|
BIRDS AS ART ON-LINE Bulletin #79 May 17, 2002
Response to questions about (Canon)
flash technique, St. Augustine Alligator Farm Photo Contest,
Another great website, Important notice relayed by Linda East
RESPONSE TO
QUESTIONS ABOUT (CANON) FLASH TECHNIQUE
From subscriber Frank of the
UK:
"I merely want to take a fill
flash shot of a bird. I Use a Canon EOS 3,
100-400mm IS lens & a 550 EX flash. With Nikon, I
merely shot in aperture priority & either used
automatic fill flash image or easily pressed
two buttons to give me a subtle flash output such as
-1 2/3 for a catchlight. Canon in Av is not the
same, though I can still alter my f stop, the mode
automatically gives a slow shutter speed in dim
light."
AM: Do know that when you
were using fill flash as described above with your
Nikon gear and were working in low light, it seems
that you are inferring that the camera would not
drop the ambient exposure below 1/60 sec. If this
is correct, then the resulting images would be
underexposed when you
dialed in -1 2/3 stops as you would need to resort
to "flash as main light at that time, that is, to
set the flash to "0.
"My simple question is, what
is the easiest way to make a fill flash image with
Canon?"
AM: In a perfect world, you
would simply use Program mode, but even there, in
dark situations, the camera would show ambient
underexposure and, as above, if you were using
fill flash, the images would be too dark.
Furthermore, when using big IS telephotos with
teleconverters, the system, at times, (and almost
always with the 2X TCs), will not drop below the
fastest available flash shutter speed (either
1/250 or 1/200). I have spoken to Canon's top
technical rep and he told me that the system was
programmed this way so that we would not attempt
to use "slow shutter speeds with long effective
focal lengths..." When I asked him if this would
ever be corrected, he said that in all likelihood
it would never be changed. IMHO, this is most
unfortunate as it is easy to make sharp images
with big IS lenses and TCs at shutter speeds
around 1/60 sec. Having to switch back and forth
between P and Av when using fill flash is a pain.
How do we get around this
problem? Simply switch to Av when you wish to use
flash as fill in low light situations. If your
shutter speed falls much below 1/60 sec. then you
need to use the flash as main light technique.
(This technique is well described in "The Art of
Bird Photography." You can order a signed copy
off of the web site.)
Another problem that occurs
when using the Better Beamer Flash Extender with
big Canon lenses in Program mode is that at times,
in very low light situations, the camera will
indicate an ambient exposure of 1/60 sec.
at f/45. The solution is, as
above, to simply switch to Av.
The real lesson here is that
when using flash (especially when using flash as
fill), photographers must look at the info
provided in the viewfinder to check and see that
things are "kosher."
On an even more basic level,
when you are using Av in low light situations and
things get brighter, you
need to notice when the shutter speed (in the
viewfinder) begins to flash so that you can either
choose a smaller aperture or switch to Program.
I hope that my answers have helped to shed some
light on the situation...
I ran the above by Canon
Tech Rep Chuck Westfall. Here is his response:
"There aren't any technical
errors in your response, but on the other hand it
doesn't present all the options. Specifically,
you're correct that Program mode is not always the
best option for fill-flash because of its shutter
speed limitations, and you're also correct that
Aperture Priority is a good choice most of the
time for low-light fill-flash. In addition to
these options, I would mention that both Shutter
Priority and Manual can also be effective for
low-light fill flash. Personally, I've always been
an
advocate of Manual mode for this purpose, since it
gives the photographer the maximum amount of
control over both ambient exposure level and flash
exposure compensation. The dual exposure level
scales in the EOS-1D, EOS-1V and EOS-3 are
designed to show both of these settings at a
glance, making it easy for the photographer to
ensure the desired effect. For example, it may not
always be practical or desirable to have an
accurate exposure of the background, but as long
as the ambient exposure is within a stop or two of
the flash exposure level, it will still contribute
to the overall exposure.
By the way, the current e-mail address for
customer support for film cameras is:
carecenter@cits.canon.com"
ST.
AUGUSTINE ALLIGATOR FARM PHOTO CONTEST
From the AF's Amanda
Whitaker: The guidelines for the photo contest are
as follows: Best of Show/Grand Prize:
$500.00 Categories: Birds * Reptiles * Wildlife
General* First Prize: $200.00 Second Prize: $100.00
Third Prize: $50.00 A first, second and third place
prize will be awarded in each category. A $25.00
entry fee covers three entries. This fee includes a
one-year individual pass to the St. Augustine
Alligator Farm and Zoological Park. There is no
additional entry fee to annual pass holders.
(Subject to change) All entries must be 8”x 10”
un-mounted black and white or color
prints. All photos must have been taken at The
Alligator Farm during the 2002 season. Each entry
should bear the photographers name, address, phone
number, the category, and the total number of
entries. The winning photographs will be displayed
at The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park
and on our web site
www.alligatorfarm.com If you would like to have
your photos returned by mail please enclose a self
addressed stamped envelope and label return photo on
the back of each photo to be returned. All photos
not returned or picked up become the property of the
St. Augustine Alligator Farm. The deadline for
entries is July 15, 2002. All winners will be
notified before Aug. 15, 2002. All photos must be
received at The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and
Zoological Park, 999 Anastasia Blvd.
St. Augustine, Florida 32080.
ANOTHER GREAT
WEB SITE
The new www.photomigrations.com
Community offers image critiques by a staff of
five experienced n ature
photographers with interests
in landscape, macro, underwater, avian and general
wildlife photography. The community is managed by
Debbie Ferrell-Smith and four Field Correspondents
who provide educational direction. The focus is
to provide a free site
for photographers wishing to share their knowledge
and have social interaction through image
critiques. An on-line Chat is held on Monday and
Thursday evenings beginning at 8:30 pm central
time. This site is easy to navigate and
offers easy to use image hosting for posting of
images to the site.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
RELAYED BY LINDA EAST
Linda East sent me the e-mail
below after seeing the following image:
May 16, 2002
NANPA Ethics Committee
It has recently come to the attention of NANPA's
ethics committee that some bird photographers have
begun buying cigarettes for sparrows (like the
white-throated in the photo), warblers, and
gnatcatchers. The birds relish an after-bug smoke,
but they have never been unable to obtain nicotine
for themselves since they are all underage and they
do not carry cash. Avian photographers began buying
cigarettes and placing them in birdfeeders when they
discovered that the birds who smoked heavily would
remain in the immediate area of the
cigarette-stocked feeders, making them easier to
photograph. Also, quick moving smaller birds were
greatly slowed down because of the damage the
cigarettes did to their little lungs, and
photographers were able to get here-to-for
impossible images of these slowed-down, feathered
little nicotine addicts. The avian photographers
also exploited a new and very lucrative untapped
market for photographs of small birds enjoying their
cigarettes by selling to companies such as Phillip
Morris, Marlboro, and the American Tobacco Company.
Although the practice has not become widespread and
seems to be limited to only a few unethical, bratty
photographers such as Greg Downing and Ann Cook,
NANPA advises that the practice of giving cigarettes
to songbirds is considered unethical under NANPA
guidelines. We ask members to discontinue the
practice immediately. Please remember, there are no
ashtrays in the wild, and the threat of forest fires
started by a careless sparrow dropping his butt to
the forest floor is a concern. In addition, once
the birds begin smoking, they will soon desire a
cocktail or glass of wine too...
NANPA guidelines will reflect this change of policy
immediately.
Thanks to Ann Cook for generously granting me
permission to include her image here. Ann, who is
the premier digi-scoping bird photographer in the
world, staged this image after the unfortunate
sparrow died after crashing into the window of her
Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba home. (Note: amazing as it
may seem, the poor little bird died of natural (or
at least man-made--the window...) causes, not of
lung cancer...
|
