Though pretty well jet-lagged on Wednesday, I optimized a few images, worked on several blog posts, and answered a ton of e-mails. I had planned an early evening swim but for the second day in a row thunder and lightning intervened. It has been 97 degrees most days in Florida recently.
This blog post took about two hours to prepare.
Important Help Needed with the 2017 Fort Desoto Fall IPT
Right now we have nobody signed up for the 2017 Fort Desoto Fall IPT. Jim spoke to a lady who said that she had registered but had not heard from us. He checked the sheet with no luck and called her back also with no luck. If you registered for this IPT and have not heard back from us, please shoot me an e-mail at your earliest convenience. If you have not registered for this IPT, you should as it will be a very small group. Please remember that I will always go with only a single registrant (unless otherwise noted for overseas IPTs). Understand also that I am cutting way back on IPTs.
The Streak
Today marks five days in a row with a new educational blog post.
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.
Repair bill
For Want of a Towel …
I remember the morning that I created this image quite well. I rarely kneel as I often get cramps in my hamstrings, but kneel I did on that morning. It is easier to change your position when kneeling than it is when you are sitting in eight inches of water. I remember moving often to stay on sun angle and I remember getting back on my feet by putting both hands in the saltwater and pushing myself up. And then hurrying to get my hands back on the camera to make a few images. I did try to dry my hands off a bit on my sun shirt but …
Months after, while micro-adjusting one of my 5D IV bodies well before leaving for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT, that camera body failed. I could not see the rear LCD and several of the buttons and controls quit working. My bad. I sent the body in to Canon Repairs at Jamesburg, NJ and they fixed it right up. The charges were $567.35 but with my 30% Platinum CPS discount the total dropped to $407.72.
In the future, my plan is to keep a dry towel around my neck in situations when I am needing to get low when working in shallow water.
Center Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The system selected a T-shaped array of 4 AF points that painted the spot where the bird’s head entered the water. Perfection!
Image #1: Marbled Godwit probing for invertebrates
5D Mark IV Frame Rate
The 7fps frame rate of the 5D Mark IV enabled me to create many excellent sequences of the Marbled Godwits as they fed. I created many images like #1 above with the bird’s head below the surface, images of the bird lifting its head out of the water, and images like #2 below that show the bird holding its invertebrate prey. Image #1 and #2 were created less than 2 seconds apart.
Center Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The system selected a single AF point that fell on the spot where the side of the bird’s neck meets the side of the upper breast. Near-perfection!
Image #2: Marbled Godwit probing for invertebrates
Large Zone AF
As regular readers know, I have been becoming more and more enamored with Large Zone AF over the past year. With today’s two featured images, Center Large Zone AF performed pretty much flawlessly. By studying the position of the AF points selected by the system (in the two images captions) we can begin to understand one of Large Zone’s great advantages. Had I been using Expand I would have need to change the position of the selected AF point when the bird went from head in the water (Image #1) to lifting the bill out of the water to posing with its prey item (Image #2). That would have been 100% impossible as it all happens much too fast. But — as it did in today’s situation — Large Zone AF will move the AF point or points as needed quickly and automatically, thus giving you much greater compositional freedom than if you were using a single AF point or using AF Expand (or AF Surround).
Notice that with a fairly large-in-the-frame subject, Large Zone AF yielded a perfect basic image design with the bird well back in the frame. To learn more about Composition and Image Design check out the following resources:
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.
Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
The Fort DeSoto 2017 Fall IPT/September 22 (afternoon session) through the full day on September 25, 2017. 3 1/2 FULL DAYs: $1649. Limit 8.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.
Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on the morning of Tuesday, September 26 as my guest. See below for details on that.
On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
This IPT will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Though I have not decided on a hotel yet — I will as soon as there is one sign-up — do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with ten folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and instructions for meeting on the afternoon of Friday, September 22.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meet-up Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $99.
Join me on the morning of Tuesday September 26, 2017 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.
You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tour. I hope to meet you there.
To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal non-refundable registration fee. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.
BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.
Fort DeSoto Site Guide
Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.
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.
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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 :).
Well, I managed to stay up till 10:30pm on Tuesday evening, 6:30pm Alaska time. I slept only two hours until 12:30am. My body must have considered that as a late nap because I stayed up for two and one-half hours. Then I slept till 8:30am. It is just before noon right now on Wednesday and once again I am feeling a bit jet-lagged. That is not surprising as I was five time zones to the east in the UK for ten days and then three days after that I was four time zones to the west in AK … I gotta quit this.
I was glad to learn yesterday that Dwaine Tollefsrud sold his Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II lens in excellent condition for the record-low BAA price of $3,799 in mid-July, 2017. The price of this great lens started dropping when the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens was released about two years ago.
This blog post took about three hours to prepare.
The Streak
Today marks four days in a row with a new educational blog post.
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.
New Listing
Canon EF 500mm f/4L L IS Lens
Jim Babbitt is offering a Canon EF 500mm f/4L L IS lens (the “old five) in excellent plus condition for the record-low BAA price for this item, $3798. There are a few small blemishes on the lens barrel with the hood attaches; the glass is perfect. The sale includes the lens trunk, the front leather hood, the rear lens cap, and insured ground shipping by UPS or Fed Ex to the lower 48. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless previous arrangements have been made.
Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 1-760 626 6435 (Pacific time).
The 500 f/4s 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. We have sold more than a few recently for $3999. If you don’t have the cash for the 500 II and can handle the additional 1 1/2 pounds (exactly), then this is your next best option. The 500 II goes for $8999 so you will be saving a cool $5,202 and getting a great lens to boot. artie
Center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s right shoulder. Click on the image to see a larger, inexplicably sharper image.
Common Crane in flight, Kuusamo, Finland
The 5D Mark IV for Flight Photography
In my opinion, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is greatly under-rated as a flight photography camera body. (Note: Patrick Sparkman agrees.) While the two pro bodies, the 1DX and the 1DX II do offer a faster rate, the 5D IV has several advantages that folks simply do not get. Keep reading below to learn exactly what those advantages are.
My Concise Comments on Four Canon Camera Bodies …
Considering the Canon EOS-1DX, the Canon EOS-1DX II, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, and the Canon EOS 5DS R.
With regards to the four camera bodies in question, the image quality of all four is fine for most applications including stock agency sales and the creation of large prints. That said the image quality from sharp 5DS R files blows the other three away. Simply put, I have never seen anything like the detail in a sharp 5DS R image file. But when shooting birds and wildlife the densely packed 5DS R pixels can cause problems with image sharpness due to subject movement and vibrations (when viewed at high magnification …) That is why I forsook the 5DS R; I wound up selling my two.
While both of the pro bodies, the EOS-1DX (12 fps)and the EOS-1DX II (14 fps), are a lot faster than the 5D IV (7 fps), do understand the following simplification: if you are working at 1/1000 sec with a camera that has a frame rate of up to 14 fps, you are missing 98.6% of the action poses in a given second. If you are working with a camera that has a frame rate of up to 7 fps, you are missing 99.3% of the action in a given second. This is not a great difference … (Note: the up to stems from the fact that the frame rates quoted in the specs are for One-shot or Manual focus. The frame rate drops considerably when you are working with AI Servo AF. And that drop itself varies and is related to some of your AF Menu choices.
Furthermore, with the 5D IV offering 50% more pixels than the 1DX II you can work wider with flight and action and crop to the approximate 1DX II file size with no loss of quality. In addition, when you work wider with flight and action you enjoy more d-o-f as well as improved AF performance; it is easier to acquire sharp focus on birds that are farther from the camera than on birds that are closer to the camera. So while the 1DX II (and the 1D X as well) offer frame rate advantages over the 5D IV (and the 5DS R as well), the two higher mega-pixel cameras do offer some serious flight and action advantages over the two pro bodies.
All in all I’d rate IQ with the 5D IV to be a bit better than IQ with the 1D X II and a bit better still than with the original 1D X. Do understand that Dynamic Range with the 5D IV and the 1DX II far exceed the Dynamic Range offered by both the 1DX and the 5DS R. As a result, 5D IV and the 1DX II image files handle dark tones with ease offering more detail and less noise than the dark tones in 5DS R and 1DX image files.
As always, folks need to consider the end purposes of their images … Are you making or selling large prints, sending files to stock agencies, or sharing images online with family and friends or on critique forums like BirdPhotographer’s.Net? Do know that 1200 pixel wide JPEGs under 400KB from each of the four camera bodies are pretty much indistinguishable. And many would be surprised to learn that for me, 1200 wide and 1400 wide JPEGs are pretty much the lifeblood of the existence of BIRDS AS ART. The 1200 wide JPEGs are used on the BAA Blog and BPN, and the 1400 wides are used for slide programs. Today, image and print sales and stock sales combined account for well less than 10% of our annual income …
And while I loved my old 1DX bodies, the fact that AF at f/8 offered only the center AF point (plus the four assist points) became a deal breaker for me; both the 5D IV and the 1DX II give you all AF points and all AF Area selection modes at f/8. For me (and my style of shooting), having these AF advantages when working with either the 500 II or the 600 II and the 2X III TC or with the 100-400 II and the 1.4X III TC are huge.
Few folks mention the incredibly light weight of the 5D IV, something that I appreciate more and more every day. 🙂 On my last two trips I removed the battery pack from my #1 5D IV and enjoyed my favorite body at its lightest weight. Last to consider is the cost. You can get 2 5D IVs for the price of a single 1D X II.
I currently own two 5D IV bodies and a 1DX II. I have completely soured on the 1DX II, in part because of problems that I and others have had with oil spatter on the sensor, in part because it is so heavy, and possibly in part due to the fact that my deteriorating hand-eye coordination, strength, and endurance do not allow me to take advantage of the 1DX II’s faster frame rate.
I will soon be selling my 1DX II and purchasing a third 5D Mark IV.
Whatever any of you decide, I would appreciate your using the following links and your shooting me a copy of your B&H receipt 🙂
Check the Used Gear pages here for the occasional EOS-1DX listing.
As always, additional questions are welcome; if you have one, please leave a comment.
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.
2017 in San Diego was a very good year ….
2018 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART IPT: Monday, JAN 15 thru and including the morning session on Friday, JAN 19, 2018: 4 1/2 days: $2099.
Limit: 10: Openings: 4
Meet and Greet at 6:30pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Sunday, Jan 14, 2018.
Join me in San Diego 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 …
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 five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four 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, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. 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.
The San Diego Site Guide
If you cannot make or afford the IPT the San Diego Site Guide truly is the next best thing to being there with me. It is all very simple, you will learn where to be when depending on the wind and sky conditions.
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
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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.
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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 :).
Stuff, and the 2017 Bear Boat (Bear Cubs) IPT Report
I had not realized that my ORD > MCO flight had been moved back an hour so I got into Orlando at about 3:30pm (instead of at 2:30pm) on Tuesday afternoon. Jim picked me up right on the money. After a stop at Publix for restocking the cupboard, we got home to ILE just before 6pm.
The 2017 Bear Boat (Bear Cubs) IPT was a strange one in several ways, mainly involving the weather. As regular readers know it was looking as if we might not make it to Katmai on schedule but the weather cleared much earlier than expected. It was cloudy bright that afternoon Tuesday, July 18) and with less than ideal bear viewing tides we took a photographic ride in the spacious steel skiff. We got to photograph Harbor Seal, Red Fox (with only one x …), and a single bear, our first. The big surprise was that we got to photograph Orca (Killer Whale) at fairly close range. That was a first for me on my eight bear boat trips.
On Wednesday, July 19 we headed up to Hallo Bay fairly early and did well during the midday hours with a very cooperative mamma bear with two yearling cubs, again in ideal cloudy bright conditions. That is when I created today’s featured image. With a big storm that was supposed to last for several days headed our way we returned to the protected bay at Kukak to spend the night and ride things out. On Thursday morning, July 19, we woke to cloudy dark skies and high winds but no rain so we all got in the skiff and landed at the far end of Kukak Bay. As we came around a corner we spotted a blonde wolf. Those carrying their big lenses on their shoulders got off a few frames with IPT veteran Dave Romea getting the only decent image. Those like me and several other participants who favored long term shoulder health over preparedness came up empty-handed as the wolf disappeared into the hillside brush.
We photographed some nice wolf tracks in the mud and then I started poking around looking for some still wildflowers in the lee to photograph with my 100-400 II (without much luck). But I stumbled upon an apparently abandoned Black Oystercatcher nest with two eggs on the gravel. I photographed it for about and hour with a great variety of lenses and from a wide assortment of perspectives. The group spotted a bear but it went the way of the wolf … I shared some of my nest images with the group but only a few came back to the nest with me and those that did created only a very few snaps. My feeling is that if you have a nice subject that you should consider working it seriously. I will share my nest-with-egg efforts here with you soon.
It poured and blew hard all afternoon so I present a canned program on Composition and Image Design. That went well. The captain’s wife and our cook took great interest in the program and the group enjoyed it as well. The weather forecast was for two more full days of rain and northeast winds. The former is no fun to work in and the latter would have kept us pinned in Kukak as Hallo is wide open to the northeast winds with no place to hide for the night.
Several of us were up early on Friday July 21. With two more days of very harsh weather in the forecast, the leader — that’s me — was placed on suicide watch. Only kidding. But things were looking grim at that point. Our overnight anchorage in Kukak was so well protected that we did not realize that the storm had past. By 7am the good news was spreading; we were heading back to Hallo even though the forecast was not promising. Well, that turned out to be a miraculous turn of events as we got in a long session mostly in perfect cloudy bright conditions. Right off the bat we found the yearling cubs that we had worked with on Wednesday and again they were quite cooperative. Next was a big gold colored female bear with two spring cubs. She was so comfortable with us the I cannot quote any distances here in fear of starting a major ethical brouhaha (as I have done before). Suffice to say, we followed the rules; the bears approached us and we stayed tight as a group and still.
As conditions brightened a bit, all of us were thinking the same thing: “We have now been with this family for four hours. It is about time that the cubs nursed.” And then it happened, within yards of us. Momma laid down on her back and the two eager cubs began suckling and slurping. We were both amazed and in nature photography heaven.
That afternoon skies cleared and we enjoyed a skiff ride for Horned and Tufted Puffins. After dinner, Chuck took two of us out to try for some halibut. I had landed the only keeper of the season, a small chicken halibut, while fishing in the rain as we were anchored up. He took us in the skiff to a few spots that had been productive in the past. I was fishing an eight-ounce diamond jig with two strips of white fish skin as a teaser. I was concentrating really hard almost willing a fish to hit. One did, and it was a substantial halibut. Line peeled off the screaming reel as the fish made first one long run and then another. Twice it nearly jerked me off my feet as it pulled me from the back of the skiff to the front of the skiff.
I played the fish on light tackle for about 20 minutes. As I got it near the surface Chuck grabbed his harpoon. I had the spent fish lying perfectly flat on the surface next to the boat. Chuck fired and thought that he had missed. At that moment, the line broke and I pictured the huge, exhausted fish turning tail and heading back to the bottom of the bay. But the harpoon had struck home. With a bit of a struggle Chuck got a hand gaff into the fish and lifted my 55-pound halibut into the skiff where it protested for a while. We tried again the next day in the morning but my fish was it. We did enjoy several wonderful meals and I still wound up with about 15 pounds of halibut filets to bring home.
On Saturday, July 22, those of us who were up very early enjoyed a nice puffins on the water red silhouette situation while those who got up a bit later enjoy some nice pre-sunrise scenic photography; my best there were created with the the 11-24mm, my big sky lens. We were ashore by 8:30 and had an eagle and some bears on the extensive low tide mudflats. I did some sidelit pattern shots of the mud ridges and made a few blasting highlights scenics with the mud and a distant island. Once we started hiking and found the bears the light was very bright. I created many hundreds of image and kept only a handful. By the time we headed back to the boat we had been hiking for more than seven not very productive hours and had hiked more than 3.7 miles. In and out at Hallo on the lower tidal stages will do that to you. A great late lunch halibut meal was enjoyed by all. We tried for puffins again but with wind against sun that we a bust.
Sunday the 23rd dawned clear and bright so I went out on a limb. “We will head to shore at 4pm on the high tide, get dropped off up the river, and then work our way back to the boat as the light gets nicer and nicer.” We had lots of close encounters with several bear families for many hours and then found the three cub family trying to stay out of the way of several big boars. The female charged one of them and sent it off with its tail between its legs. When a larger male approached I made my best image of the trip and maybe my best bear image ever as (finally) seen in the Last Minute Magic/Bear Boat Single Favorite Image. By far … blog post here. After that we trudged back over the berm to find several bears doing some early season fishing. Those — including and especially me — who waded the channels had a chance to photograph several bears in really sweet light. All in all we saw well more than 20 bears that afternoon. Having been dropped off far up the river on high tide we walked only about two miles with our gear on Sunday. We did not make it back to the boat until after 10:30pm which was just after the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Then it was back to our protected anchorage at Kukak to spend the night. Most folks slept in. I am not capable of doing that …
On Monday morning some folks opted to head out for a two-hour skiff ride. I stayed aboard to pack. They had lots of eagles and a few bears on the skiff ride but apparently we had used up all of our skiff photography magic on that first afternoon. Two float planes got us back safely to Kodiak late on Monday afternoon where everyone began their long journeys home.
All in all the weather was varied and strange with lots of highs and lows. The odd thing about the group was that most of the boys and girls rarely asked any questions in the field. I felt pretty lonely out there. Apologies again for the half-day of technical problems on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. Thanks again to Peter Kes for getting things up and running. Sometimes, there is a price to pay for progress. 🙂
I finished work on this blog post just now at about 7:30pm on Tuesday evening. That took two hours and I am very tired, hoping to be able to stay up until about 10:00pm and possibly avoid severe jet lag.
The Streak
Today marks three days in a row with a new educational blog post.
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.
Upper Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The AF system selected two points in the array, one fell on the bear’s right wrist, the other just caught the tip of its mouth or possibly the edge of the stick on the same level as the mouth. Both were pretty much on the same plane as the bear’s face. The featured image is a decent crop from all four sides.
Brown Bear yearling playing with log
Brown Bear yearling playing with divining log
This was one of two yearling cubs that were very accommodating; having been born the previous spring they they were about 16 months old. The young bear in this image was actually quite curious at times and needed to be shooed away several times over the next few days. On morning one both of them began playing with thus fairly large log and there were a few magical moments. And they often play-fought with each other as well. As this was our first pleasing bear encounter we got to talk lots about getting the right exposure on a relatively dark day. The young bears both looked dark that day as a result of their wet fur. Several folks made some really nice images of the wet bears that featured very special poses with the log.
Image Title?
If you can come up with a funny or interesting title for this image, please do share by leaving a comment. With love, artie
The Image Optimization
After converting the image in DPP 4, I brought the image into Photoshop and cropped it. I realized right from the get-go with this first shared image processing session that applying a layer of RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing was the way to go with bear images created in low light. This technique worked magic on every single bear image that I processed. With this image and most others I left the RGB Curves layer at 100% opacity. Next I selected the bears only with the Quick Selection Tool (W) and applied a layer of my NIK Color Efex Pro 30/30 recipe. Lastly I painted a Quick Mask of the face of all the bear and selectively sharpened it with a Contrast Mask (15, 65, 0) on its own layer.
Everything above plus tons and tons more is detailed in the new 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. Just so you know, 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.
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.
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.
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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 :).
