Bob Eastman and I have again been enjoying some great photography here at Indian Lake Estates. The story of the 80-pound road-killed wild boar is hilarious though it did not really generate any good photographic chances for us. But we got some great stuff on Sunday morning at a road-kill cafe set-up. And that night, the cranes danced up a storm atop the small hill just to the north of the parking circle.
Today is Monday 16 December 2024. We will be headed down to the lake early. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H 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!
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
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
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.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
Ordinary or Special?
In the recent Keep or Delete? Ordinary or Special? blog post here, I wrote:
Is it possible to create a special image of a crane standing there doing nothing (Images #1 or 2), or of a group of cranes standing in the same spot preening (Image #3)? Please click on each of today’s three featured images to enlarge them and then decide if any or all of them are in any way special. If yes, what factors make them special to you?
Seven folks commented. All the comments were appreciated. Two went with Image #1 as their favorite, two liked Image #3 best. My pick of the litter was Image #2. Friend and multiple IPT veteran David Pugsley won the best-by-a-mile comment contest when he posted this:
David Pugsley/December 12, 2024 at 9:56pm
Number 1 Loves
– the two layer background
– the head well above the break
– the clean bill
– the parallel to the sensor HA
Number 2 Loves
– the TRIPLE layer background
– the body situated in the middle layer
– the perfect HA
Number 3 Loves
– the family group
– two perfect HAs and one good look at the red cap
In summary: any sharp, well constructed image of a sandhill crane, one of my favorites, is a winner in my book.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane adult head and neck portrait
What I Loved About Image #1
1- the stunning color, contrast, and sharpness.
2- that with one stop of additional depth of field, the entire bill tip was sharp. That, as David Pugsley noted above, due to the fact that the bill was almost perfectly parallel to the imaging sensor.
3- the placement of the subject in the frame.
4- the perfectly clean bill (with only a bit of clean-up help from me).
5- the slightly raised gray “crest” feathers on the back of the head that abut and accent the red cap.
Image #2: Sandhill Crane adult standing there doing nothing in relatively flat light pretty much doing nothing
What I Loved About Image #2
1- the soft light.
2- the soft light!
3- how the soft light, the sharp subject, the narrow depth of field, and the lovely, soft, de-focused background combine to give the image a feeling of peacefulness and serenity.
4- the soft light.
5- the ever so slight head turn toward the viewer.
6- the three distinct layers of background color.
7- the image design.
As noted above, Image #2 was my favorite of the three.
Bokeh
My first inclination was to use the word “bokeh” when talking about the Image #2. First off, nobody is sure how to pronounce the word. A web search offers several alternatives. The video might or might not have the definitive answer, but it is a fun watch.
Not only are most folks not sure how to say the word, not everyone agrees on its meaning. Some state that it refers only to the quality of out-of-focus specular highlights, while others are sure that it refers to the quality of the out-of-focus areas in the background. Some say that bokeh is determined by the focal length and aperture, while others believe that bokeh has more to do with the construction of a given lens. Check out the Bokeh: A Term that Means More than Blurry and Fuzzy article by Allan Weitz on the B&H Explora page here. Mr. Weitz makes some interesting points along with more than a few that I do not agree with.
When it comes to bokeh, I am not sure of much. Be sure, however, to see the incredible bokeh produced by the Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM lens in the next blog post.
Image #3: Sandhill Cranes — a family preening session
What I Loved About Image #3
1- the arrangement of the three cranes.
2- the relative sharpness of the two closest cranes.
3- the two perfect head angles and the third, very interesting head angle with just a sliver of the bird’s right eye visible.
4- the soft light.
5- the soft, out of focus background.
6- the difference in the color of the caps of two adults (red) and the color of the cap of the single young crane (on the right), more pink.
What I Do Not Like About Image #3
1- there is not enough room on the bottom of the frame below the bird’s virtual feet that are hidden in the grass.
2- the yellowed, dead grasses along the bottom frame edge as I find them distracting.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
On Friday morning, Bob Eastman enjoyed his first roadkill cafe experience with the ILE vultures. When he returned from Vero he showed up with a huge, very smelly dead raccoon that he shoveled up on SR 60 and placed in a large cooler. He did not have faith in the creature, but I did. We put it to the left of the pier and the Turkey Vultures found the stinking mess in about two minutes. When the sun broke through the clouds, however, I knew that we needed to move it to the South Peninsula. We did. Despite a brisk wind from the north, we did OK. Remember that as the sun rises it moves to the southeast presenting a wind-against-sun condition. Though not as bad as a northwest wind on a clear morning, a wind from the north at this time of the year is far less than ideal. Anyhoo, we had more than 80 vultures on the long dead raccoon in short order. The Turkey Vultures predominated at first, but when we left at 8:30, there were 30 Black Vultures finishing off the remains of Rocky.
We had a very few birds land the “wrong way” and did our best with those. As a side benefit, we had the first-ever birds landing on newly-planted-by-Bob The Perch III. After a harrowing day of trying and failing to pick up the new pool pump being shipped by UPS to older daughter Jennifer’s home in Babson Park, we headed down to the lake at our usual 5:00pm and did well with a pair of dancing cranes. I used one of my two a9 iii bodies all day. I had forgotten how incredible the AF system is with that mirrorless body.
Today is Saturday 14 December and Bob and I will be heading down to the lake at 6:55am as usual. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H 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! Jacksonville in late June/early July 2026 and Nickerson Beach/JBWR August dates and details will be announced soon. You can always e-mail for advance notice with new trips.
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
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
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.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
Sony a-9 iii Mirrorless Camera Body
Sold in Less Than One Hour!
Yours truly, Arthur Morris, AKA artie, is offering one of his two a Sony a9iii Mirrorless camera bodies, this one in excellent plus condition for a ridiculously low $3998.00. The sale includes the original product box, the body cap, the battery charger, one battery, the strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Your purchase will also include my a9 iii Set-up e-mail, the new Buttons and Dials Guide coming soon in the next update. You will not be needing the Set-up e-mail as the body you purchase will be good to go with al of my current settings!
With the a-1 II being shipped in less than a week, I am no longer in need of a second a9 iii. But I want to have 120fps available when I need it as it gives you four times as many wing positions and flight poses as any other mirrorless camera body. With the incredible AF system that is even better than AF with the a-1 with Firmware v2.02, most every single image will be sharp on the eye. And the raw files can stand up to decent crops. A new one sells at B&H for $5,998.00. And B&H does not have a single used one in stock. KEH is offering a used like-new a9iii for $5823.00! Used Gear Page regular Karen McCormick sold a used a9 iii for $4298.00 last month. If you have been thinking of an a9 iii, grab my lightly used a9 iii right now and save a sweet $2,000.00. artie
This image was created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Standing on the beach to the left of the pier, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000: 1/500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:06:24am in the shade with some clouds in the eastern sky.
Tracking: (upper center) Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane, female calling
Love the Soft Light and the Sand Background
As you learned in the Bird Photography Shutter Speed YouTube video in the blog post here, 1/500 sec. is borderline risky when photographing a calling crane. It worked perfectly for this image. Using Tracking: (upper center) Zone AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection enabled, a9 iii grabbed the crane’s eye and stuck to it like glue.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Working from 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 ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 6400. 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. AWB at 7:29:46am on a mostly sunny morning.
Tracking: (center) Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Red-shouldered Hawk, adult screaming
Processing a9 iii Raw Files
I shoot my a9 iii bodies with Color Creative Look NT (neutral). The raw files do not look as richly colored as a-1 raws. The trick is to change the profile to Adobe Color, Adobe Standard, or Adobe Vivid during the raw file conversion in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). At times, Adobe Landscape looks even better. That is how each of today’s featured images wound up with rich, gorgeous, natural-looking colors.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Standing on the beach to the left of the pier, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 420mm) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:44:12am on a partly sunny morning.
Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #3: Crested Caracara in flight — wings fully up
Just One Good Chance
This handsome adult Crested Caracara flew over Stinky Rocky when we placed it on the beach just to the left of the pier. As it flew left to right into the north wind, I was astounded at how the a9 iii’s AF system tracked the eye even during the downstroke. Working at only 60 fps, I created more than 60 images of this single flyby. I kept four with this one being my favorite.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Standing on the South Peninsula, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 420mm) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800: 1/4000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:05:55am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #4: Turkey Vulture adult taking flight from The Perch III
Pre-Capture
As noted above, I usually work with my a9 iii at 60 fps rather than at 120 fps, the max. I keep Pre-capture at 0.5 sec., one-half second. When I am positive that a bird is going to take flight, I will usually pay a very short visit to My Menu and increase that to 1.0 sec., one full seconds.
Remember that for Pre-capture to work you need keep the shutter button half pressed an see the tiny green box tracking the bird’s eye in order for the Pre-capture images to be saved to the card once you press the shutter button. As with this image, Pre-capture is most valuable in take-off situations.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Seated on the South Peninsula, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 420mm) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800: 1/4000 sec. at f/5 (stopped down 2/3 stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:32:20 am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #5: Black Vulture braking to land
Be On the Lookout for Wrong Way Birds
When trying to shoot flight in wind-against-sun situations, you must train yourself to look for birds that are not flying the right way, in this case, those that are not landing directly into the wind. By 8:30am, there was a bit of west in the north wind. This bird should have been landing away from us, but for whatever reason, it gave us a halfway decent chance. The a9 iii made the best of my good luck.
Twenty other Black Vultures landed facing away from us; butt shots only!
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Sitting below the hill to the north of the parking circle, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +1 stop. AUTO ISO set ISO 250: 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (stopped down one stop). AWB at 5:21:17pm with some clouds in the western sky.
Wide AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #6: Sandhill Crane, male displaying at sunset
60 fps is Fast!
Even using the slowed down frame rate, I created nearly 8000 images of the silhouetted cranes on the small hill in less than 20 minutes. Most folks believe that that is just too many images. But, the truth be told, picking the 49 keepers took less than five minutes. How? Working in Photo Mechanic, I keep my finger on the right arrow key and pause only when an image jumps off the screen and screams, I am special, save me! When I come to a long series of static shots that I like, I will randomly tag two of them and continue on to the action shots.
This image was also created on 13 December down by the lake near my home. Sitting below the hill to the north of the parking circle, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and the ridiculously amazing Sony a9 III Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation (EC) on the thumb dial. Shutter Priority +0.7 stop. AUTO ISO set ISO 250: 1/6400 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open). AWB at 5:25:06pm with some clouds in the western sky.
Wide AF/C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #7: Sandhill Crane, female dancing at sunset
Your Calls?
Which of today’s featured images is the strongest? Why? Which of the two crane silhouettes do you like best? Why?
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
The dearth of birds on the perches and the overall lack of variety and action has left me concentrating on the cranes. Here is the question of the day:
Is it possible to create a special image of a crane standing there doing nothing (Images #1 or 2), or a group of cranes standing in the same spot preening (Image #3)? Please click on each of today’s three featured images to enlarge and then decide if any or all of them are in any way special. If yes, what factors make them special to you? Or should I have deleted them all as too ordinary? Perhaps the fact that I took the time to optimize each of them might be an indication of how I feel about them. Or perhaps I am trying to trick you.
Which (if any), is the strongest image? Which is the weakest of the three?
What’s Up?
Despite having put up three new perches recently, Bob Eastman and I have had to work hard for a few good images at most. On Wednesday I kept very few images — some nice vulture flight in the morning and some nice sunset tree silhouettes, all with the hand held 300mm f/2.8/1.4X TC/a-1 rig. I sent the Shutter Priority with AUTO ISO and Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial menu trick to both the a-1 Firmware Update group and the a9 iii group. Then I sent the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes e-Mail K (10 DEC 2024) to the a-1 Set-up and Info group.
Today is Thursday 12 December 2024. Bob will be back from Vero this afternoon. As we are waiting for the new pool pump to arrive, and another cold front came through last night, I doubt if I will be doing much swimming till Monday. I did my slow quarter mile yesterday with the pool at 70° F. I just checked the thermometer at 4:23am; it is down to 68°F …
I will be heading down to the lake for sunrise to try and improve on a vulture tree sunrise color image we have been working. Then I need to scoot into town do run some errands. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that like us, you choose to be happy and have fun.
Please remember to use the B&H 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!
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
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, are all set for gear, or live overseas, consider leaving a BAA Blog Thank You Gift here.
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.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.
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Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company
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I created this image 1 December 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 with the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1250. 1/1000 second at f/11 (stopped down one stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 8:07:27am on a sunny morning.
Tracking: (upper center) Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Sandhill Crane adult head and neck portrait
As noted here often, working on the world’s best beanbag at 1200mm is child’s play with a v2.02 Firmware a-1. With bright sun, I had more than enough light to employ a fast shutter speed despite stopping down one full stop. Note: stopping down to f/11 did not bring up any unwanted background detail because the distance to the background was great.
I created this image 1 December 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 with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 800. 1/400 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:58:54am on a rare cloudy morning.
Tracking: (upper center) Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #2: Sandhill Crane adult doing nothing
A Nothing Shot?
So, we have a single crane standing there doing nothing in relatively flat light. Do you see anything special about this image or was I pipe dreaming?
I created this image on 12 December 2024 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Again, working from the driver’s 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.. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 1600. 1/500 second at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead solid perfect. AWB at 7:24:42am on another rare cloudy morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot S/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #3: Sandhill Cranes — a family preening session
A Family Preening Session
Here is another seemingly blah-on-the-surface photograph. Is there anything at all special about it? Either way, what are the negatives?
Note that the bird on our right is last year’s young, about eight or nine months old. How do you identify them? The feathers of the front cap on the young bird are more pink than the red front caps of the adult’s. I did need to use a few tricks to sharpen up the face of the adult in the back as it was beyond the depth of field.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
