You Must Always See the Bird's Eye! Or Not?

Your Call

Though you cannot see the bird’s eye in any of today’s featured images, all for me are excellent photos. To my artistic eye, however, one of the three stands head and shoulders above the others. I would call that one exquisite. Which one isyourfavorite? Please leave a comment letting us know which one you like best and why. And please remember, there are no wrong answers. Partaking in these exercises gives everyone a chance to think and learn. Including me.

BIRDS AS ART Office Phone Out!

A tree fell on our phone lines while I was in Deland last week. 863-692-0906 is currently down. If you need to get in touch with BAA, please try my cell at 863-221-2372. If I do not pick up, please shoot us a text.

What’s Up?

我,很早。当我写完这篇博客后，我将开始认真地打包行李，准备明天乘坐汽车列车去长岛旅行。我应该在周一下午晚些时候到我的AirBnb。According to the usually accurate Google Maps, the trip (leaving at 10:30am), the trip typically takes from
4 hr 50 min to 6 hr 50 min (depending on how horrific the traffic around NYC is). With stops, I hope to be there by 7:00pm. Time will tell.

I was glad to learn yesterday that all four of Mike Ederegger’s Used Gear items sold within days of being listed on the使用齿轮页面。

昨天这里已经连续三天没下雨了。今天是2022年7月30日，星期六，我还有很多事情要做。无论你在哪里，无论你在做什么，我希望你也有一个伟大的一天。这篇博客花了大约两个小时准备(包括三个图像优化)，连续128天更新了一篇新的。

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining aBAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

Clockwise from the upper left corner back around to the center: Wilson’s Phalarope, JBWR; just fledged Common Tern, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, adult skimming, Nickerson; Black Skimmer killing tiny skimmer chick, Nickerson; American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise, Nickerson; Common Tern chick swallowing baby bluefish, Nickerson; Short-billed Dowitcher, juvenile, double overhead wing stretch, JBWR; Black Skimmers, predawn flock blur, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, 10-day old chick, Nickerson. Click on the card to view a larger version. Nickerson Beach/East Pond JBWR composite

Nickerson Beach/East Pond at Jamaica Bay (JBWR) In-the Field Workshops

JBWR的尼克森海滩和东池塘都提供了地球上最好的仲夏鸟类摄影。每个季节都有数百对黑Skimmers和普通燕鸥，以及十几对美国蛎鹬在尼克森繁殖，所以有很多大小不一、漂亮的羽翼丰满的幼鸟可供拍摄。如果水位很低，每年8月，数百只长着漂亮新鲜羽毛的年轻滨鸟在南下时都会在池塘边停留。

尼克森经常在最原始、最基本的层面上揭示自然。大多数日子里，我们可以拍摄各种各样的戏剧性行为，从掠食者和燕鸥钓鱼和喂养(和照顾)他们的你。这里经常有机会拍摄各种各样的掠食性遭遇——海鸥吃大型掠食者幼鸟，掠食者吃掠食者幼鸟，游隼在捕猎。如果幸运的话，很少会有游隼捕食!考虑和我一起学习大量关于鸟类摄影和鸟类的知识。

我将于7月31日乘坐自动列车，整个8月将愉快地在长岛度过。我将于8月31日南下，如无意外，9月1日回家。我在尼克森海滩和牙买加湾野生动物保护区的东池塘都开设了实地课程。If you are interested, please get in touch viae-mailor text me at 863-221-2372.

Whether you are a local or would like to fly in for several days of instruction — a sort of private– or small group, at worst, IPT, LMK viae-mailso that we can work on a schedule that could possibly include both Nickerson and Jamaica Bay.

Thanks to Michael Tapes

Thanks to LensAlign creator Michael Tapes for sending me this e-mail last week:

Subject Line: Billy Joel great Interview and the studio I built in his house

I do not remember the exact date, but it was right before theGlass Housesalbum came out in March 1980. Billy was having trouble writing for the album, so he wanted to be able to make demos in his house. He asked me to put something together for him. I did not have any pictures of that until today, just a quick B-roll photo in this interview. The “heart” of the demo studio was the Tascam 80-8 and the Sound Workshop 1280B which were the standard at the time. The 1280B was designed by me and my partner Paul Galburt, and really put Sound Workshop (our console company) on the map.

The interview is really good: https://youtu.be/j0u9S0vPY6g

你可以在下面的视频中看到迈克尔在10点24分和32点59分的动作。

Extraordinary

This Billy Joel interview by CNN’s Fareed Zakariaistruly extraordinary. Those who like music, but hate Billy Joel and his music, will likely marvel at the personal connection between Zakaria and Joel, Joel’s comments on his music — especially classical music, and its beginnings, on the Beatles, on his family life, and his prowess on the piano. Fans of Billy will favorite this video and listen to it over and over (as I am doing as I type).

ps: It was great to see on the video that Billy Joel has slimmed down considerably since the last time I saw him at Madison Square Garden.

This image was created on 21 January 2020 on a San Diego IPT. I used the handheldSony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens(at 315mm) and the a9 II (now replaced by The One, theSony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera.) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Shutter Priority Mode (don’t ask me why) -0.3 stops. AWB at 4:42:32pm on a partly cloudy sunny afternoon.RawDigger显示原始文件的亮度非常完美。 Flexible Spot (M)/AF-C performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Brown Pelican — strange preening posture

Odd Preening Posture

I am not sure if this pelican was preening its underwing feathers with the top of its head, preening the top of its head with the underwing feathers, or both. We enjoyed the heck out of photographing pelicans on this curved perch for two years. Near the end of my 2022 visit, I looked out over the cove and went yikes! The perch had fallen down, no doubt collapsed by the weight of a pelican. And so it goes.

Billy Joel – And So It Goes

In every heart there is a room
A sanctuary safe and strong
To heal the wounds from lovers past
Until a new one comes along …

看和听视频采访的第4点16分。

The Background

我喜欢这张照片的背景。下面的2/3是一个小海湾或入口的水。上面的1/3部分是远处悬崖的壁(在我们的右边)，部分是一个大洞穴的开口(在我们的左边)。我消除了一系列分散注意力的亮点，然后用一层高斯模糊平滑一切。我用逆(全部隐藏，或黑色)图层蒙版覆盖它，并在需要的地方绘制一个大的软模糊效果，并采取步骤消除任何模糊的主题。

这张照片也是于2020年1月21日在圣地亚哥IPT上拍摄的。Again, I used the handheldSony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens(at 600mm) and the a9 II (now replaced by The One, theSony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera.) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) now properly in Manual Mode. AWB at 5:10:56pm on a partly cloudy sunny afternoon.RawDiggershowed the raw file brightness to be 1/3-stop too dark. Flexible Spot (M)/AF-C performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Brown Pelican — rear view of head and neck — abstract

你必须一直看到鸟的眼睛!或不呢?

你可能被教导永远不要按下快门按钮，除非你有一个体面地看鸟的脸，一只眼睛，或两只眼睛。你永远不会听到我说这话。

The Lesson

Disregard the “rules.” Always be open to making an image that looks pleasing or interesting to you. There is no charge for using the delete key.

这张照片于2022年1月22日在圣地亚哥/布朗鹈鹕和更多的IPT上拍摄。I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mountedSony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, theSony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the a7R IV (now replaced by The One, theSony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the thumb dial. ISO 640. 1/800 sec. at f/10 (stopped down 2/3 stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated inRawDigger,the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 10:04:51am on a typically sunny morning. Flexible Spot (M)/AF-C performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Brown Pelican — hind neck and part of bill pouch during head throw — abstract

Caught with My Pants Down

The last focal length you would want to be at for a spectacular head throw is 1200mm. You seemingly would be dead in the water. When that happened to me, I followed my oft-given advice: when unexpected action occurs, acquire focus and press the shutter button. I did and was rather pleased with the result. Best of course for head throws are intermediate or super telephoto zoom lenses.

This all-new card includes images created on my JAN 2022 visit to San Diego. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

2022/23赛季圣地亚哥布朗鹈鹕队(以及更多!)IPTs

San Diego IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS: WED 21 DEC thru the morning session on Saturday 24 DEC 2022. $2099.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers.

San Diego IPT #2. 4 1/2 DAYS: SAT 7 JAN thru the morning session on WED 11 JAN 2023: $2699.00. Deposit: $699.00. Limit: 6 photographers/Openings: 4.

圣地亚哥IPT #3: 3天半:1月20日周五至1月23日MON 2023上午:2099.00美元。存款:699.00美元。

Pleasee-mailfor information on personalized pre- and post-IPT sessions.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Ducks; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Northern Shoveler and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals and California Sea Lions (both depending on the current regulations and restrictions). And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls may be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains or healthy bread.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

不管你喜不喜欢，我们都要把曝光这件事打得落花流水。在每一个新的情况下，你都会听到我对曝光的想法，以及我对尼康和佳能直方图和索尼斑马的想法。不管你喜不喜欢，你都要学会在手动模式下工作，这样你每次都能获得正确的曝光(只要一只鸟给你10秒钟的光照恒定)。或者用索尼斑马玩两秒钟，你就会知道当光线不断变化时该怎么做。你对曝光的了解将是每一次IPT的一大收获。

虽然鹈鹕将是这个IPT节目的明星，将有许多其他英俊和迷人的主题在美妙的设置。点击合成图片欣赏大图。

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well, often with 70-200mm lenses! And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of those opportunities. Depending on the weather, the local conditions, and the tides, there are a variety of other fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

我有没有提过在冬天的圣地亚哥有很多伟大的鸟类和自然历史学科?点击合成图片欣赏大图。

The San Diego Details

这些IPTs将包括4到5个3小时的上午拍照会议，3到4个1个半小时的下午拍照会议，以及3到4个包括图像审查和Photoshop会议的工作早午餐。在罕见的阴天，我们可以根据领导人的决定，上午在外面开个长会，下午不去。为了确保早起，早餐将是你的责任。为了让我们睡个好觉，晚餐也由你们自己负责。在过去50年里从未发生过金鱼角因当地法规(或奇想)而关闭的极不可能的事件中，我当然会尽我最大的努力来最大化我们的摄影机会。

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Deposit Info

参加2022/23届圣地亚哥ipt考试需要交纳599美元的押金。您可以在这里寄支票(开给“BIRDS AS ART”)给我们:BIRDS AS ART，邮政信箱7245,Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385，或者用信用卡致电863-692-0906给办公室的Jim或Jennifer。Your balance, payable only by check, is due three months before the trip.

多样化无疑是圣地亚哥生活的调味品。点击合成图片欣赏大图。

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the landscape and seascape opportunities. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we many opt to stay out for five to six hours and skip the afternoon session.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free toe-mailor to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.