Photography on Saturday morning down by the lake was fair at best. I did get a lovely, softly backlit image of Old Gnarly’s small colt, and then spent some time with the vultures still picking at the pretty-much desiccated turtle carcass three full days after I put it out. With a forecast for thunderstorms in the afternoon, I swam early. The storms never materialized so I headed back down at about 6pm; aside from the caracaras, things were pretty slow so I headed home at about 6:45pm to get some work done. I set the alarm for twenty minutes and then headed back down for what promised to be a decent, muted ball-of-the-sun sunset. It was and single grackles cooperated by landing on The Perch. Every time I moved the Sequoia to line things up, I was off by a fraction. I did get some nice ones and since this is a scenario that is likely to recur, I might be famous yet …
The forecast for this morning — Sunday 26 APR 2020, is for more of the same: mostly to partly cloudy with SW winds. This is less than ideal for bird photography; any wind with an easterly component is generally pretty good in the morning as the birds will be flying toward the light rather than away from it and you. None-the-less, I will be heading down Park Drive to do some hunting with my photo gear.
Thanks!
Thanks to those who set me straight on my wildflower confusion. Image #1 is in the genus Rhexia, the meadow beauties, members of the melastome family. It is almost surely a Meadow Beauty. And Marsh Pink does in fact, grow in and around freshwater habitats. I will keep my eyes peeled in the future.
keep (one’s) eye(s) peeled (for something or someone)
To remain vigilant or carefully watchful (for something or someone). They should be arriving any minute, so keep your eyes peeled.
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.
Tracking Flexible Spot (M) yielded a sharp-on-the-eye image.
Be sure to click on the image to see a larger, apparently sharper version.
Osprey reacting to a fly-by
A New Phenomenon at ILE
As I mentioned the other day, I had never seen an Osprey just sitting in the shallow waters of Lake Walk-in-Water until last week. Now, it has become a pretty much daily occurrence. In the mornings, I have seen as many as seven in the water at once. Yesterday afternoon there was one just to the south of the pier near the spot where the morning birds have been. For the most part, the birds simply sit there (even on chilly, wind days). When the birds do bathe, they just splash around a bit. They rarely flap afterward as most birds do. Some of the best action occurs when another bird flies low over one in the water. When that happens the bird in the water will often start calling, flap its wings in place (as shown in today’s featured image), or take flight. When the latter happens, they may re-land in the same spot or nearby.
The birds are relatively distant and if you get out of your car they are gone in an instant. That’s where the SONY 600 GM with the 2X teleconverter in place really shines.
More SONY 1200mm Insanity!
The more I use the SONY 600mm f/4 GM lens — the weapon of mass destruction — with the 2X TC, the more I am impressed with the results. AF performs superbly even with birds in flight and in action. The Canon 2X III TC with their big, fast lenses was great for static subjects, but the Nikon TC-E 20 was close-to worthless on the 600 VR even for static subjects. So the switch to SONY has opened up a wonderful new world — flight and action at 1200mm.
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 🙂
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 :).
I spent two hours on Friday morning photographing a Great Blue Heron in the rain. I swam my 52 lengths (88 to a mile) in the rain on Friday afternoon. Then I went back down to the lake for another hour in the rain and photographed several totally soaked Sandhill Cranes. I had a ton of fun and by afternoon was experimenting with making sharp images at slow shutter speeds in the 1/30 to 1/80 second range.
The forecast for today is cloudy. I will head back down to the lake at about 8am to do some more hunting with my SONY gear. Speaking of hunting (or fishing), maybe the Great Blue Heron will actually catch something today …
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.
I have noticed small, beautiful flowers here at ILE for well more than a decade; since this one was small and pink I assumed that it was Marsh Pink. (See Image #2 below from 2007). But looking around on the web I quickly realized that Image #1 does not depict a Marsh Pink Flower. Marsh Pink has five petals and a dark pink outline around the flower center …
If you know that identity of the flower shown in Image #1 (or if you have one of those cool flower ID apps), please leave a comment. My somewhat crude online research leads me to Cuckoo-flower (Lady’s Smock) which may or may not be a European invasive … All substantive knowledge on the subject will be appreciated.
SONY 100-400
As noted here many times previously, the .98 meter minimum focusing distance of the SONY 100-400 (the same as the Canon 100-400 II), is a huge plus. It comes in very handy when working with mega-tame birds and can be effective as a quasi-macro lens for large bugs (including butterflies and dragonflies), frogs, all but very small flower blossoms, and lots more. In addition, it is a more than capable flight lens that is a lot lighter than the 200-600. The 100-400 was my workhorse lens on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. As with today’s Image #1, adding a 1.4X TC increases the versatility of these lenses.
This image was created on 12 MAY 2007 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the tripod/Mongoose-mounted Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM lens and the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400: 1/250 sec. at f7.1 on a sunny morning.
Marsh Pink?
Marsh Pink?
Why the question mark after Marsh Pink? Wikipedia states clearly that Marsh Pink is “restricted to salt marsh habitats.” There is no saltwater at Indian Lake Estates. I do recall seeing Marsh Pink growing in the summer on the South Flats of the (brackish) East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Reserve in Queens, NY. Again, substantive comments on the flower shown in Image #2 would be appreciated.
So the question is, can Marsh Pink occur in freshwater wetlands?
Price Drops
Canon EF Extender 1.4X II
Price dropped $50 on 10 FEB 2020! Price dropped $40 on 25 APR 2020!
BPN friend Ravi Hirekatur is also offering a Canon EF Extender 1.4X II (the 1.4X II teleconverter) in excellent condition for the ridiculous, you-might-as-well-give-it-away price of $89.00 (was $179.00). The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via UPS to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Ravi via e-mail or by phone at 1-608-217-9593 central time.
The 1.4X II TC is every bit as sharp when used with older lenses such as the original 100-400 above and the original 500 and 600mm f/4 lenses. The series III TCs provide advantages only when paired with the series II and III lenses. I used this item more than quite often when I was using Canon, often with great success. artie
Navy blue (woman’s small) Xtrahand Magnum Vest
Price dropped $50 on 25 FEB 2020!
John Lowin is offering a navy blue (woman’s small) Xtrahand Magnum vest by Vested Interest for a ridiculosuly low $149.00 (was $199.00). The vest is in like-new condition. The sale also includes insured ground shipping by major courier to mainland US addresses only (unless other shipping arrangements are made). Please contact John via e-mail or by phone at 1-262-242-3559. Central time.
As most of you know, I use and depend on my (Magnum) Xtrahand Vest extensively both in the field and for air travel; it has saved my butt many times when traveling on small planes and puddle jumpers when they want to check or gate-check your roll aboard. At spots in the Southern Ocean and in the Galapagos archipelago, it is absolutely indispensable as it allows me to carry the extra lenses that I might need, along with water, food, and extra clothing. Without a backpack! As Vested Interest has gone out of business, this represents a rare chance to get yourself an Xtrahand Vest at a greatly reduced price. artie
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.
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 🙂
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 :).
Photography has been really good most mornings. On Thursday, I brought some smoked salmon skins, a steak bone, and a pork chop bone down to the lake. At the last moment, I decided to set up my road-kill feeder on the small rise to the right of the parking circle by the pier. That turned out to be an excellent choice. See the photos and learn more below.
Again, very few folks commented on the mayfly-related images in yesterday’s blog post here. If you have a chance to re-visit and comment, it would be greatly appreciated. In the same vein, please take a moment to comment on today’s two featured images? Is one better than the other? Do they both suck? Or are they both outstanding?
The forecast for this morning — Friday 24 APRR 2020 — is for strong storms; thunder is rumbling as I type. Unless it is pouring, I will be heading down to the lake at about 8am to do some hunting with my SONY gear.
The SONY e-Guide will be published soon.
Greg Gulbransen is Happy and Nuts. And, he can dance!
Long Island pediatrician Greg Gulbransen is both a skilled and dedicated photographer and a great friend. Not to mention a skilled and dedicated doctor. He created this video (with his daughter Julia co-starring) to express his feelings about Long Island coronavirus being past the peak. It will likely put a smile on your face. You can check out Greg’s eclectic photography here.
FlexShooter Pro
The amazing FlexShooter Pro heads are currently out of stock. We should be receiving our next shipment in about a week. We do have the FlexShooter Mini in stock; they are perfect for the intermediate telephoto and telephoto zoom lenses.
Center Zone Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection.
Click the image to enjoy a larger version.
Image #1: Fish Crow braking to land
Lesson Learned
Sometimes it takes an hour for the vultures to find the bait. Sometimes thirty minutes. On Wednesday morning, I put the dead turtle and the road-killed rabbit down in a spot that was just the right distance for incoming flight photography with the handheld 200-600 and offered sweet distant backgrounds for vulture-on-the-ground portraits with the tripod-mounted 840mm rig (both with an a9 ii). You need to be aware of light-angle and the white homes on the opposite shore of Lake Walk-in-Water. Only then did I head back to my vehicle to grab my 2-6, put it on a Black Rapid Curve Breathe Strap, and set up the 600 f/4 with the 1.4X TC on the tripod. Before I reached my Sequia, two caracaras flew in and landed on the juicy rabbit. Then several vultures flew in, and others that had been on the ground not too far away hopped their way to the feast. By putting the bait out before having my gear ready, I missed the best opportunities of the morning …
Gear Choice Question
Looking at the EXIF, what was the big advantage of using the 600 f/4 GM rather than the 200-600 G?
Center Zone Continuous/tracking AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection.
Click the image to enjoy a larger version.
Image #2: Black Vulture braking to land
Second Attempt Success
On Thursday morning I decided to go with the bare 600mm f/4 GM on the tripod as conditions were close to perfect for incoming flight photography; the light was soft (with faint shadows) and the wind from the east/southeast was coming over my right shoulder. For those new to flight photography you always want the wind coming from behind you when your shadow is pointed at the birds. If the wind is blowing right in your face (wind-against-sun), the birds will fly in from behind you — into the wind — and brake and land while facing directly away from you.
The big change, however, was that I set up my big lens rig on the tripod before I put out Thursday’s fare: salmon skins and a few left-over bones. In addition, I set the exposure for Black Vulture and set Center Zone, my favorite SONY AF Area for flight photography. I placed the tripod below the hill to ensure sky backgrounds and with my glasses on, I leveled my FlexShooter Pro so that I could pan in either direction without having to rotate the lens in the lens barrel while being sure that my rig was square-to-the world, i.e., perfectly level. I did that by centering the bubble in the scribed circle on the silver ball and then locking it by tightening the black lever. Then I loosened the silver knob so that I could pan freely. On Thursday I was ready.
Next, I walked the 15 yards up the hill, dumped the bait out of the plastic bag, and hustled back to my rig. Barely a few seconds after I had gotten behind my tripod, the crow flew into the bait and braked to land. I fired off six frames and kept two. My favorite crow image was created at 7:54:36am. Thirteen seconds later, at 7:54:49am, a Black Vulture flew in slightly from my right, braking into the southeast wind. This time I created six images and kept only one, Image #2. I did go on to have a good morning with some more nice vulture images, a few good Cattle Egret flight shots, more Ospreys in the pond stuff, and a calling adult sandhill. I saw and photographed the two crane colts after I had not seen them for several days — they were on their own and have gotten really big. I tried for some foraging Cattle Egret head-shots at 1200mm and failed; they just do not stay still for long …
All in all, it was a good morning, and being prepared, enabled me to create two really good images.
Exposure Notes
In a perfect world, I would have increased the ISO two clicks when I saw the crow flying approaching because the Black Vultures have some white on them and very bright legs, but I followed my own rule: shoot now and ask questions later (and was glad that I did). As things turned out, RawDigger showed 0% over-/under-exposed pixels with a smattering of under-exposed RED pixels for thee crow exposure. And the vulture exposure was nearly perfect showing just 0.1% under-exposed RED pixel and a smattering (71 out of 24,200,000) of over-exposed GREEN pixels. You gotta love exposure by Zebras! Even though I could have done slightly better in the rapidly changing (crow to vulture) situation, it is reassuring to know that on average the two exposures were 99.95% perfect!
Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.
The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris
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.
