction Basics MP.4 Video. Click to shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.
If In Doubt …
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Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog or Bedfords, for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
