Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

Saturday morning turned out a lot better than the weather forecast. It dawned sunny with a good breeze from the north that turned northeast before swinging to the northwest at about 9am. I found the baby cranes foraging with and getting fed by the adults in the same spot they have been every morning since I found them. I photographed them for a bit and then got back in my SUV to go hunting. I was rewarded by finally getting some really good images of the single surviving colt. I worked from my vehicle with the hand held 200-600 and the a1.

With light clouds moving quickly and partially or fully blocking the sun at times, Zebras saved the say. Working with shutter speeds between 1/1000 and 1/1600 second and the aperture set at either f/6.3 (wide open) or at f/7.1 (stopped down 1/3-stop), the ISOs varied with almost every frame I kept ranging from ISO 500 with the sun fully out to ISO 1250 when the sun was totally obscured.

On the EVF-BO front, I am glad to report that the a1 has not blacked out in more than a week.

I got a ton of work done on the Zoom Webinar presentation I will be doing for the South Shore (Long Island, NY) Camera Club on April 7th. It is entitled Designing and creating pleasing and dramatic natural history images. I should have it pretty much completed by today but usually wind up changing around a slide or two ten minutes before the presentation.

Today is Sunday 4 April 2021. The forecast for ILE this morning is for partly cloudy skies with north/northeast winds at 10mph. I will head down to the lake early to see if I can locate the baby crane nest … Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took almost two hours to prepare and makes 103 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts. And doing so often earns my great appreciation.

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 basics of grabbing a bird’s eye from one frame and using it in a second frame (as with Image #1A below), are detailed in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. This guide also includes all of the clean-up techniques that I use on most every image that I create and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques along with all of my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail. (Note RAW conversions in Capture One RAW Conversions) are not covered in DB II. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my MacBook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop, may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: all of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About two years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One Pro 12 and continue to do so today.

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

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and edited by yours truly. Please use this link to purchase NeatImage.

This image was created on 30 March 2021 at Stick Marsh, Fellsmere, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 344mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. Auto ISO set 640. Exposure determined with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. Multi-metering +2.3 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (S) mode. AWB at 7:31am with clouds on the eastern horizon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Image #1: Roseate Spoonbill SQUARE landing blur

Yesterday …

In yesterday’s Three Squares a Day blog post here, many folks were partial to Image #1, the Roseate Spoonbill SQUARE landing blur. But nearly everyone wished that the eye (and the face?) were sharp or at least sharper …

Carol Nichols Comment: April 3, 2021 at 12:48pm

I also love the first image, but would prefer a sharp eye and bill. Would that even have been possible? If so, what could you have done to get that result? Thanks.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART Response: April 3, 2021 at 1:06pm

Good question, Carol. At times, when creating blurs of flying birds at shutter speeds between 1/30 and 1/125 second (or even as slow as 1/15 second), it is possible to get the face and eye sharp or even very sharp if you pan smoothly and your panning rate exactly matches the speed of the bird in flight and, if the birds head is not moving up or down. In other words, it ain’t easy. with love, a

ps: there are, of course, Photoshop option …

Carol Nichols Reply: April 3, 2021 at 1:11pm

Thanks for the explanation.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART Reply: April 3, 2021 at 1:36pm

YAW. And stay tuned for the ps: PS option. with love, a

This image was created on 30 March 2021 at Stick Marsh, Fellsmere, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 344mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. Auto ISO set 640. Exposure determined with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. Multi-metering +2.3 stops: 1/40 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Shutter Priority (S) mode. AWB at 7:31am with clouds on the eastern horizon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a slightly larger, slightly sharper (?) version with the much sharper eye. Image #1A: Roseate Spoonbill SQUARE landing blur with the eye replaced

Is This Any Better?

To create Image #1 A above, I grabbed the sharp eye from yesterday’s Image #3 via a Quick Mask, moved it into place with the Move Tool (V), and used the Transform command to warp, rotate, and re-size it. As it looked just a bit too sharp, I softened it a bit by applying a one pixel Gaussian Blur. I re-learned a long forgotten lesson: when working on tiny selections we need to use very low pixel values when applying a Gaussian blur. I typically use a 65 pixel Gaussian blur to soften problematic backgrounds.

Is this better or does it need the face (and bill) sharper too?

This image was created on 31 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 3200. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:40am on a clear morning. Click on the image to enlarge it and see if you can figure out what bugs me … Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and somewhat amazingly, performed perfectly. Image #2: Sandhill Crane chicks — little chicks in a big world

The Full Frame Original

Little chicks in a big world was the consensus pick of the litter in the Little Chicks in a Big World, My Favorite Crane Chick Perspective, and Clambering Around at 1/1000 Second blog post here. I liked all three images equally.

I asked what bugged me about the image.

Kathy J Kunce Comment: April 2, 2021 at 11:53am

Head angle (of the left-hand bird) is a little off, and the head is a bit soft focus.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART Response: April 2, 2021 at 12:06pm

One out to two ain’t bad … with love, a

See my additional comments below.

Click on the image to see a larger version. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and somewhat amazingly, performed perfectly. Image #2A: An unsharpened 96.5% crop of the Sandhill Crane chicks — little chicks in a big world image

What Bugged Me …

The only thing that bugged (and still bugs) me about this image is the head angle of the chick on our left. Close examination shows that it is pretty much perfectly parallel to the imaging sensor. But that is not good enough. As stated here often, the best head angle (for a side shot), has the bird’s head turned one to three degrees toward us. Let’s call it two degrees on average. For tight shots, this puts the bill tip on the same plane as the birds eye so that lack of depth-of-field is less of an issue. But more importantly, a slight head turn toward the viewer creates a connection between the subject and the viewer.

Note: Image 2A represents only 3.5% of the original pixels! How’s that for image quality?

Believe it or Not …

Believe it or not, as I framed up the image with the hand held 200-600 at 600mm, I was begging the left hand chick to turn its head just a bit toward me. After I made four quick images, I uttered a sharp kweek, kweek in hopes that the offending chick on my left would give me what I wanted. It did not work. The cute side-by-side pose had lasted only about four seconds. With most bird photography, it pays not to tarry. And that goes quadruple when trying to create nice juxtapositions invoking two live subjects!

The Lesson

Head angle matters even with tiny-in-the frame subjects.

Click on the image to see a larger version. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and somewhat amazingly, performed perfectly. Image #2B: SONY a1 Animal Eye Face Tracking AF image

SONY a1 Animal Eye Face Tracking AF

In yesterday’s blog post, I mentioned that with Image #2, the AF system — for whatever reason — could simply not recognize and track the plainly visible eye of the handsome spoonbill. But I also mentioned that the performance of Animal Eye Face Tracking AF with the a1 was almost always superb.

With a relatively tiny-in-the-frame subject, the performance of Animal Eye Face Tracking AF with this image is nothing short of astounding. How in the world could the system detect and track the face and the eye of a tiny crane chick more than 100 feet away?

Sony Alpha a1 AF Magic …

The AF system of the a1 — set up as detailed in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group, continues to amaze me. 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. Super-simple and mega-effective. Note: info on the program that I use to ascertain SONY AF point information is detailed in one of the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mails. I plan on making that information available here soon for all SONY camera users.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

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 20 folks. Early on, we discussed the best AF options. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem. There will be more on that topic here soon.

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. 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, you can call Jim weekday afternoons at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails summarizing all previous discussions.

Typos

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

The Best Image?

Of today’s three featured images, which do you think is the best one? All are invited to leave a comment sharing their choice and the reasons they made it. And while you are at it, let me know what bugs me about Image #1.

What’s Up?

I hope that everyone had a fun April Fools Day yesterday. While many were expecting yet another April Fools Day joke from me — it has been a long-standing tradition — many fell victim to my shenanigans. I got more than two dozen congratulatory e-mails. And two folks kindly offered to purchase my Sony Alpha a1. One suggested that I send him all of my SONY gear since I didn’t need it any more. Note that the two previous blog posts laid the groundwork for my deception.

Kudos to Brian Small, the only one who noted that Isoroku Yamamoto was a Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of their Combined Fleet during World War II; he was the guy who (fortunately) botched the Battle of Midway that turned the tide of the war in the Pacific.

I sold my Canon 100-500 and have a buyer for EOS R5. For me, the decision to go all in on SONY was an easy one. I have more confidence with the SONY gear for flight photography than I did with the Canon gear. I routinely make sharp images at 1200mm, even of birds in flight. And yes, the Zebra technology makes getting the right exposure as close to child’s play as possible. I will miss creating in-camera Multiple Exposures and flight HDRs, and I will miss the light weight, the four-foot MFD at 500mm, and the hand hold-ability of the RF 100-500. But working with two systems causes huge amounts of brain strain and in addition, I found myself missing some shots because of a moment of two-system confusion …

In the long run, it is all about the process and the images. I chuckle when I hear comments like this: “I used to follow artie’s blog until he switched to ______. You can fill in the blank.

I enjoyed yet another fantastic morning with the Sandhill Crane chicks on Thursday. They have consistently been foraging in the same area every morning. The weatherman must have been on crack as the weather was gorgeous with no thunderstorms in sight, scattered or otherwise. If you would like to join me for a morning of In-the-Field Instruction here at ILE on Saturday, Sunday, and/or Monday, please shoot me an e-mail or text or try me on my call at 863-221-2372. Lodging in the guest room gallery is available.

Today is Friday 2 April 2021. I will be meeting another first-timer, Rajat Kapoor, at Stick Marsh at 6:45am. His Nikon D850/200-500 rig should be perfect for the spoonbills. The forecast for Fellsmere is for sunny turning partly cloudy. The forecast for northeast winds changed to northwest. Though I have never photographed at this site with a northwest wind, I suspect that we will do well with the incoming spoonbills in flight. I will be sending out the third Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service e-mail tomorrow sharing what I have learned on my last two visits. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took almost two hours to prepare and makes 101 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts. And doing so often earns my great appreciation.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 31 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 3200. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:40am on a clear morning. Click on the image to enlarge it and see if you can figure out what bugs me … Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and somewhat amazingly, performed perfectly. Image #1: Sandhill Crane chicks — little chicks in a big world

Little Chicks in a Big World

Early on, both chicks wandered far from their parents and hung out in the center of the peninsula. I saw the opportunity to create an image with a definite message. The contrast in subject size in today’s featured images is intriguing … I was quite impressed that the AF system grabbed the face of the bird on our left. That brings us to:

What Bugs Me About This Image?

Something about this image bugged me. I saw it through the viewfinder and prayed, but my prayers were not answered. If you think that you know what it is that bothers me about this otherwise very fine image, please leave a comment.

This image was created on 31 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:53am on a clear 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: Sandhill Crane chicks — striding along the crest or the slope

My Favorite Perspective

Images like this, with the chicks at the top of the slope, show my favorite perspective: low enough to eliminate the lake, the far shoreline of the lake, and the sky from the background, while being low enough to make it seem that I was lying flat on the ground with that creamy, dreamy background. The fact that the chicks at a bit more than a week old are mega-cute does not hurt the resulting images! This one was headed for food but not running or flapping its wing stubs.

This image was created on 31 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens (at 400mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/800 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:12am on a clear 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: Sandhill Crane chick — 100-400mm head portrait

Clambering Around at 1/1000 Second

Folks might ask, “Why 1/1000 sec. for a static image like this?” Especially in light of the a1’s fabulous IBIS (in-body-image-stabilization) and the great OSS system in the 200-600 G lens? There are two reasons:

• 1- When doing the baby cranes very recently, I am working on a slope that leads down to a canal. The ground is very uneven. It is difficult to stay balanced. Heck, yesterday I almost fell backwards into the water! I am moving left and right to follow the foraging family of four while staying roughly on sun angle. And I am moving up and down to control the perspective. The latter is why many of the image look as if I am either sitting or lying down on the ground. Anyhoo, things are quite unstable.
• 2- The winning shot here — I am still trying for it with the new chicks, is the one when one of the little ones runs toward one of the parents at high speed to grab a succulent bug — mole crickets are their favorites, flapping their tiny wing buds as they go.

The bottom line is that working with a lower ISO at 1/500 second just does not produce consistently sharp images.

The Lesson

It is always better to sacrifice ISO to ensure a fast enough shutter speed that will enable you to create consistently sharp images. After two decades of digital photography, I still struggle at times to implement this strategy …

Sony Alpha a1 AF Magic …

The AF system of the a1 — set up as detailed in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group, continues to amaze me. 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. Super-simple and mega-effective. Note: info on the program that I use to ascertain SONY AF point information is detailed in one of the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mails. I plan on making that information available here soon for all SONY camera users.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

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 19 folks. Early on (as noted above) we discussed the best AF options. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem. There will be more on that topic here tomorrow.

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. 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, they can call Jim weekday afternoons at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card A

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS. SAT 10 APR thru the morning session on TUES 13 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

While DeSoto is one of the rare photo hotspots with the potential to be great any day of the year, it absolutely shines in spring. Many of the wading birds and shorebirds are in full breeding plumage. The terns and gulls are courting and copulating. We will have lots of flight photography opportunities. Did I mention that many of the birds are silly tame?

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card B

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 26 APR thru the morning session on THURS 29 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

Not only am I conversant in all three major camera systems used in the US — Nikon, Canon, and SONY (sorry Andy Rouse …), I have used all three within the past four years. Those include both SONY and Canon mirrorless. On both of these IPTs you will learn how to get the best exposure, how to get the most out of your AF system, and how to get close to free and wild birds. And tons more.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card C

Fort DeSoto Spring IPTs Expected Species

With any luck, we should get to photograph the following species: Laughing, Ring-billed, Herring, and Lesser Black-backed Gull; Royal, Sandwich, and Forster’s Tern: Great, Snowy, and white and dark morph Reddish Egret and Great Blue, Little Blue, and Tricolored Heron; Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, and Brown Pelican. We will see and photograph lots of shorebirds including American Oystercatcher, Black-bellied, Wilson’s, Semipalmated, Snowy, and Piping Plover, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Dunlin, Red Knot, Sanderling, and Western and possibly White-rumped Sandpiper.

Sign up for both IPTs and enjoy a $200 discount. Most of us will be staying in nearby Gulfport.

Typos

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

This Just In!

Just got back from an amazing session down by the lake at ILE (I created 468 images in a less than 45-minute session!). It is now 8:50am. Despite the “partly cloudy” weather forecast the fog lifted quickly to reveal clear skies. With some moisture in the air, the light was gorgeous. I found the small crane chicks right were I left them. They are more accepting and curious each day. I was working with the SONY 200-600 G lens but the chicks were getting so close that I went back to the car for the closer focusing 100-400 GM. I wound up making great head portraits of the chick with the 1-4! If you doubt me, click here to send me an e-mail requesting a screen capture of one of the full frame chick head shots. (It is now 9:30am: 58 lovely keepers after the first edit.)

The weather is looking great for the coming weekend with Friday looking perfect. In all seriousness, this is a once-in-a=lifetime opportunity for most folks. If you would like to explore the possibility of joining me for one or more mornings (FRI/SAT/SUN), please contact me immediately via e-mail or text or try me on my call at 863-221-2372. Lodging in the guest room gallery is available.

What’s Up?

Ron Santini and I enjoyed a stellar morning at Stick Marsh. Ron was amazed by the fact that we were often within ten feet of gorgeous spoonbills. In the predawn, I set up the C1 and C2 modes on his R5 so that we were able to work on creating pleasing blurs early on and then switch quickly and easily to working with high shutter speeds once it got brighter. We had many dozens of great incoming spoonbill chances and Ron was a quick study.

Ron and his wife Mary are traveling in a small but wickedly neat/cool van/motor home. Sitting inside it brought back many wonderful memories of the two trips around North American that my late-wife Elaine and I made in our tiny Winnebago Minnie-winnie during the sabbatical year just before her death from breast cancer in November of 1994. As Ron, Mary, and I said our goodbyes, Ron said, “I learned more about bird photography and my R5 in two hours than …” At that point, he was lost for words.

I headed into town on Tuesday afternoon to do some shopping and to deposit the checks that I had received on Monday — one for each of the two SONY a9 ii bodies that I sold last week …

Today is Wednesday 31 March 2021. The morning forecast for ILE is for partly cloudy with a gentle breeze from the south/southeast. I will be heading down to the lake early to check on the two new baby cranes.

This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes ninety-nine consecutive days with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts. And doing so often earns my great appreciation.

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Fernando Ramos

The excellent Canon EOS R5/R6 Camera User’s e-Guide is unlike anything I’ve encountered. Your detailed instruction supported by excellent reasoning is exactly what I needed to help me set-up my Canon EOS R5. Thank you for sharing your expertise with me; as a result, you saved me immeasurable time. Fernando

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Joel Eade

Thank you so much for the R5/R6 guide and I am honored to have had an image included! It is a wonderfully written, extremely comprehensive document that would benefit any R5 user. It is evident that a tremendous amount of time and effort was required to create it. After reading through, I can say it that flows in a logical fashion and that each item is carefully described in a way that is not difficult to follow. I agree with 99% of your set up suggestions 🙂 Joel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Canon R5/RF 100-500 Composite

Reasons to love the Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body

There are lots of reasons to love the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. Here are just a few:

• 1- The superb 45MP CR3 files handles large crops easily.
• 2- The Menu is easy to navigate.
• 3- The Face Detection plus Tracking technology (though not perfect) is superb.
• 4- The Date/Time/Zone menu item shows the date and time without the need to press a second button!
• 5- The Custom shooting modes (C1-C3) allow the user to save many items including and especially Customize Buttons, Customize Dials, and Shutter Mode settings. That makes the Custom shooting modes a huge plus for users who do not need to waste time fiddling around with various settings. When I want to go from shooting flight and action in Manual mode with ISO on the Thumb Dial to creating pleasing blurs in Tv mode with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial I simply switch from C1 Mode to C2 mode.
• 6- With the R5, users can create in-camera High Dynamic Range (HDR) images with a slew of options. I love creating funky in-camera HDR images of birds in flight in cloudy-dark conditions.
• 7- With the R5, users can create two different kinds of Multiple Exposures with zillions of options.
• 8- To create HDR images or Multiple Exposures I select C3 mode that with the Shutter Mode saved to Elec. 1st-curtain. This is another great time saving convenience.
• 9- Formatting a card takes about one second …
• 10- One of three different Canon EOS R Adapters enable folks to use their Canon EF lenses seamlessly with all of the great R5 features maintained. AF performance with the adapters and EF lenses is superb. Learn all about the adapters (and lots more) in the Canon Comeback Fueled By Mirrorless Bodies & Lenses. The skinny on everything that you wanted to know about Canon Mirrorless but were afraid to ask … blog post here.

In the interest of fairness and balanced coverage, I must mention this: Donna Bourdon, currently on an Alan Murphy workshop in the Rio Grande Valley, told me that it was very hot in the blinds on the first day; Donna’s R5 had an overheating warning and the R5 of another participant shut down completely. While overheating problems when shooting extensive video with the R5 are common knowledge, this is the first I have heard of the problem when shooting stills.

Reasons to love the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM Lens

There are lots of reasons to love the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens. Here are just a few:

• 1- Its light weight and relatively small size make it eminently hand holdable for most folks.
• 2- It is superbly sharp.
• 3- The 100-500mm focal length range makes it an incredibly versatile lens.
• 4- The less than four-foot Minimum Focusing Distance (MFD) at 500mm adds tremendously to its versatility.
• 5- It plays extremely well with both the Canon Extender RF 1.4x and even the Canon Extender RF 2x.
• 6- It is an excellent lens for photographing birds in flight and in action.
• 7- It also makes an excellent quasi-macro lens for a wide range of subjects like snakes, frogs, dragonflies, butterflies, and medium-sized and large flowers.
• 8- It kills when working at close range with tame birds. It allows the user to create super-tight head portraits and abstract body-parts and feather-pattern images.
• 9- Zooming out toward 100mm often enables users to create pleasing bird-scapes that feature lots of habitat.
• 10- The lens construction is sturdy and the 1-5 zooms smoothly in and out over the entire focal length range.

If I left out something that you love about your R5 or RF 100-500, please leave a comment.

Typos

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

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s four featured images do you like best? All are invited to leave a comment to let us know their choice and why they made it. Comments on any or all of the images are of course welcome.

What’s Up?

I headed down to the lake on Sunday morning not expecting much, but I was in for a pleasant surprise …

I am in the process of selecting master file TIFFs from the past year to be re-sized for electronic presentation. That is done in Photoshop by batch-processing with my Slide Show JPEGs action. It has been a long time since I created a new slide program. IAC, I got lots of work done yesterday and will soon begin putting together the Zoom Webinar presentation that I will be doing for the South Shore Camera Club on April 7th. It is entitled Designing and creating pleasing and dramatic natural history images.

Note: you can learn to create time-saving actions for oft-repeated tasks (plus tons more!) in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).

I will be meeting Ron Santini (another R5 user), at Stick Marsh early on Tuesday morning. We are both looking forward to the session. If you are interested in either a crane chick or a Stick Marsh In-the-Field Instructional session, please get in touch via e-mail ASAP. My April schedule is getting very crowded very quickly.

Today is Monday 29 March 2021. The morning forecast for ILE is for mostly cloudy turning cloudy early with a gentle wind from the north/northwest. I will be headed down to the lake early to check on the new crane family. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took almost two hours to prepare and makes ninety-seven consecutive days with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts. And doing so often earns my great appreciation.

This image was created on 28 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:03am just after the fog cleared. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Sandhill Crane chicks — 3 days old

Planned Posts Postponed One Day for Two Good Reasons

Those two good reasons are the subjects in Image #1. As it was pretty foggy, I headed down to the lake at about 7:45am on Sunday morning. I was not expecting much. As I drove south on the South Peninsula, I saw the heads and necks of two adult cranes on my left down the slope by the canal. I pulled closer to look for the single surviving fairly large colt that I had seen the day before in roughly the same area. Instead, I saw two very small chicks. More euphoria. I pulled the car up and got out, delighted to see that the youngsters did not run away; they were fairly accepting right from the get-go. I grabbed the 200-600, walked slowly down the slope to the edge of the canal, made my way to sun angle, and went to work.

Image #1A: Sandhill Crane chicks — 3 days old

SONY a1 Eye and Face Tracking

As you can see by looking at the screen capture above, the SONY a1 Eye and Face Tracking technology is quite impressive. Like the Canon R5’s Face Detection plus Tracking technology, its performance — though not always perfect — is usually amazing.

Sony Alpha a1 AF Magic …

The AF system of the a1 — set up as detailed in e-mails to the Sony Alpha a1 Info & Updates group, continues to amaze me. 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. Super-simple and mega-effective. Note: info on the program that I use to ascertain SONY AF point information is detailed in one of the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group e-mails. I plan on making that information available here soon for all SONY camera users.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

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 amazing 24 folks. Early on (as noted above), we discussed the best AF options. More recently, we have been in contact with folks at SONY sharing our thoughts, experiences, and frustrations with the EVF blackout problem. There will be more on that topic here tomorrow.

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. 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, they can call Jim weekday afternoons at 1-863-692-0906 to pay via credit card. New members will receive composite e-mails that summarize all previous discussions.

This image was created on 28 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 400mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1250. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:59am just as the fog was clearing. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Sandhill Crane chick — 3-day old eating dragonfly

Yummy!

The tiny chicks forage on their own, but whenever one of the adult catches a tidbit — mole crickets are their favorites, they will run over to partake. I was thrilled to see that the prey item here was a small green dragonfly. If you have an idea as to the Anisoptera species, please leave a comment.

Though incredibly sharp as presented, more than 88% of the original pixels were cropped away. Sharp Alpha a1 image files stand up well to even huge crops. In retrospect, zooming to 600mm would have put a lot more pixels on the subject.

This image was created on 28 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11am just after the fog had cleared. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3: Sandhill Crane chick – 3 day old with “punked” feathers

The Punked Look and Another Rare Square

I love the spiked, punked look of the body feathers, that the result of coming out of the marsh soaking wet and a bit muddy. With Image #3, the square crop was effective again. It eliminated the bill of the adult on the left side of the frame that was angled completely away from us. It is very rare for me to go to two square crops in a single week.

This image was created on 28 March 2021 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 576mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:04am just as the fog was clearing. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to view a version that fits in your browser window. Image #4: Sandhill Crane chick — 3-day old/vertical

The Sony Alpha a1/200-600 GM Rig!

For those able to hand hold the a1/200-600 rig at 6 pounds, 10.2 ounces, it is surely the greatest-ever walk-around bird photography set-up. (Note: the quoted weight above is with the lens hood in place, the lens foot removed, and a flash card in the camera.) The closest runner-up would be the Canon RF 100-500/R5 combo. Both do well on sunny days with the 1.4X TC and even with the 2X TC. And both have fabulous AF systems that are great for photographing birds in flight (provided that your camera body is set up correctly). The smaller, lighter Canon rig may be hand holdable for some folks who might not be able to hand hold SONY 2-6 and the a1. Fortunately, I am able to hand hold the SONY rig effectively for extended shooting sessions.

The 2-6 offers greater reach that yields the subject 44% larger at 600mm as compared to 500mm. Confused? The size of the bird in the frame is a function of the square of the focal length. The 1-5 is smaller and lighter and focuses much closer than the 2-6. The latter is one-third stop faster. Both are incredibly sharp and versatile.

Had I gone to the four-clicks faster 600 GM on a tripod yesterday morning, I would have missed most or all of today’s featured images as I struggled to set up the tripod on the 25 degree slope. Getting in position and on sun angle is a thousand times easier when hand holding.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Yesterday, Vaughn Larsen and I had yet another great morning at Stick Marsh. Vaughn, visiting from Colorado, worked with his R5/RF 100-500 rig. To say that he learned a ton about his R5 would be a huge understatement. More on that in tomorrow’s blog post.

Monday’s post will reveal a major problem that has been plaguing folks using the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera.

Today is Saturday 27 March 2021. The forecast for this morning is dead-solid perfect for bird photography: clear with a gentle southeast wind freshening as the morning progresses. I would love to be headed to Stick Marsh, my new favorite place in the world, but I simply have too much work to do. Today, I will working on the Sony Alpha a1 problem with the Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group, preparing and sending out the second issue of the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, and beginning to work on an all-new program entitled Designing and creating pleasing and dramatic natural history images. The latter is for a Zoom Webinar presentation that I will be doing for the South Shore Camera Club on April 7th.

I will, however, be headed down to the lake for a bit at about 7:30am. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes ninety-five days in a row with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts. And doing so often earns my great appreciation.

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Fernando Ramos

The excellent Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide is unlike anything I’ve encountered. Your detailed instruction supported by excellent reasoning is exactly what I needed to set-up my Canon EOS R5. Thank you for sharing your expertise with me; as a result, you saved me immeasurable time. Fernando

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Joel Eade

Thank you so much for the R5 guide and I am honored to have had an image included! It is a wonderfully written, extremely comprehensive document that would benefit any R5 user. It is evident that a tremendous amount of time and effort was required to create it. After reading through, I can say it that flows in a logical fashion and that each item is carefully described in a way that is not difficult to follow. I agree with 99% of your set up suggestions 🙂 Joel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 12 March 2021 by Donna Bourdon at my favorite morning spot in Lakeland, FL. She used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4l IS II lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens) with the Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, the Canon Extender RF 2x, and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 320. Exposure determined by test exposure & histogram and blinkies evaluation: 1/2500 second at f/7.1 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:06am on a sunny morning. Face Detection plus Tracking worked perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Mute Swan pair courting Image courtesy of and Copyright 2021: Donna Bourdon

Kudos

Donna Bourdon is both a dear friend and a many multiple IPT veteran. Her timing was perfect when creating this image. The light was sweet, she was right on sun angle, the exposure spot-on, and she gave the birds just enough room in the frame. And the processing was perfect. Jeez, I almost forgot the water droplets! You can see more of Donna’s work on her FB page here or here on Instagram.

The R5 with EF Lenses

Both Donna Bourdon and Brian Sump report that R5 AF (and all other) performance is stellar when it is used with EF super-telephoto (and other) EF lenses. Donna uses the Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and Brian uses the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R. Learn more about the three EF-EOS R adapters in the blog post here.

Mute Swan: Invasive But Beautiful Introduced Species

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a large member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor), to the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America – home to the largest populations outside of its native range – with additional smaller introductions in Australasia and southern Africa. The name ‘mute’ derives from it being less vocal than other swan species.

This species was introduced to North America in the late 19th century. Recently, it is widely viewed as an invasive species because of its rapidly increasing numbers and its adverse effects on other waterfowl and native ecosystems. Mute Swans will chase native breeding birds from their nests. A single bird can consume four to eight pounds of plants a day. They uproot and destroy wetlands vegetation, a main food source for native birds and cover for native fish and invertebrates. These large birds show little fear of people. Ironically, the Mute Swans in Lakeland are owned and protected by the city …

This image was created on 20 February 2021 at my favorite morning spot in Lakeland, FL. I used the hand held Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 500mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined via test image and blinkies evaluation: 1/ 400 sec. at f/7.1 (wide open) in Manual (M) mode. AWB at 8:51am in the shade on a partly sunny morning. 1-point AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed as expected. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Mute Swan resting on nest

Learning the R5

I normally do not photograph introduced species (or “soup” ducks). But I made an exception as this tame swan, resting peacefully on its fenced-in nest, enabled me to learn about getting the right exposure with the R5 and about the various R5 AF Methods. As this bird blinked when I created my favorite image design, the eye was replaced with one borrowed (via a Quick Mask) from another image in the series. Learn to do that and tons more in Digital Basics II.

Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #2A: DPP 4 screen capture for the Mute Swan resting on nest image

AF Strategy for All Systems

When working with static subjects, all modern camera systems allow the user to select a single AF point and move it around the frame to exactly the right spot. That is what I did here (while hand holding). The The BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide covers all aspects of the fabulous R5 AF system. I let you know which AF Method has worked best for me for birds in flight, which AF Methods to enable, and which to disable. And the extensive DPP 4 screen capture gallery depicts and explains exactly how the AF system performs.

Click on the image to view a larger version. Image #2B: Topaz DeNoise screen capture for the Mute Swan resting on nest image

Topaz DeNoise Tip

What can I say? Topaz DeNoise is amazing! Note the position of the Navigator box in the upper right corner of the original frame. Working at 400%, I placed the box on the darkest shaded portion of the image where the noise would be most visible. Be sure to click the image to see the complete and non-destructive elimination of the background noise.

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.

Your Favorite?

All are invited to leave a comment and let us know which of today’s three featured Canon R5 images is their favorite, along with the reason they made their choice. It is very clear that for Canon shooters, the RF is the best overall body when it comes to creating sharp images of birds in flight and in action. The AF system on the ES-1DX III is superb but that body is much heavier and much more expensive.

What’s Up?

Joe Usewicz and I absolutely killed at Stick Marsh on Wednesday. The action was so good that we did not head home until 1:00pm! Clemens Van der Werf was there and joined Jim and me for dinner on the pool deck and a night’s lodging.

Today is Thursday 25 March 2021. The forecast for this morning is for gentle south winds at sunrise increasing to southeast at 10mph. That is close to dead solid perfect for bird photography. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day. Jim and Clemens and I are leaving for Stick Marsh at 5:50am.

As we have had several new sign-ups for the Alpha a1 group in recent days, I have created three Sony Alpha a1 Info and Set-up Group e-mails that summarize everything that we have come up with so far and clarifying some of the stuff we had been unsure of. Right now we are trying to solve a very large a1 problem … See yesterday’s blog post here for details on joining the group.

I finished sending the links for the complete R5 Camera User’s e-guide to all who earned a free copy or purchased it at 4:04am this morning. If you should have, but did not receive this e-mail, please check your Spam or Junk folder. If it is still MIA, please let me know via e-mail.

If you paid $25.00 for the R5/R6 AF Guide, you are entitled to a $10.00 discount on the Camera User’s e-Guide. To pay the $65.00, you can call Jim at 1-863-692-0906 weekday afternoons or send a Paypal to birdsasart@verizon.net for the $65.00. Be sure to include the words R5 Camera User’s Guide with your PayPal.

If you earned a free copy of the guide by purchasing your Canon mirrorless gear using a B&H affiliate link or by saving 3% at Bedfords, you are entitled to a $65.00 discount on the complete guide. You can call Jim as above, or shoot us a Paypal to birdsasart@verizon.net for $10.00. Again, be sure to include the words R5 Camera User’s Guide with your PayPal.

This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes ninety-three days in a row with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts.

Comments and Responses on Donna Bourdon’s Fine Osprey Image

From the blog post here.

Guido Bee: March 23, 2021 at 11:58 am

Not sure about the 1-5, but many lenses are sharper just short of the max focal length, so just short may be better. Also, less danger of clipping a wing. Great exposure.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART: March 25, 2021 at 4:19 am

Hey Guy, One out of two ain’t bad :). The old “zoom out to increase sharpness” adage does not apply to modern telephoto zooms. Most all of them are razor-sharp at the long end. with love, a
ps: the brightness of the jpeg as presented does looks perfect. But the only way to know about the exposure of the CR.3 file is to bring the images into RawDigger.

KEN PRIDE: March 24, 2021 at 11:35 pm

I love this photo; 472mm fits the entire Osprey with it’s building materials into the frame; any longer focal length and the wingtip and the stick would have been clipped.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART: March 25, 2021 at 4:14 am

Good work Ken. You should be proud 🙂 Sometimes the very simplest answer is the best one. with love, artie

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 30 to 70% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list at the bottom of the page.

Via e-mail from Kirk Stitt

I recently had my first experience as a seller on your site. I had been very happy with several earlier purchases. I am very impressed with the services you provided with regards to listing my Canon EF 500 f/4L IS II USM lens. Your suggestions for pricing were very valuable along with the great reach the Used Gear page provides. I was not interested a fire sale, but rather in a fair price for me as the seller and in an attractive price for a potential buyer. Your pricing suggestions were right on and your fees are very fair. Thanks again. Sincerely, Kirk

Canon EOS-1DX Professional Digital Camera Body

BAA Record-low Price!

Accomplished photographer and BAA-friend Jim Burns is offering a Canon EOS-1DX camera body in like-new condition for a BAA record-low $949.00. The sale includes an extra LP-E4N batteries, the dual battery charger, the front body cap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone or text: 1-602-616-9431, Mountain standard time (Arizona is not on DST).

Two fast, rugged 1D X bodies served as my workhorse cameras for more than four years. I used them to create hundreds of family-jewels-type images. I actually like the 1D X more than I liked my 1D X IIs. artie

Canon BG-E20 battery grip for the EOS 5D Mark IV dSLR

Accomplished photographer and BAA-friend Jim Burns is offering a new-in-the-box Canon BG-E20 battery grip for the EOS 5D Mark IV for a very low $179.00. The sale includes the original box and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone or text: 1-602-616-9431, Mountain standard time (Arizona is not on DST).

Enjoy longer shooting times and improved control in portrait orientation with the Canon BG-E20 Battery Grip for your EOS 5D Mark IV. Able to hold up to two LP-E6/LP-E6N Li-ion battery packs, this grip will effectively double your shooting time. It features vertically-positioned controls, including a shutter release button, a multi-controller, and an AF area selection button. The battery grip is constructed from magnesium alloy to match that of the 5D Mark IV and is both dust- and water-resistant. I used this grip with all of my 5D IV bodies to give them a pro-body feel. The grip sells new for $299.00 so if you are in the market for one, grab Jim’s ASAP. MFR and artie

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II zoom lens

BAA Record-low Price!

Accomplished photographer and BAA-friend Jim Burns is offering a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II zoom lens in like-new condition for BAA record-low $749.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, a generic front cap, the tough fabric lens case, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone or text: 1-602-616-9431, Mountain standard time (Arizona is not on DST).

The 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses in all systems are huge favorites with nature and wildlife photographers. They are fast, very sharp, and extremely versatile. All pair well with a 1.4X teleconverter. They are great for bird-scapes, wildlife, large mammals, scenics, sports, low light situations, and lots more. I used mine often to photograph granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals. And for birds in flight at close range they are unbeatable. artie

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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 26 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens, with the Canon Extender RF 1.4x (at 508mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 400. Exposure determined via test image and blinkies evaluation: 1/1250 sec. at f/10 (wide open!) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:58m on sunny morning. Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Great Blue Heron scratching

Basic Lesson #1

When photographing a scratching bird at close (or really, at any) range, head angle is of utmost importance. If the bird’s head if angled away from you — even ever-so-slightly, the image will be an insta-delete.

R5 Versatility

By adding the RF 1.4X teleconverter you have a 420-700mm f/10 zoom lens that focuses down to inside of four feet. Like all zoom lenses, this combo allows many framing options. A key to the success of Image #1 was zooming out wide enough to avoid clipping the right ankle. (Yes, what we think of as a bird’s knee is actually the ankle.) Note: when you add either RF TC to the 100-500 it is not possible to zoom out wider then the 300mm mark. If you try to mount the TC to the lens you must be zoomed in past the 300mm mark or it will not fit into the back of the lens.

Blog Post Question

This is the same very cooperative GBH that was featured in a fairly recent (R5) blog post. It was posing atop Battery Bigelow. If you can find that post, please leave a comment with the link. I searched for a while this morning and came up empty …

This image was created on 28 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL.I used the hand held Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 135m) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined via test image and blinkies evaluation:1/ 1250 sec. at f/8 in Manual (M) mode. AWB at 7:30am on a partly sunny morning. Face detection + Tracking/AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure and performed just fine. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Great Blue Heron body flight shot

Basic Lesson #2

When unexpected action occurs, push the shutter button. You never know what you’re gonna get.

R5 Versatility

Here I zoomed out ASAP AWAP but it was not enough. But I listened to my own oft-given advice and came up with something interesting.

This image was created on 26 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 428mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 640. Exposure determined via test image and blinkies evaluation: 1/3200 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual (M) mode. AWB at 8:04am on a party sunny morning. Please see the BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide to learn the best R5 AF Method for flight and action. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3: Laughing Gull headed for shore after bath

Basic Lesson #3

With the wind and the light behind you, watch for birds dipping their breasts in the water. Nine times out of ten they will flap in place, jump up, and fly toward shore.

Basic Lesson #4

When photographing birds in flight and in action, keep the shutter button pressed down hard until after the action is over. With the 20fps frame rate of the R5, you will have many nice wing positions and poses to choose from.

R5 Versatility

The R5/RF 100-500 is a superb birds in flight and in action rig. Especially if you know the best AF Method to use. Yes, the BIRDS AS ART Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide to learn the best R5 AF Method for flight and action.

Typos

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

What’s Up

My hard work is in the process of being well-rewarded as we sold lots of BAA EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guides on Tuesday. If you missed the announcement of the publication of this amazing guide, see yesterday’s blog post here.

If you paid $25.00 for the R5/R6 AF Guide, you are entitled to a $10.00 discount on the Camera User’s e-Guide. To pay the $65.00, you can call Jim at 1-863-692-0906 weekday afternoons or send a Paypal to birdsasart@verizon.net for the $65.00. Be sure to include the words R5 Camera User’s Guide with your PayPal.

If you earned a free copy of the guide by purchasing your Canon mirrorless gear using a B&H affiliate link or by saving 3% at Bedfords, you are entitled to a $65.00 discount on the complete guide. You can call Jim as above, or shoot us a Paypal to birdsasart@verizon.net for $10.00. Again, be sure to include the words R5 Camera User’s Guide with your PayPal.

The weather yesterday nice. Except for my swim, I stayed in and worked hard all day. Joe Usewicz joined Jim and I for an early fresh tuna dinner on the pool deck. Joe joined me for the first time for an In-the-field Instructional session at DeSoto in February. After dinner he shared some of his more recent images with me on his I-pad. His improvement has been nothing short of dramatic!

Joe and I are headed for Stick Marsh early today, Wednesday 24 March 2021. The weather is showing as partly cloudy with almost no wind, then clearing and picking up a bit from the south. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

As I have had several new sign-ups for the Alpha a1 group in recent days, I created a two Sony Alpha a1 Info and Set-up Group e-mail summarizing everything that we have come up with so far and clarifying some of the stuff we had been unsure of. See below for details on joining the group.

This blog post took about and an hour to prepare and makes ninety-two days in a row with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts.

The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service

The Site Guide Subscription Service is a new concept. I e-mailed the first issue yesterday to five smart folks: Stick Marsh Site Guide e-Mail #1: The Basics. It includes specific directions to the site, and a map of the rookery area with specific instructions and wind, weather, and where-to-be advice. There are lots of photographers at Stick Marsh most days. Many are skilled at hand-holding 500 and 600mm f/4 telephotos lenses. But with all due respect, none of them can come anywhere near me when it comes to analyzing the photo opps at a given location. With the exception of a very nice and very helpful man I met, Fred Vaughn, every single photographer got to their favorite spot and never moved. We moved around a lot and had great and different chances all day long. After most of my visits, you will receive an e-mail noting the best locations and anything new that I learned.

To sign up for the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, send a PayPal for $100.00 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words Stick Marsh. Or, you can call Jim any day at 1-863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. At some point, we will get this item in the BAA Online Store.

I fully understand that you can go to Google Maps, find the Stick Marsh, visit, and likely make some good or great images. You might think, I can do fine just without artie’s advice. But you will do a whole lot better with it.

Please contact me via e-mail to explore the possibilities of a morning In-the-Field Instructional Session or two at Stick Marsh.

This image was created on 20 March 2021 at Stick Marsh. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 397mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. The exposure was shown to be 1/2 stop under by RawDigger: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:55am on clear 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: Roseate Spoonbill flaring to land

One of Many Dozens …

As seen in the recent Pink Bonanza blog post here, I enjoyed a phenomenal day at Stick Marsh on 20 March. This was one of many dozens of dramatic, razor sharp keepers from that morning session. With the bird seemingly flying to my right but looking to my left, I had a hard time with the crop. What do you think of the placement of the bird in the frame? I am hoping for a repeat with Joe today but am not sure how long this remarkable incoming flight situation will last.

Still Room for You on Thursday or Friday Morning …

I have room for one or two more folks on Thursday and or Friday morning at Stick Marsh. Please contact me via e-mail to explore the possibilities of a morning In-the-Field Instructional Session or two at the amazingly wonderful site.

Sony Alpha a1 Astounds

To learn exactly how I set up my Alpha a1 for flight photography to achieve results like those seen in Image #1, above, join the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

With 17 members already, the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. I learned a ton recently in group e-mail exchanges with Geoff Newhouse, Craig Elson and James Spillman. Like the R5, the a1 is an incredibly complex camera body. But the sad news is that if you are doing bird photography right now, the Alpha a1 pretty much obliterates the competition with 51,000,000 gorgeous pixels and a science-fiction-like AF system …

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info group. 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. New members will receive a composite e-mail that will bring them right up to where we are with the great camera body.

Typos

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

Your Favorite?

You are invited to leave a comment and let us know which of Bill Schneider’s three featured images is your favorite. Please, also, let us know why you chose as you did.

What’s Up?

Sated by my spoonbill experience on Saturday morning, I opted to stay in all day on cold and grey Sunday so that I could finish the BAA EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. I did, and sent the MS Word file to IPT veteran Muhammed Arif last night to be converted into a PDF. Then I promptly discovered one big mistake and one serious omission. All of the technical stuff has been ironed out to my satisfaction. If you have earned or paid for the complete guide and have time today to review the almost-finished version, please shoot me an e-mail with the words R5 Guide Final Review Copy Please cut and pasted into the Subject Line. Please LMK of any errors or of anything that is not clear no later than 6:00pm tonight, Monday 22 March.

The finished guide will be featured in tomorrow’s blog post and will be available in the store by then. The links will be sent out no later than Wednesday. So far, I have zero clients lined up for the offered spoonbill instructional mornings. I am planning on heading to Stick Marsh on my own at least on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings.

As I have a ton more work to do, I will not be heading down to the lake this morning for a photo session. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare and makes ninety days in a row with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout.

Bill Schneider and Zebra Technology

The reason that I included the exchange below is because I wanted everyone to know that Bill Schneider, the subject of today’s blog post, makes sharp images with all of his SONY bodies, most especially with his brand new a1. Bill’s biggest problem is with framing his images properly; on Thursday afternoon he was cutting most of his birds in half. A close examination of his gear revealed that his Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro was not panning smoothly. I promptly replaced it with a brand new one that functioned perfectly; he did much better on Friday and Saturday.

I’ve set up all of Bill’s SONY cameras with the correct Zebra settings. Ever since I explained to him that after setting a relatively fast shutter speed and the wide open aperture, all he had to do was adjust the ISO with the Thumb Dial until he saw faint Zebras. He has consistently been making perfect exposures ever since. For Bill, the Zebras are the Bomb!

Jeff Walters’ Comment and My Reply

In the recent blog post here, Jeff asked about exposure and Zebras. Our exchange is below.

JW: Great shot. Did you enhance the green/blue around the eyes or is that straight as it was shot?

Right out of camera. The lores of this species come in varying amazing shades of green.

JW: Curious minds want to know! (I am) So impressed with the Topaz AI Denoise. Does it work with the raw file or after a Tiff conversion?

I am not sure whether or not it will process a raw file. I use it on my TIF files first thing after converting and cropping.

JW: And I am a little confused… You wrote the chapter on exposure and refer folks to it in The Art of Bird Photography.(I own two copies).

Why so few?

JW: If you sir, could get exposure right with slide films and older camera metering systems,

at times …

JW: (and I know Zebras are the bees knees though I have never seen either one) why would an experienced Pro like yourself struggle with getting exposure right with your new Canon gear? Since digital offers more latitude in being slightly off on exposure and software nowadays can make corrections in exposure….I’m kind of lost; Confused. Is it just better to have it spot on right out of camera?

Of course.

JW: Could you beg my pardon and explain this a little bit considering I would think Zebras would only confirm what your experience has already taught you or not? As you can tell I’m a little confused on this. Thanks for reading and caring and all of your good (no great advice) and tips. As always press onward towards the goal …

You are welcome. Many folks ask the same question. With Zebras, with your cameras set up as detailed in the big SONY guide, you know you will get it right before you press the shutter button. You do not need to make a test exposure.

Another way of looking at it is as follows: you can get from New York to LA by walking, by jogging, by bike, by car, by train, or by plane. All of them will get you there. Eventually. One of those ways is obviously the fastest and the safest. Using Zebras to determine your exposures is simply the jet plane of determining exposure …

with love, a

ps: if you want to go by bike, that is your choice …

The next day, Jeff replied:

Thank-you for answering my questions in your last blog with the incredible Great Egret image. Your kindness is appreciated.

P.S. I can’t afford the Private Jet so I have a Schwinn and am pedaling like a crazy man …

Jeff, Is it a Black Phantom?

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter) that you would like to part with, please contact me via e-mail. I have an interested buyer.

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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Bill Schneider with his SONY Alpha a1 and the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted 200-600 GM.

William Schneider

I asked Mr. Schneider to describe himself in one word. His answer, Bill. I would say that Bill is a real character, a typical old codger. Like me, he is always independent, always generous, usually stubborn, sometimes loud, and sometimes excitable, but always loving. And easy to like. At age 82, he has — again like me — some physical problems, most recently a seriously bum shoulder. Bill was born in Watertown, WI. He describes himself as the dumbest kid in the class. His first job was frying burgers for his Uncle Howard. Bill started a printing machinery rebuilding company about 50 years ago. To say that it has been a huge success, would be a huge understatement. Thirty-seven years ago he started a printing company, Commercial Communications Inc.; it became another huge success. Today, Bill is quite well off.

He has been happily married — most of the time according to Bill — to Karen for 43 years. Today he lives in Cape Coral, FL. He spends lots of time managing his investments, loves photographing birds, and enjoys fine wine and Scotch.

This image was created on 18 March 2021 by Bill Schneider at Merritt Island NWR, Titusville, FL. Bill used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter (zoomed out to 546mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/13 (wide open!) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed the image to perfectly exposed. AWB at 5:06pm on a fortunately cloudy, very bright afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a version that fits into your browser window. Image #1: MINWR Mystery heron/egret Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Bill Schneider/Schneider Photo Image processing by artie

SONY 200-600 G with 2XTC and the Alpha a1

On our first afternoon, Bill wanted to work with the SONY 200-600 G with 2XTC and the Alpha a1 on a tripod rather than the larger, heavier, 600 G lens. The smaller, lighter rig was much easier for him to manage. The bird in this image is the mystery heron/egret that has been visiting Merritt Island NWR since 2013 (or possibly its offspring …) I will doing a blog post soon discussing the possible identification of this bird.

In any case, Bill created a fine image of this odd but beautiful bird. The sharp a1 file allowed a crop from the original horizontal image capture (with a bit of canvas added at the top).

This image was created on 19 March 2021 by Bill Schneider at Merritt Island NWR, Titusville, FL. Bill used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens with the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter (zoomed out to 852mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/13 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 5:43pm on a cloudy afternoon. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Roseate Spoonbill feeding Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Bill Schneider/Schneider Photo Image processing by artie

Bill’s Wish was My Command

After we photographed the odd heron/egret, Bill said, I’d like to photograph an adult spoonbill. All of the ones by my house are the duller young birds. I want a pretty one. We drove less than a mile and came upon a single adult Roseate Spoonbill feeding in a small mangrove-bordered cove right next to the road.

Image #2A: Topaz Sharpen AI on the head only of Bill’s Roseate Spoonbill feeding image

Topaz Sharpen AI

As with almost every image I process, all three of Bill’s featured images were run through Topaz DeNoise AI. Noting a bit of motion blur, I selected the head using the Quick Selection Tool, placed it on a Layer, and ran Topaz Sharpen AI on Stabilize. Click on the screen capture above to see the huge improvement in sharpness in the After image on our right.

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 19 March 2021 by Bill Schneider at Merritt Island NWR, Titusville, FL. Bill used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2000. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3 stop by accident) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:26am on a clear morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Glossy Ibis feeding Image courtesy of and copyright 2021: Bill Schneider/Schneider Photo Image processing by artie

Bill Outdoes artie

We were hurting for subjects on Friday morning. We stopped at what has been a productive pool where there were a few distant snipes. A beautiful Glossy Ibis flew in and landed right down sun angle. I decided to stick with the snipe I was on while Bill made some images of the breeding plumage ibis. I reminded him to get a few Zebras on the water. And he did. I decided to try for the ibis that promptly departed stage left … He who hesitates is lost.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Bill and I had maybe the worst morning ever at Merritt Island NWR. Sunrise was a dud. After that, the clear skies and wind against sun conditions were bad as expected. We did have a few good chances, but each of the birds flew away. 🙁 We reviewed many hundreds of Bill’s images during our midday break. I will be sharing three very fine ones with you here soon.

We dined early on Friday afternoon on yet more large lightly breaded and fried shrimps at Dixie Crossroads Restaurant. Then we paid one last visit to Blackpoint Wildlife Drive and with a cold, stiff, northwest wind right in our faces, we did better than expected. We had some fine Blue-winged Teal in still blue water (including some after-bath flapping) along with several dancing (but somewhat distant) Reddish Egrets and a fairly cooperative Green Heron. I called Bill over to the Green Heron and left. And then the bird caught a frog! Lucky Bill.

Today is Saturday 20 March 2021. The forecast for Stick Marsh is for clear skies with gentle northwest winds. We will surely see and photograph some handsome Roseate Spoonbills, but that is not the weather you dream of for morning bird photography …

I am headed home today and plan on finally finishing the BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide on Sunday and Monday.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes eighty-eight days in a row with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout.

The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service

Th Site Guide Subscription Service is a new concept. I will send a short site guide no later than this coming Monday that covers the basics. It will include a map of the rookery area with specific instructions and wind and weather advice. There were some good photographers at Stick Marsh yesterday. Many are skilled at hand-holding 500 and 600mm f/4 telephotos lenses. But with all due respect, none of them can come anywhere near me when it comes to analyzing the photo opps at a given location. With the exception of the aforementioned Fred — I think his full name was Fred Vaughn, every photographer got to their favorite spot and never moved. We moved around a lot and had great and different chances all day long. After each visit, you will receive an e-mail noting the best locations and anything new that I learned.

To sign up for the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, send a PayPal for $100.00 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words Stick Marsh. Or, you can call Jim any day at 1-863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. At some point, we will get this item in the BAA Online Store.

I fully understand that you can go to Google Maps, find the Stick Marsh, visit, and likely make some good or great images. You might think, I can do fine just without artie’s advice. But you would do a whole lot better with it.

Please contact me via e-mail to explore the possibilities of morning In-the-Field Instructional Sessions at Stick Marsh.

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF Extender 2X III (teleconverter) that you would like to part with, please contact me via e-mail. I have an interested buyer.

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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

The Roseate Spoonbill wing-tip

What I Did Not Mind

I did not mind the following:

The dark “dot” on the highlighted edge of the bill …
The long, vertical shadow above the bird’s right wing tip …
The rectangle of orange/brown colour at the bottom left of the image, under the bird’s right wing …
The hidden feet.
The Black background in the lower right corner of image.
The mysterious looking face in the background on the lower left side/corner area.
The shadow of the head against leading edge of the right wing.
The orange (branch?) poking in on the left side.
That the far wing tip is blurred slightly
That the primaries of the near wing are curled up a little …

And I was not hoping to get more color on the top of the far-wing.

In fact, not only did none of the above bug me; I never noticed a single one of them. In addition, I consider the curled primaries on the near wing a plus.

Oh, and yes, this image was my favorite of the three featured in the blog recent post here because of the sharpness, the sweet light, and the very sweet background.

What Did Bug Me

As noted by Bob Eastman, the first to leave a comment:

I did mind the long, small shadow of the curled (first) primary on the near wingtip. In the screen capture above, it is the shadow that runs from a to b. I originally thought that it was a piece of dried grass or debris.

It is amazing what you can see by taking a closer look:

The dark spot and shadow above and to the left of letter c were likely the result of a single disturbed feather.
I am not sure what the dark smudge below the letter d is …
Lastly, there is a faint shadow just to the left of the curved line, perhaps from the up-curved second primary.

As Cliff Beittel and others suggested, any or all of the above could easily be repaired in Photoshop.

This image was created on 17 March 2021 at the Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. Once again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/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 500. Exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed the raw file to be 2/3 stop under-exposed. AWB at 9:06am on a clear morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Black-crowned Night-Heron adult in flight

Why Under-exposed?

Working in Manual Mode with Birds of Different Tonalities

I was set up for the brilliant white Great Egrets in flight. From those settings, I opened up 1/3 stop for the spoonbills (when I’d see them coming) as their WHITEs are less bright than whites on Great Egret. For this night-heron, I should have opened up two clicks (2/3-stop) because their WHITEs are not as bright as the WHITEs on the spoonies.

When this bird flew by unexpectedly, I was set up for the super-bright Great Egrets and did not have time to change the exposure. Thus, I wound up 2/3-stop too dark. If I see an Anhinga coming, I’ll raise the ISO 2 clicks. If I want to try for an all-black Fish Crow, I’d go with five or six more clicks of ISO.

Note: You can change the exposure with either the ISO or the shutter speed (in response to the tonality of the subject). Notice that I set the aperture to the wide open value to ensure a fast shutter speed. With almost all birds in flight, it is a waste to stop down “for extra depth of field” as enough depth of field to cover the bird is provided by the distance to the subject.

Sony Alpha a1 Image Quality

The night-heron image above represents only about 25% of the original pixels, what I would call a 75% crop. Nonetheless, the image quality of the master TIF file is superb.

Typos

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

This Just In!

I am hitting publish on this blog post at an unusually late 1:18pm. We had yet about great morning so I have been very busy. 🙂 As always. Right now it is nap time!

Do take a moment to let us know which of today’s three featured Stick Marsh images is your favorite. And please let us know what you like about it. I doubt that anyone will spot the tiny bothersome element in Image #1. I will share that along with my favorite in a future blog post.

What’s Up?

We had an awesome photo session at Stick Marsh on Wednesday 17 March. It was so good that it lasted until after 2pm! The morning part of our shoot was nothing short of phenomenal. A very nice man named Fred gave us an exciting early-afternoon tip so we decided to find a breakfast spot and return to check out the possibilities despite the fact that it was a clear sunny day and the light would be quite harsh at midday. We had a fine traditional breakfast at a place we found online, The Pelican Diner in Sebastian.

After some eggs, homemade corned beef, and killer home fries we headed back to Stick Marsh hoping for some cloud cover. As we got close, we noticed a strange gray cloud off to the north. It soon enveloped the sky. The cloud was smoke from some prescribed burns in South Florida. The tip did not pan out — possibly because of the smoke cloud, but Donna and John Dupps persisted and had some good chances (while I tried but failed with Instructor Nap Time).

We got back to the AirBnB where John and I are staying — Jim Dolgin had to head home that morning — at about 4:00pm. We had dinner at the legendary Dixie Crossroads Restaurant in Titusville. We started with drinks and mind-boggling hush puppies with powdered sugar. Next were excellent Caesar salads all around. I was the only one who passed on the stuffed baked potatoes. The Large Shrimp dinners were also nothing short of phenomenal; we could not decide which was more amazing, the tartar sauce or the cocktail sauce, both distinctively delicious.

Today — Thursday March 18 2021 is the last day of the Merritt Island IPT. The forecast for today is for mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy with south winds switching to southwest and strengthening to more than 20 mph this afternoon.

This blog post took about 3 1/2 hours to prepare and makes eighty-six days in a row with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout.

New Listings Priced to Sell!

Canon EOS-1DX Mark II Professional Digital Camera Body/with Extras!

BIRDS AS ART Record-low Price

Professional photographer Jim Zuckerman is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in excellent condition with great extras for a BAA record-low $2298.00. The sale includes the body cap, a Canon leather hand grip, a Really Right Stuff L-bracket, one extra battery, the charger, two Cfast 64 gig high speed flash cards, the instruction manuals in English and Spanish, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 1 615 414-7644 (Central Time zone).

The 1DX Mark II is a rugged, blazingly fast Canon professional digital camera body. It features an amazing AF system and high quality image files with great dynamic range. When he used Canon, it was the first choice of Arash Hazeghi, one of the world’s premier birds in flight photographers. This body is still in production and currently sells new for $4,499.00. Save a very sweet $2201.00 by grabbing Jim’s dSLR ASAP. artie

Canon 500mm f/4L IS USM super-telephoto lens (the “old five”)

BIRDS AS ART Record-low Price

Professional photographer Jim Zuckerman is offering a Canon 500mm f/4L IS USM super-telephoto lens (the “old five”), in excellent condition for a BAA RECORD-LOW $2146.00. The sale includes the front leather lens cover, a 3rd party collapsible/camouflaged lens hood, the lens trunk, the rear lens cap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 1 615 414-7644 (Central Time zone).

The 500mm f/4 lenses have been the world’s most popular telephoto lenses for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. I owned and used and loved my “old five” for many years. If you use Canon and don’t have the cash for a 500 II, and can handle the additional 1 1/2 pounds, then this is your best super-telephoto lens option. Most everyone can produce sharp images with this lens and a 1.4X TC. Folks with good to excellent sharpness techniques can do the same with a 2X TC. A new 500 II sells right now for $8,999.00; you can save an astounding $6,853.00 by grabbing Jim’s lens right now. artie

Kicking Myself …

I have been hearing about Stick Marsh for well more than a decade. It is located in Fellsmere, FL northwest of Vero Beach. I assumed that it was best done by boat. When Donna Bourdon and I visited with Clemens and photographed from his flats boat last Sunday, I realized that photographing from the shoreline would likely be as good as being in a boat. I was wrong. It is better. Roseate Spoonbill is the holy grail subject for bird photographers visiting Florida (and for those who live here as well). When I think that I have been living just one hour ten minutes from this spot, I really do want to kick myself. But I won’t. 🙂 But you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be visiting very often.

The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service

Th Site Guide Subscription Service is a new concept. I will send a short site guide no later than this coming Monday that covers the basics. It will include a map of the rookery area with specific instructions and wind and weather advice. There were some good photographers at Stick Marsh yesterday. Many are skilled at hand-holding 500 and 600mm f/4 telephotos lenses. But with all due respect, none of them can come anywhere near me when it comes to analyzing the photo opps at a given location. With the exception of the aforementioned Fred — I think his full name was Fred Vaughn, every photographer got to their favor spot and never moved. We moved around a lot and had great and different chances all day long. After each visit, you will receive an e-mail noting the best locations and anything knew that I learned.

To sign up for the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, send a PayPal for $100.00 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words Stick Marsh. Or, you can call Jim any day at 1-863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. At some point, we will get this item in the BAA Online Store.

I fully understand that you can go to Google Maps, find the Stick Marsh, visit, and likely make some good or great images. You might think, I can do fine just without artie’s advice. But you would be very wrong.

Please contact me via e-mail to explore the possibilities of morning In-the-Field Instructional Sessions at Stick Marsh.

This image was created on 17 March 2021 at the Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:05am on a clear 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: Roseate Spoonbill flying past mangroves in early morning light

One Tiny Thing …

I love, love, love, love this image. The early morning light and the combination of pink and green works incredibly well. There is one teeny-weenie thing about this image that bothers me. I would be astounded if someone left a comment identifying what it is that bugs me. Oh, and BTW, the Alpha a1 continues to amaze me.

On Panning Well

With birds this large in the frame, it is absolutely necessary that you pan smoothly along with the bird to prevent clipping the wings. In all honesty, that is something that I am not very good at. With today’s Image #1, I succeeded.

Image #1A: AF points on the Roseate Spoonbill flying past mangroves in early morning light image

Sony Alpha a1 Astounds

To learn exactly how I set up my Alpha a1 for flight to achieve results like this, join the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group.

SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group is going great guns as folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. I learned a ton recently in group e-mail exchanges with Geoff Newhouse, Craig Elson and James Spillman. Like the R5, the a1 is an incredibly complex camera body. But the sad news is that if you are doing bird photography right now the Alpha a1 pretty much obliterates the competition with 51,000,000 gorgeous pixels and a science-fiction-like AF system …

All who purchased their Alpha a1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link receive a free subscription to the Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up and Info Updates group. 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. New members will receive all back issues.

Topaz DeNoise AI on the Roseate Spoonbill flying past mangroves in early morning light image

Topaz DeNoise AI

There was surprisingly little noise even in the dark tones of the background here. Click on the image to see how beautifully Topaz DeNoise AI on Auto cleaned up the background noise and sharpened an already sharp image beautifully and non-destructively.

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 17 March 2021 at the Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/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 500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:46am on a clear morning. Wide/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: Roseate Spoonbill wings raised flight with nesting material

The Problem with the Nesting Material Birds …

Everyone wanted to get some images of the birds carrying nesting material. But by the time they got to the rookery island, they were angling away from us. I said to the group, “Follow me.” and they did. Folks who join the The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service group will learn exactly where to be and what to look for to try for this difficult shot in the very first issue.

This image was created on 17 March 2021 at the Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 500. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the thumb dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:24am on a clear morning. Tracking: Spot M/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Roseate Spoonbill tight portrait

Clean Tight, and Graphic

Head portraits of most any bird have always turned me on. Getting a chance at Stick Marsh to create this one had me shaking in my boots. Folks who join the The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service group will learn the strategy that I used to create Image #3 in the very first issue. (I am a quick learner.)

Typos

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