November 21st, 2011

BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #389

  • BOSQUE MID-NOVEMBER REPORT
  • REMEMBERING
  • Colorada Urban Wildlife Photo Club
  • LOTS OF e-MAILS
  • IPT UPDATES

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Sandhill Crane sunset silhouette, Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. This image was created on the afternoon of 11/19/2011 with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop off the grasses: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 set manually.

Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Lens/camera body Micro-adjustment: +2.

For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. Then click on the enlarged version to close it.

The Bosque Site Guide will put you in position to make images like this on most afternoons by directing you to the correct location.

BOSQUE MID-NOVEMBER REPORT

(Note: this feature was revised and expanded from a recent blog post that appeared here.)

Despite the dire forecasts, conditions at Bosque at this moment are good (though they could be a lot better). The images included here were made on the November 18, 19, and 20, 2011. A short but detailed report entitled “Bosque del Apache Site Guide Current Conditions Update 11/20/2011” will be sent to all those on the Site Guide purchasers list on Monday, 11/21. If you have previously purchased the Bosque Site Guide and do not receive your copy of the update by 5pm eastern time on Monday, please e-mail Jim and request the Bosque Currents Conditions Update; do let Jim know how you purchased your guide. To learn more about the Bosque Site Guide click here and scroll down. (New purchasers will of course receive the update.)

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Snow Geese sunrise blast-off blur, Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. This image was created on the morning of 11/19/2011 with the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens, the 1.4X III TC (handheld at 98mm) with the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 320. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/15 sec. at f/4 in Tv Mode.

Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Lens/TC/camera body Micro-adjustment: -8. Central Sensor/Rear Focus/AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. To enjoy viewing a larger sized image, click on the photo. Then click on the enlarged version to close it.

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This is the original for the image above before applying Tonal Contrast (at 50% Opacity) and Details Extractor (at 25% Opacity) layers from NIK’s Color Efex Pro 4.1.

The IPT began this morning and got off to a glorious start with a killer sunrise. The mega blast-off above occurred after the color had begun to fade. I thought that I had dialed in +1 stop of exposure compensation but got lucky and was able to recover the brightest parts of the sky during ACR conversion as detailed in Digital Basics. As with nearly all of my recent images this one was improved dramatically by applying Tonal Contrast from NIK’s Color Efex Pro 4.1 plug-in. Please remember that you can save 15% on all NIK products by clicking here and entering BAA in the Promo Code box at check-out. Then hit Apply to see your savings. If you doubt me (could that be possible :)?), you can download a trial copy that will work for 15 days and allow you to create full sized images. Bet you can’t eat just one!

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You can visit Elaine as you walk into the Visitor’s Center at Bosque. It is located about three or four up and in from the lower left part of the wall.

REMEMBERING

Many years the anniversary of my late-wife Elaine’s death goes by with me even realizing it. But not this year. It is hard to believe that it has been 17 years since her passing on November 20, 1994. Sometimes it seems that her smile was here just last week. But most often it seems several lifetimes ago. My second ever visit to Bosque, the very first Bosque IPT, began only tens days after Elaine’s funeral. Within the week I created both “Blizzard in Blue,” my first BBC-honored image, and Fire in the Mist which wound up on the cover of “Life in the Earth.” This beautiful book is a compilation of twenty years of the best winning and commended images in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. I have always felt that Elaine had a lot to do with the creation of both of those images. Do check out the latest amazing image that I created with her help (at a shutter speed of 1/2 second) here.

2011 is my seventeenth straight year visiting Bosque at this season always in part to commemorate her life and spirit. She is missed.

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Sandhill Crane, adult wheeling in flight, Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. This image was created on the morning of 11/18/2011 with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop off the grasses: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 set manually.

Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Lens/camera body Micro-adjustment: +2.

Here I was able to keep the central sensor on the bird’s face as it turned unexpectedly in flight. The next frame was pretty good too. For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. Then click on the enlarged version to close it.

Colorada Urban Wildlife Photo Club

Folks in the Denver, Colorado area might wish to get in touch with the club here. Camera club meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the each month at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

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Blue Goose adult incoming wide body, Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. This image was created on the morning of 11/18/2011 with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop off the low blue sky in full sun: 1/1600 sec. at f/8 set manually.

Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Lens/camera body Micro-adjustment: +2.

Blue Geese are dark morph Snow Geese; they come in an infinite variety of patterns. For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. Then click on the enlarged version to close it.

LOTS OF QUESTIONS

AF With the Canon EOS-7D body, the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II zoom lens, and the Extender EF 2X III.

From Terry Martin via e-mail: Hello, I was wondering if you could tell me whether auto focus will work with the Canon EOS-7D body, the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II zoom lens, and the Extender EF 2X III. Thanks, Terry

My response: Hi Terry, AF will work but will be relatively slow especially in low light/low contrast situations. The combo you speak of is workable but you need to be sure to use lots of shutter speed and/or keep the rig really still. For photographing static subjects I would recommend a Mongoose M3.6 and a Gitzo 3530 LS tripod. artie

IS Mode 1 or 2 for Flight?

An e-mail exchange with Bill Eaton:

AM: Hi Bill, re:
BE: Several of us were shooting eagles this weekend all using either Mark IV OR 7D bodies with500 mm f/4 lenses. We started to discuss the IS 1 versus 2 settings and were evenly split as to which is the better option for flight photography of fishing eagles. I checked the Canon manual for the 500 when I got home and the advice was less than clear. Use IS Mode 1 for stationary objects and IS Mode 2 for subjects moving on a horizontal plane such as a car going down the street. Needless to say eagles don’t stay on a consistent horizontal plane for very long. I would appreciate your advice.
AM: First off, I am a bit puzzled by your confusion as flying eagles are not stationary subjects…. Continuing, as I have written in ABP II–BTW, it sounds as if you need to get a copy and study it hard–I leave IS 2 on virtually all the time (except when using very long exposure times measured in full seconds when I turn it off.) Thus, I never use IS Mode 1 and advise that you do the same.
BE: ps: Your 7D guide has been a huge help.
AM: Tanks a stack for your purchase. And later and love, artie

And the follow-up:

AM: Hi Bill, re:
BE: Thanks for responding so quickly! I must start by saying that I send this email with a tinge of embarrassment because I have ABP II and have found use it a wonderful resource on many occasions. Why I failed to do so in this case I am not quite sure….
AM: YAW. The search feature in the Adobe Acrobat Reader is excellent.
BE: Perhaps because the debate over IS 1 vs IS 2 was quite heated and because I was using IS Mode 2 and because a published photographer was on my case about “not knowing what I was doing” I decided to send an email to my mentor: you.
AM: He must be an internet expert also….
BE: I did shoot a series of shots in IS Mode 1 and the drop off was noticeable. So thanks for the corroboration.
AM: IS Mode 1 is not designed to work with moving subjects. If you were photographing static subjects, there should not have been any difference in your results. I never test; I just listen to the folks who are smarter than me.
BE: BTW, in your 7D User Guide the explanation of the AF Selection modes was quite helpful and the Menu Items were great as some differed from the default settings and you gave reasons why you made your choices. Your selections gave common sense reasons that amplified what is in the 7D manual. One thing of note: in Auto Select 19 point AF I found that this AF focus mode can by easily confused when there is a background involved. I shoot birds 90% of the time and have the best results with AF Point Expansion Manual Select.
AM: I have done well with 19 Point Auto Select. We do, however, urge folks to experiment and see what works best for them .
BE: I also liked your recent blog on rear button focus which I have been using with increasing success for about a month.
AM: That is the way to go. Later and love and yaw again, artie

400 DO Questions

From Daniel Riggs:
DR: I am emailing you concerning the 400mm DO lens. I am getting into wildlife photography and my favorite mode is to work from a kayak. I have found this to be a great way to approach wildlife and I like the perspective that I am get being low in the water. Right now I’m using a 40D and a Canon 70-300L lens. This combo gets the job done, but I am eventually wanting to move up to a 7D and a supertelephoto lens. My main interest is in the 400 DO and the 500mm L IS II. I feel that the 400 would be much easier to handle on the water and I think that hand held would be the ideal way to shoot on the kayak. I’ve only shot hand held up to this point and like being able to move around to get the right angle for the shot. The 500 looks amazing but is quite a bit heavier and I’m sure that I would need to use a tripod with it especially starting out. Due to the weight considerations and intended purposes, I thought that the 400 would be a good choice. The main problem is that the DO has a mixed reputation and I do not want to put down a lot of money if it isn’t going to “deliver the goods.” What are your thoughts on the 400 vs. the 500? How well does the 400 take a tc? Thanks for your time. I am sure that you are very busy. thanks, Daniel

AM: Daniel, The short answer is that the 400 DO is a great lens. I owned and used one for years. It is great in any type of watercraft. The 500, even the new one due some time in 2012, will be well heavier at 7 pounds. The 400 DO weighs about 4 pounds. Three pounds is a lot especially when hand holding. But the 500 f/4L IS II will have the amazing 4-stop IS. But it will cost twice as much as the 400 DO. BTW, using a tripod from a kayak would be a huge challenge at best. I used the 400 DO with both the 1.4X TC handheld and with the 2X TC on a tripod but only with a pro-body (1.3X crop factor). Using it with a 1.6 crop factor body and the 1.4X TC gets you into dangerous territory magnification-wise when hand-holding; I would not recommend that combo unless you have lots of light or like working at very high ISOs. There is tons more in the Bulletins and the Blog on the 400mm f/4 IS DO lens including dozens and dozens (if not more) of great images. The blog has a great search feature that finds stuff both on the blog and in the Bulletins. Go to the blog here, find the white search box on the upper right side of the page–it is the last thing to load, and do a few searches. You will find a wealth of information and images. Do beware of listening to the internet experts….

Whatever you decide I ask that you our B&H linkfor all your gear purchases as a way of thanking BIRDS AS ART for all the free info and guidance that we offer. In addition, you will earn free contest entries as well. An option would be to use one of our product-specific links. Like this one: Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO lens. later and love, artie

ps: In the hands of a skilled photographer, the 400 DO will deliver the goods. I would recommend micro-adjusting it with your camera body and with the 1.4X TC.

pps: Last year Denise Ippolito sold her 40D and tried a 7D; she still wishes that she had her 40D back….

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Snow Goose, adult, braking to land, Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM. This image was created on the morning of 11/18/2011 with the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop off the low blue sky: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 set manually.

Central Sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Lens/camera body Micro-adjustment: +2.

For a greater appreciation of the image, click on the photo. Then click on the enlarged version to close it. See the original capture immediately below.

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From the original here I used techniques from APTATS II to expand the canvas above the bird and then move the bird back in the frame. Then I used techniques from Digital Basics to eliminate the out-of-focus birds in the background and repair the missing primary tip. The latter involved some creative sculpting with the Clone Stamp Tool.

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.

Shopper’s Guide

Below is a list of the gear mentioned in today’s Bulletin. 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 400mm f/4 IS DO lens. This fantastic, relatively light 400mm f/4 lens that can be hand held is ideal for birds in flight and when photographing from all types of water craft.
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens. Man, I am loving this lens on my shoulder with the 2X III teleconverter. I also use it a lot with the 1.4X III TC.
Canon 1.4X III Teleconverter. Designed to work best with the new Series II super-telephoto lenses.
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.
Be sure to check out our camera body User’s Guides here.
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.

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