Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
June 12th, 2020

Sandhill Crane Chicks 361-Image -- the Picking Your Keepers Video. The SONY 600 f/4 GM in Low Light. The Handheld 200-600 for Easy Living. Chicks on the Rise. SONY Zebras Rock in Changing Light! And SONY at 1200mm!

What’s Up?

Thursday morning dawned still with the promise of more heat and more thunderstorms. Wildflower photography was great for about an hour until the breeze picked up. I did well with Yellow Milkwort. I was back home early and could not resist the 100+ perfect Whitemouth Dayflower blossoms in my front yard …

As noted here previously, I enjoyed a red-letter morning photo session here at ILE on May 16 with the then one-week-old crane twins. I finally got around to editing that folder and creating a Camtasia video of the 27-minute editing session. Remember, for me editing means picking my keepers. All six of today’s featured images were from that wonderful morning. Enjoy the sample video below and then consider purchasing the full video here.

The forecast for today — Friday 12 JUNE 2020 is sunny turning cloudy and then sunny in the late afternoon with no rain and no thunderstorms; I’ll believe that when I see it! I will be headed down to the lake at about 6:45am.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s six featured images is your favorite? Please let us know why you made your pick. I will share my favorite image here in a future blog post.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The sample video above is comprised of the first three minutes of the full 27-minute video.

Picking Your Keepers: The 361 Sandhill Crane Chick Images Video

Picking Your Keepers: The 361 Sandhill Crane Chick Images Video

Sit beside me as I work on my laptop picking 76 keepers from a very good 361-image morning session with the two very tame week-old Sandhill Crane chicks. Learn to pick the best image or two or three from a series of similar images. Learn the fine points. Learn to see what I am looking for. With today’s high frame-rate/high MP camera bodies, learning to edit tightly while identifying your very best images is an important skill.

Important note: during the third edit I deleted 36 additional images leaving me with 40 keepers from the great morning of 16 MAY.

To purchase the full video, click here.

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.

89 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 over $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.

This image was created on 16 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:23am on a then-drizzly morning.

Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection as the AF point tracked the chick’s right eye.

Image #1: Sandhill Crane one-week-old chick stretching

The 600 f/4 GM in Low Light

While the handheld 200-600 allows great freedom in moving about and easily getting a great perspective, it is relatively slow at f/6.3 and thus is not my number one lens choice in low light. On what started out as a cloudy, drizzly morning the 600 f/4 on the tripod was the obvious choice. Had I opted for the 200-600 I would have had to have been at ISO 2500 to get to 1/500 sec.

This image was also created on 16 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:32am on a suddenly somewhat sunny morning.

Center Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly.

Image #2: Sandhill Crane one-week-old chick standing on small rise

The Handheld 200-600 for Easy Living

Handholding a telephoto zoom lens is an absolute pleasure as compared to working on a tripod with the 600mm f/4. In order to create this image with Lake Walk-in-Water as the background, I tried laying down in the grass on my side. The problem was, I had turned off the Viewfinder Level option so I had no idea where square-to-the-world was. This image needed more than five degrees of counter-clockwise rotation. Because the chick was pretty high in the frame, I only needed a bit of Content-Aware to fill in the triangle of needed canvas in the lower right. I went to Upper Center Zone for this one as my position was quite unstable; had I stayed with Tracking Flexible Spot (M) I would have had no chance in heck.

This image was also created on 16 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:334am on a suddenly somewhat sunny morning.

Tracking Flexible Spot M AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly.

Image #3: Sandhill Crane one-week-old chick preening

I Came to My Senses

While on my side, I saw the second chick stand up to my right and begin preening so I sat up and scooched a yard or so to get right on sun angle. In just a minute, the sun had gotten much brighter and, after adjusting the exposure, I wound up with a richer blue background in Image #3 than in Image #2. Being more stable while seated I quickly switched to Tracking Flexible Spot (M) for just a bit more accuracy.

This image was also created on 16 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:35am on a then partly cloudy morning.

Tracking Flexible Spot M AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly.

Image #4: Sandhill Crane one-week-old chick resting on grassy hill

Chicks on the Rise

There is a small hill just to the right of the parking circle at the end of Park Drive here at ILE, right by the pier. Any time that there are birds on the small rise, it presents good opportunities for working with distant backgrounds such as those seen in Images 2 & #3. In Image #4, the small strip of out-of-focus green at the top of the frame is a big plus for me. And that goes double for the larger strip of out-of-focus green at the top of the frame in Image #5.

To get the perspective that I wanted for Image #4, I was lying flat on my belly.

This image was also created on 16 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1250 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:41am on a then completely sunny morning.

Tracking Flexible Spot M AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed superbly.

Image #5: Sandhill Crane one-week-old chick resting on bed of plants with tiny white flowers

SONY Zebras Rock in Changing Light!

Notice that the light level in each of today’s six featured images was different. Exposures ranged from ISO 1000 — 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 (for Image #1) to ISO 400 — 1/1250 sec. at f/7.1 (for Image #5). Working with ISO on the Control Wheel and Patrick Sparkman’s recommended Zebra values enables SONY users to consistently and quickly come up with perfect or near-perfect exposures. Pick your shutter speed and aperture and then simply adjust the ISO until you see Zebras (live in real times in the viewfinder!) All this is done before you press the shutter button. In the guide, we explain how using Zebras when the sun is shining differs from using Zebras in low light.

Image Design Question

Why did I opt to sit while creating Image #5 rather than to lie down flat as I had done in Image #4?

This image was also created on 16 MAY 2020 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. For this one made near the end of the session, I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 1000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/400 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:14am on a then somewhat cloudy morning.

Tracking Flexible Spot (M) AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed better than the operator — this image needed a healthy crop from the right and from above.

Image #6: Sandhill Crane one-week-old — head portrait showing tongue

SONY at 1200mm!

As I love working clean, tight, and graphic I enjoy the superb performance of the SONY 600 GM with the 2X TC. As you have seen on the blog, flight photography at 1200mm is viable.

If In Doubt …

If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.







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.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.

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 :).

June 10th, 2020

Greg Gulbransen Photographs the TWA Hotel at JFK!

What’s Up?

Wednesday morning — 10 JUNE 2020 — was still and foggy to start followed quickly by still and sunny. I made two really good flower images and found a wonderful old oak tree in damp woods. It was covered with moss and Baton Rouge (strawberry) Lichens and more than a few air plants. Those photos were somewhat disappointing. As I continued exploring and photographing, I met a Willie Nelson-type guy named Ralph on a bike. We got to chatting and he took me to a spot a block from his home near Orange and Magnolia that was rife with several new-for-me wildflower species. Ralph volunteers at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. He knows a lot about a lot and is quite willing to share. Bingo!

I’ve been doing my now regular 66 lengths (3/4 mile) earlier in the day to avoid the late afternoon thunderstorms. On Tuesday afternoon it rained hard for more than four hours. On Wednesday the daily monsoon lasted only about an hour. How’s that for progress?

I was thrilled to learn that thee sale of Carol Anderson’s Canon 200-400 with Internal TC and her 1DX Mark II became pending.

On Thursday, I am planning to record the RawDigger Flower and Static Subjects Exposure Guide. I will follow that up with the RawDigger Avain Exposure Guide. More on those soon.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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.

88 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 over $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.

This image was created on 3 JUNE 2020 at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport by Greg Gulbransen. He used a tripod-mounted Rodenstock 32mm lens on the Phase One IQ4 150MP Digital Back with the XT Camera body. ISO 100. Three seconds at f/14.

Image courtesy of and copyright 2020 Greg Gulbransen. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

TheRe-constructed Lounge

TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport

The TWA Hotel is located on the grounds of John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. It opened on May 15, 2019. It utilizes the headhouse of what was the TWA Flight Center airline terminal, designed in 1962 by the architect Eero Saarinen. The TWA Hotel project added two buildings on either side of the existing headhouse. The two buildings contain a total of 512 rooms between them along as well as a conference space, six to eight restaurants, and an aviation history museum. There is a rooftop infinity swimming pool and a 10,000 square feet observation deck. Many of the TWA Flight Center’s original details, such as the custom ceramic floor tiles and the 486 variously-shaped window panels, were replaced with replicas of the originals. These details give the hotel a 1960s-era vibe, and include brass lighting, walnut-accented furnishings, and rotary phones. The hallways contain red carpeting, evocative of the color of the furniture in the original TWA lounge. The rooms, however, also contain modern amenities such as blackout curtains and multi-pane soundproof windows. The large departure board, a split-flap display made in Italy has been a feature of the building since the Flight Center’s opening in 1962; it was fully restored as part of the hotel project. The TWA Hotel also includes a cocktail lounge inside a preserved Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, the last model of the Lockheed Constellation line of airliners; the lounge is nicknamed “Connie”.

Right now, room rates at the hotel are surpsingly low, almost surely due to the restricted travel policies in place. Learn more here.

Greg Gulbransen

Greg Gulbransen, a pediatrician from Long Island, is an incredibly talented photographer. You can see collection of his an eclectic images on his website here. If you take a minute to follow the link to Greg’s gallery, you will see some gorgeous and moving photography. After browsing several of the galleries I spent an hour reading and following a few links under the IN THE NEWS tab. One of Greg’s polar bear images was named grand prize winner in the 2016 The Weather Channel “It’s Amazing Photo Contest.” The first prize was a handsome $15,000.00.

If you are curious about the gear that Greg used to create today’s two featured images, note that the price tag for his kit is well in excess of $75.000.00. Greg has led a beyond-amazing life and I am proud to call him a friend.

This image was created on 3 JUNE 2020 at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy Airport by Greg Gulbransen. He used a tripod-mounted Rodenstock 50mm lens on the Phase One IQ4 150MP Digital Back with the XT Camera body. ISO 64. Four seconds at f/14.

Image courtesy of and copyright 2020 Greg Gulbransen. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The Long TWA Hallway

The Long TWA Hallway

Greg stayed at the hotel last Wednesday night and did some fine architectural photography. He sent me a selection via DropBox and I fell in love with the two images featured here today. Each image is a 2-frame X 2-frame stitched panorama. His photo sessions at the hotel marked the end of his COVID QUIET project. He photographed streets and parks and buildings all over New York City, all completely devoid of people. In his words, he was documenting NYC empty.

The Long TWA Hallway leads from a lower lobby to an upper lobby. Outside the windows of the second-floor lobby is an old Lockheed L-1649 Starliner painted in TWA colors. TWA was in and out of bankruptcy twice during the 1990s and closed up for good in 2001 when it filed for a third and final bankruptcy and was acquired by American Airlines.

Your Fave?

Which of today’s two images is your favorite? Please let us know why you made your pick. I will share my clear favorite with y’all here in a future blog post.

If In Doubt …

If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.







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.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right.

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 :).

June 9th, 2020

My Big Macro Mistake Corrected: Florida Sensitive Brier. And the Plumped-in-Place Technique

What’s Up?

On Monday morning it was a bit breezy hot and humid so I spent most of my morning session scouting for wildflowers. I did find some nice new stuff and wound up photographing what I think was Tenangle Pipewort and a lovely Pink –not sure which one.

I upped my swim to 66 lengths, 3/4 mile. In addition to my cardio-bursts I have added ten easy minutes on the StairMaster.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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.

87 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 over $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.

This image was created on 24 MAY 2020 along a ditch on a side-street several blocks from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens for Nikon F with the Vello Select Nikon F Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera Auto Lens Adapter (Firmware Ver. 6) and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by experimentation with the best exposure determined by RawDigger: 1/100 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11am on a cloudy morning.

Manual Focus using techniques from the SONY e-Guide. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Florida Sensitive Brier

My Big Macro Mistake Corrected …

For decades I have been teaching bird photographers that when they are photographing large groups of birds, it is imperative to focus on the closest bird. I failed to follow my own advice the first time that I photographed Florida Sensitive Brier by focusing beyond the closest little gold thingies. Having something out of focus in front of the subject is generally an image wrecker; I deleted all of the images from the first session. For today’s featured image, I made sure to focus on the closest little gold thingies. Using the Focus Magnfier/Manual focusing technique that is detailed in The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (see same above), makes macro photography pretty much a walk-in-the-park as long there is no breeze or provided that you can keep the subject absolutely still. See Lesson One on that below.

The more that I work with the Sigma 150mm macro/Vello Adapter/a7r iv rig the more proficient I become. If I can keep the blossoms completely, still everything is easy …

This image was created on 24 MAY 2020 aloong a ditch on a side-street several blocks from my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sigma APO Macro 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens for Nikon F with the Vello Select Nikon F Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera Auto Lens Adapter (Firmware Ver. 6) and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by experimentation with the best exposure determined by RawDigger: 1/100 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11am on a cloudy morning.

Manual Focus using techniques from the SONY e-Guide. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Florida Sensitive Brier

Plamped-in-Place

The best-case scenario for wildflower photography is a dead still day with zero breezes. Such conditions are very rare, and when they do occur — usually in the early morning, they do not last long. In general, cloudy days are to be preferred as the clouds eliminate shadows. In addition, when it is sunny, the air heats and moves and the resulting air currents move the flowers constantly. One of the best ways to solve this problem is to use the Plamped-in-Place solution. As you can ssee above, I set up a spare tripod about 15 inches from the blossom.I attached a Wimberley Plamp II to the tripod with the sturdy, powerful clamp jaws (black with the orange tips) and then held the flower gently in place with the lightweight (black and white) clamp. The beauty of this solution is that when you are done, you carefully remove the lightweight clamp from the stem of the flower and pack your gear. The flower is left growing in place as if you were never there.

There are many ways to use the Wimberley Plamp II; I will be sharing additional Plamp techniques here with you in future blog posts.


flower-guide-cover-1200-w

The Art of Flower Photography, a 203 page eBook/a link to the PDF will be sent via e-mail: $29.00.

The Art of Flower Photography by Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris

You can learn everything e about this e-book here, or order your copy here.

Video: The Art of Flower Photography

In this B&H Event Space video, two of the world’s premier photographers of flora and fauna — Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito — share the techniques they use to create dramatic, sharp, well-composed, properly exposed images of flowers and flower fields. Denise does great things with the Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS lens, while artie often goes to longer focal lengths—he has been seen photographing tulips at Keukenhoff Gardens, Holland, with a 600mm lens and a teleconverter. In addition to standard techniques, the video ends with Ippolito and Morris showing a wide range of abstract floral images and describing a variety of creative artistic effects such as multiple exposures, sharp/soft blending, texture overlays, warping a flower, creating zoom/twirls, in-camera blurs, and many others.

Click here to see the video.

If In Doubt …

If you are in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.







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 :).