Sandhill Crane chick, 2 hours old, Indian Lake Estates, FL

Image Copyright 2007:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and EOS-1Ds Mark II.  ISO 250.

Evaluative Metering at zero: 1/1000 sec. at f/8.   

This little guy was the braver of the two; he went for a swim within hours of hatching.  I thought that I would need to add 1/3 stop of light here but a quick check of the histogram showed a very few flashing highlights so I went with the metered exposure and all was well with the world. .

ARTHUR MORRIS SWITCHES TO NIKON!

After using Canon equipment since 1983, Arthur Morris announced in a press release today that he was switching to Nikon.  He resigned as a Canon Explorer of Light and has already been pre-selected as a member of Nikon’s prestigious “Legends Behind the Lens” group. Nikon enticed him to switch by offering a complete War Chest of Nikon cameras, lenses, and accessories.  Mr. Morris is excited about getting his hands on some D2X bodies and both the 200-400 VR and the 600mm f/4 lenses.  See item 3 below for additional details. 

Caspian Tern, Fort DeSoto Park, Mullet Key, FL

Image Copyright 2007:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens with 1.4X II TC and EOS-1Ds Mark II.  ISO 400.  

Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/8.   

I have never encountered a tame Caspian Tern.  On the morning of March 30, I found a totally tame pair at DeSoto.  I was not happy with all the algae, but by getting low I turned a possible negative into a positive.

Caspian Tern & skimmer, Fort DeSoto Park, Mullet Key, FL

Image Copyright 2007:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens with 2X II TC and EOS-1Ds Mark II.  ISO 400.  

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

Once I had my field-guide portraits, I slapped on the 2X TC and assumed one of my favorite roles:  “Head Hunter.”

CANON PRO BODY AUTOFOCUS TIP

When I had a chance to use the two EOS-1D Mark III camera bodies a while back, I came across a Custom Function that allows the user to turn Autofocus search off.  The text in the CF box caught my eye.  It went something like t his:  Setting this CF may be useful for those using super-telephoto lenses.  So, I tried it and was amazed to see that it dramatically raised my percentage of “razor-sharp-on-the-eye” images.   A while back, Robert O’Toole suggested that I load the Personal Functions on my 1DN and my 1Ds bodies.  He was able to load and activate the Personal Functions on my 1Ds, but despite repeated efforts was unable to do the same with my 1DN.  We contacted Canon’s top technical expert Chuck Westfall and he was able to help.  (Do note that on all current Canon Professional digital camera bodies the Personal Functions need to be loaded and activated by connecting the camera to a computer.  The professional digital cameras come with a 6-pin to 4-pin Fire wire cable, but if you are using a laptop to load the PFn, you will need to purchase a 4-pin to 4-pin Fire wire cable.  Note additionally that the Canon software will not communicate via any USB or mini-USB ports.)  The e-mail that we received from Chuck appears below.

You may need to turn all of the Personal Functions to “on” in order to activate them.  If this is the case, then you need to go to the Personal Functions on the camera menu and turn most of them off.

Why go through all of this bother?  Because turning Personal Function 14 “On” will help you make sharper and more consistently sharp flight images across the board with any telephoto or super-telephoto lens.  Personal Function 14 on the 1DN and the 1Ds reads as follows:  Lens Focus Search Turned Off.  In the black text box it continues: When autofocus can’t be achieved, the lens is normally driven to search for the correct focus.  P.Fn -14 cancels searching under this condition. 

Without P. Fn-14 turned on, the lens will hunt, the AF will rack in and out.  As I have done for years, you will make images that are just a hair out of focus as the lens is struggling to acquire or re-acquire focus.  With big lenses, and especially with long effective focal lengths, i.e., when you are using teleconverters on super-telephoto lenses, this task is pretty much impossible.  With P. Fn-14 turned on, the lens will not search if and when it loses focus.  If you lose focus, lift your finger slightly off of the shutter button and press it again; focus re-acquisition will be seemingly instantaneous.  I have taken to keeping P. Fn-14 turned “On” most of the time.  At times, especially when using TCs, the lens may not “see” the subject at all and may refuse to search.  Simply reach up and pre-focus manually.  There is no need to focus with perfect accuracy; as long as the AF system can “see” the subject, it will acquire focus easily when you press the shutter button.   When photographing off of a BLUBB from your car, it is easier to simply turn P. Fn-14 to off as focusing manually when using a big lens on any bean bag is a pain at best.

The first day that I had P. Fn-14 turned on with my EOS-1D Mark IIN I was astounded with the results.  Even when using the 600 IS with the 2X, I was able to make about 85% of the images sharp on the eye.  It may be a real pain to get the Personal Functions activated, but it is well worth the effort. 

Hi Arthur,

I suggested that Robert update the Canon software on his Windows PC to resolve this issue. Here's the information:

1. At first, do not uninstall any existing Canon software that may be installed on the PC. Some of it may be needed to install updaters of the latest version.
2. Go to the Download Library for the EOS-1D Mark II N on the Canon USA Web site:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=DownloadDetailAct&fcategoryid=314&modelid=12012
3. Click on the Drivers/Software link and follow the prompts in the resulting new window to download EOS Utility 1.1 Updater for Windows.
4.  As noted on the download page, you will need one of the following older Canon software apps to be installed on your PC before installing the updater:

- EOS Utility 1.0
- EOS Viewer Utility 1.0 to 1.2
- File Viewer Utility 1.1 to 1.3
- CameraWindow DSLR 5.1 to 5.3 (If you are using EOS Digital cameras with ZoomBrowser EX 5.x)
5. Install the EOS Utility 1.1 updater.
6. Connect the 1D Mark II N and EOS Utility should launch automatically.
7. Select Remote Shooting/Camera Settings.
8. From the Remote Shooting/Camera Settings window, locate the Set-up menu icon in the lower right (looks like 2 wrenches) and click on it.
9. From the resulting menu, select Personal Functions and go from there.

Hope that that helps!

Last but not least, please be advised that EOS Utility is all you need to upload Personal Functions, but we recommend updating to the latest versions of ZoomBrowser EX or Digital Photo Professional if you use those programs, since older versions may not be compatible with EOS Utility.

Best Regards,

Chuck Westfall
Director/Media & Customer Relationship
Camera Marketing Group/Canon U.S.A., Inc.

White Ibis, landing, Tampa Bay, FL

Image Copyright 2007:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

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

Evaluative Metering +2/3 stop off the low sky set manually: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6.   45-point AFPS AF.

This image was made on yet another productive morning boat trip with James Shadle. It was made right after Robert had set up the Personal Functions on my 1DN; I leave P. Fn-14 “On” most of the time to reap the benefits of more accurate AF.

 Image optimization by Robert O’Toole.

HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S DAY

I hope that not too many of you were taken in by item 1, above, which is—of course—April Fool’s Day humor.   My relationship with Canon is and has been a wonderful one and I look forward to using Canon equipment for at least another 24 years.  Do know that good photographers make good images with whatever equipment they have in hand, and that great photographers make great images regardless of which brand camera they choose.  Or, as Michael Reichmann says, “Most lenses are better than most photographers.”  I hope that I got at least a few of you…

Roseate Spoonbill on algae covered flat, Tampa Bay, FL

Image Copyright 2007:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 600mm f/4 L IS lens with 2X II TC and EOS-1Ds Mark II.  ISO 800.  

Evaluative Metering +1/3 stop set manually: 1/250 sec. at f/8.   

With virtually all of my spoonbill images made in sweet light, I reduce the saturation of the red channel by from 10 to 25 points to avoid the detail-less enamel-like reds.

FORT DE SOTO LATE REGISTRATION DISCOUNT OFFERED

Please call us at 863-692-0906 to learn of the substantial late registration discounts that we are offering for both Fort DeSoto IPTs:

Fort DeSoto IPT: APR 13-15, 2007. Slide program on the evening of Thursday, APR 12.  3-DAY: $999 (Limit 14: openings 2.) Co-leaders: Robert O’Toole, Alfred Forns, and Robert Amoruso. Courtship and breeding behaviors of Laughing Gull and Royal and Sandwich Terns.  Herons, egrets (including both dark and light phase Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including Long-billed Curlew), gulls, terns, and skimmers among others.  

Fort DeSoto IPT: APR 17-19, 2007. Slide program on the evening of Monday, APR 16.  3-DAY: $999 (Limit 14; openings: 4.)  Co-leaders: Todd Gustafson, Robert O’Toole, and Alfred Forns. Courtship and breeding behaviors of Laughing Gull and Royal and Sandwich Terns.  Herons, egrets (including both dark and light phase Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including Long-billed Curlew), gulls, terns, and skimmers among others.

Royal Tern calling with mate in background, Fort DeSoto Park, Mullet Key, FL

Image Copyright 2007:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Canon 400mm f/5.6 L lens handheld with EOS-1D Mark IIN.  ISO 400.  

Evaluative Metering -1/3 stop set manually: 1/2000 sec. at f/8.   

Once I was on the ground, I selected the two AF sensors just below the central sensor to achieve the desired composition. Detailed instructions on manually selecting focus points on Canon professional digital camera bodies can be found in ABP II: http://www.birdsasart.com/ABPII.htm  (We have already sold more then 2,800 copies world wide to rave reviews…)

ROBERT O'TOOLE'S BAA/IPT APTATS WORKSHOPS

Robert O’Toole’s Advanced Photoshop Techniques and Tips Simplified BAA/IPT Workshops

10AM-5PM. Six hours of instruction, one hour lunch break (laptop with Photoshop required).

Fort DeSoto BAA IPT APTATS workshops (limit: 4). April 12, April 16, and April 20, 2007:  $399 per session ($349 per session for two or more).
 
Bosque #1:"The Fall Color IPT" APTATS Workshop: NOV 12th, 2007.  $399

Bosque #2:"The Pre-Thanksgiving IPT" APTATS Workshop: NOV 16th, 2007. $399  
Bosque #3:"The Post-Thanksgiving IPT"APTATSS Workshop: NOV 21st, 2007. $399
 
The Bosque APTATS workshops are limited to 6 participants

These dates are scheduled so that IPT participants can attend the IPTs without conflict (either before of after the IPTs as above).  

APTATS workshops are designed for the digital photographer with an emphasis on simplicity and will be conducted in a relaxed and personalized atmosphere. Robert will demonstrate the step by step procedures for each task and explain the theory as well. Participants will progress at their own pace with the demonstration images that he provides.  The small group size will allow for personalized instruction for everyone.  Ambitious folks can enjoy an early morning of great photography in the field and then bring their images to life in the Workshops.

I asked Robert if he could take the sun from the image below and incorporate it into the image above.  It took him about two minutes!

Below is the result:

In the uppermost image, the sun was burned to toast to avoid grossly underexposing the sky. The large image of the sun was properly exposed for the sun; I used stacked teleconverters and set the correct exposure (1/5000 sec. at f/64) manually. 

Robert is simply a Photoshop magician…

POCOSIN LAKES NWR, NC, NEEDS YOUR HELP

I received the e-mail below from David Small and in the interest of helping prevent an environmental disaster, am posting the request for help below the e-mail.

Artie,

It was good talking with you the other day.  I really appreciate your offer to placing the please for help in your next BAA Bulletin.  This material was a joint effort between myself and the staff of NC Audubon and has their blessing.  The loss of these wintering grounds for the thousands of tundra swans and snow geese would be devastating.  The political pressure to build is due to the Navy's planes making too much noise at its present field near Virginia Beach, VA (Oceana Naval Air Station).  This would be an outlying landing field (OLF) set up like an aircraft carrier; the pilots would practice landings as if they were dropping down on to a carrier.  I understand that a lot of this practice would take place at night. 

NC Audubon and the State of NC is OK with building the OLF in the state, but not at the proposed site which is adjacent to Lake Mattamuskeet NWR (which also hosts many thousands of wintering birds).  There is as much concern among the NC residents and elected officials for the safety of the pilots as there is for the birds.  Colliding with one or more of these large birds has the real potential to destroy an F-18 ($37.5 million each) and kill the pilot (priceless). The Navy seems to dismiss this possibility or wants to manage the problem by removing or poisoning the birds! 

The other problem is the economic disaster involving the families that are presently farming the land.  Most have been there for many generations and want to remain there and in agriculture.  The Navy is suggesting that they switch to raising cotton instead of corn and soybeans.  Equipment used to plant and harvest corn and soybeans is not suitable for raising cotton.  The Navy isn't offering to buy the farmers the necessary equipment and reimburse them for losses on presently owned equipment. 

Distribution of this information through BAA will give this situation the widespread attention it deserves.  Hopefully, a significant percentage of your subscribers will write their Congressional representatives, apprise them of their thoughts on the Navy's proposed course of action, and urge blocking funding for this project at this site.  The opportunities for spectacular bird and wildlife photography in the Pocosin Lakes NWR, other near by NWRs, Audubon sites, and National and State parks are endless. 

Regards, Dave Small   

cc:  Chris Canfield, Executive Director/Vice President, Audubon North Carolina

Despite being offered alternative sites, the U.S. Navy is proposing to place a jet landing field on land directly adjacent to the globally significant Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern North Carolina.   Pocosin Lakes is the winter home to 100,000 tundra swans, snow geese, other species of waterfowl, and bald eagles.  The land is also home to the country’s only population of endangered red wolves.  Conflict between jets and birds is a given!  A recent Navy report reveals just how far they may go to try to make the site work.  This includes stripping 20,000 acres of forage crops on which the birds feed, harassing, and even poisoning birds which might interfere with the jets. To find out more and how to contact your elected representatives, go to:

To Take Action Now: www.audubonaction.org/campaign/pocosinlakes

To Learn More about the Navy’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Study: www.ncaudubon.org/news_Feb23rd2007_Ccstatement-draftSEIS.html

To read about the OLF Issue affecting humans and wildlife in North Carolina: www.ncaudubon.org/ISSUES_OLF.html

Least Bittern, West Lake Toho, Kissimmee, FL 

Image copyright 2007:  Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

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

Evaluative Metering -1/3 stop set manually: 1/250 sec. at f/8.   

This image was made last Thursday on Jim Neiger’s pontoon boat.  Jim has speakers built into his boat.  When we saw two Least Bitterns flying around Jim fired up the I-Pod and a few minutes later we got lucky.  I used the One-Shot AF and re-compose technique described in ABP II to achieve the off-centered composition.

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