BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN 155

DECEMBER 15, 2004

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GOOD POINT GREGORY!

NEW CANON GEAR FOR SALE

ROBERT O'TOOLE BOSQUE IMAGES

Sandhill Crane, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, San Antonio, New Mexico

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and EOS 1D Mark II on Gitzo CF 1325 tripod with Wimberley head. AI Servo AF with Central Sensor on bird's neck. ISO 640. Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/50 sec. at f/5.6. Flash with Better Beamer at -2 1/3 stops acting as flash as main light!

Using the technique outlined above, it is possible to photograph as darkness approaches as long as there is enough light to focus. When working with digital well after the sun has gone down, the normal flash settings (0 or -1/3 for flash as main light) will severely overexpose the subject. Simply dial in more and more minus on the flash until the image on the LCD does not look over-flashed and the histogram looks good.

Photo Theme: More of my favorite Bosque images.

Snow Geese before dawn, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, San Antonio, New Mexico

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS Lens with EOS 1D Mark II on Gitzo CF 1325 w/Wimberley Head. AI Servo AF with central sensor. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop set manually: 1/8 sec. at f/4.

As you might guess by noting the exposure details, it was pretty darned dark when this image was made, but even in the extremely low light, the AF system performed admirably... I panned with the birds as they blasted off. As the flock was a long way off, they were relatively sharp even at 1/8 second.

Greater Roadrunner, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, San Antonio, New Mexico

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 2XII TC,a 25mm extension tube, and the EOS 1D Mark II on Gitzo CF 1325 tripod with Wimberley head. One-Shot AF with Central Sensor/focused on the eye and recomposed. ISO 400. Evaluative Metering -1/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/11. Fill flash with Better Beamer at -2 stops.

This was the tamest roadrunner that I have ever come across. There were about 15 photographers out of their cars working the bird. I fell in love with the ruff around the bird's neck so I mounted the big lens on the tripod, added the 2X and one 25mm extension tube, and approached the bird slowly while sitting.

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From Sharon Dahlquist:

I purchased your Digital Basics file a few weeks ago and wanted to let you know what an excellent job you did. It is one of the most useful photographic guides that I have found. Thanks!

From veteran IPT participant CJ Hockett:

Thanks again for all the wonderful instruction, the atmosphere created by the IPT, the great food, and the social interaction with all the of the photographers at Bosque del Apache. This was my first real experience at flight shooting and although i have a
long way to go to perfect my flight images I was amazed at how good some of my captures turned out. I am very excited about improving my techniques in this area - my hands and eyes were just beginning to catch up with the birds by the end of the trip!

From Bosque IPT participant Chris Klapheke

Many thanks for a truly unique and wonderful experience at Bosque. This was my first IPT (of any sort); what a way to start! Your comments and instructions were most helpful. I feel I learned more about my camera and technique in few days than I had in the previous year. In addition, I now feel that I have the "lay of the land" at Bosque. I have been thinking about this trip since I returned, and I can't wait to go back. Also, your kind comments on some of my images during the critique gave me a jolt of positive reinforcement that will keep me going for quite some time. I look forward to experiencing another IPT, perhaps in Florida with no numb fingers!

Snow Geese taking flight at sunrise, Ed KranePool, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, San Antonio, New Mexico

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and EOS 1D Mark II. One-Shot AF with Central Sensor/focused on the front bird in the flock, fired the camera when they lifted off, and prayed... ISO 250. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/800 sec. at f/11.

It was 11 degrees on the morning that this image was created. It was made while I was lying on the ground with the lens on a large bean bag. You gotta want it!

GOOD POINT GREGORY!

In Bulletin 154, in the caption for the image below, I wrote, "The two sensors below the central sensor were activated; the sensors were on the background, not on the bird, at the moment of exposure..."

Greg Downing, who did a great job co-leading the third Bosque IPT, wrote and pointed out that since I use Custom Function 17-1 the central sensor was active and was perfectly placed on the bird's face. CF 17-1 expands the active sensors to include those immediately adjacent to the chosen sensors. CF-17-1 is strongly recommended for flight and action photography. Good catch Greg!

American Wigeon, drake, Socorro, New Mexico

Canon 400mm f/5.6 L lens with 1.4X II TC and EOS 1D Mark II handheld. AI Servo AF with Central Sensor only (by necessity). ISO 400. Evaluative metering -2/3 stop set manually: 1/800 sec. at f/10.

With the advent of digital photography, my old "toy lens" is a great option for beginning bird photographers. Here, handholding with the 1.4X TC, I was able to produce sharp images by choosing ISO 400 in spite of the sunny conditions. The 400 f/5.6 with a 20D is relatively inexpensive and makes a great starter kit.

NEW CANON GEAR FOR SALE

BIRDS AS ART friend Hal DuPont has the following Canon Cameras for sale:

New in the original box:

EOS 1DS-Mark II: $ 7,995.00 (1 available)
EOS 1D Mark II: $ 4,595.00 (2 available)
EOS 20D with 17 - 85 mm IS Lens Kit: $ 2,195.00 (1 available)

Used in mint condition:

EOS 1D: $1,795.00 (1 available)
EOS 10D: $995.00 (1 available)

Each plus $35.00 for 2nd day shipping and insurance.

You can contact Hal at Hallagator@aol.com or 772 - 913-1111.

American Bittern, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, San Antonio, New Mexico

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 2XII TC and EOS 1D Mark II on Gitzo CF 1325 tripod with Wimberley head. One-Shot AF with Central Sensor/focused on the eye and recomposed. ISO 250. Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/640 sec. at f/10.

I was thrilled to have a chance to photograph this species for the first time at Bosqe near the end of my trip. As regular readers know, I prefer to work at f/10 or 11 with the 2X TC. With static subjects I lock all of the knobs on the Wimberley head for maximum sharpness. Note also the placement of the bird well back in the frame.

ROBERT O'TOOLE BOSQUE IMAGES

The two amazing images below were created by Robert O'Toole on the first Bosque IPT. I continue to be amazed by the talent and creativity of many IPT participants and am often inspired by their work as well. Way to go Robert! (Note: Robert is a full time fashion photographer who has been on four IPTs (and the Kenya Photo Safari with Todd and me) within the past year.)

Snow Geese Blast-off at Farm Deck, Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM

Canon 15mm fish eye lens with EOS 1Ds Mark II. ISO 100. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/8.

Snow Geese One Second Blur, Bosque Del Apache NWR, NM

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and Canon EOS 1D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/sec. at f/32.

Here are Robert's comments on this amazing image: "You can count the wing beats of the geese during the 1 second exposure. The key was knowing where to stop and set up, thanks to you Artie. I would have driven right past. Then I pre-visualized the shot all the way across the pond with the bright cottonwoods in the background. I quickly threw on the 1.4 X extender, rebalanced, leveled my tripod, locked the Wimberley's tilt arm control and left the pan control loose. As the geese took flight I quickly dialed the aperture down to f/32, held my finger on the shutter button, and started panning. Cuh-thunk, cuh-thunk,cuh-thunk... I made several 1 second exposures."

Best and love and great picture-making to all,
Artie

Note: Arthur Morris has been a Canon contract photographer since 1994 and continues in that role today. Hunt's Photo of Boston, MA is a BIRDS AS ART sponsor, as is Delkin Devices. Do feel free to forward this Bulletin to one or more photographer-friends. Those wishing to subscribe click here: mailto:http://birdsasart.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=94ad23bd96f48a1de2ca612b3&id=bdb4a511a0?subject=subscribe To unsubscribe, click here: mailto:birdsasart@verizon.net?subject=unsubscribe. Back issues of all BAA Bulletins and relevant BAA Notes are archived on the web site at: http://www.birdsasart.com/bn.html