April 19th, 2020 What’s Up?
I spent about an hour on Saturday morning photographing Old Gnarly’s family feeding in the South Field — Old Gnarly, it’s mate, and their small colt (that is doing just fine). I finally am sure that Old Gnarly’s mate has a bad right foot. The sun is supposed to be out this morning for the first time in more than a week but with the winds from the SW, I will be leaving the large road-killed turtle in the fridge. I will be heading down to the lake today, Sunday 19 APR 2020, as soon as I finish this blog post. To do some hunting with my SONY gear …
I sent the final draft of the SONY eGuide to Patrick Sparkman for his final review. If you already own the guide and would like an opportunity to review it, please send me an e-mail by clicking here. I should be publishing it this week. Please write only if you have time to review the document in the next day or two. All 47 folks who currently have the guide will receive a link for the final-final version later this week.
Your Favorite?
Please take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of today’s six featured images is your favorite. And why. And wish me luck on the submission!
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Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
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The Sony Camera Videos and Pre-publication e-Guide Costs and Discount Info
The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four (4) camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. The guide is now 98% done and you will — of course, receive the final version when it is completed. I sent out the third draft today to those who have purchased the Guide with or without the discount.
Folks who have used my B&H links or purchased their SONY gear from Bedfords will receive said discount based exactly on how much they spent. If you spent more than $10,000 you will receive one free video and the e-Guide. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each. If you spent $2400, you will receive a 24% discount, and so on and so forth. And again, additional camera videos will be $25.00 each.
I will need time to verify your B&H purchases so folks will need to send their receipts and then be a bit patient. It is much easier to verify Bedfords’ purchases but I need those receipts as well.
If you have not used BAA links, please do so in the future. If that is the case and you would like the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY Pre-publication Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Please add $25 for each additional camera video. Be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
Folks who have used BAA links to purchase their SONY gear should send their receipts to me via e-mail asap and let me know which camera videos they need. I will verify their purchases as quickly as possible and send a quote to be paid via Paypal as above.
Thanks to all who have properly used my B&H links or gone through the fabulous Steve Elkins at Bedfords, and thanks to everyone for having faith in the information that I provide, knowing that it will be the best available anywhere.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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.
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This image was created on January 7, 2019 at The Rookery on Saunders Island, The Falklands. While seated, I used the hand Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my suped-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop as framed (was somewhat of an underexposure): 1/500 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. NATURAL AUTO WB at 6:59pm on a typically cloudy afternoon.
Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.
One up and to the left of center D-9/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure.
Image #1: Magellanic Penguin tight head out-of-burrow portrait
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A Rare Submission …
It has been a while since I did a photographic submission of any kind, but with Jim at home I was checking out e-mails on the office computer and came across this one on Friday:
Hello RRJr Contributors,
I hope that you are doing well and staying healthy during these interesting times. If you didn’t hear already, I and the rest of the National Wildlife Federation / Ranger Rick staff are currently working remotely until guidance by the State of Virginia says otherwise (currently June 10th). Luckily we have a great IT team that has set our organization up for remote work success.
Attached you will find our Photo/Video Want-List for the November edition of Ranger Rick Jr. Stories include:
Gray Wolves
Holey Homes (underground burrows)
Please see the attachment for more details and feel free to email me with any questions!
Thank you!
Chris Conway
Well, I have only seen one or two wolves in my life, both close to mile away. And I have no good photos of puffings in burrows, but I knew that I had some good ones of Maggelanic Penguins …
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This image was also created on January 7, 2019 at The Rookery on Saunders Island, The Falklands. Again, while seated, I used the hand Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my suped-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus about 1/3 stop as framed: 1/400 sec. at f/6.3 (was close to one stop underexposed). NATURAL AUTO WB at 6:05pm on a cloudy afternoon.
Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.
One down and to the left of center D-9/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. I executed a pano-crop from the bottom.
Image #2: Magellanic Penguin tight head out-of-burrow portrait
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So …
So, I searched on my laptop for images. I began at the JAN-2018-19 Falklands trip to transfer folder and found four suitable images, all created with the handheld Nikon 500 PF. Next up was the _ _ _ A A A Falklands 3 WEEKS 2016 transferred where I located the last two images featured in today’s blog post. Both were created with Canon Gear.
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This image was also created on January 7, 2019 at The Rookery on Saunders Island, The Falklands. Again, while seated, I used the hand Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my suped-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus about 1/3 stop as framed: 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 (was about a half-stop under). NATURAL AUTO WB at 5:55pm on a then cloudy-bright afternoon.
Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.
Two to the right of center D-9/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure.
Image #3: Magellanic Penguins in burrows
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My e-mail to Chris Conway
Hi Chris,
I hope that all is still A-OK at NWF. All here at BIRDS AS ART is A-OK.
Jim and Jennifer are home isolating and getting paid 🙂
I have sent six large JPEGs of Magellanic Penguins in burrows via Hightail. You can access them here: ttps://spaces.hightail.com/receive/Fs5jv9S0Oy
If you would like the optimized files for one or more of the images, please reply to the sending address of this e-mail (samandmayasgrandpa@att.net) and I will get them to you in short order.
Thanks with love, artie
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This image was also created on January 7, 2019 at The Rookery on Saunders Island, The Falklands. Again, while seated, I used the hand Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my suped-up Nikon D850. ISO 1600. Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop as framed: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 (was a good exposure). NATURAL AUTO WB at 5:37pm on a then cloudy-bright afternoon.
Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.
One up from center D-9/Continuous (C in Nikon/AI Servo with Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure.
Image #4: Two half-grown Magellanic Penguins in burrow
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The Good Old Days
Twenty-five years ago it would not have been uncommon for me to work on two or three photo submissions in a single week. I would send a plastic sleeve or two of slides to various publishers for consideration. In 2001, we generated more than $220,000 selling one-time usage rights. By 2011 that number had dropped more than 90% to $21,000. By 2017, the last times we checked, image sales were below $2,000, down more than 99%.
I knew that I would have to adapt or wind up as a greeter in Walmart. At BAA, we have done just that.
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This image was created on December 23, 2016 at Bleaker Island, The Falklands. Again, while seated, I was seated behind my Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens and my favorite Canon body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 (was another good exposure). AWB at 6:39am early on a sunny morning.
Three up from center Expand AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure.
Image #5: Magellanic Penguin displaying a the top of it burrow
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Patience
Getting this image required something that I am usually short of — patience. A penguin would pop out of its burrow, display briefly, and then disappear for 20 or more minutes. But I really wanted the shot …
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This image was created on December 22, 2016 at Bleaker Island, The Falklands. While seated I used the handheld Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 176mm) and my favorite Canon body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (this image also was well underexposed). AWB at 6:41pm on a
Three up from center Expand AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure.
Image #6: Magellanic Penguin adult in burrow
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Why So Many Bad Exposures?
As good as I was at getting the right exposure (with both film — the original softcover The Art of Bird Photography, and digital — ABP II), and teaching others to do the same thing, having to create a test image for each situation was difficult. And when the light changed even slightly you were often left in the lurch with exposures as much as a stop or more from perfect. Things are so, so much easier with SONY once you learn to use Zebras with ISO on the Control Wheel. As the light changes, simply adjust the ISO so that you have some blinkies and your exposures will be 99.8% perfect even when you screw up!
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Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
All images created on various Land-based Falklands IPTs
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2020 Land-based Falklands Trip
December 10-26, 2020. $8999.00 per person. Deposit $4000.00. Limit four photographers/openings: 2. Please e-mail for a complete itinerary and complete details.
Fly on a red-eye to Santiago, Chile on WED 9 DEC 2020, arriving there on THURS 10 DEC. We will do an add-on condor trip ($450/per person including lunch) that morning assuming that everyone gets there by about 8am at the very latest. And another add-on morning to Del Mar for Inca Terns and Peruvian Pelicans ($450/per person including lunch) on FRI 11 DEC leaving the hotel very early. We fly to Mont Pleasant on SAT 12 DEC. In the Falklands we will visit Bleaker, the Rookery and the Neck on Saunders, and Pebble. Then two nights at the Malvina House on Stanely with a visit to an amazing rockhopper colony. Fly back to Santiago on SAT 26 DEC. Fly home either that night (red-eyes are hard to get) or the following day.
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 :).
April 18th, 2020 What’s Up?
Friday morning was way dark. It started off slower than slow so I went to my favorite grassy rise and put out some salmon skins, four eggshells, a ribeye bone, and a pork chop bone. I set up the 600 on the tripod with the a9 II in hopes of some vulture flight. Impatient as I am, I had brought down my laptop. So I got back in my car and went to work on the SONY guide. I worked for one hour fifteen minutes. Not a single vulture came.
By 9:45am, it was getting brighter (but not sunny) and I was tired of waiting for vultures. I almost headed home but decided to check out each of the three big fields once more. As I made a left turn onto the North Peninsula I saw an Osprey disappear behind a large bush in the marsh on my right. I moved forward and saw that it had landed in the lake and was bathing. I set up the smaller, lighter Induro 20l with the FlexShooter Mini in my SUV and mounted the 600 GM with the 2X and the a7r iv. I repositioned the vehicle and went to work. What a show. I had as many as six Ospreys flying around and landing in the lake. I had as many as four in the water bathing at once. I had never seen even one Osprey bathing in the lake before. I did not get home for breakfast until 11am.
After I ate, I went for gas at the station on SSR 60 five minutes from my home. I stopped on the way back to pick up a huge just-killed freshwater turtle, possibly a Florida Red-bellied Cooter. I keep some heavy-duty plastic bags in my vehicle. If the wind and sky conditions are good this morning — Saturday 18 APR 2020 — I will put the turtle out and hope that the vultures are hungrier today than they were yesterday.
Last night I watched another blockbuster on TIVO — Apollo 13. What a story, with amazing acting by Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, and others. Incredible film-making, sound, and music. And lots of tears of joy.
I was glad to learn yesterday that multiple IPT veteran Larry Master sold his Canon 200-400 f/4L IS USM lens with internal 1.4X Extender in excellent condition for $4,999.00 (was $5999.00) and that Blog regular Fred Innamorato sold his Sony A9 in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $2349.00.
I will be headed down to the lake at about 7:30am in spite of more clouds in the forecast along with SW winds …
Have fun and be safe.
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Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
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The Sony Camera Videos and Pre-publication e-Guide Costs and Discount Info
The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four different camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. The guide is now 98% done and you will — of course, receive the final version when it is completed. I sent out the third draft today to those who have purchased the Guide with or without the discount.
Folks who have used my B&H links or purchased their SONY gear from Bedfords will receive said discount based exactly on how much they spent. If you spent more than $10,000 you will receive one free video and the e-Guide. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each. If you spent $2400, you will receive a 24% discount, and so on and so forth. And again, additional camera videos will be $25.00 each.
I will need time to verify your B&H purchases so folks will need to send their receipts and then be a bit patient. It is much easier to verify Bedfords’ purchases but I need those receipts as well.
If you have not used BAA links, please do so in the future. If that is the case and you would like the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY Pre-publication Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Please add $25 for each additional camera video. Be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
Folks who have used BAA links to purchase their SONY gear should send their receipts to me via e-mail asap and let me know which camera videos they need. I will verify their purchases as quickly as possible and send a quote to be paid via Paypal as above.
Thanks to all who have properly used my B&H links or gone through the fabulous Steve Elkins at Bedfords, and thanks to everyone for having faith in the information that I provide, knowing that it will be the best available anywhere.
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This image was created on the morning of 16 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. On foot, I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 2000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode was about +1 2/3 stops on the analog scale. AWB at 7:53:17am on a cloudy/very-dark morning.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click the image to see a larger sharper version.
Image #1: Adult Great Blue Heron atop pine tree
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The Situation
For the past several weeks there have been lots more Great Blue Herons around the lakefront at ILE than there have been in years. Last week I saw one — likely the same bird as pictured here today, displaying from the top of the very same pine tree. I was photographing not much at the vulture tree at the north end of the North Field when I saw the heron land well to my right. Since I was out of my vehicle with the big lens on the tripod, I decided to walk rather than drive. No worries, the nearest folks were two fishermen about a quarter-mile away. I’ve been using the larger 404L when I get out of the car since I rarely walk very far; I stow it in the back with the legs fully extended topped by a FlexShooter Pro while the 204 with a Mini on top stays in the front seat with me to be set up when I worked from the car.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) is simply amazing. Many of the captions that I wrote yesterday went a lot like this: Focus on the bird’s face, re-compose, and push the shutter button. The AF area stays on the bird’s face as you move the lens. Nothing could be simpler or more effective than using Tracking Flexible Spot to create pleasing compositions.
Image Design Question
In image #1, why did I place the bird on the right side of the frame looking out?
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This image was also created on the morning of 16 APR 2020 at Indian Lake Estates. On foot, I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 2000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode was about +1 2/3 stops on the analog scale. AWB at 7:54:27am on a cloudy/very-dark morning.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click the image to see a larger sharper version.
Image #2: Adult Great Blue Heron atop pine tree
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The Stronger Image?
Today’s two featured images were created exactly one minute ten seconds apart. In that short time, I moved to my right and angled a bit closer to the bird thus creating a slightly different perspective. When the bird looked back to its left, Tracking Flexible Spot (M) continued to perform perfectly. Which of today’s two featured images is your favorite? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.
Image Processing Question
One of today’s two featured images was optimized in Photoshop with great care. The other is pretty much right out of camera (after being converted in Capture One with identical settings). Be sure to enlarge each image and let us know if you see any differences and what they are. This exercise is for eagle-eyed readers only.
Depth-of-field Question
How might f/8 (or even f/11) have improved both of today’s featured images?
April 17th, 2020 What’s Up?
Thursday morning did turn out to be cloudy-dark. I created lots of perched vulture images along with some Old Gnarly family images, all at high ISO, to send to Arash Hazeghi for the new SONY Capture One e-Guide he is working on. He can use even lousy images to create various best conversion values especially with regards to the noise reduction settings.
I swam my usual 50 lengths on a cold — 59-degree afternoon — it had been ninety the previous day, with a cold rain pelting my back for the last forty.
The forecast for today — Friday 17 APR 2020 is much the same as yesterday’s — cloudy in the am, rain in the pm — except that the winds will be more from the east and less from the north. I will be headed down to the lake at about 7:15am.
Have a great day and be safe.
Some COVID-19 Political Comments …
I do not quite understand why most beaches and natural areas are closed to folks who would like to walk, exercise, and yes photograph, while practicing social distancing while everyone is free to go shopping at Walmarts or huge supermarkets. I do not understand why folks can purchase food but are prevented from buying garden supplies while its business-as-usual at liquor stores and lottery outlets. I do not understand why folks in some states are prevented from attending outdoor religious services while remaining in their vehicles. And I do not understand why folks surfing in California are hassled or even arrested.
Do you?
I will probably get into big trouble with some by suggesting that folks check out the situation in Sweden — where there are no lockdowns and the economy is doing just fine — in the YouTube video here. Comments are welcome on the message but not the messenger.
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Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
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The Sony Camera Videos and Pre-publication e-Guide Costs and Discount Info
The cost of the SONY e-Guide is $100.00 US and will include one of the four camera set-up videos — we offer one video each for the a7r iii, the a7r iv, the a9, and the a9 ii — and the written guide with the galleries. The guide is now 98% done and you will — of course, receive the final version when it is completed. I sent out the third draft today to those who have purchased the Guide with or without the discount.
Folks who have used my B&H links or purchased their SONY gear from Bedfords will receive said discount based exactly on how much they spent. If you spent more than $10,000 you will receive one free video and the e-Guide. Additional camera videos are $25.00 each. If you spent $2400, you will receive a 24% discount, and so on and so forth. And again, additional camera videos will be $25.00 each.
I will need time to verify your B&H purchases so folks will need to send their receipts and then be a bit patient. It is much easier to verify Bedfords’ purchases but I need those receipts as well.
If you have not used BAA links, please do so in the future. If that is the case and you would like the e-Guide now, please send a Paypal for $100 US to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words “SONY Pre-publication Guide” in the Paypal e-mail along with the name of your camera or cameras so that you can receive the correct video or videos. Please add $25 for each additional camera video. Be sure to send a copy of the Paypal transaction to me via e-mail.
Folks who have used BAA links to purchase their SONY gear should send their receipts to me via e-mail asap and let me know which camera videos they need. I will verify their purchases as quickly as possible and send a quote to be paid via Paypal as above.
Thanks to all who have properly used my B&H links or gone through the fabulous Steve Elkins at Bedfords, and thanks to everyone for having faith in the information that I provide, knowing that it will be the best available anywhere.
BIRDS AS ART
BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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.
Smoked Salmon Skin Feeder
Junior’s Fish Market in Lake Wales makes some of the world’s-best smoked salmon right there in his shop on SR 60. I usually buy as much as he has. (His hours right now are quite limited.) I save the fatty skins and keep them in the fridge along with left-over steak and pork chop bones. And I always have my eyes out for road-killed possums or raccoons. On mornings where the wind and sky conditions look decent for flight photography, I will put out the bait in one of two locations that offer decent (read distant) morning backgrounds.
Some days are diamonds, some days are stone. When the birds first arrive there can be lots of good flight photography. But most days I do not have the patience, so I drive around the lakefront in search of subjects and returned to find a pile of vultures already on the bait. That is what happened on Wednesday past. I always find it interesting to watch the interplay between the Black Vultures (BVs) and the larger Turkey Vultures (TVs). In general, the TVs are dominated by the smaller BVs. But at times, if more than a few TVs arrive early, they hold their own. The BVs do their share of squabbling. The bird in today’s featured image was charging a small group that was dining on a still-juicy bit of skin.
That the image is razor-sharp on the eye astounded me; I would not have expected Tracking Flexible Spot to keep up with a bird charging aggressively over the hill at 1200mm.
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Click on the image to be able to read the fine print.
Capture One Screen Capture for Black Vulture charging
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Capture One Screen Capture
First, note that I added 1/3 stop of light to the exposure (+0.32). And then see the next item.
Note the nasty dust spot to the right of the subject and the extra, o-o-f vulture in the lower- portion of the frame. As always, I used the Spot Healing Brush to eliminate dust spots while working at 100% and scrolling side to side and then up and down. I did a bit of grass clean-up using Content-Aware Fill. I used a large, rotated, warped, horizontally-flipped Quick Mask to cover the extra bird and then refined that with a Regular Layer Mask.
All the techniques mentioned above 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. Scroll down for details on this great guide.
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RawDigger Screen Capture for Black Vulture charging
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RawDigger Screen Capture
Again, note that I increased the exposure by 1/3 stop. Then consider that the RawDigger data shows a 99.8% perfect exposure with 30,000 underexposed RED pixels and 1,000 underexposed BLUE pixels out of 61,000,000 pixels. Pretty darned close to perfect. I have been including the RawDigger over/under EXP data to show how amazingly accurate Patrick’s Sparkman’s system — Exposure determined by Zebras with exposure compensation on the rear wheel — combined with his brilliant Zebra’s setting, can be with just a bit of practice. This system is covered in detail in the almost-finished SONY e-Guide and the Camera Useer’s videos.
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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.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
All the Photoshop techniques mentioned above 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. Simply click to shoot me an e-mail to get your free copy.
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 :).
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