Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Your Fave?

Which of today’s three featured images is your favorite. Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.

What’s Up?

I finished packing on Wednesday morning and left early, headed for the Auto Train station in Sanford, FL, figuring I could nap on the way down if need be. I spent an hour on the phone with Cliff Beittel and that really helped pass the time. I arrived way early, boarded the train at 2:30, and we pulled out right on time at 4pm.

I was glad to learn that two spots for the Homer trip have been filled, that several folks are interested in joining me at JBWR, and that several others are setting up dates for Nickerson Beach In-the-Field Instruction. Good friend Bill Schneider will be joining me for two private days on the beach there 10 & 11 August. He has recovered well from his fairly recent shoulder surgery.

Kudos to American swimmer Katie Ledecky for her Gold Medal in the first-ever Olympic swim of the woman’s 1500 meter freestyle. And love and support for world’s greatest-of-all-time woman gymnast, American Simone Biles for withdrawing from the the team and the individual all-around competitions citing stress and mental issues. She said that she felt lost in the air … No-one, probably including Simone, knows if she will compete in the Event finals that are scheduled to begin on Sunday night. Learn more about this situation and this amazing young woman here in the great Sports Illustrated article by Stephanie Apstein.

I met some fun folks last night and we spent two hours telling stories and laughing. Loudly! David, the barman, hung out with us as well. He is a delightful man who is often confused with Morgan Freeman. When I saw his long thin fingers I asked if he played piano. He does. Then I asked if he had ever dunked (a basketball). He said that the had but that his favorite sport was baseball. He was looking forward to playing at the University of Maryland but injured a knee working a construction job. He has a great smile.

I slept seven fitful hours — understandable as the Auto Train gets up to seventy mph. It is now 6:40 am and we passed by Richmond, VA at about 6:15. I had a nice chat with David the barman about Motown, the Temptations, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, and Hitsville, USA. We are — barring anything unforeseen — looking at an-ahead-of-schedule arrival in Lorton, VA no later than 8:30am. I will head toward Nickerson Beach despite the dire weather forecast. I have a hotel room in Rockville Center for tonight, will try to do some photography this afternoon and Friday morning, and then head to Alissa’s house in Ronkonkoma (on Long Island). Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes 213 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Homer Bald Eagles Winter 2022

Yes, this is an expensive (but competitively priced) trip. The price of the boat and the price of the fish have risen astronomically since my last visit in 2020. But the photography is beyond amazing. You can do the whole trip with either the Canon 100-500 or the SONY 200-600 along with any 70-200mm lens. Flight photography until you cannot raise your arms, creative set-ups, lots of snow, we hope (earlier in the season is best for that), and lots of opportunities for point-blank head portraits and talon shots. All is a spectacular setting. If you are seriously interested in joining me for the world’s best Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle trip(s) — mid-FEB thru early MARCH 2022, please contact me immediately via e-mail for dates and details. I am looking for a roommate who will be doing all eleven days.

The East Pond

The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY was the place to observe and photograph North America’s southbound migrant shorebirds. It shined from 1975 through about 2010. Then, for reasons noted in the blog post here, the place pretty much went down the tubes due to high water levels. At present, it seems that the folks at Gateway have gotten their act together; conditions at the pond are reported to be excellent this season. I have a strong connection to the East Pond. I photographed my first shorebird — a Semipalmated Sandpiper, there in August of 1983. I’ve been visiting for 45 years and have spent thousands of hours on the pond.

If you would like to learn to identify and photograph more than a dozen species of shorebirds on an In-the-Field Workshop in August, please shoot me an e-mail to learn the dates and details. The East Pond is best for photography for just three specific days in a calendar year … I will be there then. Here’s hoping that the East Pond will return to its former crown-jewel glory.

SONY a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Super-Low Price!/Canadian Sale Only

BAA-friend and many multiple IPT veteran Anita North is offering a a Sony a9 II in excellent condition for a BAA record-low price in USD. The sale includes one battery and the charger, and insured ground shipping to Canadian addresses only. For price, and to get in touch with Anita, please contact artie via e-mail. The sooner the better, as she is leaving for Africa in mid-August.

As things worked out, the a9, and then the a9 ii, turned out to be life-changers for me. From the moment I tracked that first incoming Brandt’s Cormorant at LaJolla, I knew that at that time, the SONY a9 series bodies featured the world’ best AF. I upgraded to the a9 ii as soon as it was released for the slightly larger body size. At one point I owned two a9 ii bodies. A new a9 ii sells for $4,498.00 so you can save a very nice $2004.00 by grabbing Anita’s a9 ii ASAP. Not to mention that the new Sony A1 sells for $6498.00 … artie

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 28 May 2021 at a rookery in North Tampa. Standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/6400 sec. at f/5.6 (stopped down one-stop). AWB at 6:11pm on a cloudy bright afternoon. Wide AF-C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Little Blue Heron feeding fledged young

600mm Alone

I’d had only one chance to photograph young Little Blue Herons near their nests in 38 years, that at St. Augustine Alligator Farm on film with flash about 25 years ago. So not often. But there were several nesting pairs at rookery in North Tampa. This image was made on my second visit. The visible eye of the young bird is a huge plus.

And the Question Is …

The question is, why was I at such a high shutter speed with a correspondingly high ISO?

Note: RawDigger showed a dead-solid perfect exposure for Image #1, a near-perfect exposure for Image #2, and a perfect exposure for Image #3.

This image was created on 3 June 2021 at a rookery in North Tampa. I used the <Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel: 1/800 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:26pm on a mostly cloudy afternoon. Wide AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Image #2: Little Blue Heron, fresh juvenile on rock

600mm and the 1.4X TC

I mentioned this rocky limestone point in the 800+ Images of the Same Bird … Right Down the Barrel. Practice Fishing. And the Rocky Point blog post here. I was thrilled when this bird, just a few days out of the nest, landed and posed. Working at a good distance, I made lots of verticals. This one, nicely framed and with a perfect head angle, was the best of the lot. One thing that I need to do on rainy days on Long Island is to do final edits on many, many files and lose many thousands of images …

Images #2 and #3 of the same bird were created on my third and last visit to this great rookery.

This image was created on 3 June 2021 at the rookery in North Tampa. While standing, I used the <Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). AUTO ISO 640. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/400 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:34pm on a mostly cloudy afternoon. Wide AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3:Little Blue Heron, fresh juvenile/head portrait

600mm and the 2X TC

With birds that I have lots of images of, I will usually go for head shots right off the bat. But I refrained from doing that until I was sure that I had a nice vertical portrait of this handsome youngster. That done, I added the 2X, approached very slowly, and made the kill. Here again, the dead solid perfect head angle made this image the pick of the litter.

Controlling the BKGR via Perspective Choice

Image #2 and Image #3 are of the very same bird on the very same rock. For Image #2 I went for a green background by moving a bit to my right and getting a bit lower by pulling out the front leg of the tripod. I saw the chance for a grey, matte background for image #3 so I moved left and got as tall as possible. The background for that image is simply still water reflecting the lead-grey sky.

Typos

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

The East Pond

The East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY was the place to observe and photograph North America’s southbound migrant shorebirds from 1975 through about 2010. Then, for reasons noted below, the place pretty much went down the tubes due to high water levels. At present, it seems that the folks at Gateway have gotten their act together; conditions at the pond are reported to be excellent this season. As detailed below, I have a strong connection to the East Pond. I photographed my first shorebird — a Semipalmated Sandpiper, there in August of 1983. I’ve been visiting for 45 years and have spent thousands of hours on the pond.

If you would like to learn to identify and photograph more than a dozen species of shorebirds on an In-the-Field Workshop in August, please shoot me an e-mail to learn the dates and details. The East Pond is best for photography for just three specific days in a calendar year … I will be there then. Here’s hoping that the East Pond will return to its former crown-jewel glory.

Homer Bald Eagles Winter 2021

Yes, this is an expensive (but competitively priced) trip. The price of the boat and the price of the fish have risen astronomically since my last visit in 2020. But the photography is beyond amazing. Flight photography with any lens till you cannot raise your arms, creative set-ups, lots of snow, we hope (earlier in the season is best for that), and lots of opportunities for point-blank head portraits and talon shots. If you are seriously interested in joining me for the world’s best Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle trip(s) — mid-FEB thru early MARCH 2022, please contact me immediately via e-mail for dates and details.

What’s Up?

I need to do a bit more laundry, charge camera batteries, and begin packing for Wednesday afternoon’s trip on the Auto Train. Next will be a seven hour drive to Ronkonkoma on Long Island where I will be staying with daughter Alissa and her husband, Ajiniyaz. I will probably stop for the night at a Staten Island chain hotel to avoid the BQE and the LIE during rush hour! I will be photographing often at Nickerson Beach and at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Today is Tuesday 27 July 2021 and I have lots of work to do. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about three hours to prepare and makes 211 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Getting Started Birding at JBWR

In May of probably 1977, I went birding, really for the first time, with my then and now former wife Dana, and my two daughters, Jennifer and Alissa. I had along a copy of the Golden Field Guide, Guide to Birds of North America by Chandler S. Robbins and Bertel Bruun. I learned years later that it had been a wave day as dozens of Myrtle (now Yellow-rumped) Warblers in breeding plumage flitted about in the trees and shrubs. I can remember being thrilled when I was able to match the color and patterns of the tiny birds in the tall bushes with the painting in the book. I had a pair of lousy binoculars that my Dad had gotten sometime in WW II. They were terrible at best.

That August I visited the refuge on my own and checked the log. One of the entries listed American Kestrel, male in the log. I found the bird in my now trust companion, the Golden Guide. A blue and orange falcon in New York City? You gotta be kidding me. I walked around the West Pond, saw a male American Kestrel, and followed it blindly when it flew between two rows of tall trees halfway around the pond. I got a better look at the bird when I was startled by a horn honking. A ranger, who later became a good friend — Bob Cook, called me over and explained that I had gone past a Do Not Enter sign. I apologized and we chatted. He said to me, “If you want to get close to the birds, check out the East Pond across Cross Bay Boulevard. There are no restrictions there.”

The next morning I was on the pond early and spotted a large, cinnamon-colored shorebird, a Marbled Godwit. As I wrote in Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers and elsewhere, I had no idea that seeing that single bird would change the course of the remainder of my adult life, but that is exactly what happened. I had been captivated by the godwit’s long, upturned bill with an alabaster pink base. Shorebirds would quickly become my favorite bird family and I wound up spending several thousand hours on the East Pond over the next two plus decades.

The late Thomas H. Davis Jr. and Suzanne Kleinbaum at a Guy Tudor Christmas party in 1974. Photo courtesy of Peter W. Post

My Shorebird Mentor, the late Tom Davis

As a beginning birder, Tom Davis was a mysterious, mythical figure to me. All 6 foot seven inches and 145 pounds of him. He was an extremely knowledgeable top-notch birder, and served as the voice of the New York Rare Bird Alert. For several years I walked by him on the shores of the drawn-down East Pond looking for and studying shorebirds. He never once glanced at me. Tom often had a huge Novoflex telephoto lens with him. It had two pistol-like handle grips that were used to focus. Anyhoo, one day, for no reason at all, I walked by him and he said, “Hey, Artie, how’s it going?” I almost fainted. Within minutes he was down in the mud drawing stick figures of Baird’s Sandpiper for me and giving me lots of birding tips. When we got back to the parking lot, he shared his baby picture album with me. His babies were the juvenile shorebirds that visit the pond beginning in mid-August each year.

High as a kite, I went home and excitedly told Dana that Tom Davis had talked to me. The next week when I saw him he walked by me without saying a word. Over time, we talked a lot and Tom taught me everything that I know about aging shorebirds, separating juveniles from adult and breeding and winter plumage. Sometime in early 1984, I believe, Tom suffered a crippling cerebral aneurism in a doctor’s office. He became hemiplegic, completely paralyzed on one side. I visited him often at his care facility in Far Rockaway. In 1985, I was blessed to find and identify New York State’s first Red-necked (then Rufous-necked) Stint on the East Pond in July of 1985. Several of Tom’s friends took him by stretcher to the East Pond to see the bird. On his first attempt, the bird could not be located. He returned soon afterwards and saw the bird.

I was in California during the summer of 1986. I called the Rare Bird Alert to make sure that I was not missing any rare birds at the East Pond. Birding friend Tom Burke had taken over the alert when Tom Davis was stricken. As soon as I heard Tom intone in a very sad voice, “This is the New York Rare Bird Alert for July 20 …’ I knew that Tom had died. The stint had been his last life bird.

artie in the mud at the East Pond, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, NY Original film image (slide) courtesy of the late Max Larsen

The East Pond and artie

Inspired by Tom Davis’s baby shorebird images and moved to action when I attended a Tony Manzoni slide show at South Shore Audubon Society, I began photographing birds at the East Pond in the later summer of 1983. I had no clue. The late Max and Nellie Larsen were very kind to me when I was a beginning birder. Max was quite a handsome man with a shock of Roger-Tory-Peterson-like white hair. Max took this image of me at the East Pond and kindly shared the slide with me. I spoke to Nellie at least five years ago. Max had been gone for a few years and she was well into her nineties.

In the photo above I am using my first telephoto lens, the Canon 400mm f/4.5 FD manual focus lens. The only way to get close enough for a decent image was to crawl through the mud. Tom had been doing a shorebird survey at JBWR for about five years when he was stricken. The results were published each year in The Kingbird, the journal of the then Federation of New York State Bird Clubs (now the more prestigious New York State Ornithological Association). Here is a link to Tom’s 1983 article. I took over the survey, done for the then-Manomet Bird Observatory, in 1984. I did the survey each fall through the 1990 season, the last several years with help from good friend and now professional ornithologist David Mizrahi. By 1991, I was totally obsessed with bird photography and stepped away from the many hundreds of hours needed to do the survey. I needed more time for photography. For the curious, here is a link to the 1986 survey.

Beginning in 1983, I photographed regularly at the East Pond with friends Kevin Karlson, Rob Villani, the late Tom Vezo, and Johann Schumacher. Those, as they say, were the days. While you would never think of the NYC metropolitan area as a hotbed of nature photography, everyone above and yours truly went on to become noted, oft-published bird photographers. I would be remiss at this point to not give a shout-out to former refuge manager Don Riepe. So thanks for everything, Don! And the same could be said of the late Bob Elliot Kutner, founding member and past President of the South Shore Audobon Society. I just learned that Elliot was an heroic WWII veteran who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Bob led countless birding field trips with boundless and infectious enthusiasm. And he hooked countless folks — including me, on birding. He showed me my first Snowy Owl. At a desolate Jones Beach on winter days, I used to say that you could tell that Elliot was leading a bird walk when you felt the ground shake from the hundred or so folks that he had enticed into the field despite the frigid weather. The man had the most wonderful smile you could ever hope to encounter. Bob lived to 88. This from his obituary that I found this morning:

He was a special, kind, charitable, man deeply connected to his Jewish roots. He will be missed by the many lives he touched and loved in his 88 years. His enthusiasm for life was exceptional and contagious. Our lives will never be the same without him. I was blessed to know have known him.

Back to the subject of rare shorebirds at JBWR. In 1981 Tom Davis found New York State’s first Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, an adult, on the East Pond. Two summers later he sighted what he believed to be the same bird! In 1983, Tom found a strange sandpiper that was definitively identified by noted Avian artist John Yrizarry as New York State’s first Little Stint. There was confusion at the time as to whether the bird was a Rufous-necked Stint or a Little Stint. I was there when John spoke to Tom after reviewing study skins of the two species at the American Museum of Natural History. He said, in his heavy Eastern-European accent, “It’s a shtint, alright, but is a Little Shtint.” I saw that bird several time but never had a chance to photograph it.

By chance, I was visiting Long Island in the late summer of 1998 and was privileged to see and photograph a juvenile Broad-billed Sandpiper. The bird, a real North American rarity, was found on the East Pond by William Brenner. It was the first record of that species in the lower 48 states. Tom Davis used to say that if you lived long enough every migrant shorebird in the world would wind up being seen at the East Pond …

It was on a Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge IPT that I first met Patrick Sparkman, now a dear friend.

Over the past decade, I have visited the East Pond in August several times. But because of problems with the water control valve at the north end of the pond, combined with management indifference, the pond was almost always completely flooded; there was usually no place for any shorebirds to land. My understanding is that this year the valve has been repaired and conditions should be ideal for the entire southbound shorebird migration season.

While doing the research for this blog post I found a searchable archive for the Kingbird (1950-2018) here on the website of the New York State Ornithological Association. Each mouse-click brought back memories of old friends from my NYC birding days: Paul A. Buckley, Joe Di Costanzo, Thomas W. Burke, Manny Levine, Robert Villani, Kevin and Dale Karlson, Tom Hook, Georges Dremeaux, Rick Cech, Stephen B. Dempsey, Arthur Berland, Steve Walters, R. J. Kurtz, Tony Leukering, and too many more to list. It was a real trip down memory lane.

Scroll to What’s Up (above) if you would like to explore the possibility of joining me on the East Pond this August for some In-the-Field photographic and shorebirding instruction.

Typos

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

A Focus Stacking Question …

As far as I know, none of the SONY bodies feature auto focus-stacking. If I focus bracket manually — Focus Peaking would make that relatively easy, is there a program that will auto-assemble the focus-bracketed series? If yes, which one is easiest to use?

Homer Bald Eagles Winter 2021

This is an expensive trip. The price of the boat and the price of the fish have risen astronomically since my last visit in 2020. But the photography is beyond amazing. Flight photography with any lens till you cannot raise your arms, creative set-ups, lots of snow, we hope (earlier in the season is best for that), and lots of opportunities for point-blank head portraits and talon shots. If you are seriously interested in joining me for the world’s best Homer/Katchemak Bay Bald Eagle trip(s) — mid-FEB thru early MARCH 2022, please contact me immediately via e-mail for dates and details.

What’s Up?

As noted yesterday, we did not do too well with the Swallow-tailed Kites on Friday morning. Saturday was worse. Lots worse … It dawned totally foggy with a northwest wind. The sun broke through at about 8:30am and the wind dropped a bit. But with wind against sun conditions, every kite was flying away from us and from the light. The few birds that came down for a drink were flying directly away from us. So you would figure, not so bad, enjoying a peaceful morning in a beautiful canal lined with tropical vegetation and tall trees, many of which are topped by 20-50 roosting Swallow-tailed Kites. If but that had been true. As it was a weekend and there were about eight photo boats. The problem was that on the boats that were closest to us, there were several folks who would not shut up, jabbering away as loud as possible, mostly preaching ridiculous photography tenets. I did some cell phone videos of the kites circling upwards but good photo chances were close to zero … We did learn that Thursday had been the best day for photography in twenty years. 🙂 N.A.T.U.R.E photography: Not Always The Ultimate Recreational Experience …

Congrats to American Olympic swimmers Chase Kalisz (Gold) and Jay Litherland (Silver) for sweeping the Men’s 400 Meter Individual Medley in Tokyo last night (with GOAT Michael Phelps in the booth).

Today is Sunday 25 July 2021. I took my walk early to beat the heat and the afternoon thunderstorms. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, we hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes 209 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 23 July 2021 aboard Clemens Van der Werf’s flats boat on Lake Woodruff in Deland, FL. While seated on a deck chair, I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2000. Exposure determined (poorly) via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 7:40am on a still, then cloudy morning. Tracking: Flexible Spot AF-C performed perfectly by nailing the gator’s eye. Image #1: American Alligator floating on calm morning

The Swallow-tailed Kite Photo Story

From what I understand — and saw for two mornings, hundreds of Swallow-tailed Kites roost in the tall trees lining one very popular canal adjoining Lake Woodruff. At about 8 or 8:30am, they take flight in number. Many circle overhead on thermals as things warm up. A few swoop down to the water to drink. A wind from the southeast would be perfect. Despite a southwest wind on Friday morning, we had a very few chances to photograph the drinking kites. With early fog and a northwest wind, we had zero chances on Saturday morning.

In any case, today’s featured image was my favorite from our two morning adventure.

This image was created on 23 July 2021 aboard Clemens Van der Werf’s flats boat on Lake Woodruff in Deland, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2000. Exposure determined (poorly) via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/4 (wide open). AWB at 7:40am on a still, then cloudy morning. Tracking: Flexible Spot AF-C performed perfectly by nailing the gator’s eye. Image #1A: Topaz DeNoise on the American Alligator floating on calm morning image

Under-Exposures Yield More Noise

Click on the image to enlarge it and see the unusually high levels of noise for an ISO 2000 a1 original. RawDigger showed that in the very low light levels, the raw file was almost one stop too dark. Now note the after image on our right and see how beautifully Topaz DeNoise Low Light on Auto cleaned up the noise without any destructive posterization and without effecting the edges while actually improving the sharpness.

Topaz DeNoise

Be sure to click on the screen capture to see the complete elimination of noise in the after image on our right. And note that if anything, the fine details are sharper than in the original.

As regular readers know, I run DeNoise on virtually every image that I process immediately after executing the crop with the Delete Cropped Pixels box checked. For images made in sunny conditions, I used Standard. For images made in low light, I use Low Light. You can check all four methods by using the Comparison View but I rarely do that any more as I am confident as noted above.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

RawDigger e-Mail Conversation with Saul Furstein

am: Hi Saul,

Re:

SF: I have read your The RawDigger E-Guide and have watched the two accompanying videos. I understand the value of getting the correct exposure in camera.

am: Or not 🙂

SF: I am confused. There was no mention of adjusting exposure in post-proocessing using software. Is there a reason that adjusting exposure with software is to be avoided?

am: Not at all. Exposing properly to the right gives you files with minimal noise and the most information. Doing so also yields cleaner, more natural color. I am pretty sure that it mentions that your raw files will often and usually should look washed out. So yes, we adjust the tonality of the image during post processing. Setting the Black (and white) points brings the images to life. And the Highlight Slider can be used to restore detail in the whites and highlights in properly exposed images.

Please LMK if you have any more questions.

Thanks with love, artie

RawDigger — not for the faint of heart …

Nothing has ever helped me learn to create perfect exposures to the degree that RawDigger has. I think that many folks are reluctant to learn that most of their images are underexposed by one or more full stops and that highlight warnings in Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, and your in-camera histogram are completely bogus as they are based on the embedded JPEGs. Only your raw files tell the truth all the time. Heck, I resisted RawDigger for several years … Once you get over that feeling, RawDigger can become your very best exposure friend no matter what system you are using. On the recent IPTs and In-the-Field sessions, we have demonstrated that fact. Convincingly.

The RawDigger (pink) Adapted Histogram

In the RawDigger e-Guide, you will learn exactly how to set up the Adapted “pink” RawDigger Histogram and how to use it to quickly and easily evaluate the exposure or raw file brightness of images from all digital cameras currently in use. RawDigger was especially helpful to me when I struggled with R5 exposures and when learned my new camera body, the Sony Alpha a1.

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We could not figure out why the Max G values varied by camera system. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

Your Call

After clicking on each image to enlarge it, please leave a comment and let us know which one you like the best and why you made your choice. Image #1 was made at the wide open aperture, Image #2 was made at f/8, and Image #3 was created at f/16.

What’s Up?

It is 5:35am and Clemens and I are headed up to Lake Woodruff in Volusia County in search of large numbers of Swallow-tailed Kites gathering before they head to South America for the winter. Wish us luck. For the most part it will be a big challenge for me as I will be hand holding the SONY 600mm f/4 GM with the 1.4X TC and the a1 body.

Today is Friday 23 July 2021. The weather for Deland is looking less than ideal … Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s images. I will be sharing my thoughts on those with you here soon.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took well more than two hours to prepare and makes 208 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 23 July 2021 in my front yard. Standing at full height, with the blossom picked and Plamped in place, I used the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 400. The exposure was in part determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the rear wheel, and then selected as best from a bracketed series of exposures after evaluation in RawDigger. Multi-metering +1.3 stops: 1/100 sec. at f/3.5 (wide open) in Manual mode. Manual Focus, Focus Magnifier, Focus Peaking, and the 2-second self-timer, all as detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. AWB at 8:24:46am in the shade on a sunny morning. Be sure to click on the image to view a larger version. Image #1: Sunshine or Powderpuff Mimosa — Mimosa strigillosa blossom

The Situation

We have a nice patch of Sunshine Mimosa growing in a small patch of dirt right next to the pool machinery. I’ve seen spent blossoms before. I checked for flowers on Wednesday morning but there were none, and no buds as well, at least that I saw. After my Thursday morning walk, I walked out onto the pool deck to put my boots in the sun to dry and decided to take a peek at the low-growing mimosas that had multiplied over the past three years. I was surprised to see two blossoms. One was a bit ragged and the other one was perfect. I picked the beautiful blossom and set up for a green background in the front yard. As it was rather late and a breeze was developing, I moved my setup into the lee of the big oak tree in front of my house. The good news in those situation is that the breeze comes and goes.

Note that working wide open with the Metabones Adapter resulted in severe vignetting that could not be completely eliminated via the Vignettting slider during the raw conversion in ACR; I had to use a very soft clone stamp to make the corners perfect.

This image was created on 23 July 2021 in my front yard. Standing at full height, with the blossom picked and Plamped in place, I used the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. The exposure was in part determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the rear wheel, and then selected as best from a bracketed series of exposures after evaluation in RawDigger. Multi-metering +1.3 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/8 (stopped down 2 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. Manual Focus, Focus Magnifier, Focus Peaking, and the 2-second self-timer, all as detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. AWB at 8:23:57am in the shade on a sunny morning. Be sure to click on the image to view a larger version. Image #2: Sunshine or Powderpuff Mimosa — Mimosa strigillosa blossom

Sensitive Brier

Sensitive Brier (Mimosa nuttallii), with its smaller prettier blossoms, is more common at ILE than Sunshine Mimosa. It is sometimes called Catclaw Sensitive Briar because of the multitude of tiny barbs on the stems. You can see a decent image of this mimosa in the the blog post here.

This image was created on 23 July 2021 in my front yard. Standing at full height, with the blossom picked and Plamped in place, I used the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. The exposure was in part determined by Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the rear wheel, and then selected as best from a bracketed series of exposures after evaluation in RawDigger. Multi-metering +1.3 stops: 1/13sec. at f/16 (stopped down 4 1/3 stops) in Aperture Priority mode. Manual Focus, Focus Magnifier, Focus Peaking, and the 2-second self-timer, all as detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. AWB at 8:23:24am in the shade on a sunny morning. Be sure to click on the image to view a larger version. Image #3: Sunshine or Powderpuff Mimosa — Mimosa strigillosa blossom

Variety is the Spice of Flower Photography

Once I have my gear set up on a still flower in calm conditions, and have focused sharply exactly where I want, the process becomes quite automated. For this flower, I started at f/8 and shot exposures from +.7 stops to + 2 stops. I guessed that +1.0 would have been best. Those were acceptable but when I evaluated the images in RawDigger it showed that +1.3 stops was best. Working in Av mode with Exposure Compensation enables me to work very quickly and to learn more about exposure once the images are downloaded by evaluating them in RawDigger. Then it is a simple matter of varying the aperture and shooting series of five images at different exposures. If you wish to change the size of the image in the frame or try a different image design, rinse and repeat.

Note that in Image #1 there were no dust spots. In Image #2 there were two. In Image #3, where I stopped down to f/16, I had to use the Spot Healing Brush to eliminate about 20 dust spots, many of them nasty. Note also in Image #3 that some background detail was brought up even though it was a good twenty feet to the grass background.

SONY and artie

Switching to SONY, first with the a9 and the a9 II, and then with the remarkable a1, has enabled me (and others, like Mike De Rosa as seen recently in the blog post here), to create images of birds in flight and in action that I could not have even dreamed of when using Canon for 33 years and then Nikon for more than two. Most of the time I am using one of two AF methods that together, cover about 99% of the commonly-encountered bird photography situations. Learn more by joining the group!

From Long-ago IPT veteran Keith Kennedy via e-mail

Absolutely great information. I am calling Jim in a few minutes to order a couple of Delkin 128GB UHS-II cards. Your timely email has saved me a ton of money! Many thanks

In the same vein, via e-mail from John LeClair

Well, e-mail #21 alone was worth the price of admission!

From Pamela Viale, after receiving my a1 settings along with detailed instructions on how to copy them to her SONY a1 via e-mail

This e-mail group has been an incredible boon to me! Thank you so much!

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being a MENU selection.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. We are now up to an astounding 69 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Most of the time, I know a day or two in advance what the subject of an upcoming blog will be. I woke this morning with no clue. So I decided to look at my ILE July 2020 file. I was surprised to see flowers, flowers, and more flowers. Along with a very few butterflies and cranes. Right now the fields are too soft and too wet to drive on safely, so no cranes. And there are just not many flowers around.

Anyhoo, I found today’s featured image, processed it, and prepared this blog post. Today is Wednesday 21 July. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s images. I will be sharing my thoughts on those with you here tomorrow.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about one hour to prepare and makes 206 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 15 July 2020 a few blocks from my home at ILE. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 560mm) and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be dead-solid perfect (as seen in the screen capture below). AWB at 8:44am on a clear, sunny morning. I screwed up the focus (by choosing the wrong AF Method) … Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #1: Zebra Swallowtail on Carolina Red Root blossom

Your Thoughts?

Zebra Swallowtail is my favorite butterfly. This is a beautiful specimen. They are uncommon and skittish so getting a great image is a huge challenge.

Enlarge the image and examine it critically and ask yourself, what do I like about it? Then ask yourself, what don’t I like about it. Then share your thoughts by leaving a comment. Where do you think the focus was? What one thing could the butterfly have done that would have resulted in a perfect image?

Image #1A: RawDigger screen capture for the Zebra Swallowtail on Carolina Red Root blossom image

Dead-Solid Perfect!

Images where the G channel gets 2/3rds of the way from the 8000 to the 16000 line are perfect exposures. Images where the G channel gets right up to the line are dead-solid perfect. With 195 OvExp pixels out of 51,000,000 this is a dead-solid perfect exposure.

RawDigger — not for the faint of heart …

Nothing has ever helped me learn to create perfect exposures to the degree that RawDigger has. I think that many folks are reluctant to learn that most of their images are underexposed by one or more full stops and that highlight warnings in Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, and your in-camera histogram are completely bogus as they are based on the embedded JPEGs. Only your raw files tell the truth all the time. Heck, I resisted RawDigger for several years … Once you get over that feeling, RawDigger can become your very best exposure friend no matter what system you are using. On the recent IPTs and In-the-Field sessions, we have demonstrated that fact. Convincingly.

The RawDigger (pink) Adapted Histogram

In the RawDigger e-Guide, you will learn exactly how to set up the Adapted “pink” RawDigger Histogram and how to use it to quickly and easily evaluate the exposure or raw file brightness of images from all digital cameras currently in use. RawDigger was especially helpful to me when I struggled with R5 exposures and when learned my new camera body, the Sony Alpha a1.

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We could not figure out why the Max G values varied by camera system. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

The last morning of the 2nd JAX IPT was more of the same, more of an early southwest breeze and more wind against sun condition. None-the-less, we had a great morning. Donna Bourdon did chicks on the face of the dune early and wrong-way flight after that. Then she joined Lou Newman and Maida at the wash-over pool. Clemens and I started atop the ladders with the crazy-tall tripods working tern chicks on top of the dune at 1200mm. A few on the edge of a nearby ridge were really gorgeous. After a while, I headed down the beach for chicks and Clemens did flight. With wind against sun conditions, the trick to flight photography is to find birds flying the wrong way, or those turning or banking. Finally I joined Donna, Lou, and Maida at the pool where we all got some great stuff on handsome young Laughing Gulls. Lou had two great chances on a Royal Tern feeding sequence.

We were back at the AirBnB for brunch by ten and on the road by 11:40am. Donna flying JAX to ATL to Chattanooga while Lou and Maida headed to Sarasota. After dropping me off at ILE, Clemens will grab his car and continue on to Fort Lauderdale.

All in all it was a great trip despite the often challenging conditions. And the All-Wheel Drive (AWD) on my BMW X5 did great on the soft sand. We never even came close to getting stuck 🙂 Today is Monday 18 July 2021. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes 204 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

SONY a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Wally Barkley is offering a Sony a9 II in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $2694.00. The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it including one battery and the charger, strap. Insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only is also included. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Wally via e-mail or by phone at 1-231-675-6546 Eastern time zone.

As things worked out, the a9, and then the a9 ii, turned out to be life-changers for me. From the moment I tracked that first incoming Brandt’s Cormorant at LaJolla, I knew that at that time, the SONY a9 series bodies featured the world’ best AF. I upgraded to the a9 ii as soon as it was released for the slightly larger body size. At one point I owned two a9 ii bodies. A new a9 ii sells for $4,498.00 so you can save a very nice $1804.00 by grabbing Wally’s a9 ii ASAP. Not to mention that the new Sony A1 sells for $6498.00 … artie

This image was created on 17 July 2021 on the last afternoon of the second JAX IPT. While seated on dry sand using the knee-pod technique, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 734mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/10 (stopped down one-stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:09pm on a sunny afternoon. Wide AF-C/Bird-Eye/Face Detection AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed just about perfectly (as below). Click on the image to view a larger version Image #1: Royal Tern chick begging

The Best Option …

Before we headed out to the beach on Saturday afternoon, I said to the group, “With wind against sun, a good option is to get close to some chicks by the wash-over pool and wait for a parent bird to return with a fish. There is at least a chance that the chick will turn away from the wind to face the parent that will be landing into the wind. If you get lucky, you can get something decent with the chick facing you.” I got very lucky. Image #1 was my favorite from a nine frame burst created within the same second.

I scootched to my right to get squarely on sun angle with this chick. I had planned to get the camera on the ground and work off the rear screen. Lucky for me, I did not have time to do that. As the chick reacted to an adult flying by overhead at close range I acquired focus almost instantly and fired away. This chick went hungry for at least a while longer.

Image #1A: AF point for the Royal Tern chick begging image

Bird Eye/Face Detection Improved

Firmware update V1.10 completely eliminated the electronic viewfinder (EVF) problem that plagued a1 shooters from Day One. In addition, the performance of the already-amazing Bird Eye/Face Detection AF was significantly improved with the recent firmware update.

Note the small, proportionate crop from the right and from below. Tip: select Original Ratio from the Crop Tool drop-down menu.

SONY and artie

Switching to SONY, first with the a9 and the a9 II, and then with the remarkable a1, has enabled me (and others, like Mike De Rosa as seen recently in the blog post here), to create images of birds in flight and in action that I could not have even dreamed of when using Canon for 33 years and then Nikon for more than two. Most of the time I am using one of two AF methods that together, cover about 99% of the commonly-encountered bird photography situations. Learn more by joining the group!

From Long-ago IPT veteran Keith Kennedy via e-mail

Absolutely great information. I am calling Jim in a few minutes to order a couple of Delkin 128GB UHS-II cards. Your timely email has saved me a ton of money! Many thanks

In the same vein, via e-mail from John LeClair

Well, e-mail #21 alone was worth the price of admission!

From Pamela Viale, after receiving my a1 settings along with detailed instructions on how to copy them to her SONY a1 via e-mail

This e-mail group has been an incredible boon to me! Thank you so much!

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being a MENU selection.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 67 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Beach Clean-Up

Most of the beach clean-up here was done with the Patch Tool. I used a bit of Content-Aware Fill. I did not use the Clone Stamp Tool at all. The clean-up job alone took about 25 minutes. I know that there will be a few out there who prefer the messy original version with the bits of shell and tiny feathers. I do not 🙂

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)

The Photoshop Tools used with all of my clean-up techniques along with dozens of other great Photoshop tips and techniques — 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.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

With the forecast of clear skies and a wind from the southeast, my plan was to shoot flight off one of the ladders we brought. It was a great plan, but there was a gentle breeze from the west (of all places!!!) That had the birds returning with fish landing away from us. When I came down off the ladder, Donna Bourdon and I photographed a lovely Royal Tern chick sleeping on the face of the dune bathed in early morning light. With its eye wide open.

After that, it was on to plan B. I worked at 1200 from three steps up on the ladder to be at eye level with the birds on the top of the dune. It was hot and when the wind died, even hotter. We decided to grit it out until ten am. But just before that, the wind switched to the east so we stayed an extra forty minutes with the birds landing right at us, lit nicely from below by the light reflected off the white sand beach. It was our best photography of the day. Then it was on to an air-conditioned AirBnB and brunch!

With another wind against sun afternoon, I discovered a really neat back-lit situation with terns flaring to land backlit against the shade face of the dune. Everyone partook.

Today is Saturday 17 July, the last full day of the IPT. We are heading to the beach at 5:30am. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, we hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took more than an hour to prepare and makes 202 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 15 July 2021 on the second afternoon of the second JAX IPT. While standing, I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/4000 sec. at f/8 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:28pm on a sunny afternoon. Wide AF-C/Bird-Eye/Face Detection AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed well by painting the bird’s face with dancing, Zone-like AF points. Click on the image to view a larger version Royal Tern with fish for young

Not a Baby Barracuda …

What can I say? I saw those big teeth and thought barracuda. Thanks to David Policansky for placing it in the mackerel/tuna family (Genus Scomberomorus.) Heck, I did think that it was a pelagic (fast swimming, ocean-going) fish. David thinks that it is one of the three common species of Spanish Mackerel that are common from Florida to Virginia and are found as far north as Cape Cod.

Screen Capture of the same bird/same fish eight minutes later

Where’s My Chick?

As the season progresses and the chicks spread out on the beach, the adults returning with fish have a very hard time finding their own young. This bird was flying around for at least eight minutes without finding junior. On Friday morning we had one tern with a cutlassfish more than a foot longing flying circles over the colony for at least fifteen minutes.

Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images A Video Webinar: $30 by electronic download Order your copy by clicking here.

Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images

A Video Webinar

In this 1 hour 28 minute plus video you will learn and be inspired. We cover everything from the very basics to the fine points. After a brief bio, the topics include Behavior, Action, Diagonal Lines, and the Cuteness Factor; Birds in Flight — The Holy Grail of Bird Photography; Mis-Framing!; Basic Image Design/HORIZONTALS: Get the subject out of the center of the frame. Basic Image Design/VERTICALS: The center of the frame is generally fine; The Importance of BACKGROUND; Isolating the Subject; Other Elements of Composition; On Getting Low; Going Wide for Bird-scapes; Super-tight!; Working in Sunny Conditions; Working in Cloudy Conditions; Working in Foggy Conditions; Working in the Shade; Working in Bad Weather; Creating Back-lit Images; Creating Silhouettes; and Creating Pleasing Blurs.

Each segment of the program consists of an average of about 15 images that will drive home the points being made, educate you, and inspire. The instructions and advice, given clearly and concisely, are based on my near-38 years of experience photographing birds with telephoto and super-telephoto lenses. And on several decades of creating educational blog posts.

This presentation is based on the webinar that I did for the South Shore Camera Club in April. You can find some of the comments below along with comments from two of the folks who viewed the webinar the night before the DeSoto IPT began.

You can order your copy of Designing and Creating Pleasing and Dramatic Natural History Images/A Video Webinar by clicking here or by calling Jim with your credit card in hand at 863-692-0906.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Well, there were a zillion Royal Tern chicks of all ages out on the beach on the first afternoon of the JAX IPT. But classic wind against sun conditions — clear skies with a 15 knot wind from the southeast — made photography just about impossible. With an east wind scheduled for this morning, we are looking forward to several hours of outstanding shooting.

Today is Thursday 15 July 2021. Wish us luck! Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, We hope that you too have a great day.

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and makes 200 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Brian Sump created this image on July 3 in Denver, Colorado with the handheld Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, the Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, and the highly-touted Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital Camera body. ISO 1250. Exposure determined by test exposure & histogram and blinkies evaluation: 1/3200 sec. at f/10. AWB at about 7:00am on a sunny afternoon. Face Detection plus Tracking AI Servo AF performed perfectly. Image #1: Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage on mullein Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Brian Sump Photography.

Spotty on a Stick!

I came across this wonderful image in the Avian Gallery on BPN. You can see what others thought of this image by clicking here where Brian wrote, I was blessed to view a couple Spotted Sandpipers near their breeding area (nest) when this one popped up on a Mullein stalk to peer over the reeds, unannounced. It was quite a neat interaction as they traditionally stick to the ground near the water.

Interesting to Note

It is interesting to note that Brian does not hesitate to raise the ISO for a bit of extra depth-of-field (as in Image #1) or for a bit of extra shutter speed (as in Image #2).

Brian Sump created this image on June 2 with the hand held Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 324mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via test image and blinkies evaluation: 1/5000 sec. at f/7.1 (wide open) in Manual (M) mode. AWB at abut 4pm on a sunny afternoon. Face Detection plus Tracking AI Servo AF performed perfectly (as detailed in the R5 e-Guide) was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Brian Sump Photography Image #2: Least Tern banking in flight

Winner, Winner

As above, I came across this wonderful image in the Avian Gallery on BPN. I love the pose and that the bird seems to be glowing, lit from below by light reflected off the white sand beach. This image was cropped from a vertical original; with the R5’s stunning 45MP CR.3 raw files, image quality is maintained. You can see what others though of this image by clicking here. In his post, Brian wrote:

A Least Tern in Colorado?? ….. not very often.

This one was actually taken in Mexico. My wife and I rented a Jeep and drove to the east shoreline on Cozumel. As we cruised down the coast to the south, I noticed a flock of smaller white terns. She was gracious enough to let me pull over and shoot for a bit. I believe there was a colony there so I stood on the shoulder of the road and watched them take off, bank at the horizon, and return to their nests. It was super-fun for me as I don’t get to shoot beach birds very often.

Hope you enjoy.

Thanks!

Huge thanks to Sump Scores for allowing me to share his images with you here today, and for using Bedfords and the BIRDSASART discount code to purchase his R5 and his (new) 100-500 RF.

Cover Image courtesy of and Copyright 2021 Brian Sump (Sump scores!) The BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

The BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide: $75.00

The guide is 82 pages long: 21,458 words. More than 50 DPP 4 Autofocus-depicting screen captures. And a 31 minute 44 second educational video. This guide took three and a half months of hard work and a ton of help from at least seventeen very helpful and generous folks.

The guide covers — in great detail — all Menu Items that are relevant to bird, nature, and wildlife photography. It does not cover video. The section on AF methods and the AF Gallery has been expanded from the R5/R6 AF e-guide. It remains the one of the great strengths of this guide. I share my thoughts on what I am sure is the single best AF Method for photographing birds in flight. As most of you know, the guide includes a simple and easy way to change AF Methods that was introduced to me by Geoff Newhouse. In the AF Gallery you will see exactly how Face Detection plus Tracking AF works. In the Educational R5 Gallery video, I share my favorite R5 images along with dozens of bird photography tips and techniques.

In addition, I teach you how to get the best exposures with your R5. Detailed instructions on using the great In-camera HDR and Multiple Exposure features will be appreciated by creative folks who like to have fun. The three shutter modes are explained in detail as well. Bruce Dudek solved the can’t-get-to-Auto ISO problem that had stumped everyone at Canon. This information is of course shared in the guide. You will learn how to set up your EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) and Screen toggle options. Not to mention that the mysterious performance of the Q Button is revealed and simplified. Brian Sump’s images reveal how well you can do when using the R5 with EF lenses using one of the three Canon EF-EOS R Mount Adapters (as Donna did with Image #1 below). You will learn how I use Customize Dials to put either ISO or EC on the Thumb Dial and how to set up and save Custom Shooting Modes (C1-C3) that can remember both your Customize Dial and Customize Button settings! That is something that none of the SONY bodies do. 🙁 Near the end of the guide I share my all-important MY MENU items with you.

Like all BAA educational materials, the R5 guide is written in my informal, easy-to-follow style. I am quite proud of this guide and look forward to hearing your thoughts on our hard work.

You can purchase your copy of the BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide for $75.00 here in the BAA Online Store or by calling Jim in the office weekday afternoons at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

On a very still, partly cloudy Monday morning, I photographed some flowers in the vacant lot at the end of my block. When I was finished, I did a ride-around and found six more blooming Alligatorlilies! On the backroads, I saw two crane families, one with one colt, the other with two colts. I have no way of knowing if those families bred down by the lake and are now simply roaming around ILE, or if they bred elsewhere in or out of ILE. I finally got some more work done on my 2020 taxes.

Below is a feature on the Carhartt Men’s Knit Cuffed Beanies that I use to protect my camera gear when traveling by air or by car or by train as well. Yes, train! I am taking the Auto Train on July 28 to visit daughter Alissa and her family, my sister Ilene, Nickerson Beach, and the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY where it all began for me. I will be offering In-the-Field Sessions at both locations.

In any case, this item brings up an important point. It would be extremely helpful if folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Ah, I almost forgot to mention you find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) from Amazon, by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above.

Today is Tuesday 13 July. The forecast for this morning is for partly cloudy with a 10-12mph east wind. If I do go out, it will be early and I will likely not get much farther than our butterfly garden as I need to do laundry and begin packing for the ride up to Jacksonville on Wednesday. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post about an hour to prepare and makes 198 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Carhartt Men’s Knit Cuffed Beanie

Most folks know that I have been protecting my gear with Carhartt Watch Caps for decades. My lenses and camera bodies pack easily into one of my two Think Tank bags. The beanies are far less costly than the LensCoat stuff, and offer far more protection in terms of absorbing shock during travel by air or by car. I double the hats for my camera bodies. You can buy thinner, cheaper watch caps, but they simply do not do the job. Best of all, the Carhartt Men’s Knit Cuffed Beanies come in 17 colors; well-organized folks can color-code their gear by using one color for TCs, a different one for camera bodies, etc., etc., etc.

When rain threatens, I make sure to have an extra cap in my fanny pack. If it starts to drizzle or rain, I simply place the beanie over my camera body. They are thick and in addition, they repel the raindrops. I have never had a problem with a lens in the rain. Camera bodies, you ask? Well yes, too many. But never when protected by a Carhartt beanie 🙂

This image was created on 17 June 2021 on a beach in Southeast Florida. Standing at full height, I used the Induro GIT 304L/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only). ISO 4000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be about 1/3 stop under. AWB at 8:03am on an overcast morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed more than well enough. See Image 1B below. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Least Tern adult in flight with fish for chick

Surprised

As noted previously, flight photography at the Southeast Florida Least Tern colony was nearly impossible as the background was made up almost entirely of large condos. If you were fast and skilled (I am neither), you might get a very few chances at flight images with the small strip of dune grass along with some clean sand as background. As I did here.

What shocked me as I looked for an image for today’s blog post, was that this image was created in low light at ISO 4000 at 1200mm! Unlike many of the young guns, most notably Arash Hazeghi, I rarely attempt flight photography with the 600mm f/4 and the 2X TC (of course with the a1). Arash does so routinely while hand holding! (That is pretty surprising too, actually astonishing.)

Image #1A: Topaz DeNoise on the ISO 4000 Least Tern adult in flight with fish for chick image

Not Surprised

I was not surprised at all that DeNoise on Low Light eliminated the noise in this ISO 4000 image. I began with Low Light on Auto and found that moving the Reduce Noise slider from 17 to 12 was equally effective. In addition to virtually removing all noise, DeNoise sharpens the images just a bit (without creating any artifacts). Be sure to click on the screen capture to enlarge it and compare the before image on our left with the after image on our right. As regular readers know, I run DeNoise on virtually every image that I process immediately after executing the crop with the Delete Cropped Pixels box checked. For images made in sunny conditions, I used Standard. For images made in low light, I use Low Light. You can check all four methods by using the Comparison View, but I rarely do that any more as I am confident as noted above.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins), will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

Image #1B: AF Point for the Least Tern adult in flight with fish for chick image

Not Surprised Again

Folks might look at the screen capture above and think, “Lousy AF system.” But the fact is, that in many, many cases, the Bird/Eye Tracking AF will not lock onto the eye of a bird in flight, but image after image will be very sharp on the eye. . It’s as if the processor is not fast enough to keep up with the incredible AF performance. And I have seen the same thing often with the Canon R5: the AF point is nowhere near the subject but the image is razor sharp.

Note that I moved the bird in the frame for a more pleasing composition using Content-Aware Crop.

SONY and artie

Switching to SONY, first with the a9 and the a9 II, and then with the remarkable a1, has enabled me (and others, like Mike De Rosa as seen recently in the blog post here), to create images of birds in flight and in action that I could not have even dreamed of when using Canon for 33 years and then Nikon for more than two. Most of the time I am using one of two AF methods that together, cover about 99% of the commonly-encountered bird photography situations. Learn more by joining the group!

From Long-ago IPT veteran Keith Kennedy via e-mail

Absolutely great information. I am calling Jim in a few minutes to order a couple of Delkin 128GB UHS-II cards. Your timely email has saved me a ton of money! Many thanks

In the same vein, via e-mail from John LeClair

Well, e-mail #21 alone was worth the price of admission!

From Pamela Viale, after receiving my a1 settings along with detailed instructions on how to copy them to her SONY a1 via e-mail

This e-mail group has been an incredible boon to me! Thank you so much!

From Joe Barranco via e-Mail

Thanks for your great ideas on the A1 set up. I have been getting MANY more keepers doing things your way!

From Barbara White via e-Mail

Wow, I just gotta say – I learn so much from the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group! My camera is on my desk, and I’m always picking it up and changing something that I’ve read about in the e-mails.

Thanks, Barbara

From Janet Horton via e-Mail

Hi Artie, Mystery solved. Yes, I was able to replicate what you did. I forgot that you have to set self-timer using the upper dial. I am used to that being a MENU selection.

Thanks much, Janet

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. With two folks joining yesterday, we are now up to an astounding 67 lucky and blessed photographers! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem.

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link will receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.) This same service may be purchased by anyone with an a1 body via a $150.00 PayPal sent to birdsasart@verizon.net indicating payment for Alpha a1 Info Updates. Alternatively, folks can call Jim weekdays at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

On Saturday morning, I photographed a just-opened Scarlet Hibiscus blossom in our butterfly garden in the backyard. I worked very tight doing the flower center, and came up with a single image that I like.

As I am getting tired of sending out twenty or more e-mails each time that the Sony Alpha a1 Set-up and Info group gets a new member, I decided to create a compilation of all the topics that have been discussed as of 10 July 2021 so that I can send a single PDF. I began yesterday and it will be a lot more work than I had thought. I created and sent the Butt Removal Technique e-mail to the many who commented on the Divide and Conquer Technique Revealed in a Free Excerpt. Clean-up By Popular Demand. And One Bird Butt Too Many blog post here.

Today, Sunday 11 July, is looking like another butterfly garden morning as it is partly cloudy and very still here at ILE just before 7:00am. I will continue working on the a1 compilation and hope to get a bit more work done on my 2020 tax return. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes 196 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail

This image was created on 12 May 2021 on a Fort DeSoto IPT. While flat on my belly in wet, sandy mud, I used the Panning Ground Pod-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:50am on a mostly sunny morning. Wide AF with Bird-Eye/Face Detection set, performed perfectly as seen in the screen capture below. Image #1: Adult Dunlin molting into breeding plumage — preening after bath

Anything Major?

Before scrolling down to Image #1B, the AF screen capture that shows the original, enlarge the image above and see if you can find any evidence of major Photoshop work …

An Image Design Multiple Choice Question

With regards to the placement of the bird in the frame:

• a- the bird is perfectly positioned.
• b- the image would be improved if the bird were in the dead center.
• c- the bird is on the wrong side of the frame; it should have been placed on the left side of the photo.

Why I Was Flat On My Belly

With several Dunlin foraging right in front of me, I was working off the rear screen while seated with the lens on the Panning Ground Pod But when two of the birds began preening, I decided to bite the bullet and get down and dirty so that I would have better control of framing and so that I would be able to go vertical if needed. I think that this was the last time that I got down in the mud, preferring now to stay cleaner and drier by sitting and working off the tilted monitor (rear screen) on the back of the camera.

Click on the screen capture to enlarge it so that you can better see the pink OvExp warnings on the bird’s chin. Image #1A: RawDigger screen capture for the Adult Dunlin molting into breeding plumage — preening after bath image

Dead Solid Perfect Exposure

Note the tiny area of over-exposed pixels on the feathers of the chin denoted by the pink OvExp warnings. With only 133 OvExp pixels out of 51,000,000, this is dead-solid perfect exposure.

RawDigger — not for the faint of heart …

Nothing has ever helped me learn to create perfect exposures to the degree that RawDigger has. I think that many folks are reluctant to learn that most of their images are underexposed by one or more full stops and that highlight warnings in Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, and your in-camera histogram are completely bogus as they are based on the embedded JPEGs. Only your raw files tell the truth all the time. Heck, I resisted RawDigger for several years … Once you get over that feeling, RawDigger can become your very best exposure friend no matter what system you are using. On the recent IPTs and In-the-Field sessions, we have demonstrated that fact. Convincingly.

The RawDigger (pink) Adapted Histogram

In the RawDigger e-Guide, you will learn exactly how to set up the Adapted “pink” RawDigger Histogram and how to use it to quickly and easily evaluate the exposure or raw file brightness of images from all digital cameras currently in use. RawDigger was especially helpful to me as I have struggled with R5 exposures and learned my new camera body, the Sony Alpha a1.

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We could not figure out why the Max G values varied by camera system. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

Image #1B: AF Point screen capture Adult Dunlin molting into breeding plumage — preening after bath image

Quite Amazing!

Here, the a1’s Bird-Eye/Face Detection AF nailed the bird’s eye even though the eye was completely closed. In the SONY a1 Setup and Info e-mails, I detail the four AF methods that I use, in what situations each performs best, and how to toggle through the four choices almost instantly.

Replacing the Eye

Replacing an eye is relatively simple. I created a Quick Mask of the eye and some surrounding feathers from a very sharp image of the same bird with its eye open. I used the Move Tool to roughly position the eye over the closed eye. Then I reduced the opacity of the layer with the new eye, positioned it perfectly over the squinting eye, and brought the Opacity back up to 100%. Then I added a Regular Layer Mask and painted away some of the surrounding feathers.

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)

Use of the Photoshop tools and techniques mentioned above for the eye replacement along with dozens of other great Photoshop tips and techniques — 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.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.