- THE CONTEST: BAD NEWS AND GOOD
- SOUTHWEST FLA IPT REPORT
- SOUTHWEST FLA 2013 IPT ANNOUNCED
- CHEESEMANS’ FALKLANDS/SOUTH GEORGIA TRIP OCT/NOV 2012
- GEAR FOR SALE
- STICK IT TO EM
- IPT UPDATES
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THE CONTEST: BAD NEWS AND GOOD
Well, there is good news and bad news on the BIRDS AS ART 1st International Bird Photography Competition. First, the bad news. The number of entries is running far behind what we expected. Many categories are crying out for winning entries. Now for the good news. The prize pool still totals more than of $22,000 US. And the list of prizes is still incredible. It includes $2450 worth of B&H gift certificates, a multitude of Delkin 16 and 32 gb UDMA Compact Flash Card, a Wimberley V-2 head and a variety of Wimberley plates, a Mongoose M3-6 head, $1,100 worth of Lens Coat gift certificates, a Giotto’s tiny ballhead, two Kwik-Camon blind, two Lens Align Mark II kits, a Magnum Xtrahand Vest, a Think Tank International Airport V2 rolling bag, $1,000 in gift certificates from Canvas on Demand, 20+ licences for Breezebrowser and Downloader Pro, a variety of Lens Pen kits, Better Beamers and accessories, more than 30 subscriptions to Nature Photographer magazine, and dozens of other great prizes. You can see the complete prize listing here.
Click here and follow the various links to learn everything about the contest that you need to know. Read the organizer’s message here. To register, click here. To learn about payment options including earning free entries with your B&H purchases, click here. To peruse the rules, the categories, and our relaxed digital guidelines, click here.
The deadline is March 31, 2012 so now is a great time to enter. Best of luck.
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Great Blue Heron at sunset, Venice Rookery, South Venice, FL. With the the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero to keep the RED channel from burning: 1/125 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central Sensor Rear Focus/AI Servo AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. Then click on the enlarged version to close it. Though this bird was not silhouetted against the bright sunset sky from where I was standing I knew that if I got lower I would be able to create something very nice. I alerted those in the group who were nearby but nobody followed me down to the edge of the small lake until the color had faded…. |
SOUTHWEST FLA IPT REPORT
As is customary, the SW FLA IPT was a huge success. I, several competent, knowledgeable, and helpful co-leaders, and ten very happy camper photographers joined me in Fort Meyers on the evening of FEB 7, 2012 for six days of great bird photography. For four days we had pretty much perfect weather, light, and wind. A front went through late Saturday and left us a bit chilled as the temps dropped into the low forties. On Friday and Saturday folks complaining (albeit jokingly) that it was “too hot” but on Sunday morning at Little Estero lagoon we endured the cold, wet feet, and a chill wind from the northwest–the forecast had been for northeast. If you do not understand the huge difference between a northwest and a northeast wind on a clear morning you need to join an IPT. (Clue: NW is as bad as it gets….) Monday, our last day, was a tiny bit colder but much more pleasant as the winds had subsided drastically.
As always, the group included several recidivists: Clemens van der Werf of Fort Lauderdale, FL–skilled and always smiling–was along on perhaps his sixth or seventh trip with me in two years. Dennis Holt (retired junk bonds trader living in Naples, FL was on on his third or fourth. Wayne Lasch (a port engineer from Jacksonville, FL) and Jim Bicket (retired/pharmaceuticals) were each on their second IPT. Jim, who joined grandson Sam and Peter Kes and me in the Galapagos last summer, brought along his good buddy Mike Vanacek. That’s Lieutenant Commander (US Navy-retired) Mike Vanacek to you :). Mike is also a Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas. Both Jim and Mike drove from their homes in Arkansas with their wives.
Experienced photographer David Peller, a software/database developer from Worcester, MA was on his first IPT. Beginning/fast becoming intermediate bird photographers Deirdre Sheerr-Gross (an architect from New London, New Hampshire) and Lynne Buchanan (yoga and fitness nut, Sarasota, FL) were both on their first IPTs. Each was sweet as sugar, enthusiastic, and very eager to learn. Gail Bisson, an MD from Nova Scotia, Canada is a good very bird photographer who participates regularly on BPN. She is quite passionate about birds and photography. This was Val Sneeberg’s first IPT but he is already signed up for two more. Val, who lives north of Los Angeles, owns a company that manufactures glass photographic plates that are used to create materials for the computer industry and for various medical applications. Born in Latvia just before World War II, Val’s mother fled from the Russian’s through Germany with him and a sibling. When the smoke cleared most of his eleven brothers and sisters were gone; what a choice to have had to make: Stalin or Hitler….
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This dark morph Reddish Egret flight image was created at Little Estero Lagoon with the hand held Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the Canon 1.4X III TC (at 175mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the light grey water: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central Sensor Rear Focus AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. I increased the saturation and contrast here just a bit using NIK’s Viveza. The full downstroke wing position is one of my two favorite wing positions. |
The standard locations mentioned in the SW Florida Site Guide all paid off handsomely. With the removal of big stands of non-native trees and vegetation the Venice Rookery was actually better in the afternoon than in the morning. Little Estero Lagoon, though it continues to change drastically each year, was good to excellent on both of our visits. Ding Darling continues to be barely worth a drive through as a result of “environmental improvements” (sarcasm intended) made about ten years ago. But several other Sanibel spots were excellent. Our visits to Cape Coral for Burrowing Own and other species including Florida Scrub Jay were stellar.
All of the locations mentioned above are covered in great detail in the SW Florida Site Guide. Click here to learn about our Site and Set-up guides. I am planning to do a short update asap but that will likely not be until after I return from Japan in mid-March. I fly to Tokyo this Friday, February 17. Yikes!
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Wilson’s Plover near horse mussel, Little Estero Lagoon, Fort Myers Beach, FL. With the the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 200. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/11 set manually. Central Sensor Rear Focus/AI Servo AF(by necessity) and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. This image is a stitched pano. I created the two images when I realized the potential while still in the field. I pieced them together manually. |
SW FLA 2013 IPT ANNOUNCED
SW FLA IPT. FEB 16-21, 2013. Introductory slide program: 7pm on 2/15. 6-FULL DAYS: $2999. Limit: 10.
Co-leaders: TBA. My bread and butter trip; learn the basics and the advanced fine points from the best; escape winter’s icy grip and enjoy tons of tame birds! Subjects will include nesting Great Blue Heron and Great Egret, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Mottled Duck, Brown and White Pelican at point-blank range, Snowy & Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Osprey, wintering shorbirds and plovers, gulls and terns, & Burrowing Owl. All ridiculously tame.
Click here to learn more about this IPT.
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This image of just a small portion of the huge Black-browed Albatross colony at Steeple Jason Island in the Falklands was created with the hand held Canon 16-35mm L lens and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV). ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/400 seconds at f/11 in Av Mode. By failing to place a bubble level in the hot shoe–I had one in the pocket of my Xtrahand vest–and peek at it before making the shot I lost a good portion of the photograph after I had to rotate the image 3.5 degrees…. Central Sensor/Rear Focus AI Servo AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. For a greater appreciation of this image, click on the photo. Then click on the enlarged version to close it. |
CHEESEMANS’ FALKLANDS/SOUTH GEORGIA TRIP OCT/NOV 2012
If you would like to have your name placed on the waiting list for the Cheeseman’s killer Falklands/South Georgia Trip/October 18 to November 11, 2012, please e-mail Heather McFarland heather@cheesemans.com and copy me here./a> Click here for additional details including costs and a complete itinerary. I cannot wait to get back to places like St. Andrews Bay and Steeple Jason. I will be on the trip and offering in-the-field assistance and Photoshop advice on the ship to all BIRDS AS ART sign-ups (and to anyone else who is interested :).)
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Sandwich Tern, winter plumage, flapping after bath, East Gulf Beach, Sanibel, FL. With the the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central Sensor Rear Focus/two sensors below the central sensor/AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. We had wind against sun on our afternoon at East Gulf Beach. When the sun was out, photography was near-impossible. When the clouds came, I walked out into the Gulf in front of the flock (that was of course facing into the wind) and was able to create some nice images of terns and skimmers bathing. We explain the relationship of wind and light direction very carefully on all IPTs and in ABP II as well. |
GEAR FOR SALE
Robert Hawkins
Robert Hawkins is offering a used Canon EOS-1D Mark II in excellent condition for sale for $1150.00. Includes the manual along with one battery and the battery charger. There is a small ding on the lug on the upper left of the camera where the camera strap is inserted. UPS Ground shipping to the continental U.S. is included. Photos of the camera available via e-mail request. You can reach Bob as follows; home phone: 727-363-1687, cell phone: 727-501-6181, or via e-mail.
Elinor Osborn
Elinor Osborn is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom lens in excellent condition for $990. Buyer pays FedEx shipping. Includes original packaging. Lens hood shows use. Rest in excellent condition. Picture available.
Contact Elinor by phone at 802-586-9994 or via e-mail.
Elinor is also offering a used Rod Planck N-VISIBAG Photography Blind with carrying bag, Realtree camo, breathable cotton; fits telephoto lenses up to 600mm: $87.00. Buyer pays FedEx shipping.
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Large Great Blue Heron chicks in the nest, Venice Rookery, South Venice, FL. With the the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3: 1/200 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central Sensor Rear Focus/AI Servo AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. |
STICK IT TO EM
In many situations it is simply not possible to create an image that is pleasing to the eye. As you can see by checking out the animated GIF below, the culprits may be a jumble of light-toned sticks. But with the magic of Photoshop and a bit of practice you can often transform a photograph with a distracting background into an image that is both artistically pleasing and ultimately more saleable. Note the final tighter artistic crop in the image above as compared to the images below.
I used a series of small Quick Masks, a 40% opacity Clone Stamp Tool Brush, the Divide and Conquer technique, and the Spot Healing Brush for the clean-up work. All as described in detail in our Digital Basics File. Do check out Basic Image Clean-up; Right or Wrong?
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Earn Free Contest Entries and Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.
More and more folks are earning multiple contest entries with their B & H purchases. See here for details on that. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click here to visit the competition home page.
Support both the Bulletins and the Blog by making all your B & H purchases here.
Remember: you can earn free contest entries with your B & H purchases. Eleven great categories, 34 winning and honored images, and prize pools valued in excess of $20,000. Click herefor details.
Shopper’s Guide
Below is a list of the gear used to create the image in today’s blog post. Thanks a stack to all who have used the Shopper’s Guide links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.
Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens. Right now this is my all time favorite super-telephoto lens.Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder (or on a tripod as above) with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot with the 1.4X III TC.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV professional digital camera body. My two Mark IVs are my workhorse digital camera bodies.
And from the BAA On-line Store:
LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂
Gitzo GT3530LS Tripod. This one will last you a lifetime.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
CR-80 Replacement Foot for Canon 800. When using the 800 on a Mongoose as I do, replacing the lens foot with this accessory lets the lens sit like a dog whether pointed up or down and prevents wind-blown spinning of your lens on breezy days by centering the lens directly over the tripod.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV User’s Guide. Learn to use your Mark IV the way that I use mine. Also available for the 7D and the Mark III here.
Black Rapid RS-7 Strap. This ingeniously designed strap allows you to carry an intermediate telephoto lens bandolier-style while leaving it instantly accessible for flight and action photography. To learn more about this strap click here and scroll down.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this great program; it lets me choose my keepers from large day-take files in minutes.
