I think it appears in the 2014 April edition.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
First Place!
Found out that one of my gull images took first place in the Lake Erie Living Magazine.
I hate winter!
Well, here comes winter. In Cleveland that means my bird photography comes almost to a halt.
This is the time of year to start plans for 2014 goals and equipment upgrades.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Nickerson Beach Report
The drive to New York only took about 11 hours. I would've made it in 10 hours if it wasn't for an accident blocking two lanes of traffic. I arrived at the Best Western around 2:30pm and ran into Art Morris in the lobby. He called me Dave. Ouch!
Monday night was introduction meeting where Art and his partner Denise displayed some of their images and went over the plan for the next three days. Denise's images were pretty impressive.
As far as temperatures go, the first day was the warmest. The first day also killed me. Between the heat, being out of shape and sick, I needed help back to my car. From then I played it safe. The worse day was the third day. Morning temps were barely in the 60's and the winds were gusting up to around 30 mph.
The photography was great. Because of majority of time being under clouds, the group was pretty much out all day. There were terns, skimmers and oyster catchers everywhere. Even with about 14 in our group, it never felt that large. With Art and Denise there, asking a question or listening for advice was never a problem.
The only major mistake I made during the trip was setting my ISO to 3200, and not knowing about it, while photographing the Sanderlings. I came out with some great images, but the noise is just to much for me.
The funnest part for me was at the pond at the end of the parking lot. In a slight rain, I think I shot a couple hundred images alone just photographing the Skimmers and Terns as they dove and bathed in the water.
Being my first time there, it was a learning experience. My plan is to return again next year and being a year wiser, come away with even more great images.
Monday night was introduction meeting where Art and his partner Denise displayed some of their images and went over the plan for the next three days. Denise's images were pretty impressive.
As far as temperatures go, the first day was the warmest. The first day also killed me. Between the heat, being out of shape and sick, I needed help back to my car. From then I played it safe. The worse day was the third day. Morning temps were barely in the 60's and the winds were gusting up to around 30 mph.
The photography was great. Because of majority of time being under clouds, the group was pretty much out all day. There were terns, skimmers and oyster catchers everywhere. Even with about 14 in our group, it never felt that large. With Art and Denise there, asking a question or listening for advice was never a problem.
The only major mistake I made during the trip was setting my ISO to 3200, and not knowing about it, while photographing the Sanderlings. I came out with some great images, but the noise is just to much for me.
The funnest part for me was at the pond at the end of the parking lot. In a slight rain, I think I shot a couple hundred images alone just photographing the Skimmers and Terns as they dove and bathed in the water.
Being my first time there, it was a learning experience. My plan is to return again next year and being a year wiser, come away with even more great images.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Countdown to New York
My big trip to Nickerson Beach in New York is coming up in about a week.
So with the nice weekend, I thought I'd head for the Holden Arboretum and
get one last session in. I get there at 6:30am and its closed! Normally this place
is open by sunrise, but for some reason, not today.
Oh well.
So I head for North Chagrin.
All I had was my 300 and 1.4x because all I wanted to do was walk around.
I didn't want to get bogged down with my 600 and tripod. The good news
about Chagrin is that the berries are out, which means food for our aviary
friends.
The main attraction were the Grey Catbirds. There were at least 3 or 4 of
them jumping from branch to branch singing. You can find two of my favorites
on my site under Ohio-3.
I had to leave by 8am. The forecast was for partly cloudy. I got full sun. By 8
the sun was already to harsh. But I was still happy with what I captured.
So with the nice weekend, I thought I'd head for the Holden Arboretum and
get one last session in. I get there at 6:30am and its closed! Normally this place
is open by sunrise, but for some reason, not today.
Oh well.
So I head for North Chagrin.
All I had was my 300 and 1.4x because all I wanted to do was walk around.
I didn't want to get bogged down with my 600 and tripod. The good news
about Chagrin is that the berries are out, which means food for our aviary
friends.
The main attraction were the Grey Catbirds. There were at least 3 or 4 of
them jumping from branch to branch singing. You can find two of my favorites
on my site under Ohio-3.
I had to leave by 8am. The forecast was for partly cloudy. I got full sun. By 8
the sun was already to harsh. But I was still happy with what I captured.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Westlake
Had a great time at the Westlake center, showing my one hour Birds are People Too presentation.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Lens Alignment - Focus Tune
Since my lens is an old non IS 600 F4, I decided if any lens would probably need a micro adjustment, this would be the lens.
After a ton of searching I decided on the Lens Align MK II tool from Michael Tapes Design. So I ordered it and put it together in only a couple of minutes.
One of the things I quickly found out was, my eyes weren't what they use to be. I'd set everything up and it seemed the more I stared at the screen, the more I was seeing things :)
Luckily, Michael also has another product called Focus Tune. Simply, the photographer takes 4 shots at adjustments -20, -15, -10, -5, 0, 5, 10, 15, 20. Then let Focus Tune import the files and decipher what
might be the best value to use. That definitely saves my eyes :)
Everything works great except for one thing...the documentation...or more to the point, no documentation. At a minimum there should be a guide that comes with the software.
That brought up the next problem. Finding the 'correct' documentation. All I could find was the documentation for 1.0 with a note that 2.0 was being worked on. If your documentation isn't ready, don't release the software, cause that brought me to the next problem.
I was getting an error when I tried to have Focus Tune evaluate my images. I went to the web site and searched for the error. Turns out there is a 2.0 manual, but the only way I found it was via that thread
I was reading in the forum. Which as it turns out I found out I just wasted at least an hour of my time
because of new recommending settings.
Now I have to start all over again.
The tool and software, I'd give that an A. The documentation, I'll be generous and give it a D+.
After a ton of searching I decided on the Lens Align MK II tool from Michael Tapes Design. So I ordered it and put it together in only a couple of minutes.
One of the things I quickly found out was, my eyes weren't what they use to be. I'd set everything up and it seemed the more I stared at the screen, the more I was seeing things :)
Luckily, Michael also has another product called Focus Tune. Simply, the photographer takes 4 shots at adjustments -20, -15, -10, -5, 0, 5, 10, 15, 20. Then let Focus Tune import the files and decipher what
might be the best value to use. That definitely saves my eyes :)
Everything works great except for one thing...the documentation...or more to the point, no documentation. At a minimum there should be a guide that comes with the software.
That brought up the next problem. Finding the 'correct' documentation. All I could find was the documentation for 1.0 with a note that 2.0 was being worked on. If your documentation isn't ready, don't release the software, cause that brought me to the next problem.
I was getting an error when I tried to have Focus Tune evaluate my images. I went to the web site and searched for the error. Turns out there is a 2.0 manual, but the only way I found it was via that thread
I was reading in the forum. Which as it turns out I found out I just wasted at least an hour of my time
because of new recommending settings.
Now I have to start all over again.
The tool and software, I'd give that an A. The documentation, I'll be generous and give it a D+.
Monday, June 3, 2013
North Chagrin Reservation Going Down Hill
One of the near no hit misses in my area WAS North Chagrin Reservation. For the past, oh, about two years, it's been going down hill...fast!
I was there this past Saturday and the place looked awful. It's almost like nobody knows how to use a weed eater. In the back of the Nature Center is a garden that is setup for the birds. This place use to be beautiful. There were plenty of feeders. There were plenty of perches for the birds to land. There was even a little pond.
Now, it looks like a bunch of weeds. If the perches were still there, I couldn't see them because of the weeds. So it's a safe bet the birds couldn't see them either. I counted at least one seeder on the ground. The path around the garden is gone because of the weeds. The funny part is, they have the area surrounded by a fence, as if anybody would even dare to go in there in the first place.
At the pond itself, which was known for the wood ducks, has anything but wood ducks. If you're lucky, and I do mean lucky, you might find a pair of wood ducks. Otherwise, be prepared to look at a bunch of Canadian Geese.
Hopefully the cause of all of this is due to a fired groundskeeper and everything will be tended to soon. If not, and if I worked there, I'd be embarrassed to tell anyone that.
I was there this past Saturday and the place looked awful. It's almost like nobody knows how to use a weed eater. In the back of the Nature Center is a garden that is setup for the birds. This place use to be beautiful. There were plenty of feeders. There were plenty of perches for the birds to land. There was even a little pond.
Now, it looks like a bunch of weeds. If the perches were still there, I couldn't see them because of the weeds. So it's a safe bet the birds couldn't see them either. I counted at least one seeder on the ground. The path around the garden is gone because of the weeds. The funny part is, they have the area surrounded by a fence, as if anybody would even dare to go in there in the first place.
At the pond itself, which was known for the wood ducks, has anything but wood ducks. If you're lucky, and I do mean lucky, you might find a pair of wood ducks. Otherwise, be prepared to look at a bunch of Canadian Geese.
Hopefully the cause of all of this is due to a fired groundskeeper and everything will be tended to soon. If not, and if I worked there, I'd be embarrassed to tell anyone that.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Photoshop and the 'Cloud'
In case you haven't heard, Adobe will be offering their
products via
the cloud. The one product getting the most rif is
Photoshop. Basically
how it works is, no more hard copies of the software. You
download
Photoshop to your hard drive. You're then charged a monthly
fee to use
it. At the time of this entry, about $20 a month.
First, this isn't cloud computing even though this is the
term Adobe is
using. If it was cloud, the software would be on their
servers, not on
our hard drives.
If anything, it's more like leasing their software. As long
as you pay,
the software will work and will be updated. Don't pay and
Photoshop is deactivated. In other
words, it's kind of like activating your software for the
very first
time. It goes out to the internet and your software is
activated. Same
thing here, except it's doing it every 30 days for a fee.
I'm on the fence on how I'm going to proceed. Right now I'm
trying a 30
day free trial. For $20 a month it makes sense up until
about 2 1/2 years,
which is roughly the cost of the software itself. But after
that? Paying
$20 a month for an update here or there seems expensive.
Magee Marsh
This past Friday (March 10) was the big trip to Magee Marsh.
The
forecast was calling for 90% rain in Cleveland and Magee
Marsh.
Not good. I ran into some sprinkles at 6am while on my way
to
the meetup. Really not good.
Then, everything cleared! Actually, it cleared to much. With
the sun being out and the group arriving late in the
morning,
about 10am, the light was a little harsh.
Magee Marsh was crowded! The entire parking lot was almost
filled.
But the actual walk on the boardwalk wasn't that bad. I'd
run into
a crowd every now and then to get a look at a special
warbler,
but that's it.
The number of Warblers was decent, but the photography
wasn't. Most
of the birds stayed further back in the woods. I still
could've
snapped off a few, but they wouldn't have been up to my
standards.
I always find it amazing on the photographers out there,
with tens
of thousands of equipment and they're photographing a bird
covered
by branches and horrible backgrounds.
I also got a chuckle when another photographer made a
comment to me
that the only way to get a good bird photograph is by having
at least
$20,000 in photography equipment.
That's why my images are published and my presentations in
demand and
they're not. I understand that it's the photographer, not
the equipment.
If you have $20,000 worth of equipment but still photograph
into
the sun or don't even know how to read a histogram, you're
just embarassing
yourself.
I came away with a few nice images which is pretty much all
I was
expecting.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Covering the Distance
I'm going to talk about the lenses in my arsenal and their use.
To be ready for just about anything you need to have the necessary lenses to cover
just about any distance.
My primary lens is the 600mm. With my 1.4x that covers 840mm. With my 2x I can
reach 1200mm. My 600 is attached to my primary camera, the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV.
If the bird is 20+ feet out, I'm using this lens. I use it for everything from extreme closeups
to birds in flight.
My second camera, the Canon EOS 1D Mark III will usually find one of these lenses
attached to it...
Working from the other end I have my 24-105mm. I'll use this lens when a wider shot
is called for. For example I might pull this one out for sunrises or sunsets.
More times than not, the 70-200 F2.8 will be my lens of choice on my secondary. This
setup will help me capture any subject that's to close for my 600. With my secondary
on my shoulder via the Rapid RS-7 strap, all I have to do is reach down to my hip,
slide it up to my eye and snap the shutter.
My other lens is the Canon 300mm F4. If I'm going to a place I've never been before,
I'll take this with my Mark IV. For extra reach or birds in flight, I can add my 1.4x.
I use to use the Canon 400mm F.6 for what the 300mm does now. But I made the
switch for a number of reasons. One is I gain IS. Second, by adding the 1.4x, I gain
an extra 20mm in distance. Having the 300 and 1.4x combo is like having two different
lenses.
I use to have a 100-400mm F5.6. The lens was great and sharp. But one day as I was
researching my images captured with this lens, I came to the conclusion I was mostly
shooting at 400mm. With my 70-200 and a 1.4x covering most of that distance, that
prompted me to make the change to the 400 F5.6 and eventually the 300.
By doing so, I pretty much have every distance covered from 24mm thru 1200mm.
Be sure to view my website, http://www.thebirdphotographer.com/ for some great
images that were shot with these lenses.
To be ready for just about anything you need to have the necessary lenses to cover
just about any distance.
My primary lens is the 600mm. With my 1.4x that covers 840mm. With my 2x I can
reach 1200mm. My 600 is attached to my primary camera, the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV.
If the bird is 20+ feet out, I'm using this lens. I use it for everything from extreme closeups
to birds in flight.
My second camera, the Canon EOS 1D Mark III will usually find one of these lenses
attached to it...
Working from the other end I have my 24-105mm. I'll use this lens when a wider shot
is called for. For example I might pull this one out for sunrises or sunsets.
More times than not, the 70-200 F2.8 will be my lens of choice on my secondary. This
setup will help me capture any subject that's to close for my 600. With my secondary
on my shoulder via the Rapid RS-7 strap, all I have to do is reach down to my hip,
slide it up to my eye and snap the shutter.
My other lens is the Canon 300mm F4. If I'm going to a place I've never been before,
I'll take this with my Mark IV. For extra reach or birds in flight, I can add my 1.4x.
I use to use the Canon 400mm F.6 for what the 300mm does now. But I made the
switch for a number of reasons. One is I gain IS. Second, by adding the 1.4x, I gain
an extra 20mm in distance. Having the 300 and 1.4x combo is like having two different
lenses.
I use to have a 100-400mm F5.6. The lens was great and sharp. But one day as I was
researching my images captured with this lens, I came to the conclusion I was mostly
shooting at 400mm. With my 70-200 and a 1.4x covering most of that distance, that
prompted me to make the change to the 400 F5.6 and eventually the 300.
By doing so, I pretty much have every distance covered from 24mm thru 1200mm.
Be sure to view my website, http://www.thebirdphotographer.com/ for some great
images that were shot with these lenses.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Beginners Course in Bird Photography
Had a great time teaching the fundamentals in bird photography to 8 people at Penitentiary Glen this past Sunday... Even though Wendy spelled my web site wrong :)
The weather was great for our outdoor session. One of my images can be found on www.thebirdphotographer.com.
In May we go to Magee Marsh!
The weather was great for our outdoor session. One of my images can be found on www.thebirdphotographer.com.
In May we go to Magee Marsh!
Monday, April 1, 2013
Sandy Ridge Reservation
FINALLY! wtih some decent weekend weather, I made it out to Sandy Ridge
Reservation this past Saturday.
There wasn't to much action, but I did come away with a few nice shots. Those
can be found on my Ohio (page 3) page on www.thebirdphotographer.com at
the end.
I was dying to get out to try my new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. I paired it with
my Canon EF 5.6 lens. I have to say, I'm in love with this camera. I forgot my
drive was set at H. So the first time I pressed that shutter and rattled off 10
frames by accident, kind of started me :)
Unfortunately I couldn't shoot for too long because the sun was out at full strength,
which also restricted me to basically half of the marsh.
Reservation this past Saturday.
There wasn't to much action, but I did come away with a few nice shots. Those
can be found on my Ohio (page 3) page on www.thebirdphotographer.com at
the end.
I was dying to get out to try my new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. I paired it with
my Canon EF 5.6 lens. I have to say, I'm in love with this camera. I forgot my
drive was set at H. So the first time I pressed that shutter and rattled off 10
frames by accident, kind of started me :)
Unfortunately I couldn't shoot for too long because the sun was out at full strength,
which also restricted me to basically half of the marsh.
Beginner Bird Photography
On April 7 I will be giving a 3 hour presentation for the beginner
bird photographer. The first two hours will be my lecture and weather
permitting, the final hour we'll go out and practice.
The location is Penitentiary Glen. Registration closes on 4/4. The
fee is only $10.
http://reservations.lakemetroparks.com/programs/index.shtml?id=28688
I will also be the guest photographer for a trip in May to Magee Marsh
from the same location.
Contact me for more info or keep an eye here on www.thebirdphotographer.com.
bird photographer. The first two hours will be my lecture and weather
permitting, the final hour we'll go out and practice.
The location is Penitentiary Glen. Registration closes on 4/4. The
fee is only $10.
http://reservations.lakemetroparks.com/programs/index.shtml?id=28688
I will also be the guest photographer for a trip in May to Magee Marsh
from the same location.
Contact me for more info or keep an eye here on www.thebirdphotographer.com.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Watch Out for Tricky Kaspersky
I've been using what is considered the best anti-virus program around, Kaspersky Labs.
This is a warning that if you have Kaspersky and renew your license, double check your
credit card. Mine was double charged. One on 12/24 and the other charge on 12/26.
After numerous emails asking them to reverse one of the charges and getting no response,
I contacted the Better Business Bureau.
That at least got a reaction from them. But after promise after promise that they'd contact
me and get this right, I have heard nothing from them. So my next step is to have the
charge reversed.
So be careful.
Doug - Birds are People Too
http://www.thebirdphotographer.com/
This is a warning that if you have Kaspersky and renew your license, double check your
credit card. Mine was double charged. One on 12/24 and the other charge on 12/26.
After numerous emails asking them to reverse one of the charges and getting no response,
I contacted the Better Business Bureau.
That at least got a reaction from them. But after promise after promise that they'd contact
me and get this right, I have heard nothing from them. So my next step is to have the
charge reversed.
So be careful.
Doug - Birds are People Too
http://www.thebirdphotographer.com/
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