Welcome to my monthly newsletter - June 2009

Greetings,

Welcome to my new and freshly-designed newsletter. I got tired of my old design and came up with what I think is a more elegant layout. It really pays to be a web designer. I hope you all like it.

I would like to thank you all for the positive compliments, encouragements and wishes from my May, 2009 newsletter. Many of you enjoyed my filed tips and techniques. June’s edition is full of information as well, including part of my digital workflow which I cover during my Photoshop private lessons.

Enjoy the images and information.

Let’s begin with a question from Mike Molina.

Question: Maxis, in your April’s newsletter, you have a picture of an Osprey landing. I noticed you don’t use IS (Image Stabilization) lenses. How do you create images so sharp?? I can’t seem to be able to capture images that sharp with my Canon 500mm lens. What am I missing?

Answer: You are correct, I don’t use IS lenses. You could be using the incorrect panning technique. During my private lessons and workshops, I teach extensible how I successfully pan and use long lenses like the Canon 500mm. As always, there is a technique for everything and all it takes is a good teacher and a lot of practice.

In this edition, I talk about how I use the Canon 500mm lens with a tripod. I hope you find this information useful. Let’s get started!

Got a question? Feel free to ask. Email me your question and help others!!

Long lens panning technique using your tripod - Field Technique

Image 1, Maxis Gamez

I'm not much of an engineer (I like it) but this is not rocket science. Panning your long lens should not be complicated at all. Here are few tips:

1. The first thing you need to remember is to LEVEL your tripod. I often see folks with their expensive
   carbon fiber tripods with the legs all over the place. I use a large Feisol 3471 carbon fiber tripod ($319) with a Wimberley Version II head with a Canon 500mm lens. Take the time to raise your tripod to a comfortable height and make sure your tripod legs are all at the same level. If your tripod have a bubble level, use it!
   
   
2. As you can see on image 1 (don't mind my grey hair), I never, ever position my left arm on top of my lens. Don't interfere with the movement and rotation of your ball head, allow your expensive ball head do its job. After all, if you position your arm on top of the lens as many folks do, you are basically adding more weight AND resistance to your panning, which slows your rotation and flexibility dramatically.
   
   
3. I often use my left arm to aim for my subject (A). I also apply a little pressure to my camera's viewfinder with my forehead (B).
   
   
4. Here are few images I was able to capture using my technique.

Wood Stork Landing - S.W Florida
Canon 40D, 500mm L @ f/5.6, 1/1600 sec, ISO 200, manual exposure, tripod, almost full frame.

Bald Eagle with Squirrel - S.W Florida
Canon 40D, 500mm L @ f/8, 1/1600 sec, ISO 400, manual exposure, tripod, almost full frame.

Black Skimmer in Habitat - S.W Florida
Canon 40D, 500mm L @ f/8, 1/1250 sec, ISO 400, manual exposure, tripod, almost full frame.

In part II, I will talk about my camera settings and my "bumping" technique which will clearly explain how I bump my focusing system to capture birds in flight. During my private classes and workshops, I explain exactly how I successfully apply my panning techniques in the field. Stay tune for July's edition!!

Photoshop CS3 settings and color space - Digital Workflow

In last month newsletter, I mentioned that I will share with you my photoshop CS3 color settings. Color space can be a very complex topic to talk about in a newsletter. However, I am simply going to share with you my Photoshop settings. Below you will find my current color space and other settings. To find these settings, click on EDIT>Color Settings

Bellow you will find my regular settings depending on my output.

Images for the web:

Images for printing using an Epson R1900:

Black Skimmers Fight - S.W Florida
Canon 40D, 400mm L @ f/8, 1/2000 sec, ISO 400, Manual exposure, Handheld, Slightly cropped

I can't enforce enough how important is to learn manual exposure. Thanks to my manual mode settings, I was able to focus in capturing the behavior and not to worry about the exposure compensation.