On Tuesday I micro-adjusted my 500 II with my new 5D IV, alone, and with my 1.4X III i and 1.4X III ii TCs and with my 2X III i and 2X III ii TCs and did lots of work on the LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjusting Guide. I keep learning more with every session.
I shared an early draft with Bill Hill who wrote via e-mail:
Artie, Just a note as a progress report and thanks again. I got my 500 f4 back from Canon, a very good experience, and focus-tuned it with my 2x III converter. AWESOME. It came out to -3; I have never gotten such sharp images at 1000mm. Thanks to MT, AM and Canon! The info in your guide is essential to anyone who wants to use learn to use Focus Tune. Bill
I am not sure if the guide will be ready for publication before I leave for the Galapagos on Sunday but it will surely be published not later than early September.
New: Wanted to Buy Service
I am gonna give this a try. If you would like to post a wanted to buy item I will be glad to post it on the blog provided that you agree to pay me a 2 1/2 per cent finder’s fee if I am successful, 2 1/2% of the what you wind up paying for the item. To list an item, please click only here to shoot me an e-mail.
If you wish to sell a wanted to by item, please click here to shoot me an e-mail. Once I get your e-mail I will shoot you the Items for Sale Info e-mail. If you agree to all the usual terms we will work together to determine a fair price and then I will put you in touch with the prospective buyer. If a sale is not completed within two weeks, you agree that I will list the item for sale in a blog post and on the Used Gear page. In addition, you agree not to sell the item to the person who originally wanted to buy the item. As always, the seller will pay me 5% of the original asking price. Note: the cost of insured Ground Shipping via major courier is always paid by the seller.
The Streak
Today marks eleven days in a row with a new educational blog post. This blog post took more than four hours to create.
Revamped
I finally updated the IPT page to properly reflect the recently completed trips. If you doubt that I am really slowing down do click here to see the meager IPT schedule. Right now there are only two US-based IPTs on the schedule. Best news is that I turned up the missing registrant for the Fort DeSoto IPT so that will run. Do consider joining us if you would like to learn from the best.
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.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
FourAF point up and one to the left of the Center AF Point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure.
Tricolored Heron fledgling
Too-big-in-the-Frame Lesson
At times, you have a nice situation or pose but with the focal length you’re working with, it is difficult to fit the bird in the frame with sufficient space around it. The best solution is to make the first image, lock focus — I have all of my bodies set up with the AF-On button set to Focus lock — and then re-compose.
I made the image on the left (_A0I1413) and knew that the bill tip was too close to the edge. I should have hit the AF-On button to lock focus and then re-composed to the right. But I did not think quite that fast enough. I simply shifted the lens a bit to the right and focused on the base of the bill rather than the bird’s eye to make the image on the right (_A0I1414). Though I had only a bit more room in front of the bird, it was just enough to give the bird a bit more room in the frame. Keep reading to learn how I optimized the image (and how I softened up the background).
Aperture Choice
I have no explanation as to why I was at f/11. Perhaps I was photographing to fledged tricolors perched next to each other … For the two image above, even f/8 would have been more than I needed. Notice how the background detail has been brought up by too small an aperture, f/11.
An Image Design Question
Why didn’t I simply optimize the image on the right, (_A0I1414)? Because I loved the tract of loose, gray feathers behind the bird’s head in the first image (_A0I1413) and wanted to include that tract in the final image.
Tricolored Heron fledgling/the optimized image
The RAW Conversions
After converting the first image in DPP 4, I copied the recipe, pasted it into the second image, and converted that one too. Then I brought both images into Photoshop. Working in the un-framed view, I expanded canvas right by pulling out the love handle on the right frame-edge and then double-clicking on the image to complete the now somewhat boxy crop. Next, I needed a section of the second image to fill in the added canvas.
The Rectangular Marquee Tool
I have been using the Rectangular Marquee Tool more and more recently when I need a selection, especially a selection with a straight edge. After expanding the canvas right on the first image, I selected a chunk of the edge of the frame on the right in the second image using the Rectangular Marquee Tool, making sure to include just a bit of he bill tip. Then I hit Control J to put the selection on its own layer and used the Move Tool (V) to drag it roughly in place in the 1st image. I reduced the opacity of that layer to 50% to make it easy to line up the bill tips in the two images. When I did that, I learned that the the bird had moved between the time I created the first image and the time I created the second image (only seconds later). Since I would not need the bill tip I simply lined up the background elements until they matched. After that, it was a simple matter of refining that layer after adding a Regular Layer mask. After doing that there were still a few small areas that needed to be filled in or cleaned up. I used the Clone Stamp Tool, the Patch Tool, and the Spot Healing Brush for those tasks.
Softening the Background
Here is a trick that I use often. Though the basics are contained in the Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), I did not include specific instructions there. So please consider this a free to all DB II Update. Thus, there is no need to e-mail Jim for the update; it is right here:
To soften the background, I used a relatively large brush to paint a Quick Mask of most of the background, making sure to stay clear of the subject. On my 15″ Macbook Pro with retina display, I painted the Quick Mask to within about 3/8 inch of the bird. Then I hit Q to get the marching ants and then hit Control J to put the selection on its own layer. Next I applied a 65 pixel Gaussian blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian blur) and then while keeping my eye on the background reduced the opacity just a bit to taste. Last, to make sure that the blur did not effect the bird, I added a regular layer mask and, working large, checked the edges of the bird, erasing (B, D, X) just a bit where needed.
The Rest of the Image Optimization
I color balanced the image using the RGB Curves method. The resulting colors were quite rich, vibrant, and lifelike but just a bit muddy so I reduced the opacity of that layer and then effectively reduced the Contrast by using another brand-new technique: I went to Selective Color and decreased the BLACKs in both the BLACK and the NEUTRALs about 5 points each. Voila. That was about it.
In the Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) I give you lots of great Tools to work with and lots of specific tutorials. Creative folks, however, can put those tools to new uses and adapt those tutorials in new and different ways and thus accomplish great things.
The basics of all of the tools and techniques mentioned above are detailed in Current Workflow e-Guide. I will continue to share new ways of using and applying them here with the occasional free “update.”
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/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.
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. 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 🙂
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.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
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 :).
On Monday I did third edits on the UK Puffin and Gannets IPT and the Bear Boat Cubs IPT to Transfer files so that I can get some space on my laptop. One thing is for sure, I keep a lower percentage of the images that I create than anyone I know of; 264 from the UK trip, and only 211 from the bear boat trip. I swam midday in the drizzle and once it stopped raining I continued micro-adjusting and working on the new guide. More in store tomorrow since I got my new 5D Mark IV.
On the 5D IV, I know that different folks have different shooting styles. That said, I have never filled the buffer on a 5D IV body.
Getting Lazy Again …
Every few weeks BAA blog readers get lazy. They read the blog, they enjoy it, they learn, but opt not to comment. Please remember that the more replies that are left, the more everyone benefits, including — as we have seen here often — me. Please help to keep the blog interactive.
New: Wanted to Buy Service
I am gonna give this a try. If you would like to post a wanted to buy item I will be glad to post it on the blog provided that you agree to pay me a 2 1/2 per cent finder’s fee if I am successful, 2 1/2% of the what you wind up paying for the item. To list an item, please click only here to shoot me an e-mail.
If you wish to sell a wanted to by item, please click here to shoot me an e-mail. Once I get your e-mail I will shoot you the Items for Sale Info e-mail. If you agree to all the usual terms we will work together to determine a fair price and then I will put you in touch with the prospective buyer. If a sale is not completed within two weeks, you agree that I will list the item for sale in a blog post and on the Used Gear page. In addition, you agree not to sell the item to the person who originally wanted to buy the item. As always, the seller will pay me 5% of the original asking price. Note: the cost of insured Ground Shipping via major courier is always paid by the seller.
The Streak
Today marks ten days in a row with a new educational blog post. This blog post took less than one hour to create.
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.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
This in-camera Art Vivid image was created on the last afternoon of the 2017 Palouse IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Induro ballhead-mounted Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens (at 8mm) and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +/-3 stops around a base exposure of +1 stop yielded a base exposure of 1/13 sec. at f/8 in Av mode. WB = 4500K. Live View with 2-second timer.
Center Flexi-Zone single/Rear Focus AF. (I use rear focus for nearly all of my scenic and Urbex photography.) Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #1: Old red barn at 8mm
The Circle Lens is Fun
While the circle lens is great fun to use, it is a difficult lens to use. It works best on cloudy days. If the sun is shining and coming over your shoulder you will likely have your shadow in the image. And if the sun is out and is in the frame you will get horrific flare. What’s amazing about this image is that the lens was about 2 inches from the barn yet saw wide enough to include two telephone poles!
Do compare this image with today’s other featured image (below).
This in-camera Art Vivid image was created on the last afternoon of the 2017 Palouse IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Induro ballhead-mounted Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens (at 81mm) and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +/-3 stops around a base exposure of +1 stop yielded a base exposure of 1/25 sec. at f/8 in Av mode. WB = 4500K. Live View with 2-second timer.
Lower left Flexi-Zone single/Rear Focus AF. (I use rear focus for nearly all of my scenic and Urbex photography.) Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Image #2: Old red barn
Old Red Barn at 81mm
To create this image I move the tripod back about 50 feet. At first glance it looks as if I was photographing two different subjects, but if you take a close look at the two images you will note the same features n each photograph. Aside from the crazy angle of view in Image #1, there are two things that confuse me:
1-With pretty much the same exposure and HDR settings I simply do not understand how the color of the barn in the two images were so different. I even worked on the color of Image #1 to bring it closer to Image #2 yet the difference in the color of the two images is still huge.
2-I cannot understand why Image #2 shows so much yellow as compared to Image #1. My only thought there is that with such a wide angle view the yellow strips were minimized to nothingness (if that makes any sense at all) …
Which Do You Like Best?
Which of today’s two images do you feel is the stronger photograph. Please let us know why you made your choice.
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. 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 🙂
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.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
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 :).
Sunday morning was business as usual: answering e-mails and working on images and blog posts. In the afternoon, I micro-adjusted my 400 DO III — I am taking it on the Galapagos trip — with both of my older 5D Mark IV bodies and with my backup set of Series III TCs — I call them 1.4X III ii and 2X III ii). I got lots more work done on the micro-adjusting guide. Then I had a nice swim in the drizzle. And I have been thinking a lot about what to pack for the Galapagos trip; I fly next Sunday, 6 AUG.
The Streak
Today marks nine days in a row with a new educational blog post. This blog post well more than three hours to create.
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.
Please Don’t Forget …
As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use the BAA B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.
Photoshop MP 4 Wingtip Repairs Video
Photoshop MP 4 Wingtip Repairs Video: $20.00
Folks learn in different ways. Everything in this great one hour video tutorial is detailed in the new BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), and in APTATS I & II. For many, being able to follow along in Photoshop, actually seeing what I am doing while listening to the explanations, seeing the cursor move, seeing the menus and the images and the before an after comparisons, is the way to go to maximize learning. To order, click here or call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 Monday mornings through midday on Fridays.
What You Will Learn
In this hour-long video you will learn to do RAW conversions in both DPP 4 and in ACR, how to eliminate vignetting during an ACR RAW conversion, how, why, and when to use the Framed view and how, why, and when to use the Unframed view, how to use John Haedo Content Aware Fill, how to re-position a bird in the frame and clean up the extraneous wingtips (mostly with the Patch Tool), how to use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to create a straight-edged patch, how to create Quick Masks, how to refine them using a variety of commands, how to refine them with regular Layer Masks, how to repairs missing wingtips using Quick Masks, how to re-build missing wingtips with the Clone Stamp Too, why we sometimes have the align box checked and why we sometimes leave it unchecked when using the Clone Stamp Tool, some Digital Eye Doctor techniques, how to create my NIK Tonal Contrast/Detail Extractor recipes, how to make a variety of selections, how and why to use a Contrast Mask, how and why to make Curves and Hue Saturation adjustments on a layer (and how to refine them), all about my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts, how to use the Lasso Tool to quickly and easily refine selections, a fast and dirty method for applying NeatImage Noise reduction, how to save your optimized image files, and how to create killer sharp 1200 pixel wide JPEGs. And lots more.
This image was created at Gatorland this spring with the hand held Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II (surprise!) ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/4.5 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -6.
One AF point above the center AF Point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s bird’s feathered thigh just above the top of the left leg.
Image #1: White Ibis in flight — original with clipped primaries
Universal Advice for Better Flight Photography
Pan faster … Attempt to keep the selected AF point on the bird’s face or at least on its neck or upper breast.
Image #2: White Ibis optimized with wing tips added
The Image Optimization
I converted this image in DPP 4. After bringing the image into Photoshop, I re-positioned the bird in the frame and cleaned up the extraneous ends of the wings (mostly with the Patch Tool).Then I came up with a brand new technique where I used the Rectangular Marquee Tool to create a straight-edged patch. It worked perfectly. Then the wingtips were replaced one at a time using a series of small Quick Masks that were refined with Regular Layer Masks and re-shaped with various Command Transform options including Warp. Then I used my NIK 25/25 recipe on the whole image! (In the MP 4 video I show you how to create the recipe and explain why I ran it on the whole image.) Along the way I used the Quick Selection Tool, a Contrast Mask to selectively sharpen the face, did some Curves and Hue Saturation on a layer, explained the use of many of my personal keyboard shortcuts, and went over the use of the Lasso Tool for refining selections. Then I saved my optimized file and created and sharpened my 1200 wide JPEG.
Note: I surely left out some of the stuff covered on the MP 4 video.
This image was created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens (at 160mm) and my favorite bird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 1/3 stops off the white sky: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode. Daylight WB.
LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: +1.
Center AF Point/AI Servo/Manual selection/Shutter button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. The single selected AF point was just to our left of the open bill.
Image #3: Northern Gannet ready to dive–horizontal with one clipped wingtip
Vertical Flight Shots …
Creating vertical original flight shots is a challenge. If you are working horizontally and keep clipping a wingtip or two you can try turning your camera body on end to fit the banking bird into the frame and enjoy lots more pixels. This will take lots of skill and lots of practice. Most “vertical” flight images that I see on BPN were created from horizontal images. That is what I did with the image immediately above. You can learn how in the new Photoshop MP 4 Wingtip Repairs Video.
Image #4: Northern Gannet optimized to a vertical with wingtip repaired
The Image Optimization
I converted this image in Adobe Camera Raw. Aside from the usual stuff I needed to eliminate vignetting during the RAW conversion. (Note: this would have been done automatically had I converted the image in DPP 4.) In the video I run through all of my usual ACR slider adjustments. And once in Photoshop, I explain how, why, and when I use the Framed view and how, why, and when I use the Unframed view. Next I expanded canvas and cropped to a vertical. I used John Heado Content Aware Fill to fill in the new canvas. For the tiny missing wingtips I began by re-building one of them using the Clone Stamp Tool and then reverted to using some small Quick Masks. Along the way in the MP 4 video I explain why we sometimes have the align box checked and why we sometimes leave it unchecked when using the Clone Stamp Tool. I did some Digital Eye Doctor work on both eyes mostly with Tim Grey Dodge and Burn. I applied NeatImage Noise reduction again on the on the whole image! (Again, I explain why in the MP 4 video.) And I did lots more that is covered in the MP4 video.
To order the Photoshop MP 4 Wingtip Repairs Video ($20.00), click here or call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 Monday mornings through midday on Fridays.
Your Favorite?
Which optimized image do you like best, the White Ibis (Image #2) or the Northern Gannet (Image #4)? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.
The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac/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.
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. 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 🙂
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.
Amazon.com
Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.
Amazon Canada
Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.
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 :).
