BIRDS AS ART BULLETIN #229
APRIL 22, 2007
Visit: www.birdsasart.com
IMPORTANT DROP-IN FILTER NOTICE FOR LONG LENS OWNERS…
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS
MY PRIVATE LESSON WITH ROBERT O’TOOLE
ROBERT O'TOOLE'S BAA/IPT ST. AUGUSTINE APTATS WORKSHOP
IPT UPDATES
Roseate Spoonbill “top shot,” Tampa Bay, FL
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS Lens with the 1.4XII TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.
UNIQUE ROSEATE SPOONBILL OPPORTUNITY/JAMES SHADLE
After teaching non-stop for nine straight days (the two DeSoto IPTS and the three spoonbill morning spoonbill boat trips as co-leader with James Shadle) I was anxious to get home on Friday afternoon, but tales west winds, clear skies, afternoon high tides, pale blue water, and pink birds enticed me to stay for one more outing on “Frog-Hair” Jim’s flats boat… See the results above and below.
Now here is the scoop: the
6:00pm high tide this Monday afternoon—that’s tomorrow, April 23—should be
absolutely perfect for capturing images of banking and landing spoonbills in
flight with blue water backgrounds.
If you would join Jim
tomorrow, the fare is $300 (if one person), $250 each for 2-4 folks. There
are currently four slots open.
Please contact James as
follows:
by cell phone
at 813-363-2854 or via e-mail at
James@wildflorida.net.
Roseate Spoonbill landing, Tampa Bay, FL
Image Copyright 2007: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS Lens with the 1.4XII TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.
I clipped the near-wingtip so I cropped the image from the left a bit following my “cut don’t clip” rule.
IMPORTANT DROP-IN FILTER NOTICE FOR LONG LENS OWNERS…
When I reviewed my images from Friday morning I was disappointed that many of the images that I was sure would be sharp were out-of-focus. After a bit of thought, I went to my Sequoia, grabbed the 600 IS, and removed the drop-in filter. Even though my LensCoat neoprene cover was in place, the filter was pretty close to filthy… I cleaned it with my large Pens Pen and voila, most of my flight images (like the two above) were tack-sharp. It was Robert O’Toole who first taught me that the drop-in filters on super-telephoto lenses need to be checked regularly and cleaned as needed.
Roseate Spoonbill taking flight, Tampa Bay, FL
Image Copyright 2007: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 600mm f/4 L IS Lens with the 2XII TC and the EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400.
This image was made on a morning boat trip against a background of seaweed-covered mud flat. I was making vertical portraits of this bird when it took flight. I panned and made a single image when I had the central sensor right on its eyes. Fortunately I was using AI Servo AF rather than One-Shot. For Nikon-users that translates to “Fortunately I was had the AF set to C (continuous) rather than to S (Single). I selected and darkened the pupils as described in our Digital Basics File: http://www.birdsasart.com/digitalbasics.htm
I have been seeing a lot of Lou Newman over the past few months. He attended one of the Anhinga Trail In-The-Field Workshops, the second Fort DeSoto IPT, and two of the three morning spoonbill boat trips led by James and me. On the afternoon of the IPT, Lou heard a strange noise while making some images. On the morning boat trip the next day, Lou noticed a light slash across some of his images but did not say anything about it. As I did, he decided to stay for the Friday afternoon boat trip and after we finished photographing a Common Loon at close range from the boat, he finally mentioned the light slash on his images. I grabbed his rig, took one image of the clear blue sky, and looked at the image on the LCD… Ooops! There was a black triangle in the lower right hand corner of the image and a light slash across the center. There was surely a problem with the shutter. I raised the mirror and saw that one of the shutter blades was hung up.
Lou lost all of his images from the last afternoon of the IPT (he had computer problems and was unable to view the images from the afternoon) and from the Friday morning boat trip, but he took it well. I loaned him my EOS 1D Mark IIN and he was able to enjoy our fantastic afternoon.
Lessons learned:
1-If your camera makes any strange noises it is best to check things out or ask someone more experienced than you to do that same.
2-If you see any unusual light or dark areas on your images when viewed on the LCD it is best to check things out or ask someone more experienced than you to do that same.
3-Pointing your camera at the sky and making an image is a simple way to make sure that everything is operating normally.
4-Digital cameras may fail at any time; it is best to travel with at least one back-up camera body.
Here is the e-mail that I received yesterday from Lou:
Hi Artie, I have discovered I forgot one other item. I left my battery in the 1D Mark II N that you loaned me on Jim Shadle’s boat Friday evening. I would appreciate it if you would tag it so it can be sent with the stuff I plan to order from you in the next couple of days. Thanks a million for an exceptionally rewarding learning experience this past week. Lou
(Note: Lou is an accomplished photographer; he sold more than 25 large prints during a recent gallery show in Sarasota where he lives.)
ps: I just got off the phone with Lou and as it turned out, he lost far fewer problems due to the shutter malfunction than he had thought as the problem was intermittent.
MY PRIVATE LESSON WITH ROBERT O’TOOLE
Robert came by yesterday to do some image optimization for me and to help me set up my Live Books (http://live-books.com/index.html) galleries (coming soon!)
For months now I have watched Robert use the Quick Mask techniques that he developed on his own to remove large background elements quickly and easily. The results are far cleaner than when using the Clone Stamp and the Patch Tool. Last night I got a private lesson from Robert and, after sending myself an e-mail and practicing into the early morning hours, I now own the technique. It is totally amazing. During the next two weeks Robert and I will finish editing his APTATS (Advanced Photoshop Tips and Techniques Simplified) PDF and it should be available for sale ($20 via e-mail only) in early May.
Here are the before and after images from my very best effort:
Stilt Sandpiper beginning molt to breeding plumage, Fort De Soto Park,
Image Copyright 2007: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Canon 500m f/4
L IS Lens with 2X II TC (on Panning Ground Pod with bubble level) and EOS-1Ds
Mark II. ISO 400.
Evaluative
Metering +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/11.
ROBERT O'TOOLE'S BAA/IPT ST. AUGUSTINE APTATS (Advanced Photoshop Techniques and Tips Simplified) BAA/IPT WORKSHOPS
10AM-5PM. Six hours of instruction, one hour lunch break (laptop with Photoshop required).
St.
Augustine Alligator Farm BAA IPT APTATS workshops (limit: 4). April 15 and
April 20. $399 per session/$349 per session for two or more
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.
Below, Robert has used his Quick-Masking Skills on one of his own images:
Semipalmated Plover, North Beach, Fort De Soto Park, Florida
Image Copyright 2007: Robert O'Toole
Canon EF600mm f/4L IS lens with 1.4XII TC with the EOS-1D Mark II N. ISO 250
Evaluative Metering -1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in manual mode.
Out of focus foreground object removal is an important skill for most digital photographers, but this simple operation be an ordeal if you are using the wrong techniques. It took Robert just a minute to remove the distracting birds using the Brush Tool, a Quick Layer mask, and a couple of keystroke shortcuts. This technique and many more will be covered step by step in all BAA/APTATS workshops and in the soon-to-be released APTATS PDF File.
IPT UPDATES