Photo Theme: my very favorite images from recent Fort DeSoto visits. 

 

 

 

Roseate Spoonbill, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL  

Image copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

 

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 2X II TC and EOS 1D Mark II.  ISO 250.

Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/16.   

 

Here I used One-Shot AF (central sensor by necessity with the 2X), focused on the bird's eye, and recomposed.  By getting down on one knee I was able to stop down to f/16 without bringing up too much background detail.  Cloudy-bright days are great for digital photographers as they yield rich colors without undue contrast.

FORT DESOTO MAY/JUNE INFO

 

As I wrote in both the Fort DeSoto Site Guide (http://www.birdsasart.com/siteguides.htm) and my recent Birder's World article, " Fort DeSoto, a Pinellas County Park, is one of those rare places where you might encounter great bird photography on any given day of the year."  I visited DeSoto over the Memorial Day weekend and then again this past Thursday and Friday, June 9-10.  Despite huge numbers of folks on the beaches enjoying the great weather, the Memorial day visit was amazingly productive with the birds pretty much concentrated in two spots that most beach-goers avoid...  On my most recent visit it was drizzling most of the time and the place was virtually deserted.  But photography was still very good.  At present, three Reddish Egrets (two dark and one white phase) can be found on most days.  There are White Ibises, the occasional Great Egret and Great Blue Heron, and lots of lingering shorebirds most of which will probably summer.  As most of the terns are on eggs at nearby Egmont Key, there were only a few terns around, plus a decent number of Laughing Gulls.  There was a killer breeding plumage Tricolored Heron on the holiday weekend, but the big attraction has been the four to eleven spoonbills that have been present most mornings and afternoons.  They are extremely approachable provided that your stalking techniques are decent.  Great photo spots in Florida are hard to find in early summer but at DeSoto you will find encounter some great situations most every day.

 

 

Roseate Spoonbill, one-year old, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL  

Image copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

 

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 2X II TC and EOS 1D Mark II.  ISO 400.

Manual Flash as Main Light at 1/4 setting with Better Beamer.  Manual Mode: 1/60 at f/8 represented the metered exposure which in reality was about a 2/3 stop underexposure (because the best exposure in the soft light would have been something like the Evaluative Metering reading +2/3 stop.   

 

I love the look of manual flash images.  I just love this young bird's blue lores and the sparkling raindrops.  Here again I used One-Shot AF (central sensor by necessity with the 2X), focused on the bird's eye, and recomposed.  When doing so, you need to make sure that the bird has not moved its head before you make your image.  When I am using Flash as Main light I set Drive Mode to Single Frame so that I do not accidentally make two images.  The flash would not fire for the second image and this would result in a grossly underexposed image.

FORT DESOTO SITE GUIDE UPDATE

 

An updated Fort DeSoto Site Guide PDF will be sent via e-mail on Monday, June 13.  The new information will include the best morning location and the best afternoon locations for early summer photography at DeSoto and lots of great new images.  If you have paid for the DeSoto Site Guide and do not receive it by Monday evening, please contact us.  Many folks, most especially AOL users, have big time problems receiving the Site Guides, these Bulletins, and/or the Digital Basics File. In my humble opinion, folks using aol should switch immediately to another e-mail provider.

 

For information on our three Site Guides (DeSoto, Bosque, and San Diego), visit: http://www.birdsasart.com/siteguides.htm

 

 

 

Laughing Gull, female with fish regurgitated by her mate, Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL  

Image copyright 2005: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

 

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4XII TC and EOS 1D Mark II.  ISO 400.

Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/8.    

 

With the bird pretty much parallel to the imaging sensor I used 45-point AFPS to make this image and it worked perfectly.  I made a series of several images of this bird walking with its gift.  I liked this one best as the end of the fish that had been bitten off is concealed...

BEGINNER'S BASICS

If there is one mistake that I make over and over again on our IPTs, it is assuming that everyone knows the very basics.  Though we let folks know in advance that they should have a working knowledge of their camera bodies and lenses, I have begun to stress that it is vitally important for folks to ask if they are not familiar with the basics so that they can receive individual instruction.  Towards that end, I offer the following:

#1: When the subject is walking, running, or flying, it is almost always best to use AI Servo autofocus (for Canon, or "C, Continuous" for Nikon).

#2: For static subjects, beginners should use One-Shot autofocus (for Canon, or "S, Single," for Nikon.)

#3:  With static subjects, it is best to focus on the bird's face or eye and then recompose, that is, shift the camera so that you come up with a pleasing composition.  To do this, you acquire or lock focus by depressing the shutter button half way.  To maintain focus while you are re-framing the image you must keep the shutter-button depressed half way.  After you have recomposed, simply depress the shutter-button to make the image.

#4:  When creating images of wildlife with telephoto lenses, it is best to work in Av (Aperture Priority) Mode and to choose the wide open aperture (usually f/2.8. f/4, or f/5.6 depending on the lens).  This will set the fastest possible shutter speed.

#5: When photographing natural history subjects, the exposure suggested by the in-camera meter will be wrong more than 80% of the time depending both on the tonalities in the image and the quality of the natural (also known as available, or ambient) light.

#6: To learn how to determine the correct exposure we recommend that you purchase a signed copy of "The Art of Bird Photography" off of our web site here: http://www.birdsasart.com/books.html#PHOTO_BOOK  and study the Exposure chapter until you own it.  Simply put, you will not find a better explanation of exposure theory and metering modes anywhere.

#7:  Lazy folks can avoid learning exposure theory by studying the section on histograms in our Digital Basics File:  http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm  Serious digital photographers who take the time to study exposure theory will get it right the first time in most situations and it is highly recommended that all serious photographers take the time to study and learn the nuts and bolts of exposure.

#8:  The fastest and easiest way for Canon users to add or subtract light to the suggested exposure is to first depress the shutter button half way.  Doing so awakens the metering system and displays the shutter speed (in addition to the aperture).  Then you turn the thumbwheel on the back of the camera clockwise to add light to the exposure or turn it counter-clockwise to subtract light.

#9: Everything mentioned in items 1-7 and in item nine is covered in detailed in the aforementioned book,  "The Art of Bird Photography."