October 14th, 2024 Your Call?
Which of today’s six featured images is the strongest? Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice (or your choices if you go with two). I have a clear favorite that I will share with you in the next blog post.
What’s Up?
I had wanted to publish this on Monday morning but ran into a plethora of Word Press problems. Actually, my continuing problems kept getting worse. I quick WhatsApp call to old friend Peter Kes, now living on a farm in remote South Africa in the midst Zebras, Elephants, and extremely poisonous Mambas, resolved the situation. Thanks again, Peter! The long term prognosis is looking good as found a serious problem with the server that was quickly rectified by the hosts.
Many of you are probably aware of the nightmarish, totally embarrassing Firmware Update problems with the Sony a-1. It truly has been a fiasco. Here is a short summary:
1- Several months ago Sony announced Firmware Update 2.00. It was supposed to improve WIFI connectivity (whatever that is??) instead, it wrecked it.
2- It took Sony a while to remove the new Firmware and a while longer to correct the WiFi problems.
3- The next version, v2.01, fixed the WiFi business but many users of the very popular Sony 200-600 G lens reported that the new firmware wrecked their lens. In addition, many folks reported battery life problems with 2.01.
4- Sony finally released v2.02. The problems with the 200-600 were eliminated along with the battery life problems. Formatting a card with a 2.02 a-1 is about 80% faster than it was with previous Firmware versions.
Aware of the problems with the Firmware Updates, I cautioned my a-1 Setup and Info group not to update and advised everyone to stick with v1.32 that was at least functional.
I did just that.
When things calmed down a bit, feeling some allegiance to my a-1 group, I purchased a second a-1 from BAA friend Greg Clarkson for $3800.00 about seven weeks ago. Some time went by, and with some trepidation, I updated that body to 2.01. Everything was fine with my big lenses. The first time that I used that body with my 200-600 G lens the camera acted as if it were on crack. It refused to focus, the image was jumping around in the viewfinder, and a message popped up stating that I was in AF-S (one shot AF) even though I was in AF-C (continuous AF). I removed and re-inserted the battery, and all was fine. None-the-less, I updated to 2.02 on Sunday morning.
I headed down to the lake and as things turned out, I had my best morning since September 19, this images made with v2.01.
Battery life with 2.02 is fine. There are no issues with the 200-600. Bird Face-Eye AF seems to be somewhat improved. And formatting a card takes about two seconds as compared to 10 seconds or more with previous firmwares. But the very best news is a new feature called Focus Recall. Huge thanks to Arash Hazeghi for pointing it out to me as we worked on an update to the Sony a-1 (a9 iii) flight guide. I took what he taught me about programming Preset Focus/Zoom to a single button for flight photography and turned it into what will surely turn out to be a huge game-changer for general bird photography. Imagine, prevent AF system blindness will soon become a faint memory.
The bad news is that it only works with the Sony prime lenses, the 300mm f/2.8, the 40mm f/2.8, and the 600mm f/4.
The a-1 group folks will be hearing from me on the cumbersome updating process detailing all of their options by this Tuesday the latest.
Others might ask, If this Firmware update business is such a hassle, why do you stick with Sony?
1- Light weight.
2- Incredible Bird Face-Eye AF.
3- Simplicity of operation (using my settings).
4- Zebra technology!
5- Incredible image quality with the a-1.
6- Incredible speed with the a9 iii (120 fps with pre-capture).
7- AF performance and the resulting sharpness with the 2X TCs — no other system even makes it to second place
If you doubt me on #7 above, be sure to enlarge each of today’s featured images.
8- The lightweight Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens is un-matched in the industry and is a Godsend for older folks with either TC.
Doubt me? Check out images 4, 4A, 5, and 6 below.
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For those who did not use my link to purchase their Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens, you can order your a copy here for $209.93.
Click on the image to enlarge and to be able to read the fine print.
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The BAA Sony 300mm f/2.8 Lens Guide
Impressed by my (or Pat’s) Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) images? Use either my Bedfords or B&H affiliate link to purchase your Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM lens and shoot me your receipt via e-mail and request a copy of the first-ever BAA Lens Guide. I thought that it would take only minutes to create this guide, but I was dead wrong. In the process of creating it, I learned a ton about the lens. And even better, I discovered a simple yet potentially fatal flaw that was resulting in sporadically unsharp flight images. The set-up fix is simple. Just be sure to use one of my affiliate links and get the guide for free.
If not, you can purchase a copy here for $209.93. Yes, it never hurts to use my links and it never costs you one penny more. And if you contact me via e-mail before you make a major purchase, I can often save you some money.
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This image was created on 13 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1600. 1/320 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 7:53:40 am on a then partly sunny morning.
Tracking: (upper) Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #1: Great Blue Heron with tiny fish
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Tiny Prey Items
Considering the Great Blue Herons have been seen swallowing five pound fish, large rats, and baby rabbits, it is astounding to see them capturing tiny fish like the one above. I guess part of the trick is that they need to do it often. Compositionally, a square crop was the strongest available.
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This image was created on 13 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing near the canal next to the unoccupied, tangerine painted house at the end of Palmetto Drive, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1250. 1/1250 sec. at f/11(stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:16:52am on a then partly sunny morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Osprey male on perch in (failed) nest tree
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Mr. Regular
Most male Ospreys have at most a very few tiny dark streaks on their upper breasts. This handsome bird, a male, of course, was sitting on a very nice perch above a nest that was destroyed recently by Milton. This morning — Sunday, he was sitting in nearby but a few feet to the right and a few feet below Saturday’s perch. With a NW breeze that I could not feel, the bird felt it and was facing away. So, I stopped down more than a stop and concentrated on over the shoulder look-back poses. Again I was rewarded for driving down to the end of Palmetto Drive. It pays to check the good spots repeatedly.
When working vertically, I will often move the AF point toward the top of the frame so that I do not have to move the lens much when the bird looks either left or right, or at all when it looks right at me. Overall, Bird Face-Eye tracking with a-1 Firmware v2.01 and v2.02 seems to be somewhat better than it was with v1.32.
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This image was created on 13 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 1600. 1/1250 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 2/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:28:51am on a sunny morning.
Tracking:Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly even at 1200mm. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #3: Tricolored Heron non-breeding adult
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Elusive Till Saturday
Both a worn juvenile and an adult Tricolored Heron have been hanging out in the small bay left of the pier here at ILE. They have both been teasing me and I did not come up with a single decent image until this winter adult posed for me on Saturday morning. I had a hard time choosing which one to post so I will likely do a video soon showing my other keepers along with more from the vertical Osprey series — from which Image #1 was chosen for the down-the-lens-barrel stare.
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This image was created on 13 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Walking on the pier, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/1000 sec. at f/11 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 9:02:28am on sunny morning.
Tracking (upper right) Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #4: Turkey Vulture, bright adult
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The Pier Railing
On many mornings, there are Turkey Vultures lined up on the pier railings. When I (or anyone else) goes for a walk on the pier, they take flight. At times, depending on the wind, there are some good flight chances. On Saturday there were half a dozen on the railings. Four flew as I walked onto the pier. Then there was only one. I employed my very best stalking technique by moving slower than slow, moving each foot perhaps an inch at a time. And I continually whispered sweet nothings to the bird: “Be a good boy. I am not here to hurt you.” All in all, I got very close, perhaps twelve feet or so.
Notice that at such close range I stopped down one full stop for a bit of extra depth of field. I moved the Zone bracket to the upper right of the frame; when the bird looked back to my left, it tracked the eye perfectly and I had the best image of the series.
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Image #4A: An unsharpened 100% crop of the Turkey Vulture’s eyeball
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Astonishing Sharpness
More than a few folks have asked if the Sony 300mm f/2.8 GM with the 2X is as sharp as the bare 600mm f/4 or the 200-600. You tell me! If this image were any sharper I might cut myself looking at it.
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This image was created on 13 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Walking on the pier, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (stopped down two stops) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 9:04:26am on sunny morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #5: Whirligig Beetles approach
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Oops!
When I first spotted these subjects scooting about on the surface, I looked at them through the lens and saw what looked like silver bellies. I assumed that they were fish. But when I got home and zoomed in, I could see that they were some type of water beetles. After a bit of surfing online, I came up with what is likely the correct identification. I had never seen them before. I saw them first on Sunday morning. They were in the same spot at 6:30pm the day when I went for my early evening walk. And they were in the same spot on Monday morning.
I wanted to call them a school of beetle. Online sources suggest a swarm or a colony. If you have something better than that, please leave a comment. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see two very small fish just above center.
Sony Zebras handled this near-impossible exposure situation with ease.
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This image was created on 13 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Walking on sand beach to the left of the pier, I used the handheld Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 2x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 9:12:59am on sunny morning.
Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #6: Osprey — female with fish
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Serendipity
After my shirtless pier walk (for Vitamin D), I walked onto the beach to check on two log perches that I had set up. I happened to glance up and saw an Osprey with a fish flying right at me very close to sun angle, I raised the lens, acquired focus, and fired off about three dozen frames. This was my fave.
Note that I had pre-determined the exposure for Osprey as it was the most likely to be encountered subject. Working in manual mode, I would have gone 3 clicks lighter had a male Boat-tailed Grackle flown by or three clicks darker had a Great Egret flown by. Notice that when you learn to adjust the exposure based on the tonality of the subject, no metering is needed.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
October 12th, 2024 What’s Up?
In the last post, I commented on Thursday morning at 8:01am as follows:
Thanks, all, (for the good wishes).
I slept through the night. I walked around the house at 6am with my iPhone flashlight; we are unscathed. We never lost power here at ILE. Jennifer did lose power at her home in nearby Babson Park.
As is often the case, the storm was pretty much a big fizzle with the usual trees and power lines down. It certainly was not the 100-year storm they were predicting. Unless you lived on the coast below Sarasota, there was not much damage. The storm surge at Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater was approximately “1-3 feet.” There was and is lots of local flooding.
with love, artie
ps: And yes, I will be heading down to the lake soon.
As it turns out, by pooh-poohing the storm, I spoke much too soon.
While Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Pete fared much better than they did with Helene, there was some damaging storm surge well to the south, though not as severe as predicted. The storm, however, claimed at least 17 lives, none by drowning. The deaths included at least five due to tornadoes in St. Lucie County on the East Coast (!) just 70 miles from my front door. Floodwaters rose to more than six feet in Lithia, near the Alafia River, about 20 miles southeast of Tampa. There were 3.4 million power outages, and early estimates are that Hurricane Milton caused $50 billion in damage.
While the Amazing Mets will be playing for the National League pennant soon, the roof blew off Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays’ in St. Petersburg. I had no internet for 26 hours, and Jennifer in Babson Park still has no power. But all in all, I and my friends were blessedly lucky. Again.
Even though I was amazed at the sharpness of the young Great Egret in flight at only 1/640 sec., my favorite of the two images in the last blog post was the Cattle Egret in the rain for the rain streaks, the shallow blue puddle, and the layers of color.
On Thursday, a two first-ever-for-ILE Royal Terns were flying over the pier, surely brought here by Milton. The day before, I had a first-ever-for-ILE fly-by Merlin. With north winds and cloudy skies, photography down by the lake has not been consistently good. With more of the same forecast for this morning, Saturday 12 October 2024, I will head down to the lake at about 8am. Whatever the heck you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
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If an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Supporting My Efforts Here
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If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
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This image was created on 10 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estaates, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 15 mm) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera.. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/250 second at f/5.6 (stopped down two stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:23:16am on a cloudy morning.
Lower center Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: The 2021/22 Bald Eagle nest
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The 2022/23 Bald Eagle Nest
At about 9:15am on Thursday, well after Hurricane Milton had departed to the northeast, I drove down to the lake to see what was up and about. As I turned left onto Banyan Drive, a thought entered my mind: “The two big nests are likely on the ground.” Within a minute, I learned that I had been correct. This nest, just past the boat ramp, was the first lakefront Bald Eagle nest at ILE. A single eaglet fledged there in the late winter of 2022. The next year, the adults raised two young in it.
It was huge. It fell straight down from the tree, perhaps because the very large, very heavy branch that supported it snapped in the high winds. Last season, after the eagles left for a different nest in the same field, a pair of Ospreys hung around for months, courted and copulated, but never laid eggs.
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This image was also created on 10 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 24mm) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera.. ISO 1600. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/250 second at f/4.5 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:18:48am on a cloudy morning.
Lower center Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: The 2023 Bald Eagle nest
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The 2024 Bald Eagle Nest
Though the same pair fledged two eaglets from this nest in the very early spring of 2023, I don’t think that I made a single image of that family as the top of the dead pine tree was quite cluttered. Lots of branches were cleared away by winds. On two occasions over the past few weeks, I saw the birds adding branches to the nest. Things were looking good for photography. Until Milton came along.
This nest, much smaller and lighter than the original nest, was blown more than 40 feet to the west of the nest tree.
Both nest trees were practically reduced to the trunks by Milton, so I have no idea if the eagles will attempt to rebuild or will move on. Time will tell. At least two natural Osprey nests came down in the storm as well.
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This image was also created on 10 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat on my SUV I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/2500 second at f/4 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 9:59:11am on a cloudy morning. RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be perfect.
Tracking: Expand Spot AF-C AF with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #3: Little Blue Heron juvenile on fallen log
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New Opportunities
The diagonal log in Image #3 was toppled by Hurricane Milton. I think that it is an Australian Pine, a Florida alien. I was glad that I drove down to the end of Palmetto Drive to make my u-turn in the driveway of the last house, the tangerine one, formerly owned by my late friend Bob. When I see the juvie LBH the wide shot jumped out at me.
High Level Image Design Question
Why was it vitally important to the success of this image that I moved my car up three feet before I went to work?
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Do not click on the composite image; simply scroll down for the best viewing.
While Sebastian Inlet is justifiably famous around the world for the Ospreys diving for migrating saltwater fish each fall, there are a variety of desirable avian subjects there as well in October and November. Keep reading if you would like to join me on what will surely be a memorable photographic and learning experience.
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Pick Your Own Dates Short-notice Sebastian Inlet Ospreys and More BAA Personalized Instructional Workshops
Ridiculously Inexpensive!
Dates: October 29 (arrive on the afternoon of Monday the 28th) thru the morning session on Saturday 22 November
Right now I have four folks for the last week, 17-22 NOV. So any few days (or a week!) after 28 OCT and before mid-NOV would be fabulous.
As BIRDS AS ART lost more than $100,000 in tax year 2023, I am moving forward looking more at sharing expenses than at making money. Simply put, for more reasons than I will list here, sharing an AirBnB or VRBO place maximizes learning while reducing your overall travel costs.
Consider joining me at Sebastian Inlet this fall for some great bird photography and a ton of learning. Life is short; what are you waiting for? While a 600mm f/4 lens is ideal, you could do the whole trip with a variety of other lenses including a 500mm f/4, a 400mm f/2.8, a 400mm DO, a 200-600, a 100-500, a 300mm f/2.8 with TCs, or one of the great new Nikon Z telephoto or telephoto zoom lenses.
Bob Eastman is driving from Wisconsin and doing all 26 days, from 28 OCT thru the morning session on 22 NOV, prime time for Ospreys diving and catching a variety of saltwater fish. There are four bedrooms in this great AirBnB property that is just 22 minutes from the south jetty at the State Park, 24 minutes from the northwest pool where the Ospreys spent a lot of time last year. Please note that NOV 21-22 are sold out.
Hopefully, those who come would stay for a week or ten days (or all 26 days!) to maximize the opportunities. As above, fewer days would work also. Fly to Melbourne (MEL) or Orlando (MCO) and rent a car. Local folks who would like to arrange a morning or two of In-the-Field Instruction during October should get in touch via e-mail.
Here, if you stay in the AirBnB with me, are the ridiculous low rates for the in-the-field sessions (that include the daily Image Review and Photoshop sessions).
$250 for a morning session
$150 for an afternoon session.
Brunch and dinners at the AirBnB will cost you $20/day.
If you are interested, let me know your preferred dates via e-mail and I will get back to you with the per/night price for the lodging.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
October 9th, 2024 What’s Up
As of 2pm on Wednesday 9 October 2024, Hurricane Milton was scheduled to make landfall somewhere between Tampa and Sarasota this evening. At the least, it is supposed to be one of the most powerful storms ever to strike Florida.
Many storm tracks show the eye of the hurricane passing directly over my home at Indian Lake Estates at 8am on Thursday morning. At best, we’ll get a ton of rain and lots of wind up to 70mph. At worst, we might have a pine tree or two come down on the house or on my newly redone pool cage. And maybe some windows blown out. Jim is riding out the storm here, and I do not believe that we are in any great danger. My new generator should kick in the moment we lose power tonight. Older daughter Jennifer is in nearby Babson Park and is nervously waiting to see what Milton has in store. I wish her and Erik the best tonight.
It was raining here when I woke at 6:00am, but quit by nine. At 11:30am I walked 1.3 miles and then swam 24 lengths in my lap pool, a bit more than 1/4 mile. Between noon and 1pm there was lots of thunder in the neighborhood and some heavy rain. Our phones lit up with Polk County tornado warnings. So far, all is fine.
In 2004, five years after I moved here, the eyes of Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne all crossed right over Indian Lake Estates. Charley brought the strongest winds, and moved quickly, not officially reducing power to Category 1 status until after passing by Polk County. When the 2004 hurricane season started, it had been 44 years since Polk County saw major damage from a hurricane. In 1960, Hurricane Donna crossed over Florida, leaving behind a swath of destruction in its path. The three storms did $29.8 billion worth of damage total across many states. I think that I lost power for almost two weeks after Charley.
Right now, I am most concerned for friends (and everyone else) living in Southwest Florida. David and Michele Pugsley in Plant City, accountant Chip Jackson in Clearwater (evacuated to Alabama), old friend Linda Robbins in Sarasota — I have no idea where she might be, Cliff Beittel and Susan, and Pat Fishburne, in Fort Myers — the moment Pat heard of the new storm, she flew to North Carolina, and John Johnson huddled up on the ninth floor of his Condo in Naples. I told John — we both attended Brooklyn Technical High School — to evacuate once the water reached the ninth floor.
I am hoping against hope at least to some degree that the storm weakens considerably. There is always the possibility of reverse storm surge in Tampa Bay as occurred with during Hurricanes Irma and Ian not long ago. All the water emptied out of the bay. Check it out here.
By 2:30pm, it was raining hard here at ILE and the wind is picking up. I hope to head down to the lake for a look see in a few minutes. By the time I finished the previous sentence the wind was ripping through the trees.
I have been hard at work with Arash Hazeghi updating The Art and Science of Photographing Birds in Flight. We should have some news to share soon.
I continue working with the v2.02 and v2.02 Sony a-1 Firmware updates and will begin work on announcing the 2025 January San Diego IPT tomorrow.
Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you are well and safe.
Update: I added two nice images created in the rain at 5:20pm.
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This image was created on 9 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the front seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 2000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/200 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 3:31:45pm on rainy afternoon.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Cattle Egret in rain
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Just In Case …
Just in case you thought I was kidding about going down to the lake in the pouring rain, I offer two of my 16 keepers from my hour-long session during which I created 435 photographs.
Just in case you don’t know me, you will now at least know that I am addicted to bird photography and that I am certifiably nuts. I would have stayed longer but my phone was screaming out tornado warnings so I headed home, had a nice dinner, and worked on these two images and added them to today’s blog post.
It has been pouring rain for several hours, that after several days of on and off rain. I have never seen so much water down by the lake as I did this afternoon. By morning, I am pretty sure that the entire North Field will look like part of the lake. It is likely that it will make the rainfall from Hurricane Ian look like a drought.
Anyhoo, as I mentioned here recently, the key to shooting from your vehicle in a hard rain is to have the driver’s side in the lee. With a strong wind from the northeast, I did my best to point the car to the northwest so that I was 90° to the rain. My lens got a bit wet, but the camera stayed perfectly dry. Best of all, I had fun.
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This image was also created on 9 October 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Seated in the front seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 2500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/640 second (!) at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 3:42:21pm on rainy afternoon.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: Great Egret juvenile taking flight in rain
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Beyond Lucky
I am getting much better at following my own advice: When unexpected action occurs, press and hold the shutter button. Do not attempt to change the shutter speed or the ISO or you will miss everything.
This bird took fight several times without warning. Each time it did, I fired off a sequence of images expecting nothing sharp at 1/640 second. Surprise. All but one of the images showed considerable motion blur on the head. This un-cropped image was inexplicably razor sharp on the eye. Go figure.
In any case, I am 100% positive that I could not have made either of these images had I chosen to sit safely in my office and watch baseball.
Your Call?
Which image do you like best? Why? My choice just might surprise you.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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