Stuff
Sunday was a lazy day filled with mostly crummy NFL games. I cut down one small, skinny dead tree and sawed off a long, sturdy branch from a fallen dead tree to serve as perches once I plant them in the lake a ways out from the shore. Boy, that wood was hard!
Folks did a good job yesterday commenting on the Herring Gull with whelk image. Below is another head angle challenge. It will be interesting to see everyone’s thoughts.
I was glad to learn of that the sale of Steve Cashell’s Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens is nearly complete; he is waiting for the check to clear.
The Streak
Today makes one hundred twenty-two days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took more than an hour 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.
Wanted to Buy
Please contact me via e-mail if you are interested in selling a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L is II USM in excellent condition as per the usual terms.
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 might include system, camera body, accessory, and lens choices and decisions.
These two images was created on the morning of October 21, 2017 with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and my favorite tern photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/200 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. AWB in predawn light. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -2. Winter Plumage Common Tern on Beach |
Common Tern on Beach
What I really liked about this situation was that this bird isolated, well away from the rest of the flock: about 40 Sandwich Terns, 6 Forster’s Terns, and another few commons. None of the birds were going anywhere.
Head Angle
Are you seeing much of a difference in the head angle in A and the head angle in B? (Note again that the two images were created in the same one one-hundredth of a second.)
Image Question
The beach was dry. The bird was tame. What is the most likely reason that I did not splay the legs of my tripod and get down flat on the ground and create a more intimate image?
Winter Plumage Common Tern on Beach/tight crop of head |
Head Angle Nitpicking
I’ve been told often that my comments on head angle are nitpicking, the one or two degrees difference in head angle cannot possibly be important to the success of an avian image. As nitpicking is defined as looking for unimportant errors or faults, especially in order to criticize unnecessarily. I humbly disagree. In my opinion, differences in head angle as small as one degree or even less can make a huge difference with bird photographs.
With today’s two images, what would you say about the heads angles:
a-Image A clearly has the better head angle.
b-Both images are the same; the head angle makes no difference.
c-The head angle in image B is vastly superior to the head angle in image A.
If you chose either A or B, please let us know why you made your choice.
Cropping Question
Whichever image you prefer, would you crop it? If yes, how?
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.
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 :).
