Fisheye Pano and A Little Video

Hobart Bay Pano with Northern Song bookends

An early morning fisheye pano I shot recently.  I liked the effect I was getting with the boat framing the vertical edge of the image but the only way to bookend was with a pano.  With the 15mm FE on my 5D Mk II, I was able to get the effect with only two shots.  I knew from previous efforts though I would have a problem trying to stitch just two fisheye images together with Photoshop.  In order to make the stitching process go a little simpler (or go at all) I shot an additional frame for a total of three.

I stacked all three shots, expanded my canvas, and moved each into position manually.  If you ever need to do this the trick is to switch the Layer Blend Mode of the layer you are moving to Difference.  This will give you a weird ghosted effect but you can easily see where to position.  After everything was in place I selected all layers and clicked Edit-Auto Blend.  With the Auto layout selected Photoshop did the rest. 

In the end the image was just under 10K pixels wide so I almost reached a 2:1 ratio for the pano.  More importantly, I got the effect I wanted.  I think the main lesson is pixels are free.  If you have an idea shoot away and see what can be accomplished in post.  If it works, great.  If not, find another way. 

The video below is the final from our last trip ashore.  I posted the other two already so I figured I might as well finish it.  As you can see my lens is still wet and I was not microphoned up.  Hopefully, it captures some of the flavor.

Send Off from AK from Hal Schmitt on Vimeo.

The "sushi" bar comment in the video is when the fish rush ashore and the eagles stand in or near the water.  They reach down with their beaks and snatch the fish up; just like a sushi-go-round restaurant. 

A single eagle at the "sushi bar" with one on deck.
Notice the fish jumping out of the water in the foreground.

The final shot below is the yacht I reference in the video.  I will admit it was kind of small in the frame so here is a closer view.

Fiat Lux!





Eagle Tips

Dial it up (as we used to say at TOPGUN)

As many of you know I am a big fan of photographing eagles (might be that fighter pilot thing again.)  There are a huge number of tips and tricks when shooting eagles but I will give two of the simplest.  These two might seem a little bit flippant and MOTO (master of the obvious) but they are true.

My best tip is go where there are a large number of eagles.  The rock above has 19 eagles on it.  What is not shown are the other 30 rock outcroppings just like this one covered with birds or the trees full of birds.  When you surround yourelf with 500-1000 eagles you will have a much higher probability of getting the shots you want.  Photographing eagles in flight is not the easiest task so the more you shoot the better.  Tough to do as you wait for the lone bird to fly by again.

Tip number two often goes hand in hand with number one, go where this is a non-stop supply of eagle food.  I have no problem with feeding eagles to get images but there is a finite amount of frozen herring.  Food equals eagle action.  The birds will feed almost non stop.  I have seen eagles feed until there are fins sticking out their beaks.  With plenty of birds and food you increase your opportunity in a major way.  In the image above the fish are literally jumping out of the water into the waiting talons of the approaching eagle.  There is also something a little more raw and natural about a freshly ripped apart herring; half in the beak and half in the talons.  In the gory image above note there is another whole herring in the talons as well.

As I mentioned, feeding to attract eagles is not really any different than planting flowers to attract butterflies or using sugar water to bring in hummingbirds to an elaborate flash setup.  I do believe in full disclosure though and will discuss if an eagle was baited or not.  Most often it is pretty easy to tell if there is a fish in the frame (in the water or in the talons/beak.)  Recently caught live fish bleed and still look alive.  Frozen herring are slightly discolored, the tail contracts, and the eye is very dead.  For example, check out the gull below picking up a frozen herring.

A few more shots for giggles.

 Yep, the sky was that blue.

Love the dirty birds (juveniles)!

Notice the bright spot in the talons.  Normally a piece of bait...as it is here.

Fiat Lux!

Food, Glorious Food

White king salmon

A quick post celebrating one of life's true pleasures, amazing food!  As many of you know I have been fortunate to do some incredibly exciting and adventurous things.  On occasion I have used the following expression trying to describe my former line of work flying high-end fighters for the Navy.  People would ask what it was like to rage around the sky pulling Gs at high speed and low altitude and I would say "Simply put, it is the most fun you can have with your clothes on," and it was.  Unfortunately, I can say now that I was mistaken. 

Black cod or Sablefish 

Onboard the Northern Song, I was lucky enough to sample two of the most incredibly savory and tasty (a technical term) dishes known to my red-blooded, American male palate, white (also known as ivory) king salmon and sake marinated black cod .  I will admit that I had neither heard of nor tried either of these before our recent cruise but will never forget them. 

Prepared under the talented hands of Chef Ocean and Captain Dennis these two fish were transformed into the most delectable and mind blowing meals.  I can now state diving into perfectly portioned, seasoned, and cooked wild Alaskan white salmon and sablefish could be the most fun you will ever have...with your clothes on, that is.

To make it even better both of these fish are remarkably good for you, a veritable bonanza of Omega-3s.  Do yourself a favor and try them out.  Two sources are Coastal Cold Storage in Petersburg, AK and Vital Choice.  Coastal Cold Storage may be contacted in Petersburg or via their website.  Take a look at Vital Choice's website here.

It was awesome to watch the tour participants eagerly await each meal and then attack when the food was served.  Cannot wait to taste what our July trips will offer!

On a photography note, all images were shot with a Canon 5D Mk II and either an EF 24-70mm f/2.8L or an EF 100mm f/2.8 macro.  I used a 580 EX II flash bounced off the ceiling and filled with a bounce card. 

Fiat Lux!