Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

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.

What’s Up?

Thursday was a relatively nice day with only a few sprinkles here and there. I photographed some wildflowers in the morning. I almost finished e-mail #21 (Memory Cards and More …) for the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group.I will complete and distribute that this morning. The group has been growing pretty much daily as the world’s best camera for bird photography becomes more and more available. Better yet, no more EVF blackout!

The forecast for this morning, Friday 9 July 2021, is for partly cloudy with almost no wind, pretty much ideal for flower photography. I found another Alligatorlily last night and will try again … Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes 194 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

Image #1: The original for the Large Brown Pelican chick preening in nest image.

The Original

This is the original for the Large Brown Pelican chick preening in nest image that was featured in the The JAX Colony is Not Just Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls blog post here.

Blog regular, David Policansky (AKA Dr. Fish), commented in part:

I too was instantly struck by the piece of dead grass in image 1. I’ve never seen you do that, Artie, but it’s the kind of thing I do all the time. And it doesn’t bother me at all. David

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART replied;

I decided that I should leave one section of grass so that it would not look too perfect 🙂. with love, artie

I do understand that some folks would prefer Image #1 (above) to Image #1A (below) as it is more natural.

This image was created on 1 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL. 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 1250. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/9 (stopped down (1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be 1/3 stop too dark. AWB at 8:26am on a cloudy morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1A: Cleaned up in response to popular demand

In Response to Popular Demand

Anyhoo, I decided to create a perfectly clean version, Image #1A, immediately above. Such clean-ups are best done using the Divide and Conquer technique that was detailed in last version of Digital Basics but was inadvertently omitted from Digital Basics II. Though I use the Clone Stamp for the Divide, I would never use it to do the whole repair.

Since I just discovered that Divide and Conquer is not included in DB II, I decide to share the technique here, adapted from the last update to the original Digital Basics.

Divide and Conquer

Let’s say that you have a long branch in the background that needs to be removed. Best would be to use a Quick Mask, but in many instances there is simply not enough matching background with which to cover the distracting branch. The Patch Tool is greatly preferred to the Clone Stamp as the Patch Tool blends texture while the Clone Stamp copies texture-less color. It is often impossible to patch a long branch in one fell swoop, and if you try the Patch Tool on small sections of the branch, you will encounter terrible smudging. What to do? Divide and Conquer. By cutting the offending branch into two or more pieces, you can create manageable sections. Loggers cut a big tree trunk into sections that can be much more easily handled than the entire trunk. To cut up your distracting branch, use the Clone Stamp at 20% opacity. Note: if the tonality on one side of the branch is of a slightly different tonality or color than the other, be sure to work from both sides. Once you have cut the branch into manageable sections, you can use the Patch Tool to eliminate the remaining sections.

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.

Image #2: The original for the Least Tern chick standing near a beach vegetation/new growth image

One Bird Butt Too Many

I was a bit concerned that removing the rear end of the extraneous tern on the left frame-edge would require lots of time and effort, but I decided to try a single technique that might remove the extra bird butt in ten seconds. I was amazed when it worked perfectly. How did I do it? What technique or techniques would you have used?

Folks who leave a comment will receive the answer via e-mail detailing how I did the repair in one fell swoop.

This image was created on 1 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, Florida. While seated on dry sand and using the knee-pod technique, I used the hand held 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 1250. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:48am on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Expand Spot was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #2A: Royal Tern chick in beach grasses

The Optimized Version

This is the optimized version of the Royal Tern chick in beach grasses image that originally appeared in the Add Green Whenever Possible … blog post here. I was stunned when the Photoshop Tool that I chose worked so effectively.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Rain, rain, and more rain as Tropical Storm Elsa visits Florida. My planned early morning walk was postponed by heavy thunderstorms. I did hit the streets in late afternoon. It has been pouring (again) since then. I was thrilled to learn the 27-IPT veteran Lou Newman and a friend will be joining Donna, Clemens, and me for the now sold out Jax IPT #2. Yesterday, I started work on my 2020 tax return.

Today is Wednesday 7 July, and you guessed it, it is pouring right now with lots of thunder and lightning. The forecast is for scattered thunderstorms until this afternoon. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes 192 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 30 June 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, Florida. While seated on the damp sand and working off the tilted rear screen, 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: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 4:30pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #1: Royal Tern ruffling after bath

Creating a Natural Catchlight

Click on the image to enlarge it and see the catchlight that I added to the tern’s eye. Adding a highlight is delicate work and it is easy to overdo things. Use a tiny, hard Clone Stamp Tool brush to grab some white pixels from somewhere in the image. Make sure that the Align box is unchecked. Work large, and create an irregularly-shaped highlight in an appropriate spot. The best way to get it right is to study the shape, look, and position of natural catchlights in images made on sunny days.

Clean Beach?

Yes, I am very good at cleaning up distracting shells and pebbles on sand beaches. But on occasion, you will encounter clean, pristine, pure sand sections of shoreline. You can check out the original in the AF-point screen capture below to see just how clean this beach was before Photoshop.

Changing Tactics …

When we worked near the colony, the tern and gulls were silly tame. So the first cloudy afternoon I headed out to the sandbars with the 200-600 only to find that the same birds, even the juvenile Laughing Gulls, were quite skittish, almost impossible to approach. So on my next sandbar walk, I headed out with 840mm at my disposal, the 600 f/4 with the 1.4X TC. That proved to be a winning combination.

Moving a Bird Back in the Frame

Even though the Panning Ground Pod allows me to pan smoothly when framing a shot, I still have trouble at times with image design when working off the rear screen while seated. Even with my reading glasses on. The tern in the original here was too centered. Perhaps because I did not want to clip the primary tips when the bird ruffled. When a bird is preening after a bath, they will ruffle 99% of the time. If you are patient enough. If you compare the position of the bird in the optimized image, #1, above, with the position of the bird in 1A, below, you will see that I moved the bird back in the frame during post processing. In contrast to the hour and twenty minutes I spent on yesterday’s featured image, moving the bird back in the frame here took well less than one minute using the Quick Masking techniques detailed in APTATS.

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

Image #1A: AF Point screen capture for the Royal Tern ruffling after bath image

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.

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 64 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.

Your Preference?

Which of today’s two featured images is the strongest? Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.

What’s Up?

Well, I never thought that I’d ever say these words, but after watching the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA playoffs in the morning, and before watching Australian Cam Davis get his first PGA victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic in the evening, I spent several hours watching the Johnsonville Cornhole Championships 2021 ACL Final Chase — Pro Invitational Tournament. On ESPN no less! The team of Cheyenne Renner and former college football star Ryan Smith won the event. Never heard of Cornhole? You can check out the Best Shots video here.

I worked on lots of images, did my swim early, did my bursts after my nap, and did my walk late. Today is Monday 5 July 2021. It is clear and still right now. I will be heading out early in hopes of photographing a neat lily that I saw on my walk. 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 (including the time I spent on the image optimizations) and makes 190 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.

Short-Notice JAX IPT #2

Short-Notice JAX IPT #2

Room for a Single, a Couple, or More …

Photography, especially of birds in flight, was so phenomenal at the Jacksonville Royal Tern/Sandwich Tern/Laughing Gull/Brown Pelican rookery that I will be returning in a week. The only time I have experienced such non-stop flight action was on the gannet boat in Scotland. Two folks have committed to attending the 4-DAY IPT starting with the afternoon session on WED 14 July and ending with the morning session on SUN 18 July. It will be worth flying down for this one. Couples are welcome!

Please e-mail immediately or call my cell if you would like to join me or learn the details; arranging for a great AirBnB will be one of the keys to success so the sooner the better. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372.

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 1 July 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL. 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 1250. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/9 (stopped down (1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be 1/3 stop too dark. AWB at 8:26am on a cloudy morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Large Brown Pelican chick preening in nest

Nesting Brown Pelicans!

There are a few dozen pelican nests at the JAX colony, some at or just above eye level behind a low dune. To avoid the clutter, I went with my longest focal length: 1200mm. I am making more sharp images with the SONY 600 GM/2X TC/Alpha 1 rig than ever when working at 1200mm. On BPN, Arash Hazeghi has been posting amazing flight images made with this combo. Check out his amazing Western Sandpiper in flight in here in the Avian Gallery.

This image was created on 30 June 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL. I used the Induro GIT 304L/ Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mountedSony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 6:02pm on a cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Brown Pelican, ten-month-old juvenile in flight

More Looking for Very Special

There are lots of pelicans flying above the dunes, taking advantage of the updrafts. It is easy to create hundreds of decent images if you put your mind to it. I created many hundreds on my four-day visit without really trying. I kept only this one, and perhaps a handful of others, ones that checked all the boxes and were a bit different. It is rare for me to handhold the 600 f/4, but I can do it easily for short periods of flight photography or during cloudy-session-walks while sitting on the beach or sandbar and using the Knee-Pod technique. I am quite fond of the 3/4-bird image designs with large-in-the-frame birds in flight, in part because of the incredible underwing detail you can attain on white-sky days.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

On Friday (I thought it was Saturday …) I worked long and hard on e-mail #20 for the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes: Firmware Update 1.10 and More Odds and Ends. I sent it in the afternoon. I have more work to do on the group today.

It was great to get back in the pool yesterday and to do my late afternoon walk. Today — 3 July 2021, is another hazy, hot and humid one. I publishing this post at 11:21am eastern time and it is pouring for a change! Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Enjoy today’s blog post that details how Mike De Rosa dispelled the myth that it is difficult or impossible to learn to use SONY gear after many decades of using another system, in his case, Canon. Please leave a comment letting us know which of Mike’s images you liked and why you made your choices.

Bedfords currently has zero names on their a1 wait-list, and is expecting five more Sony Alpha 1 bodies soon. Click here to order yours and be sure to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3%, enjoy free 2nd-day air Fed-Ex, and earn free entry into the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group.

This blog post took about five hours to prepare (including the time I spent on the image optimizations) and makes 188 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.

JAX IPT #2

Wanna Be Like Mike?
One signed up, two more interested …

Photography, especially of birds in flight, was so phenomenal at the Jacksonville Royal Tern/Sandwich Tern/Laughing Gull/Brown Pelican rookery that I plan on returning fairly soon if possible. The only time I have experienced such non-stop flight action was on the gannet boat in Scotland. Right now I am looking at a 4-DAY IPT starting with the afternoon session on WED 14 July and ending with the morning session on SUN 18 July.It will be worth flying for this one. Couples welcome! As I committed to running this one with just one photographer, it is a go! Limit: 5 photographers/Openings 4 (or 3 or 2).

Please e-mail immediately or call my cell if you would like to join me or learn the details; arranging for a great AirBnB will be one of the keys to success so the sooner the better. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372.

This image was created on 30 June 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, Florida. While seated on the damp sand (using the knee-pod technique), I used the hand held 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 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/640 sec. at f/8 (stopped down one stop in error) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:12pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Expand Spot was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly by grabbing Mike right between the eyes. Mike De Rosa with his SONY 200-600/Alpha 1 rig, wife Norma, and Laughing Gull Image by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Michael De Rosa

Mike De Rosa, 78, was born in Spanish Harlem (on the island of Manhattan in NYC). His Dad was Italian, his Mom Puerto Rican. He graduated City College with a B.S. in Chemistry and followed that up with a Ph. D. in Organic Chemistry earned at Brooklyn College. He was actually teaching Chemistry at Brooklyn while I was finishing up my undergraduate studies in 1969 and 1970. He went on to teach Chemistry for his entire career. He retired as a Professor Emeritus at Penn State Brandywine.

Mike was happily married to Susan for 50 years and lost her to a neurological disorder in 2016. His happy marriage to Norma — who attended the JAX IPT as a non-photographer, is now in its third year. Mike has enjoyed photography for the past 40 years. He attended a Nickerson Beach IPT about five years ago. He is a sweet, kind, and funny man, with a NYC sense of humor.

Via e-Mail from Mike

5/30

Hi Artie, I am interested in some In-the-Field lessons to learn how to use my Sony Alpha 1. Thanks, Mike De Rosa

6/8

Hi Artie, After over forty years as a Canon shooter, I am befuddled by my new Sony a1. I can’t seem to figure it out. Frankly I don’t want spend more money on gear until I’m sure that I am not going to switch to the top of the line Canon body. Using my Sigma 150-600 with a Canon 7D Mark II, I captured an image that was selected in the Top Ten of a 2019 Bird Portrait Competition. We — my wife Norma will tag along, are pretty free beginning this this weekend. Thanks. And best regards, Mike

My Role

I told Mike right off the bat that I could teach him to use his a1 body. I let him know that his results with the Sigma 150-600 would not be on a par as compared to what he could do with the SONY 200-600. I was so positive that I was right, that I purchased a brand new SONY 200-600 from Bedfords for him to use on the JAX IPT. I was confident that he would purchase the lens after he learned to use the a1 and saw what he could accomplish with the 200-600. He went home with the new 2-6 and is looking forward to using it on an upcoming trip to Africa.

I sent him my a1 settings on a UHS II card so that he could mess around with the camera and so that we would be on the same page when he arrived in Florida. He successfully loaded my a1 settings onto his a1, but was still pretty much lost …

Via e-Mail from Mike

7/2

Norma and I had a great time with you and the group during the IPT. Clemens was great too! It was a wonderful experience; the birds and the photographic opportunities were incredible. And I learned a ton. Thanks again! Mike De Rosa

This image was created by Mike De Rosa on the first afternoon of the JAX IPT. He 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 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #1: Fledgling Laughing Gull on dune Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

The First Afternoon

Mike stayed by my side for the first afternoon — wind against sun had us photographing birds on the shaded face of the dune as detailed in the blog post here. First, I taught him how to use Wide AF to photograph static subjects. Then we talked about recomposing for a pleasing image design. Last, I explained how to get the right exposure using the Zebras on the rear wheel system.

He passed the first two lessons with flying colors but struggled with using Zebras to get the right exposure. By the first morning, he had that down pat and — not surprisingly — made very good to perfect exposures for the rest of the trip. This simple portrait of a fledgling LAGU was a big step up.

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, also on the first afternoon of the JAX IPT. He 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 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #2: Royal Tern chick begging on dune Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Getting Better Fast!

With this image, Mike demonstrated that he had mastered using the AF system to come up with a pleasing composition and had used Zebras to come up with a perfect exposure. He had some problems with properly framing the subject for a day or two until I finally beat it into him!

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, also on the first morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 411mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a cloudy partly cloudy morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #3: Laughing Gull — flapping juvenile Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Action, Traction, and Satisfaction

Mike’s improvement from the first afternoon to the second morning was dramatic. Here we see that he graduated successfully by photographing a bird in action with a good exposure and decent framing. This one was cropped a bit from the left and below. Now it was on to the big challenge: photographing birds in flight!

This image was created by Mike De Rosa on the second morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 250mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a partly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #4: Royal Tern screaming in flight Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

The Flight Payoff

Here Mike used Wide AF for flight. He also learned when to set the limit range switch to Not Full for flight, and when to switch it back to Full when working subjects at close range. He showed the versatility of the 200-600 by zooming out to 250mm. His framing was perfect for this full frame image. As was the exposure.

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, also on the second morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 300mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a mostly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version Image #5: Royal Tern in flight with fish for chick Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Another Goal Achieved!

Mike wanted to create a quality image of a Royal Tern in flight carrying a fish and he did just that.

Viveza

Images #4 & 5 were both exposed perfectly in less-than-full-sun conditions. Each original had a pretty much white sky. I have come up with a new technique that enables me to darken and BLUE-up the sky with Viveza without affecting the subject. I will share that in a video ASAP. But I am very busy 🙂

This image was created by Mike De Rosa, again on the second morning of the JAX IPT. He used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 565mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB on a mostly sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #6: Laughing Gull stealing cutlassfish from Royal Tern Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Mike DeRosa Post-processing by BIRDS AS ART

Exceeding Expectations!

With this image, Mike De Rosa exceeded his and my expectations by creating a sharp, nicely framed, unique and dramatic action shot. This was the best by a small margin of a long sequence. Well done, my friend.

I was only able to choose from images made at the beginning of the IPT as when Mike left for home, he still had about 13,000 images to go through. I almost forgot, Mike wanted to learn to use Photo Mechanic to pick his keepers. He’s got that done pat also.

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 just a selection in Menu.

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 64 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?

We enjoyed two mega-sessions on Thursday. The morning was clear and sunny with a nice wind from the southeast. As the morning went on, we enjoyed some haze in the east that softened the light just a bit. The afternoon was mercifully cloudy. Having had nonstop action on (mostly) terns in flight, we spent lots of time on the sandbar and walking the beach in the afternoon. I concentrated on the very handsome, recently fledged Laughing Gulls. Just before we left, we watched one of the first summer Herring Gulls attack a Laughing Gull chick and leave it for dead. I was surprised that it did not attempt to eat the very young gull. As we approached to take a look at the carcass, we were astonished to see that the chick was still alive though very much worse for the wear. After twenty minutes, it stood up, very much alive.

As of 5:11 am on Thursday 1 July 2021, I am two-thirds of the way through the first edit of my 8289 images. I just peaked out the front door to see that it is mostly overcast. A wind somewhere from the east seems to be ever-present. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Bedfords currently has three Sony Alpha 1 bodies in stock. Click here to purchase. Be sure to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout to save 3%, enjoy free 2nd-day air Fed-Ex, and earn free entry into the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group.

The latest firmware update appears to have eliminated the EVF blackout problems.

This blog post took more than an hour to prepare and makes 186 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 if you 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 28 June 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 512mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:48am on a cloudy dark morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Laughing Gull adult raping youngster

Copulation, Ruffling, and Bathing Bird Photo Tips

My new friend Dustin Hulbert told me that he had seen an adult Laughing Gull at the colony copulate with a very young bird of the same species. I spotted this situation, alerted the group, and quickly moved into position with the wind at my back. When photographing birds flapping after a bath, copulating, or ruffling their feathers, be sure to give them enough room so that you avoid clipping wings. With a fixed lens, move well back. With a zoom lens, be sure to zoom well out. Our instinct is to get close to the action, but in these two instances, you will surely clip lots of wings unless you are plenty wide enough. Don’t be greedy!

Gull Behavior

More than two decades ago, I did an article entitled Go for the Gulls for

Birder’s World

magazine. Gulls are relatively common and are great fodder for honing your photographic skills. In the article, I wrote: If you point your lens at a gull it is likely that the bird will do something very neat sooner rather than later. If you have an interesting gull behavior tale that you would like to share, please leave a comment.

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?

We enjoyed a phenomenal morning of bird photography with a southeast wind and mostly sunny skies. It clouded over in the afternoon so we headed back early and enjoyed a phenomenal afternoon of bird photography with the world as a huge soft box. Between the four of us we created many, many thousands of images. Including more than a few good ones. Mike De Rosa got a killer sequence of a Laughing Gull stealing a long skinny fish from an adult tern. After a brief tug of war, each was partially rewarded as the fish broke in two. As mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, blue skies in the afternoon with an east wind is death on bird photography. The cloudy bright conditions were perfect for anything you chose to do. And we did a lot.

Did I mention that this new spot is one of the most incredible locations I have ever had the privilege of visiting in my almost 38 years of photographing birds? My tally for the day was 4616 yet to be edited images. But I did take a peek at a few good ones, including today’s featured image. Mike De Rosa created 6993 photographs! And Clemens created more than 8000 .CR3 file with his R5; no wonder he was so tired. Scroll down for proof of that.

This just in (6:03am): I kept 400 images after the first edit of our Tuesday sessions.

Today is Wednesday 30 June 2021. The forecast for Jacksonville this morning is for partly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms and the persistent wind from the east. The good news if there is thunder and lightning, is that there is tons of action just twenty yards from where we park. But, as was the case yesterday morning, the sky is mostly clear as we drive to the park at 5:35am. The terns sure look great with sun on them and blue sky backgrounds … Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took more than an hour to prepare and makes 185 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 if you 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

Image #1: Clemens Knackered!

How Torrid Was The Action?

The action at the Royal Tern/Laughing Gull colony on Tuesday morning was so torrid that Clemens Van der Werf took a nap after brunch! That was the first time I had ever seen him do such a thing. And on the way home after an equally fabulous afternoon session, Clemens said, “I’m exhausted!” Now that is torrid action.

This image was created on 29 June 2021 on a beach near Jacksonville, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 415mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 500. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:31am on a sunny morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a the spectacular sharpness and fine detail. Image #2: Royal Tern with food for its young

SONY Alpha a1 AF Continues to Astound

Yesterday, SONY released a firmware update that is supposed to eliminate the electronic viewfinder blackout problems. In addition, it is supposed to improve eye tracking with birds in flight and AF accuracy across the board. That is indeed scary as the AF system of the a1 is already the best I have ever used. Time will tell on both of those. In the meantime, a fix for the EVF blackouts is long overdue. Will it work? I’m from Missouri …

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 just a selection in Menu.

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 62 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?

The Royal Tern/Laughing Gull/Brown Pelican rookery near Jacksonville was breathtakingly amazing. The beach is gorgeous, and there are an estimated 10,000 pairs of nesting birds in the protected dunes. With clear blue skies and a stiff onshore wind from the east (wind against sun …), photography was very difficult at best.

With the same forecast for this morning — 27 June 2021, I told everyone to bring extra cards and lots of batteries. We are gonna kill ’em for sure. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day

This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes 183 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 if you 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 14 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 with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:20am on a cloudy morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed very well by nailing tern’s cap. As this is another healthy crop, about, the depth-of-field was provided by the distance to the subject. Click on the image to see a larger version. Least Tern chick about three days old with sibling

Tiny Little Ones

These two little chicks on a big beach are about three days old. They were in their eggs for about 21 days and will be starting to fly when they are about three weeks old. Tern chicks are precocious: within an hour of hatching, their feathers are dry and their eyes are open; they are capable of staggering a short distance away from the nest. They leave the nest scrape at about two days old. The coloring is cryptic. The birds are well camouflaged when they flatten themselves on the beach in the face of danger.

This image was created on 14 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 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 7:52am on an overcast morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Least Tern about 7-10 days old

Growing Quickly!

The tiny chicks grow very rapidly, approximately doubling their weight by day four and tripling it when they are six days old. This bird probably weight about 25 grams (less than a single ounce!)

Typos

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

Your Favorite?

Please leave a comment letting us know which of today’s two featured images you like best, and why you made your choice.

What’s Up?

I took another morning off from photography on Friday; I got lots of work done, but don’t ask me what I got accomplished. Since my 75th birthday 10 days ago, I have rededicated myself to being more active. I had been doing my bursts and swimming a half-mile most every day. I’ve added a 1 1/2 mile walk and have gotten back to doing the Dr. Eric Goodman Founder Exercises (12 minutes here). If you, like most of us (including and especially me), have been living in the box for several decades — sitting, on the computer, sitting, driving, sitting — you know the drill, you might want to learn a bit more about Eric Goodman here.

My favorite-by-far Anita North African image is #4: Yellow-billed Storks Allopreening. Next up for me would be Image #1: Elephant Contortions. Followed by several others including Image #3: Weaver at Nest, Image #7: Newborn Wildebeest Calf With Mother, and Image #8: Cape Buffalo Adults/Calf Juxtaposition. And several others are not bad either!

Today is Saturday 25 June 2021 and I will likely be staying in to get ready for my trip to Jacksonville tomorrow for the Mini-IPT. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes 182 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 if you 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 June 2021 on my (rarely-mown) front lawn. Working off the splayed Induro GIT 304L topped by a Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini, I used the 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 determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/60 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 2 2/3 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be dead-solid perfect. Manual Focus with Focus Magnifier and Focus Peaking as detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. AWB at 8:33 in the shade on a partly sunny morning. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Small-in-the-frame White-mouth Dayflower — Commelina erecta

Commelina erecta

This flower is not hard to find in Central Florida. It is known as White-mouth Dayflower, Slender Dayflower, or Widow’s Tears. I am blessed to have them blooming profusely in my yard in late spring and early summer each year. Until doing a bit of research for this blog post, I never realized that the flowers in my yard bloom for only one day. Each low-growing plant, however, produces a succession of flowers that keep them blooming for many weeks.

Depth-of-Field Question

Why does Image #1 (made at f/9), have as much d-o-f then Image #2 (made at f/16)?

This image was created on 23 June 2021 on my (rarely-mown) front lawn. Working off the splayed Induro GIT 304L topped by a Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Mini, I used the 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 determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/15 sec. at f/16 (stopped down 4 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:36 in the shade on a partly sunny morning. Manual Focus with Focus Magnifier and Focus Peaking as detailed in the SONY Alpha a1 Info and Updates group e-mails. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Large-in-the-frame White-mouth Dayflower — Commelina erecta

Manual Focus with Focus Magnifier and Focus Peaking

All of the high-end SONY mirrorless camera bodies offer these features. If you do macro, using them properly in combination, is both efficient and fun. After activating Focus Magnifier (as detailed in SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes #16), you frame the shot — always working on a tripod. While focusing manually, the areas or sharp focus will be overlaid by the peaking color of your choice. As you turn the focusing ring, you will see the focus peaking move from front to back or back to front across the image. Then you can magnify the image in two steps to ensure critically sharp focus exactly where you want it.

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 62 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.

Image #2A: Topaz DeNoise on the Large-in-the-frame White-mouth Dayflower — Commelina erecta

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.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Wednesday dawned totally overcast and dark. It brightened up by 8:00am, so I grabbed the macro lens and tooled around in the butterfly garden for a while without much success. So I headed to the front yard and spent a half hour sitting on the wet grass with the White-mouthed Dayflowers. I worked on the Speedy Picking Your Keepers in Photo Mechanic Video, and — after sending out e-mail #17 to the Alpha 1 Info and Updates Group, began work on #18. I did my bursts and my swim and another cool walk after another late thunderstorm.

I was thrilled to learn that Owen Schmidt sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark III for the full asking price of $3999.00 one hour after it was listed.

The forecast for today is mostly cloudy and still with more afternoon thunderstorms. As it has been raining long and hard almost everyday, I will be staying away from the lake in fear of getting stuck in the soft, rain-slicked fields. I am getting excited about heading up to Jacksonville on Sunday for the sold-out 4-DAY JAX Mini IPT. I am expecting great things, as long as we do not get stuck in the sand! Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes 180 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 if you 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.

The SONY 200-600 G Lens in Low Light! Part II

Follow along in today’s blog post to see how I used many of the great plug-ins, programs, and Photoshop features to pretty much create a useable image from a pretty bad, high ISO original … Again, the 2-6 has advantages even in low light; those include: light weight, ease of use, hand hold-ability, and great versatility. Not to mentiion that it kills on sunny days as well.

Image #1: Active AF points screen capture for the Black-necked Still nest distraction display image

Alpha a1 AF

As detailed in the Alpha a1 Info and Updates e-mails, Wide AF will sometimes revert to zone-like AF when it cannot detect a bird’s eye or face. That is what happened here with excellent results.

Sony Alpha a1 AF

Barring operator error, the performance of the Sony Alpha a1 AF system at any focal length — including at 1200mm as seen in recent blog posts — is, when the a1 is set up properly as detailed in the in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group, more than remarkable. Early on, there was lots of discussion within the group with many preferring multiple back button approaches. For me a simple shutter button approach with the right AF settings that yield 99% sharp-on-the-eye images is best. By far. It is super-simple and mega-effective. In recent SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mails, I shared what I have learned as to when and it what situations it is best to abandon Wide. And with what. The group has already learned to limit the AF Area choices and to switch AF Areas quickly and conveniently. The default method of switching AF points with the C2 button is both slow and cumbersome. In addition, recent e-mails have detailed the best program to use to pick your a1 keepers and the big problem with the Camera Set. Memory menu item.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

For me, today’s featured image would not have been possible without my Sony Alpha a1. The speed of initial focusing acquisition is amazingly quick as is the tracking accuracy. And all of that will be even truer for tomorrow’s featured image.

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based advice. We are now up to an astounding 60 blessed folks! 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.

Image #1A: RawDigger screen capture for the Black-necked Still nest distraction display image

Another Small Over-exposure

The RawDigger screen capture shows a total of 1991 OvExp pixels in the two G channels. You can see the PINK Ov-Exp warning on a small area of the bird’s tail. I tried the suggestions that Cliff Beittel left as a comment on the blog post here, but they did not exactly work. The RGB #s in the over-exposed areas showed well less than 255, 255, 255, but there was no detail at all. The WHITEs were just greyed out. I am sure that his suggestion would work well in some situations. Keep reading to learn how I dealt with the small area of detail-less, over-exposed WHITE feathers.

Via e-Mail from Geri George

Hi Artie, Thanks for the RawDigger e-Guide. With many of my flower images, DPP 4 shows lots of over-exposure on the petals, but RawDigger shows only a smattering (less than a hundred). They all converted perfectly in DPP 4 simply by pulling down the Highlight slider a bit. RawDigger has some really cool stuff!

Thanks and best, Geri

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. It is not for the faint-of-heart who are happy to go through life under-exposing every raw file they create.

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 puzzled as to why the Max G values for different cameras were different. 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 prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly 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.

This image was created on 30 May 2021 in the marsh at the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 4:40pm on a very cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed very well. See the AF point screen capture below. Image #1B: The original before rotation and cropping for the Black-necked Still nest distraction display image

Image Rotation Trick from Digital Basics II

Scroll Down for DB II Details

I used the Ruler Tool to draw a line from the center of the bird’s eye through the center of the bird’s eye in the (very dingy) reflection. Then I used to Keyboard Shortcut to bring up Rotation > Arbitrary. That showed that I needed 3.28 degrees of CW rotation. I knew that I would be executing a big crop to eliminate the very ugly reflection. After the crop, I needed to fill in a small triangle of canvas upper right. I did that using John Heado Content-Aware Fill. Yes, I know that that should be done automatically using Content-Aware Crop, but sometimes it does not work so I had do it the old-fashioned way.

Considering the original, I think that you must agree that it is pretty bad. The light was horrific, the background like dishwater, and the bird’s eye barely visible. Did I forget to mention the YELLOW color cast?

Image #1C: Topaz DeNoise on the Black-necked Still nest distraction display image

Topaz DeNoise

Be sure to click on the screen capture and note the superb job of eliminating the noise in the dark, almost black wing in the after version on your right while retaining feather detail. I run DeNoise after leveling and cropping on virtually every image that I process. By cropping first with the box for “Delete Cropped Pixels” checked, there is less work for DeNoise to do. As with most images created in lousy light, I used Low Light on Auto. Note also that the entire eye was very dark with little sign of the ruby red iris you would see on a sunny day. More on that below.

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.

This image was created on 30 May 2021 in the marsh at the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 4:40pm on a very cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed very well. See the AF point screen capture below. Image #1D: This is the optimized version of the Black-necked Stilt nest distraction display image

The Optimized Version

After DeNoise, I brought the image into Viveza, brightened the water, and got it looking somewhat blue. Anyhoo, it is a huge improvement over the original. Next was some extensive Eye Doctor work. That involved lightening and saturating the iris. I eliminated some of the crud in the water, ran a Gaussian Blur on the whole image, covered that with a Black (Inverse or Hide-All Mask), and painted the effect in as needed, mostly on the upper background. Last, I needed to add some detail to a small section of over-exposed WHITEs. I did the via a small, transformed Quick Mask of an area of detailed breast feathers.

Is this image a prize winner? Not by any means. But it is a decent image that shows some neat behavior and is fine for web presentation.

The Situation

I checked the 4-egg nest with my binoculars from the South Field. The bird was not on the nest. I got close enough to see that the four eggs were intact and headed South in the marsh. One of the adults landed in front of me and performed a nest distraction display to lead me away from the nest. I kept walking slowly to the south. When I turned around I was pleased to see the bird on the nest incubating its eggs.

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)

Everything mentioned above and dozens more 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.

To purchase Capture One, please use this link. Then you can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here.

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

Typos

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