December 25th, 2017 Stuff
It was cloudy/foggy in the early am so I kept working on the 5D IV Guide but at 8:15 I looked out the window and saw that it was sunny. I ran down to the lake and wound up taking a mile plus walk with my 400 DO II, the 1.4X III, and a 1DX II. That is not a typo: a 1DX II. I will share lots more on my new 1DX II with you here soon. For most of the rest of the day I was an NFL couch potato. I did however, take a slow half-mile plus (48 lengths) swim late in the afternoon. As the sunset was a big fizzle, I decided to stay on the couch and watch more football on TIVO.
Right now it is looking as if the 5D Mark IV User’s Guide will be in the BAA Online Store available for purchase sometime on Tuesday, December 26, 2017. I have lots more to do on the guide today as I received several new reviews from folks who got their free copies. Thanks to all the help that I have gotten it will be much improved from my original drafts.
Though sales have been going very well, there is still lots of great stuff available at just the right prices on the BAA Used Photo Gear page here.
Enjoy the holiday and don’t eat too, too much. 🙂
Important Note
More than a few folks over the past few days have sent requests for their free copy of the 5D Mark IV Guide along with their B&H receipts. When I searched my account by their order number, there was no record of the transaction. When I asked them about it, it turned out that either they made a phone order and never mentioned BIRDS AS ART (please remember, web orders only), or that they simply had not used a BAA affiliate link. Please remember to make all of your B&H purchases by starting with the generic Photo Gear and More B&H logo link on the top right of each blog page, or to use a product-specific or to e-mail for one and then click on that. Using these links won’t cost you one penny more and are the best way to thank me for the work that I put into the blog and the time I spend answering your queries via e-mail. Using my Amazon links helps too. All of your efforts are appreciated.
Click on the logo-link above for great holiday savings!
$300 off on the Canon 100-400 II!
The Streak
Today makes one hundred forty-nine days in a row with a new educational blog post! This blog post took about two hours to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Click here for Amazing 5D Mark IV Bundles and Deals
Here is the best news: those who have used a BAA B&H affiliate link to purchase a 5D Mark IV (or other items totaling $3200 or more) are invited to send us a copy of their B&H receipt via e-mail and receive a free copy of the guide. If you would like to review the document before it is published, please send your receipt now. This offer is also valid for future purchases.
Booking.Com
Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Your Critique Needed
In the The Elusive Head Throw. And What Makes a Good Critique? blog post here, I wrote, with regards to the photo above, Please let me know what you think of today’s featured image, the good, the bad, and the ugly. You most honest response is appreciated.
Lot of folks offered critiques, mostly all positive. Warren H came closest to how I felt about the image when he posted, This isn’t my favorite image of yours.
My Honest Critique #1
The image does show the habitat (cliff by the ocean) well. It is relatively sharp. And it shows interesting behavior. I do not mind the abstract nature of the photograph. When I began working on the image I thought that I could make the image pop. I failed. The image is very flat with no contrast and boring color. The image quality is poor, feather and bill pouch detail are lacking, and with the relatively short focal length, the background detail — the ocean chop — has been brought up much too much. The framing is OK but in retrospect, taking some off the left side of the image while centering the bird in a tall skinny pano might have improved what I consider a pretty poor image overall. Some typical San Diego sun with a bright Pacific blue background would have really helped.
My Honest Critique #2
I ran the image above in yesterday’s “Dime a Dozen Part IV: It’s Just a Boat-tailed Grackle. And some really tough exposure questions …” blog post here and asked, What do you think of this image?
For me this is an outstanding image. It is sharp and the difficult exposure is perfect. The image pops and is dramatic. With the singing grackle set against the large disc of a somewhat muted sun, it is very different. If I had my druthers I might have liked it a bit better had I moved the tripod on inch to my right to get the bird’s tail away from the red rim of the sunset and had gotten an inch higher to move the bird slightly down in the frame. Why didn’t I do that? I was working in about a foot of soft organic muck and positioning the tripod was a big challenge. Right near sunset the sun is moving down like a bomb; I had to change the framing every 15 seconds or so. All in all I absolutely love this image.
Big Time Exposure Lesson Available …
I also wrote, Knowing that the ISO was 200 and that I was in Av mode, what do you think the exposure compensation was? What do you think the shutter speed was? And what do you think the aperture was?. Jake, the last to comment, was getting closer to the correct exposure and exposure compensation but his thinking proved to be somewhat convoluted when he wrote, “As there was no cloud obscuring the sun and you may have been trying to keep your shutter speed fast in case the bird took flight (hence the use of ISO 200), I reckon your shutter speed was around 1/1000 or 1/1250.” My question to him would be why would I lower the ISO if I wanted a faster shutter speed? ISO 200 is a clue that might lead folks closer to understanding the situation and getting closer still to the correct exposure and exposure compensation. But in truth, it is not the correct answer that is important here. What is important here is how I managed to come up with the winning exposure and EC.
All are welcome to take another crack at those two by revisiting yesterday’s post. I will share all here soon.
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2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
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2018 San Diego 3 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT #2: Sunday, JAN 28 thru and including the morning session on Wednesday, JAN 31, 2018 and a free morning session on Saturday, JAN 27: 3 1/2 days (+1/2 free day!): $1699. Limit: 8: Openings: 3.
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Saturday, Jan 27, 2018.
San Diego IPT #2: Shorter and Less Expensive!
Join me in San Diego near the end of January to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
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San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
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With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there, is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
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Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.
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The San Diego Details
This IPT will include four 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, three 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at 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 is payable only by check. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. with love, artie
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
December 24th, 2017 Stuff
I woke early on Saturday and met photographer/friend Clemens van der Werf at lake Blue Cypress to try out his new boat. It was great for two photographers. Though the sunrise colors were not great and though we were a bit late getting started, it turned out to be a perfect day for lake-scape photography: lots of big dramatic clouds and with zero wind all morning long, the mirror-like reflections of the clouds made perfect settings for the Cypress trees. I used every lens form the 8-15mm circle lens through my 100-400 for the tree- and sky-scapes. There were a few Osprey around and we had some decent opportunities to photograph them.
We called it quits at about 10:30am and before noon we were sitting around the lunch table on my pool deck enjoying barbecued halibut and brussels sprouts with fresh, ice cold lemonade. Then Clemens went to work with his chain saw and I with the loppers continuing the Hurricane Irma clean-up of my yard. Clemens headed back to Lake Blue Cypress for a sunset session. After my lazy 3/4 mile swim I headed down to the lake for yet another very lovely red sunset.
Right now it is looking as if the 5D Mark IV User’s Guide will be in the BAA Online Store available for purchase on Tuesday, December 26, 2017. I will be doing all the mopping up today. Mitch Haimov and several others have been sending reviews of the guide but Mitch’s efforts have been stellar! Thanks to all it will be much improved from my original drafts.
I was glad to learn that Marvin Falk is coming down from Alaska to join San Diego IPT #2; that leaves only three slots with several others interested.
I was glad to learn that the sale of Mike Rust’s Canon 600mm f/4L IS II ISM lens in near-mint condition for $9396.00 and the sale of his Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $699.00 were both finalized. I learned also that the sale of Joel Williams’ Fujifilm X-T2 body with two grips, his Fujifilm XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR lens with the LH-XF 16 lens hood, his Fujifilm XF 23 f/2 R WR lens, and his Fujifilm XF 35 f/2 R WR lens with the LH-XF 35-2 lens hood, all to a single buyer, is nearly complete. Joel generously put together a discounted package price. There is still lot of great stuff available at just the right prices on the BAA Used Photo Gear page here.
Important Note
More than a few folks over the past few days have sent requests for their free copy of the 5D Mark IV Guide along with their B&H receipts. When I searched my account by their order number, there was no record of the transaction. When I asked them about it, it turned out that either they made a phone order and never mentioned BIRDS AS ART (please remember, web orders only), or that they simply had not used a BAA affiliate link. Please remember to make all of your B&H purchases by starting with the generic Photo Gear and More B&H logo link on the top right of each blog page, or to use a product-specific or to e-mail for one and then click on that. Using these links won’t cost you one penny more and are the best way to thank me for the work that I put into the blog and the time I spend answering your queries via e-mail. Using my Amazon links helps too. All of your efforts are appreciated.
Click on the logo-link above for great holiday savings!
$300 off on the Canon 100-400 II!
Facebook
If you have sent me a FB friends request that has gone unrequited, it is because I am up to the 5,000 limit on my personal FB page. You are invited to click here and then Like and Follow the identical content. 🙂
The Streak
Today makes one hundred forty-eight days in a row with a new educational blog post! This blog post took about two hours to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.
Click here for Amazing 5D Mark IV Bundles and Deals
Here is the best news: those who have used a BAA B&H affiliate link to purchase a 5D Mark IV (or other items totaling $3200 or more) are invited to send us a copy of their B&H receipt via e-mail and receive a free copy of the guide. If you would like to review the document before it is published, please send your receipt now. This offer is also valid for future purchases.
Booking.Com
Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks 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.
Why Manual Focus?
Most photographers know that acquiring focus can be difficult in extreme low contrast situations. Though few folks try to create photographs similar to today’s featured image, those who do will learn quickly that it can be equally difficult or even impossible to acquire focus in extreme high contrast situation. When I need to focus manually I far prefer to switch from shutter button AF to Rear button AF rather than turn the AF switch to M (for Manual focusing). Why? It is easier to forget the latter than it is to forget the former …
NEOS Adventurer Overshoes
Many of these sunset images of birds on the various perches down by the lake would bot be possible without my NEOS Adventurer Overshoes. When I see a bird on the perch at sunset I know that I will need to wade into the mucky shallow water. I reach into the rear driver’s-side seat well and grab my NEOS. Whether I am wearing my sneakers or my hiking boots, it takes about 30 seconds to get them on. Then I slosh around in the mud and muck, usually managing to stay shallower then knee-high 🙂 The Navigators come right up to below the bottom of my knee. Once I am done, removing the lightweight, completely waterproof overshoes takes less than ten seconds. And my regular footwear and the bottoms of my jeans are perfectly clean and dry.
Folks in cold-weather climes need to look at the NEOS Navigator Overshoes. They are perfect for getting through the wet snow and the Vibram Ninja Outsoles will prevent slipping on ice. They are conservatively estimated to good for -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Ace photographer-friend Brian Zwiebel swears that they are the warmest winter footwear on the planet despite their light weight. I own and use a pair of both.
Image Questions
How might this image have been improved if I had moved my tripod one inch to the right and had worked one inch taller?
What do you think of this image?
Exposure Questions
Knowing that the ISO was 200 and that I was in Av mode, what do you think the exposure compensation was? What do you think the shutter speed was? And what do you think the aperture was?
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2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
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2018 San Diego 3 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT #2: Sunday, JAN 28 thru and including the morning session on Wednesday, JAN 31, 2018 and a free morning session on Saturday, JAN 27: 3 1/2 days (+1/2 free day!): $1699. Limit: 8: Openings: 3.
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Saturday, Jan 27, 2018.
San Diego IPT #2: Shorter and Less Expensive!
Join me in San Diego near the end of January to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (usually nesting and displaying) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Wood Duck and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seal (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lion; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Please note: formerly dependable, both Wood Duck and Marbled Godwit have been declining at their usual locations for the past two years …
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San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….
|
With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there, is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You can do most of your photography with an 80- or 100-400 lens …
Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?
|
|
|
Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.
|
The San Diego Details
This IPT will include four 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, three 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.
A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at 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 is payable only by check. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. with love, artie
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
December 23rd, 2017 Stuff
On Friday morning I went down to the lake in thick fog and wound up getting stuck in the mud … That was at about 9am. I was towed out by the AAA by 11:30. I actually loved every minute of it. Oh, I forget, because I was more than 50 feet off the road I got charged $150 for my free tow. And I loved that too. Honest. I have been feeling so good lately that I swam a slow mile — 88 lengths, in my quite comfortable pool in the late afternoon.
Right after my swim I headed down to the lake to get right back on the horse :). I did stay well back from the lakeshore. How was my luck? Totally amazing. I can hardly wait to share some totally new dime a dozen images. I wake early tomorrow to meet Clemens van der Werf to try out his new boat on Lake Blue Cypress.
Right now it is looking as if the 5D Mark IV User’s Guide will be in the BAA Online Store available for purchase on Tuesday, December 26, 2017.
Important Note
More than a few folks over the past few days have sent requests for their free copy of the 5D Mark IV Guide along with their B&H receipts. When I searched my account by their order number, there was no record of the transaction. When I asked them about it, it turned out that either they made a phone order and never mentioned BIRDS AS ART (please remember, web orders only), or that they simply had not used a BAA affiliate link. Please remember to make all of your B&H purchases by starting with the generic Photo Gear and More B&H logo link on the top right of each blog page, or to use a product-specific or to e-mail for one and then click on that. Using these links won’t cost you one penny more and are the best way to thank me for the work that I put into the blog and the time I spend answering your queries via e-mail. Using my Amazon links helps too. All of your efforts are appreciated.
Click on the logo-link above for great holiday savings!
$300 off on the Canon 100-400 II!
Facebook
If you have sent me a FB friends request that has gone unrequited, it is because I am up to the 5,000 limit on my personal FB page. You are invited to click here and then Like and Follow the identical content. 🙂
The Streak
Today makes one hundred forty-seven days in a row with a new educational blog post! With all the new used gear — how’s that for an oxymoron? — this blog post took about five hours to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.
Click here for Amazing 5D Mark IV Bundles and Deals
Here is the best news: those who have used a BAA B&H affiliate link to purchase a 5D Mark IV (or other items totaling $3200 or more) are invited to send us a copy of their B&H receipt via e-mail and receive a free copy of the guide. If you would like to review the document before it is published, please send your receipt now. This offer is also valid for future purchases.
Booking.Com
Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks whom I see in the field, and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.
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This is the DPP 4 Screen Capture for today’s featured image
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The DPP 4 Screen Capture for today’s featured image
There are two things to note:
1-Even though I was +2 2/3 stops as framed and even though I added 1/3 stop of light during the RAW conversion in DPP 4 the image was still a bit underexposed: note that there is room to the right after the histogram data ends.
2-I framed the image as a vertical with the bird in the center in case the bird took flight; I did not want to cut the raised wings if the Osprey took flight.
Two Questions
#1: Would you have even tried to make an image in the dense fog?
#2: If your RAW file looked like the one in the screen capture above would you waste any time trying to optimize it? Why or why not?
The Image Optimization
Once I got the TIF into Photoshop I tried every trick in the book. First I did the obvious Levels adjustment. That helped a bit. Next I tried Dehaze with the ACR filter (Filter > Camera RAW Filter > Dehaze. That helped a bit. Next I tried a Curves color balance adjustment. That did not help. I applied a 30% layer of Auto Contrast. That helped a bit. The big problem was that the color noise was horrific. I ran fast and dirty NeatImage noise reduction on the whole image and that got rid of all the remaining luminance noise and 80% of the color noise. But the color noise that remained was U-G–Y ugly! I went to Selective Color and moved some of the sliders with the BLACKs. That did not help. I went to Hue Saturation and desaturated the GREENs and the REDs. When that did not help I simply saved the image.
But then I had a thought. Maybe the RED color noise was not RED. And maybe the GREEN color noise was not Green. I opened the image in Photoshop again and went back to Hue/Saturation. I tried MAGENTA and moved the slider to the right to 100%. All of the REC color noise lit up so I moved the slider to the left until the RED color noise disappeared. Then I did the same thing with CYAN. Voila! The image was so improved that I applied a layer of my NIK 35/35 recipe. Looking good.I was so inspired the improvement that I did some really nice eye doctor work on both the pupil and the iris.
While I will not be making any big prints of this image it is certainly decent enough for web presentation and slide programs. And, I learned a ton to boot. And on Friday morning I had another foggy Osprey and did a few things differently. Before I got stuck in the mud :). Story and images will follow at some point.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt.
You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a Paypal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
Your guessed it, everything mentioned above (and tons more) are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. The new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. 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.
The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):
- The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
- The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.
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.
You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.
Support the Blog
Please help support my (stupendous) efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. with love, artie
If In Doubt …
If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.
Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂
To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.
As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.
Facebook
Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).
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