Why I shoot RAW - Again

Why I shoot RAW  - Again.

First, the disclaimers.

I generally set up my camera for the day to create both RAW and JPG images.  My reasoning is with JPGs, through the Snapbridge App I can download a file to my phone.  I can save it for later or share it.  That is the only reason.  I have the JPG setting for in camera processing to Vivid or Landscape.  That's it.  Nothing special after that.  I'm sure if I was living in JPG land, I could tweak the settings a bit more.  But I don't live in JPG land.

Truth is, most of the JPGs come out pretty well.  Nikon, as one would expect, does a nice job.  Especially if you give it something to work with.

But sometimes in more difficult environments - not so much.  And the reality is I'm not into quantity.  If I shoot 1,200 shots at an air show, I'm looking for the 10-20 best shots.  Most outings, I'm looking for 5 to 10 good shots.

And working with RAW files fits that mold.

The past two weekends, I've been enjoying Friday Night Lights football at the local high school.  And enjoyed every minute of it.  Last weekend, the sky was lightly overcast providing a lot of good light.  Last night was clear and a million.  (Very clear)  Harsh shadows.  The stadium is basically north-south.  With the stands on the west side.  When the sun is setting, the shadow comes across the field toward the aluminum seats.  Perfect setting for HDR - except for that tricky action-motion thing.

This is the story:  120 mm, 1/1,000 sec, f/5, ISO 360.

Metering is center weighted.  I use Auto ISO, so metering is taken into account.

The original RAW image:

Those stands are bright.  Let's see what the Nikon in camera processing does.

If there is improvement, I don't see it.

The original histogram:

Lot's of darks, but I'm guessing the camera won't adjust anything because of the lights blocking much movement.  JPGs are not designed to be manipulated.  You can, but with each subsequent save, there is data lost.  RAW files are designed to be manipulated.

The trick, for me anyway, is to manipulate the curves.  For aircraft photos, this is the tool for filling in shadows.  In the case of this shot - need more than filling in.  But this is what the curves will do.

Nix the highlights.  Pump the Darks.

The adjusted histogram:

I still have the highlights on the right, but I've evened out the darks.  You could make an argument that I could lighten the darks even more, which is true.  But I'm claiming artistic license here.  It's still in the shadows.  And I want to show the difference.

The adjusted shot:

Much improved.  For me anyway.  Doesn't look photoshopped.

Could you make such a drastic change with a JPG.  Maybe.  I would want to stake a one time only shot on it.  Again, RAW files are designed and meant to be manipulated.

And that is why I continue to shoot and 'develop' RAW files.  I can depend on the shot.  Unless I miss it.  Ha.

You have to laugh

You have to laugh when this happens.

And if this hasn't happened to you, you aren't trying hard enough.

The First KEH Transaction

The Heritage Flight Conundrum led to my first acquisition of a used piece of camera equipment.  Specifically a 80-400 lens.  A new Nikon edition goes for $2300.

The 200-500 is a great lens.  But.  It's 5 pounds to sling around.  It's a bit bulky to handle.  I could have used it in Charleston, only if I could put it down on occasion.  And it might be intimidating to the security folks.  The lens I used on the D500, 70-300 is OK.  Nice and light but I still end up cropping too much.  Could have used just a little extra reach on the C47/C17 Heritage Flight.  

Enter the 80-400.  On the D500, it will give me an effective 600 mm reach.  And it comes in at 3.5 pounds.  After 3 hours in the sun, that 1.5 pound savings will be a lot.

The 200-500 is a fixed f/5.6 where as the 80-400 is a f/4.5-5.6, so no real winners there.

Even though the 200-500 is sold as a hand hold-able lens, my best shots seem to have one common element, a monopod.  The 80-400 is made to be hand hold-able.

I did some research on KEH, mostly through threads on UHH.  No real negative complaints.  And so far I don't have any.  I bought a lens that was graded very highly.  When I looked at it today, no blemishes at all.  I took it out to the Park for a few test shots.  No cracks on an inner lens.  But all my shots were static.  I'll take it out to a nature refuge this weekend.  If I can, I work in on both the D500 and D850.

So far the transaction with KEH was great.  Let's see if the lens can match.

Infamy - Thoughts and Shots

It is hard to believe that 80 years ago, the war to end all wars was started.  I was not around, or even thought of, in that era and will not pass judgement on what happened or the response.  If those who were involved can find a way to live with what happened, I can.  It is strange that over the years, our enemies of the time have become our allies today and some of our allies at the time have seen it necessary to part ways with us today.

But what I take away from what I've been told about the time is the term 'greatest generation'.  What a shame it will be when the last are gone - and those with second-hand knowledge pass as well.  The further away we get from the era, the more likely is that history will fade and become blurred.  I think of the scene in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome where Max is 'rescued' by a band of feral kids and they recall what they know of history.  Maybe not be too far from the truth in the future.

I digress.  

I'm also about the air power that evolved during the conflict.  To survive, the process of design, production and creation had to be shortened.  Just about every aircraft had a modification in design in development when it rolled off the assembly line.  I think about all the change control I have in my paying job today.  I often joke about R&D in the field these days.  But in the early 40's, people lost their lives in aircraft crashes because of this accelerated practice.  But airpower was created and used and was a big part of final victory.

Again, I digress.

One of my favorite activities during an airshow is the Heritage Flight.  A Heritage Flight is a formation or two or more aircraft from different generations.  I have posted Heritage photos before:  Wings Over Northern Michigan Thunder Over Michigan (USN) Thunder Over Michigan (AF)  

Any flight formation of WWII aircraft will get my attention.  When I get out to Reno for the races, that seems to be the heart of aircraft restoration operations.  One of the groups that shows up is the Commemorative Air Force, Southern California Wing.  

The aircraft in these shots are a North American PBJ Mitchell, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat and a Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero.

Technically, no some of my better shots, but the memory of seeing the aircraft in flight makes the post worthwhile.

Radial piston engines with straight pipes, the sound of Music to me.

Honors to the Greatest Generation.

Droning on with Bob

A friend asked me a few days ago what I know about drones.  My knowledge is limited, but I have taken the on-line classes/tutorials on what is required to be a Commercial Drone pilot.   I know some of the rules, but as far as actually flying - I got nothing.  But will try most things at least once.

So his drone arrived last week.

After registering the drone with the FAA, we arranged to go to a local golf course for our test flying.  Tree colors are just starting to turn which would be great for photos and video.  The sky however was not optimal for most of the time we were out.  Occasionally the sun did clear the clouds.  Mid-Michigan.

While flying the drone was Bob's goal for the day, my goal was to get the Insta 360 One X2 out  for a drive.  This would be my second time out with the camera.  The first adventure is here:  Insta Video

I have a remote for the camera, which is not dependable.  Still learning the limitations.  But I did get lots of time captured - just not all the time I wanted.  But enough.

Back to the drone flying.

Although the identification would never hold up in court, this is someone not crashing an inflight drone.  Everything appears to be legal here.  The drone is under 400 feet in the air, going less than 60 mph and not flying over anyone.  

The drone flying was fun.  And we were successful.  For all the 30 minutes of flying we did, no crashing.

Now I just have to set up a price alert...  Ha

London Skydrive 2021 - and what could have been

You know, you try to do everything right.  And then from nowhere.....

I didn't see this coming.  Everything for the Skydrive 2021 show is on such a tight timeline for 72 hours.

I had my Covid test taken at a location that is not Rite-aid or Walgreens.  Or at Quest Diagnostics.  Or at some  local government establishment.  I chose an establishment that specifically said their testing was good for travel.   And they didn't lie - the test was what was required.

There was/is a problem though.  The sheet with the test results is incomplete for  Canada.  Simple omission.  Canada requires name with DOB, dates and time of the test, type of test and result of test.  All of that information was on the sheet provided.   And Canada requires the place where the test was administered.  And the place that is not Rite-Aid, Walgreens sheet did not have that information.

The test took more than 36 hours to process, taking another test was out of the question.

I called their support to see if another form was available where the test location might be mentioned.  I was able to get another form with a code of the testing location.  It was suggested by the support person that I have the border patrol person 'Google' the cade and the location would be found.

I have crossed the Canadian border enough times to respect the border agents and the job they do.  When I have the correct identification and follow the rules, it all works well.  I have seen a border crossing apprehension.  It isn't pretty.  I'm not going to ask an agent to 'Google' something.  I think that would make the visit very short.

Live to see another show - new motto.

Reno is in a couple of weeks.  While I'm 98% certain of travel, there are some issues I continue to watch.  There is a wild fire close by.  And as of today, the area is a Covid hot spot.  So the wait is on.  

Countdown to London Skydrive 2021

Many events claim to be the best.  Who really knows?  And who really tabulates the information?  I've never been asked about ranking events.  Well, that's not really true.  I never answer anything.

All that being said, the London air show, on paper, looks to be really good.  London Skydrive 2021.  I bought a ticket last year, but that didn't work out so well.  I bought my ticket for the 2021 show in April, long before the border was open.  Have to have a little faith.

Well, the border is open.  Not just drive though open though.  There are still a few hurdles to clear.  First is to determine the requirements for border crossing.  From what I've read, you have to (maybe should?) register your trip or crossing.  There is an app for this.  So I've created an account.  My trip can't be registered until 72 hours prior.  And I can't register the trip until I have proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of my border crossing.  And there different Covid tests.   And not all of them are recognized for border crossings.

The pre-trip has been an interesting learning journey.

As to the show, there is a photo pit.  And there are still tickets.  But.....  From what I can see, there isn't much benefit from the location.  You're not by your car, there is no shade provided.  You're on the tarmac.  On a possibly sunny day.  Been there, done that enough times, it can/will get HOT.  I need to see this before I invest.

As to the show, part II:  Line up looks fantastic.  Headliners are the Canadian Snowbirds and the Blue Angels.  Supporting cast include CF-18 Hornet Demo Team, F-16 Viper Demo Team, E-2C Hawkeye, C-2 Greyhound, KC-135 Stratotanker, P-8 Posiden, Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin and HC-144 Sentry.  And a E-3 Sentry (AWACS).

Lots of first timers for me.  The CF-18 Demo team should be great.  They can decal up an aircraft.  And the Snowbirds are supposed to put on an excellent show.

This may sound odd, but the aircraft I want to see most is the AWACS.  The AWACS takes me back to Okinawa.  The AWACS had a detachment there.  This is a memory lane trip for me.

This is from the early 80's.  Yes. they had color film back then.  I would sit on a hill overlooking the runways to take shots with my Minolta XG-1.  And the film would be developed by a local Japanese firm.  I spent a lot of Yen on bad photos.  Hopefully another item off the memory lane bucket list.

So the airshow, for me, will begin Wednesday.  I'll get the Covid test.  I should test negative.  And that might be the easy part.  Then the pressure starts.  The hard part will be to capture the props and helicopters as always.

And then be able to cross back.

The GoPro Story

 As early as two years ago I said, mostly to myself, that I'd never go Video.  And yet here we are.

Over the lockdown I became a fan of YouTube.  I went down many rabbit holes, losing up to 12 hours before thinking - maybe I should call it a day.  I learned about heavy vehicle recoveries in Sweden, ocean vessel recoveries all over the world, military aircraft get togethers called Tattoos and running low level flights in Star Wars Canyon and the Mach Loop.  I watched ATV riders in the US and Canada.  I learned neat tricks in Photoshop.  I watched World Cup Rally racing  all over Europe.  It's been wonderful.

Not that I'll ever make YouTube star status, but some elements of video look fun.  For now, I'm continuing on the still photography track.  But, if I can take take an action photo, and put it in context with a, say 5 second background video with sound if necessary, wouldn't that be somewhat 'cool'?  In my head, I see a F22 crossing in front of the crowd, pulling a multi-G nose up maneuver complete with vapor trails off the wing and I have a video of that 5 second move and in the middle I have one, two or three photographs of the moments that count.  And for a kicker, aircraft sound.  All that's missing is the heat on your face and the smell.

There is a lot to do to get here.  I know very little about videos.  I've made a few videos on ATV outings that are on YouTube.  Yes, I have a channel.  (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTaseYKoLNlodYmLqfEAlpA)

You could ask why I don't use the Nikons to shoot video.  Optical lenses vs digital lenses?  Not an argument worth bringing up.  I believe phones are phones, cameras in an emergency.  I believe cameras are cameras.  And as of now, the GP9 is a video device, not a camera.  Go with the strength.

I've had four video cameras, all relatively cheap, up to this point.  Strangely enough, I don't count my phone as a video device - and have not knowingly used the phone for that purpose.  I used some small unit, hand held unit that shot the Thunder on the Mountain videos.  I used a Panasonic unit attached to the front of my ATV for the first Drummond Island videos.  I used a Contour attached to my helmet for a number of ATV rides.  And the last iteration of the video adventure was a Sena Tube.

All were interesting for their time.  And over time the units had their own demise.  Time to move on.

I got the idea to marry video and still from others.  I've seen some awesome captures of low flying military aircraft through the Mach loop.  Google it.  Lottery bucket list.  There are some very creative YouTubers on that circuit.

The learning curve is not that bad.  The student however, another story.  YouTube has been a big help, with GP gurus offering their advice.  I have to be careful because most gurus want to talk to talk about becoming an influencer.  Not where I'm going.  But every video offered something to think about.

So I'm now experimenting with resolutions, frame rates and editing software.  I'm taking Monday off from the paying job, hopefully I'll be able to get out to the nature Refuge and work on my theories with some flying subjects.  At the end of the month I have some time off.  During that time is the Battle Creek Balloon fly in and Air Show.  Lots of airshow acts and....  The F22 Demo Team.  I'll be there at least one day.  And if my normal routine holds, I'll have to go back another day to fix my mistakes.

If any experimenting is worth posting about - it will be here.

Merlin (AI) and eBird

I try to leave the paying job out of this blog as much as I can.  Usually any mention is that it is a necessary evil to fund the photography hobby or that the hours required have prevented me from attending some photo related activity.  And not that the following will shower praises on the paying job, just an interesting intersection of job and hobby.

I've spent the past few weeks taking classes, taking tests and earning certifications in the web world for both IBM and AWS.  The track I'm on is for administration, not programing.  Fascinating stuff.  Because of my relationship with IBM, I am very familiar with Watson and the technology.  Watson gained fame by competing on the Jeopardy game show - against a human.  Enter into the world of deep learning.  Artificial Intelligence.  AI.  With massive amounts of data available, you have AI to sift though the data to get the answers of the world.  And if IBM has it, so do AWS, Google, Microsoft and the rest.

For the faint of heart in privacy concerns, you may not like the following.  If you didn't know this already, facial recognition software is available to the masses.  With the stroke of a pen on a check, you to have the ability to run any kind of recognition application.  Yep, even facial.

The world of AI encompasses more than just facial.  And that's where work crosses with hobby.  It appears that many in the birding community also have a hobby of photography.  So there has to be millions of  bird photos floating around the web and other databases.  And most are probably correctly identified.  And this is where deep learning, AI and your phone all come together.  The best parts of the web, coming together.

Cornell Labs, part of the Cornell university in NY, has created a network that birders can use to log species seen plus information such as date and location.  In return, Cornell Labs has an unpaid data stream to its databases.  And eBird is born.  And that's all well and good, and here's the really good part.  Another way into the eBird database is an app called Merlin.  When I hear Merlin, I think of Wizards and Aircraft engines.  Closer to the Wizard part, this app will help you identify what flying critter you just saw.  And if you happen to have a photo of said flying critter, even easier.  All on your phone.  Easy peazy.

So I'm now a member of the eBird community.  And frequent user of Merlin.

Nikon, DSLR and Old Age

The photography interest for me started a long time ago.  My maternal grandfather took numerous photos on many world trips, either business or pleasure.  His chosen field was chemical engineering.  As I understand it, he did some of the developing himself.  My father was also somewhat of a photo bug as well.  Call it destiny.  The journey to Nikon had a much less formidable start.  I remember my dad showing me a Nikon camera he had just purchased in the 60's.  Devil made me do it, he said.  Boom, hooked.  In the early 80's, while stationed at Kadena AB I purchased a Minolta XG-1.  I was mesmerized for the 'on board' computing that gave a visual indication of the selected settings and if your exposure was correct.  And I bought the 'speed winder', a device that would automatically advance the film after a shot was taken.  The sound was hypnotic.  Three frames in two seconds.  Press the button just to hear it.

Move to the 90's, a job that provided some disposable income and need of a hobby.  The digital photography age was starting.  Bought the D80 from an appliance store.  And the digital journey started.  With no knowledge.

The decision to stay with Nikon was easy.  Top quality glass and an easy transition from the D80 to the D90, to the D7200, to the D500 and D850.  In the period starting between the D7200 and D500, started acquiring 'better' glass.  Not professional level, but better than kit.

I have a lot invested with Nikon.  To change lanes now would be a financial loss to a hobby that generates zero dollars.

Why would I think of changing lanes?  I have my dream kit.  But if someone who was just starting out would ask me what to look at or get, my answer would probably be "Not Nikon".

The answer has nothing to do with design or quality.  The answer mostly has to do with the direction of Nikon, the corporation.  

Photography, as it was ten years ago faces tremendous pressure from cell phones.  Although higher end DSLRs can produce technically much better images, who can tell the difference between a really good photo and a stunningly great photo?  Along with the cameras going digital, the presentation medium moved from print to LCDs.  I think this also favored the growth of the cell phone photography as well.

The DSLR design is changing as well.  The DSLR design came from the film SLRs.  With micro technology, it was inevitable that all that internal glass would just get in the way.  Mirrorless was on the way.

Nikon seems to have missed reading the mirrorless trend.  Nikon is now moving in the mirrorless direction with new camera models every 12-18 months.  There are 5 to 7 new Z mount lenses released every year.  Nothing on the F mount front.  But Nikon is in the also ran category for mirrorless now. As Nikon has lost DSLR market share over the last 10 years, the new announced direction is to focus more on the professional level gear.  To me, that is short term thinking.  You're not going to get a loyal following by forgoing a 'learning' or entry platform.  I could not in good conscious tell someone looking to learn photography to begin with Canon and then switch to Nikon when you go pro.

The recent news that Nikon was paring down its warranty is not good and has not been received by the Nikon nation as favorable.  I am fortunate, so far, to have never needed the services of Nikon repair/warranty.  But looking forward, that just isn't a good business sign.  I read today where a Nikon protest in Japan is scheduled at their HQ this year by international users.  That's not a good business plan.

So, where does my relationship with Nikon go from here?  Status quo.  My goal for the photography hobby was to have the dream kit built by the time I retire.  Retirement is not that far away.  Mission accomplished.  Unless I win the lottery, there isn't the time to sell the current inventory, at a loss, and go in another direction.  I like the way things are now.  I like the DSLR.  Spare me the arguments about how much better the mirrorless model is.  You might be right.  People still drive old muscle cars as well.  But I would never suggest to start there.

The super batteries arrived - and other 3rd party thoughts

When I was researching the D850, for about two years, one of the things you find out is that it is advertised with regards to FPS (Frames Per Second) in two ways.  Either you will find 7 FPS or 9 FPS.  Both values come with an asterisk.  

Out of the box, the camera will do 7 FPS.  One may say that 7 FPS is not a lot by today's standards.  I would counter that the internals are pushing a 46 mg file across its innards.  That is approximately double what most other cameras push.  That's OK - it has its purposes.  If you need a higher FPS rate, step up to the D5 or D6.  Or in my case, pull out the D500.  But if you want to step up to 9 FPS on the D850, you need to add a bigger battery.

Without getting into battery electronic terms, the number of shots per charge is what matters most.  And in the murky mist that is numbers of shots per charge testing I found there are plenty of parameters involved, none of which I experience.  And looking in the back of the OEM (Original Manufacturer Equipment) User's Manual the information can be mind boggling as well.  But wait, there's more!  There are a double set of numbers based on shooting habits.  OK - in the end your mileage may vary.  But what you can tell is using the EN-EL18 battery, you get almost double the number of shots than you can with the EN-EL15 standard battery.  But wait, there's more!  Using the EN-EL18 battery will get you the boost from 7 FPS to 9 FPS.  Battery life is one thing, after-burner performance when needed is another.

According to some Nikon users on the web, the AF is also faster with the EN-EL18 battery.  Will it wash my truck as well?

I don't get it.  Is Nikon saying that for a few extra bucks you can 'legally' boost the camera performance?  I guess so.  Once you start down this road, in for a penny - in for a pound.  The few extra bucks is actually more than a few.  And this is where we get into 3rd party offerings.  To house the battery upgrade, the appropriate Nikon battery grip is required.  As a personal preference, I like Nikon's battery grip.  Feels better in the hand.  But Nikon's accessories are over expensive.  Their business model.  Necessary evil to deal with.  I tried a 3rd party grip on the D90.  I wasn't overly impressed.  So, it was OEM battery grips after that.  Just added to the total price.  The EN-EL18 batteries aren't cheap either.  They are designed for the D5 and D6 models, flagship level.  If you think if it that way, I get it.

But all this is nothing compared to the biggest insult by Nikon to it's users.  To charge the EN-EL18 is extremely expensive.  It is a deal breaker.  I'm usually reluctantly on board with Nikon's pricing.  I'm sure it is close to the other DSLR lines at the professional and flagship level.  But the battery charger for the EN-EL18 battery was $450 when I first started looking.  It is a normal battery charger - you get them for $20 at the hardware store.  OK, so the batteries may be more technical that the Energizer Bunny's brand, but $450?  Thus began the 3rd party conundrum.

I'm not going to put 3rd party accessory or lens on my camera.  That's just me.  But I won't lose sleep using a 3rd party charger.  So I did reviews on the 3rd party charger.  What did we do before YouTube? 

One of the nice things about matching up the D850 and the D500 is they are from the same generation.  I think the announcement dates for both models are about six months apart.   The design is the same in both units, the feel is the same, the menu is virtual identical.  The USB and the #1 data slots are the same.  Fortunately the battery grip design for both is pretty much the same.  And so the D500 will take the EN-EL18 battery as well.  As to performance differences, according to Nikon the EN-EL18 battery will more than double the number of shots per charge over the EN-EL-15.  Doesn't up the D500's 10 FPS.

So the two new batteries are here - and they are charging.  Fingers are crossed that the house doesn't burn down due to the battery charger.  (It will not be left charging unattended.)  

The Club's Covid Challenge

Almost a year ago to the day, the photo club which I participate had its last in person meeting.  At the time we didn't know that the meeting end would start a year before - well nothing yet.  There was a glimmer of hope as last night we tried a Zoom meeting.  There were a few brave souls in attendance.  It was good to see them all.

The bad news is we're not much closer to meeting in person again.  The location where we had meetings isn't open to the public yet.  Realistically, I don't see us meeting in person again until after our summer break is over in August.  Vaccinations will be had by all, and more importantly the post-meeting restaurant will be available again.

The good news.  Some of us will get together tomorrow to Eagle chase and chat.  The day is forecasted to be sunny, but brisk.  (Mid-20's but coming from a week in the low teens, brisk it is.)  We'll be outdoors so the ventilation will not be an issue.  And we'll observe the all important distance restrictions.  More than six feet, but closer than yelling distance.

And better news for me, this Eagle location will be new to me.  Intel says the Eagles are 'nesting'.  A good time is promised for all.  The location should be prime Eagle viewing area.  Flint City landfill close by and a pretty good creek in the area.  So just looked at the cameras.  Batteries are charged.  EV set to 0.  (You'd be surprised how many time I screw that up!  Or maybe not....)  I see a lot of walking in my Saturday future.

Another agenda item from the meeting was everyone 'send in' their five best Covid era  photos.  These don't have to be Covid related, thankfully, but show that at least for a few times we got out of the house.  Unless you have some bird shots from the inside.  Two months ago, I posted my best of 2020 shots.  Unless I had some better shots in 2021 - I have my pool of shots to choose from.  As it turns out, I do have a good shot already this year.  And I have more that five shots in the year end post.  And I want to spread out the interests.  So my five for the club challenge.

In May, after the initial lockdown release I made a few trips to the Shiawassee Nature Refuge.  In one of the trips I found an Eagle sitting on a dead tree overlooking the Shiawassee River.  Luckily, no one behind me.  Just stop - and enjoy the sight.  I was able to take a series of shots of the Eagle in the tree and in flight.  The Eagle flight path was almost eye level.  And because of Covid, I was still breaking in the 200-500 lens.

In May, I started going to the Michigan Barrel Racer's events.  Weather was heating up, nice to get out and about.  I made it out to three of the events.  I also made it out to some Hunter/Jumper events.  It was tough to pare down to only one photo in the horse photos.  I had some nice shots at the H/J events, but only nice to me.  I need to work on framing a better shot.  I had way too much non-subject junk in the shots.  Too much to clean up.  I did better at the Barrel events.  Again, getting to one shot was an exercise, but in the end I went with this one.  Background could be better, but that is what it is.  The subject fills the frame, by my standards anyway.  I like dirt flying, horse body defining and hair explosion in this shot.

I backed into a new subject to shoot during the summer, BMX bike racing.  Our local park has a pretty nice track.  The first time I went out, the place was alive and colorful.  Team colors and tents.  Racers all over the place.  And some were hitting the high jumps.  Close to home, I could spend an afternoon there when I was working on-call.  In November, after the published season was over, we had a nice Michigan weekend.  Plenty of sun - and a race was put together.  I had just picked up the D850, putting an end to the failed D780 experiment, and needed some shots.  At the same time, I picked up a 70-200 f/2.8 lens which also needed a test run.  It all came together.  This shot was a sleeper to me.  But I voted it the best shot of  2020.  Really looked good on the monitors.  That carries more weight than you'd think.

On New Year's Day, we had a wonderful early morning snowfall.  No wind.  Snow on the branches.  Lots of snow on the branches.  After clearing off the driveway, there had to be some photo ops somewhere.  I found my way to one of the county parks.  In the park is a bridge that crosses the Flint River.  I thought this would be an excellent view for the day.  As I was walking around, two kayakers came into view.  The shot is easily the front runner for Best of 2021.

The final entry on the Club Challenge is somewhat odd.  Again, in January the only game in town was "small" birding.  I found a nice area where small birds would congregate.  Or whatever it is called when birds of all demographics get together.  When I returned home to review the day's shots I had to look up a number of the subjects.  I am so small bird ignorant.  One I didn't have to look up was the Robin.  I was walking down the trail, having a stare down through the lens with this one when he/she/it took to the air.  Awesome effect.

Those are my five Covid Era shots to share with the club.  And maybe tomorrow - I might have to add another.

The Aperture Factor - Path to a sharper image

 Over the years I've had many philosophies on how to approach my everyday photography.  With every new venture out in the field, or new subject identified, that philosophy changes.  Usually just a little bit at a time.  Some time ago, I started to drift into getting the sharpest image possible.  That sounds bad, like I started with getting the most out of focus image I could and I would be happy with it.  Like all things photography, we're talking degrees.  If we understand how and why aperture is a factor in our environment - those degrees will start to fall in our favor.  And the path to a sharper image started.

First, what is aperture?  Aperture, along with shutter speed and ISO are the three main factors that balance our images.  Aperture is what controls the amount of light in the process.  In my opinion, in most circumstances, control of aperture is the most important factor in the balance.  You would think that in shooting my favorite subjects shutter speed would be my initial consideration, but it is not.  And I'll cover how I got to that statement.  

Technically, aperture is the term associated with the opening of the lens diaphragm.  Sorry if this takes you back to high school but the opening measurement is a geometry thing.  The measurement of the opening (area) is pi = radius squared.  Same for all lenses.  That number becomes part of the focal ratio.  It is the number we control in this ratio.  The second number in the ratio is related to the focal plane and some higher level physics that honestly confuses me.  So, since I can't do much about it - I ignore it.  But the focal ratio morphs into the term we associate to aperture setting, f-number.  The f-number is the reciprocal of the relative aperture (the aperture diameter divided by focal length (1)).  And in photography slang, f-stop.

And what a photographer needs to know in the field as a camera operator is the lower the number the camera displays the larger the diaphragm opening.

And what a camera operator needs to know in the field as a photographer is how the diaphragm opening affects the photographic process.

And here is where we get into degrees.  In some of these areas, we're going to get into trade-offs.  If you gain here, you might lose something there.  

What does having a lower f-stop value do for you?  Easy answer, lets in more light.  I'm a big fan of more light.  More light, faster shutter speed and lower ISO.  It's all good - except.  Yea, that pesky Depth of Field thingie.  I could probably do an entire post on DOF but for now at the most simple definition is DOF is what is sharp in a photo.  Small f-stop number, large diaphragm opening, short DOF.  Physics, nothing artsy about it.  

The characteristics of the lens are very important.  Your purchase of a lens is based on the max aperture (largest diaphragm opening).  The max aperture is part of the lens name.  I could devote another post on how to read how lens' name.

But DOF is the easy answer when asking what does the aperture setting control.  However there are other considerations when answering that question as well.  And this is where we get into degrees.  Most of the degrees we're talking about here can't be seen, unless you are looking for them.

A camera lens is designed to let light through.  But the last object on light's way through the lens is the restricting diaphragm which is controlled by the f-stop set by the photographer.  And that's where the light gremlins strike.  A small (maybe) list of other aperture setting characteristics.

Auto-Focus:  Most newer cameras autofocus with the aperture wide open.  Right before the shutter is activated, the diaphragm moves as selected.  If your camera's auto focus does not do this, as the aperture is closed down autofocus may suffer.  When looking at reviews for the 200-500, I considered Tamron and Sigma's lenses in the same category.  Many of the reviewers would go into AF and the best situations for each lens.  Again, degrees.

Diffraction: Diffraction is a physics concept that happens when the path light takes to the sensor is altered.  Light is 'managed' through the lens by various internal lenses.  The path is is even more complicated in a zoom lens configuration.  But light is managed until it hits the diaphragm.  You can think about light going through a lens like water going through a hose.  With no attachment at the end of a hose, water flows freely in a smooth stream.  Put any attachment at the end of the hose, and the water flow is altered disrupting the smooth stream.  From this analogy you can tell that the more restrictive the opening at the end of the hose, the more the water flow is altered.  In a previous discussion we had about noise on the sensor, this also disturbs the light on the sensor.  Remember, we're talking about degrees of disruption here.  A photo shot at f/22 is still useable.  There are situations where f/22 might be a necessity such as everything needs to be in focus.  But if you're using f/22 for something else, there are probably alternatives.  Diffraction isn’t a huge problem, but it exists. For me, I try not to drift above f/8.  I try to be conscious of what my DOF needs to be and change accordingly strictly for diffraction considerations.  But if I need to make the DOF tradeoff, I will.  And the photo will still be fine.  Just when pixel peeped, not as fine.

Added diffraction note:  There is a multiplied effect on a sensor smaller than full frame.  On my D500, the crop factor is 1.5.  With a full frame lens, 50 mm is 75 mm.  With a DX lens on the D500, f/11 would be roughly equivalent to f/17 in a full frame environment.  Not sure what the effect is when I use a FX lens on a DX sensor.  As most diffraction occurs around the edges of the frame, the smaller sensor takes it's light from the center of what light is let through the lens.  Edges are not captured because it falls outside the sensor area.  The situation is probably close to a wash.  Degrees again.

Lens quality/Aberrations:  Aberrations are fun to talk about.  For me, aberrations are issues with photos that I didn't cause by poor technique or over thinking the situation.  Aberrations for this discussion can be characterized as optical issues.  Stuff you can't fix.  Hubble telescope, original version, stuff.  As mentioned in the previous paragraph, aberrations are more common in the corners of the frame.  Some common aberration types are spherical aberration, field curvature, coma, distortion, astigmatism, color fringing.  So how does the aperture setting inflict this much damage?  Simple, the diaphragm blocks light by closing the light path area from the outside.  Take light away from the outside edges.  The edges of the frame is where the disruption happens.

Dust specs:  Dust specs tend to show up more with smaller aperture openings.  For dust specs on your lens, mostly DOF.  A dust spec that close to the sensor is a bit larger that a dust spec at 10 feet.  And dust specs will show up on a sensor at f/16 before they show up at f/4.

So what does this mean?  Take a breath.  It's all good.  If you need f/16 - use it.  But know what f/16 will cost you.  The photo will still be fine.  But if you are taking a landscape shot where you need full focus, you can use f/22 - or learn photo stacking.  If you want to block light, try a neutral density filter.  I try to keep my apertures in the f/3 to f/5 area.  And as mentioned before, I'm willing to trade a higher ISO for that setting.  I set my aperture first - which would make it the most important setting.

See how I tied that up?  It's all good.

It's a New Year!

It may not mean much - only 24 hours from this time in 2020.  But it is a big deal.  Mentally.

For the paying job, lots of good projects to keep me going through 2021.  I don't see much that will take extra weekend time.  That's good.  Will be able to get out more.

For photography I do have a few things for New Year's Day that need to be attended to.  Administrative stuff.

First, I have to change all my copyright information from 2020 to 2021.  I have a simple copyright statement set in the camera.  I also have a more elaborate statement in Photoshop.  I usually add the statement from Photoshop on my posted shots, but just in case I forget the camera statement will do.  And you would be correct in rolling your eyes at this point, yep if they're going to lift it the copyright won't stop 'em.

I also change my camera file names every year.  A few years ago I needed to come up with a method to segregate photos taken from different cameras.  Without using more directories.  I can set the first three characters in my file names.  This is what I came up with.  The first character is the year.  A=2018, B=2019, C=2020 and E=2021.  Yep, I skipped D.  One of Nikon's default file names begins with DSC.  I have plenty of older files that begin with DSC.  The second character corresponds to the event of the year.  The first event I go out to in 2021 will be A.  The next event will be B.  And the last character will be the camera, 5=D500 and 8=D850.  For each camera, that would be EA5 and EA8 to start the year.

I also reset the four digit values to start the year.  I haven't had to reset the counter during the year, but am not opposed to doing so.  I can see later in the year if I've gone to a few air shows and knocked out a few thousand shots at each that I might do a reset.  Not sure I'd take well to the camera doing a reset on its own.  Ha, and yes - I do think about it at that level.

I also take the time to check and update the firmware in the camera.  

In early December I saw both cameras had updates available.  For both the big update was for both cameras to accept CFexpress data cards in the XQD slot.  Theoretically a CFexpress card is faster than XQD - but at speeds that my cameras can't use.  And the price at this time is not any different.   But XQD is primarily a Sony thing and fairly proprietary.  The CFexpress may be more non-proprietary.  And I live by that.  So, won't be throwing away the XQDs just yet.

Other updates fix a flash issue on the D500, which I don't use, and menu changes in the D850.

So now that all that is done, the cameras are ready for 2021.  And so am I.  Bring it on.

Lemonade - Looking at 2020 in the Rearview Mirror

 And looking forward to 2021!

If there ever was a time to try to make lemonade out of lemons, 2020 was the poster child year to do so.

Travel restrictions and social distancing took a toll on my photography excursions.  

I missed out on what I'm trying to make as an annual trip to South Carolina in spring to thaw out from the Michigan winters - and take in an early air show.  I missed out on a trip to North Carolina, to another air show, but to be with family and the next generation's introduction to air shows.  And I missed out on the annual Reno Air Races trip.  I'd added something new for 2020, that was going to my own back yard to the Thunder over Michigan Air Show - Photographer's Package.  

There are no train, full size #1225 or HO scale at the Detroit Model Railroad Club, photos this year.

You don't know what you've got 'till it's gone.  (Big Yellow Taxi - I don't know the Cinderella version lyrics.)

I did get out to the Nature Refuge, when it was open.  The Park was closed more than normal early in the season.  More importantly, the outhouses were closed all year.  That's another issue.

I did get out to some equestrn.., - ah, horse related events.  The Barrel Racing riders got out after missing a few early season events and the Hunter/Jumpers soon followed suit.  I didn't mind going to those.  Outdoors and I could keep my distance as necessary.

I found two new interests - or a good way to spend an afternoon close by.  There is a BMX track less than 5 miles from the house.  And, within an hour away are some R/C Aircraft opportunities.  

I started to get into a full frame experience with a D780.  Problem was the camera was so different than the D500, both in design and menu.  So late in the year, swapped the D780 for a D850.  Much happier.  I also picked up a couple of trinity series f/2.8 lenses during the year.  So whenever I can get out and about more freely in 2021, lots of experimenting to do.

And in other experimenting news, I picked up a neutral density filter, 3 stops, primarily for prop driven aircraft.  There was some math involved to arrive at 3 stops, and appears I hit it right.  There was a low flight of T-6 class aircraft earlier this year and with the big lens at f/5.6 - the blur was excellent.  The only thing slower than a T-6 prop is a helicopter rotor blade.  Worry about that when it happens.

I don't have any 'best of' shots for this year.  Like every other season this year, there will be an asterisk by 2020.  But I do I have some favorites.  So, with the year in the rearview mirror:

(Flint Firebirds) Hockey:

I really enjoyed going to the Flint Firebirds games last season.  Arena is 15 minutes away and the ticket prices are just right.  The lights in the arena are OK for taking photos.  And the best part is you can bring in a camera.  No limits to the equipment from what I can tell.  I am looking forward to going again with the 70-200 f/2.8 lens.  The lens was built for this.  But the kit I had last year also did the job well.  I usually got to chat with nice people - the universal language of hockey.  And Flint hockey is pretty nice.  I was choosy on my seat reservations, picking different locations all the time.  Plus I could walk around.  These are two of my favorite shots from this year.

This first shot was a big surprise.  My seat was front row.  I'm not sure how this worked.  Right up against the glass.  Less than 4 feet away from me.  This happened so fast.  And it was in focus.  And it fills the screen.  And you can see the reflections of the Firebirds jerseys being worn by the people in the row across the isle from me.  Awesome screen saver.

For this next shot I was sitting right behind the net.  In this sequence I could see the play developing and coming right at me.  This is the middle of a three shot burst.  As with the first hockey shot, the glass is scratched and smeared with puck stuff and I wasn't sure it was a keeper past myself.  But showing it to others, the feedback was they didn't notice the distractions as much as I did.  They were focused on the subject.

I hear the OHL will fire up again this year.  Not sure if I'll be able to get to another game this year, but will certainly try to get out.  Looking forward to keeping the dream alive.

This next shot is of the Pittsburgh skyline, the weekend prior to the national lockdown.  The news was spreading that a lockdown was on its way.  Sad time, but a beautiful day to walk along Mt. Washington.  I had just received the D780 and had only one good lens for it, a 50 mm.  Still turned out great.  The barge was the icing for sure.

I use this shot for my work Zoom background.

When the D780 first arrived, I traveled to St. Joseph (MI) to photograph the navigation light.  This is a favorite spot for me.  Lots of water and subject.  The day was nice and sunny - the the light off the ice formations was really good.  I saw a few fisher people out on the walkway.  The ice cover walkway.  Anyway, I saw this pole against the railing.  Turned out well.

Freshwater ice.  Nothing like it.

I did get some shots of aircraft, very few compared to past years.  There were a few days where the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels were flying over cities to salute the first responders.  And for the Blue Angel's flight in Detroit, if I drove an hour south I would be at the northern most point for the published route.  As with any routes, it was a guess where the best sights would be.  Luck was with me, as they flew right over the parking lot where we were.  Being over a populated area, no AB sound.  But that's OK - I'll take what I can get.  Sound for lacking ears.

Seriously, that was overhead.  Directly overhead.  I almost fell backwards.

A few days later, a flight of T-6 Class aircraft were flying around mid-Michigan for the same purpose, to salute the first responders.  The T-6 class is my favorite photographic subject at the Reno Air Races.  Big, slow, colorful.  Photographer's dream.  But the class also has the slowest propeller rotation of the race classes as well.  Photographer's nightmare.  To help me along, I acquired a three stop ND filter - and this was my first outing with it.  If I calculated the stops right, we would see prop blur.

I think the ND filter worked.

To the Birds:

Early in the spring, we had blue birds at the house for the first time that I can remember.  This is shot right out of the office window.  The blue birds made a three day appearance, so I was ready on day three.  I had one shot, great shot, of a blue bird in a tree.  Except there was a wayward branch fight across the bird.  I'm pretty good at removing 'distractions', but it never worked right in this case.  But the sequence is worth mentioning in 2020, just to show there is other life.  Plus the wood grain on the house is interesting.

Meanwhile out at the Refuge:  The Refuge was closed for the lockdown for a few extra weeks.  But that too passed and the drive was opened up.  And the usual cast of characters were there.  No avian lockdown.  One of the first shots I could take was a heron with the 200-500 lens, and it wasn't that far off.  Crystal clear - sharp as can be.  And kudos to the bird, it stayed rock sold still.

Also at the refuge are a number of pelicans in residence.  They usually don't stray close to the road.  This year with the bigger lens, I could get to them and not have to crop too much.  This is a 'sleeper' photo for me.  When working with it, I was so-so on using it.  But when I see it full screen on the monitor, I'm very happy with it.  Lots of great colors with a cloudless sky.  And that sky reflecting on the water.

That's just fun.

And for this year's Eagles:  On the west side of the Refuge Drive, I saw an Eagle looking for a meal in the Shiawassee River.  The Eagle was perched in a dead tree over the river.  The Eagle didn't notice the car in front of me, and those car occupants returned the favor.  Lucky me.  The Eagle was close to eye level, or closer than I have been in the past.  I was there for about ten minutes.  Lucky for me, no trailing cars.

And after it was tired of sitting there, time to cruise for dinner.

I may never be in position again for shots like this.  Just amazed I didn't miss the series.

My best Eagle photo for the year, IMO, was taken at Richfield Park, just a few minutes away from where I live.  There is an active nest there, and it is a nice place to retreat to when I have only a few minutes to get away.  I didn't miss this shot.  I was afraid I did.  After taking the shot, I reviewed it in the camera monitor the is very small, but sharp.  I could zoom in on the bill and see it was in focus.  Very, very happy.  I showed this to a confirmed bird watcher in the club and his comment was you often don't see a photo of the Eagle in this position.  Keeper.

One of the events I looked forward to getting out to was the horse events.  They were the first to open up after the mandated lockdown.  They were outdoors, they were out in the open so I could manage my distance.  And they were in the sun.  I made it to a few barrel racing events and a few hunter/jumper events.  I have a lot of work to do on my future shots - right now I get too much uninteresting scenery.  I need to understand what a good frame is.  This first shot is barrel racing, and this is close to filling the frame.  Lot's of detail.  

From the Hunter/Jumper events, this was by far my favorite.  But needed a bigger lens.  Too much extraneous crap in the shot.  I saw the offset horse's head and how the rider was looking around.  Never the less, still a favorite on the screen saver loop.  And the ever popular all hoofs off the ground criteria is met.

And for the new subjects:  R/C Aircraft and BMX Racing.

So looking for things to do, these popped up on my radar.  For the R/C Aircraft, I was web surfing around and wound up seeing a near-by event.  And the BMX racing is just up the road, where I had seen the track before but never when it was in use.  Again, outdoor activities.

For the BMX racers, it is great to see an event that is open to people of all ages.  And to see the kids competing is just great.  And kudos to the pit crews.  

This first shot is just a couple of kids dueling it out on a practice lap.

On my first outing at the track, there were a few kids taking the 'big air' jump.  From where I was sitting I didn't have the right set-up to get a close up.  I would not make that mistake again.  And I would not see this rider combo again.  But I do like this shot - and on the screen save loop it is OK.

That high - on bicycles.  Wow.

There aren't too many restrictions on where I could go at the track and for this shot I could get pretty close to the jump - and somewhat lower so the jump was over me.  This just plain worked for me.

For the R/C Aircraft, I found my way to an event at a park close by, with a large lake, where I could expect to see a number of aircraft.  This was a four day event - where I could get to the Thursday and Friday flights.  The paying job ruled out Saturday and Sunday attendance.  Lots of fun watching flying craft and water, what could go wrong?

I learned a lot with some of these photos.  Usually most of my shots have one subject.  And that is all.  But with some of these shots, I have a somewhat secondary subject that fills in the story.  

There is a lot going on here and if there was a 'Best of' award this year, this would be in contention.  Less is more.

And with the same aircraft, one of the most interesting was the aircraft achieving flight and seeing the water returning to the lake, draining off the pontoons.  For some reason, this was very, very cool to me.

One of the R/Cs was just a very nice aircraft, personally to me.  The colors are right.  The same aircraft I saw when I was in Alaska years ago on Hood Lake, by the multiples.  But also as I learned, many of the aircraft are electric.  No noise, no smell on the electric ones.  When a gas powered aircraft was in flight, lots of fun to be around.  But electric or gas, the people piloting here were good.   Any way, the de Havilland Beaver in for a water landing.  Shot with big lens.

Lots of good action there.  The prop is not frozen, with electrics when the power is cut - no rotation.  I like the water action.

So what was my favorite shot of the year?  This is a sleeper, longshot.  And the shot wasn't a favorite until I saw it on the big screen.  This was shot with the D850 and the 70-200 f/2.8 combo.  Is that the reason I like this on the monitors?  Maybe.  The quality is just outstanding.  Aside from that, the frame of the shot works for me.  Lots of lines.  Lots of colors.  Good separation of the subject from the background with respect to focus.  This was just a surprise to me.

Didn't see a BMX taking shot of the year honors.  If there was such an award.

So 2020 wasn't all that bad.  Still, looking to a better 2021.  See yinz there.