April 27th, 2023 My Call
In Tuesday’s blog post, the few folks that commented correctly stated that the head of the juvenile Bald Eagle was completely lost in the bird’s right wing. Thus, the second image was the clear winner by default. With birds in flight images, the portion of the head can be as important as the wing positions and the flight poses.
The Fact$ of Life
Right now, the market for editorial sales of natural history images has virtually disappeared. The incomes of the world’s top stock photographers are down by at least 90%. Like me, most depend on income from photo trips, the sale of educational materials, and income from this or that affiliate program.
In 2001, BAA sold the publication rights to images for nearly one-quarter million US dollars. That amount dropped to about $20,000 by 2011, and in 2017, to slightly more than $2,000.00. We’ve stopped counting. IPTs used to fill within days. Now I am happy to go with one or two folks, but I’d much rather have you along. And so it goes. In 2009, I turned to creating educational blog posts, now to the tune of 4009. Yes, 4009 educational blog posts. So, please remember to use either my B&H or Bedfords affiliate links for your major purposes. It does not cost you one cent to do either.
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.
Iceland
My decades-long dream of spending time on Grimsey Island, Iceland, with the puffins — 13 days in this case!, will be realized this coming July. I am doing back-to-back trips as a participant. If anyone would like information on the world’s greatest Iceland/Atlantic Puffin trip this coming July, please contact me via e-mail.
What’s Up?
My Bonaire vacation continues to be both productive and restful. With an east wind on sunny afternoons, Steve and I have only been doing morning photo sessions. Steve and Meredith Schnoll and I enjoyed a stellar dinner at Mezzo, a local Turkish restaurant. The service was great and the food even better.
Today is Thursday 27 April. After parking in the prison lot, Steve took me to the pond at the sewage works. There were some flamingoes, more than twenty Black-necked Stilts, a pair of Southern Lapwings with chicks, a Least Grebe or two, many American Coots, and a host of migrant shorebirds including several White-rumped Sandpipers and a single Stilt Sandpiper. It took me more than an hour to figure out exactly where we needed to be. We are heading back the exact spot and with any luck it will be an epic morning.
This blog post took about two hours to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
Thanks to the latest SONY A1 Group member, Norton Johnson!
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so, works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
Please remember that 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.
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I created this image on 26 April 2023 on Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. I used the hand held Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM lens (at 24mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was perfect. AWB at 7:51:13am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot (moved well down in the frame)/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to view a hi-res version.
Image #1: American Flamingoes at Lac Bay Wetlands
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My Favorite Flamingo Spot
American Flamingoes can be found at many locations on Bonaire. The mud hole at Lac Bay Wetlands is my favorite. Approximately 50 to 100 birds have fed there every morning that I have visited. Early on, birds fly in and out with some regularity. We set up on the road and stay beyond the yellow “keep out” rocks. The closest birds are less than 100 feet away. The flamingoes are very tall birds, reaching 5 feet in height with relatively short wingspans of 5 feet. They dwarf the pelicans that often feed in very close proximity to them, yet the wingspan of the pelicans is about 7 feet.
With the big white clouds, I turned to the 12-24 to create a habitat shot.
Image Questions
1- Why was ISO 1000 a ridiculous choice?
2- After looking at the image above, could you imagine making head and neck images of squabbling flamingoes that are 100 feet away?
The Original
The jpeg above represents the full frame raw file. I was thrilled to get both of the squabbling birds completely in the frame without clipping anything.
Working at 1200mm, I created dozens of images of squabbling flamingoes on each morning visit to the wetlands along Kaminda Lac Road. Why 1200mm? Isolation is the most obvious answer. Tracking Zone AF with the 600 f/4 GM, the 2X TC, and the a1 is beyond superb. Missed shots were due to my too-slow reflexes.
Before scrolling down, give some thought as to how you would optimize. I created two versions; you can see them below.
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Image #3/Version I: Two American Flamingoes squabbling with one bystander
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The Image Optimization
A key step during the raw conversion was upping the luminance of the BLUEs at the Color Mixer tab. Why? The BLUEs were rendered too dark while getting the correct exposure for the bright WHITEs at the base of the flamingo’s bills. Remember that WHITEs need one stop less light than middle tones to be properly exposed. So, when properly exposing for the brightest highlights, the blue water was rendered about a stop too dark.
This is one of the images that will be featured in the BAA Color Mixer Video Guide (coming soon).
Once I brought the image into Photoshop, I ran Topaz DeNoise/Clear on the whole image. To expand canvas on the right I used Content-Aware Crop. The ticket to success there was doing that in three steeps rather than one to avoid any obvious repeating patterns. Next, I cleaned up the o-o-f pink heads along the bottom of the frame edge with the Patch Tool as needed. Since I did not like the dark mangroves along the upper right frame edge, I covered those with a flopped Quick Mask of the upper left corner and modified that with the Warp command and then with the addition of a Regular Layer Mask. After working large and eliminating several dust spots and doing a bit of bill clean-up that included removing some bothersome specular highlights, I selectively sharpened the heads of the two birds on the right using the mask feature in Topaz Sharpen AI. Last, I executed a crop from left and from above to create Version I.
Be sure to scroll down to see Version II, the vertical crop.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).
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. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.
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The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)
The techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.
Please note: the Divide and Conquer technique was inadvertently omitted from DB II. It is detailed in a free excerpt in the blog post here.
Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.
You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.
You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.
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Image #4/Version II: Two American Flamingoes squabbling
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Your Call?
Which version do you like best, I, the horizontal crop that includes the head of the third bird, or II, the crop to a 2X3 vertical? Why?
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Click on the image to better see the green eye-AF boxes in action.
Sony Alpha 1 Flight Photography AF Points!
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The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group: $150.00 (or Free)
If you have been continually impressed by the quality of the Sony a1 images that you have been seeing on the blog, know that the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. By June 1, 2022, the group was up to an astounding 142 lucky and blessed folks. (More than a few folks own two or more a1 bodies! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. The best news is that everyone in the group receives an e-mail that includes a .DAT file with my a1 settings on it, and explicit directions on how to load my settings onto your a1; talk about convenience! I am now offering a .DAT file compatible with firmware update 1.20. Your entry into the group includes a consolidated Sony a1 CAMSETA2 INFO & GUIDE. New a1 folks will now receive seven e-mails instead of the previous 28! You will receive new e-mails as they are published. Simply put, this e-mail guide is an incredible resource for anyone with an a1.
All who purchased their Alpha 1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link — B&H or Bedfords — will receive a free Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up Guide and free entry into the Info Updates group after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.). Others can purchase their guide here in the BAA Online Store.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
April 25th, 2023 My Call
In Sunday’s blog post, I liked the second and the fourth images best. With the Wood Stork chick about two weeks old/Version II image, I found the darker background tones to be distracting and liked the overall brighter, white-on-white look. With the second set of images I was — as is usually the case, not happy when I tried to open up the shadow side detail; I far preferred the more graphic look of the B&W silhouette, the Wood Stork — adult bill and breast feathers, backlit/Version II image.
The Fact$ of Life
Right now, the market for editorial sales of natural history images has virtually disappeared. The incomes of the world’s top stock photographers are down by at least 90%. Like me, most depend on income from photo trips, the sale of educational materials, and income from this or that affiliate program.
In 2001, BAA sold the publication rights to images for nearly one-quarter million US dollars. That amount dropped to about $20,000 by 2011, and in 2017, to slightly more than $2,000.00. We’ve stopped counting. IPTs used to fill within days. Now I am happy to go with one or two folks, but I’d much rather have you along. And so it goes. In 2009, I turned to creating educational blog posts, now to the tune of 4009. Yes, 4009 educational blog posts. So, please remember to use either my B&H or Bedfords affiliate links for your major purposes. It does not cost you one cent to do either.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.
Iceland
My decades-long dream of spending time on Grimsey Island, Iceland, with the puffins — 13 days in this case!, will be realized this coming July. I am doing back-to-back trips as a participant. If anyone would like information on the world’s greatest Iceland/Atlantic Puffin trip this coming July, please contact me via e-mail.
What’s Up?
Bonaire has been great, as have been my hosts, Steve and Meredith Schnoll. On our first morning, we visited the national park at the north end of the island. We were blessed early on by a rare breeze from the west and clouds in the eastern sky. We photographed Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot, American Flamingo, adult and juvenile dark Morph Reddish Egrets, and Cayenne Tern, a longer-billed version of our Sandwich Terns with variably yellow bills.
It was uncharacteristically still on Monday morning so we enjoyed the flamingos in mirror-still water and had some good flight opps as well. We did not enjoy the zillions of no-see-ums. But we persisted. After the flamingos, we drove up the southwest coast and stopped to do some low level photography of the local Brown Pelicans in azure blue water. Steve would make a great Bonaire tour guide; he has kindly detailed the island’s history, peoples, politics, and economy with me and answered my countless questions on our two-morning circumnavigation of the island. I photographed some really interesting and colorful patterns on the early- to mid-1800s’ vintage buildings near the salt works. Learn more here and here.
Photos soon.
Today is Tuesday 25 April 2023. This blog post took about an hour to prepare including the time spent on the two image optimizations. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so, works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
Please remember that 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.
B&H
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
Bedfords Amazing BAA Discount Policy
Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, prior purchases.
Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.
Important Note
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers 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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
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This image was created on 1 March at Kachemak Bay on one of the several epic days on the 2023 Homer Bald Eagle IPTs. Seated on the snow, employing the knee-pod resting position, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000. 1/4000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 11:48:58am on a cloudy morning.
Tracking: 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 #1: Bald Eagle juvenile braking to land
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Photographing Juvenile Eagles
Juvenile Bald Eagles, birds of the year, are always darker than the full adults with their gleaming white heads. If I have the right exposure set for incoming adult eagles and see a young bird coming in, I will simply raise the ISO two clicks by turning the thumb wheel clockwise two clicks. You can do the same thing by lowering the shutter speed two clicks. The latter is usually a better choice for Nikon folks as changing the ISO requires two distinct steps. With your Sony or Canon camera set up properly, changing the ISO can be done in a single step. Yes, the folks that designed the Z9 should be ashamed of themselves.
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This image was also and obviously created on 1 March at Kachemak Bay, AK on one of the several epic days that folks on the 2023 Homer Bald Eagle IPTs enjoyed. Seated on the snow, employing the knee-pod resting position, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000. 1/4000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 11:48:58am on a cloudy morning.
Tracking: 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 #2: Bald Eagle juvenile on final approach
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The Problem?
One of todays’ two featured images has a big problem. Which image is seriously flawed, and what is the single big problem?
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All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK
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2024 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs
IPT #1: WED 21 FEB 2024 through the full day on SUN 25 FEB 2024. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 3.
IPT #2: MON 26 FEB 2024 through the full day on FRI 1 MAR 2024. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 2.
Register for both trips to maximize your travel dollars and enjoy a $1000 discount while you are at it.
This trip features non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.
In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require some good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.
If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If the conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.
We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.
Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader and instructor. He is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer. But only if that is what you want.
You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes.
You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode.
Most importantly you will learn to pick your best flight photographs from tens of thousands of images.
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You will enjoy working with the best and most creative boat captain on his sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck watercraft.
Only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.
Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions.
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All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK
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What’s Included
One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.
What’s Not Included
Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.
Please Note
On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $225/hour. The leader will pay for the bait.
Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer. In 2023 those included Moose, Great Grey, and Short-eared Owls.
Deposit Information
A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (the latter made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check (as above).
In Closing
I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of these two trips is to sign up for all of them. Can you keep up with me? If you have any questions, or are good to go for one, or two of these great trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
April 23rd, 2023 Your Call? (I)
Which of today’s four featured images do you like best? Why?
The Fact$ of Life
Right now, the market for editorial sales of natural history images has virtually disappeared. The incomes of the world’s top stock photographers are down by at least 90%. Like me, most depend on income from photo trips, the sale of educational materials, and income from this or that affiliate program.
In 2001, BAA sold the publication rights to images for nearly one-quarter million US dollars. That amount dropped to about $20,000 by 2011, and in 2017, to slightly more than $2,000.00. We’ve stopped counting. IPTs used to fill within days. Now I am happy to go with one or two folks, but I’d much rather have you along. And so it goes. In 2009, I turned to creating educational blog posts, now to the tune of 4002. Yes, 4002 educational blog posts. So, please remember to use either my B&H or Bedfords affiliate links for your major purposes. It does not cost you one cent to do either.
B&H Simplified
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.
What’s Up?
My flight to Bonaire was blessedly uneventful. I had a bit too much red wine to drink and the flight attendant kindly brought me four packs of delicious, shelled pistachios — all in all a perfect snack for diabetics. I flew down at the invitation of Steve and Meredith Schnoll who will be joining me on the Galapagos trip this coming August.
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so, works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
Please remember that 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.
Eliminating Rookery Clutter at 1200mm!
Almost without exception, wading bird rookeries are difficult places to shoot due to the unending clutter and whitewash. Murphy’s law of Nests states that all bird nests have at least one distracting stick too many. In an effort to come up with attractive, uncluttered images I will often turn to the Sony 600mm lens with the 2X TC and an a1. With Canon, I was able to create some sharp images of static birds at 1000 and 1200mm, but the files were nowhere near a sharp or detailed as my Sony images are at 1200mm. The Nikon TC-E 20 was and pretty much remains a dog. Sharp images made with the Nikon 2X TC were rarer than hen’s teeth for me.
I am still on the fence as far as image quality with the Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM and the 2X TC with the a1.
This chick, a single, was in a nest atop the colony; that allowed for what I consider a pleasing, mostly white sky background. In the first version here, I increased the saturation and decreased the luminosity of the GREEN and YELLOW channels in Color Mixer to bring up the relatively dark, out-of-focus tones in the background.
The Pure White Sky Version
For Version II, I increased the luminosity of the GREEN and YELLOW channels in Color Mixer to render the sky a nearly pure white. I did follow that up with some Content-Aware Fill work and then applied a layer of my usual 64.8 pixel Gaussian Blur on a layer and painted that in after adding an Inverse Layer Mask, all as detailed in BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.
Your Call? (II)
Which version do you prefer, Version one where we can make out a few out-of-focus leaves in the background, or Version II, with the nearly pure white sky background? All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choices. I have a clear favorite here.
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This is an Unsharpened 100% crop of the Wood Stork chick about two weeks old. Version II image.
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Astounding Sharpness and Fine Detail at 1200mm
I was not kidding. Sharpness and fine detail at 1200mm with the 600mm f/4 GM, the 2X TC, and the a1 are consistently astounding. Can your gear achieve results like this at 1200mm?
Opening Up the Shadowed Side
When I am creating strongly backlit images like this one, I am usually intent on creating a silhouette. For a change of pace here, I decided to attempt to open up (lighten) the detail and colors on the shaded side of the bird. I only rarely go that route.
The Black and White Silhouette
With the version, I opted for the stark black and white silhouette that I envisioned as I pressed the shutter button.
I Could’a Been Famous
Moments before I created this image, I missed the money shot as the chick reached up to beg for food. I took my eye from the viewfinder to scratch my nose 🙁
Your Call? (III)
Which of the Wood Stork bill images do you like best, Image #3 tat shows some shadowed side detail, or Image #4, the stark silhouette? Again, I have a clear favorite.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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