In some exciting news, I received an email this morning that three of the photographs I submitted to the 2023 Bird Photographer of the Year competition have been selected to be included in the 2023 8th annual edition of the Bird Photographer of the Yearbook! This was the first time I entered Bird Photographer of the Year, and I am thrilled to have had three images selected for inclusion in the annual book. Of the thousands of entries in the competition, fewer than three hundred (or less than 1%) are selected for inclusion in the book. Having three photographs chosen from the few I entered is wonderful news, and I could not be happier with the result. You can pre-order the Bird Photographer of the Year Book 8 online at the BPOTY website (www.birdpoty.com). The BPOTY books are fantastic references and an absolute must-have for any bird enthusiast or photographer interested in birds. I also reviewed the previous editions of Bird Photographer of the Year in Podcast number 57 – available HERE.
The three photographs included in the book were taken in Antarctica, Svalbard and Iceland and are of an Adelie Penguin on an iceberg, a swarm of Black-legged Kittiwakes in front of a glacier face and a Gyr Falcon on a kill in winter. Final competition results will be announced on the 5th of September, 2023.
Earlier today, I completed filming with my good friend Tony Knight at his Melbourne studio for BenQ’s brand new flagship 27″ SW272U 4K Adobe RGB Photographic Monitor that is now available to pre-order from BenQ. The list of specifications is awe-inspiring, and this new flagship 4K monitor appears to tick all the boxes and be a game-winning home run for BenQ. Look for my unboxing and first impressions video in the next week.
BenQ SW272U
Fine-coated Panel with TUV-Certification Certified with TUV Rheinland Reflection-Free Certifications, SW272U utilizes fine-coating anti-reflection panel to eliminate glare and reflection for simulated paper-texture visual experiences on screen under different types of ambient lighting to get perfect results.
The AQCOLOR Advantage BenQ AQCOLOR technology delivers ‘Accurate Reproduction.’ This translates to the display of colour precisely as it is intended to appear. Led by a colour expert, the BenQ team took part in the ICC* and ISO** to establish colour-related standards and implementation guidelines. Covering 99% Adobe RGB, P3 and 100% sRGB colour spaces, with Delta E ≤ 1.5 and BenQ ICCsync, SW272U offers out-of-the-box and easy-to-reach colour accuracy. The 16-bit 3D lookup table (LUT) improves colour blending for precise reproduction.
BenQ Uniformity Technology Create with confidence. Enjoy consistent colour accuracy and brightness consistency throughout each panel.
Calman Verified, Pantone Validated, and 3rd-Party Video Calibration Software Supported BenQ PhotoVue monitors are accredited with Calman Verified, Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated certifications. Creative professionals demand colour excellence, and BenQ delivers. Moreover, SW272U supports world-leading video calibration software, Calman and ColourSpace. Adjust your display’s 3D LUT (Lookup Table) for accuracy and consistency at all levels.
Palette Master Ultimate Tune and maintain the color performance of your monitors with Palette Master Ultimate software and get the optimal colour consistency in 3 steps.
Realized Outputs As the Way You Intended Whether you’re retouching photos in Adobe RGB or editing 4K videos in DCI-P3, SW272U’s wide colour coverage showcases your talent, letting your finished work look the way you intended.
Paper Color Sync Paper Color Sync offers simulated images attuned to the colour settings, printer, and photo paper in use for easy and accurate photo preview before print.
GamutDuo Preview for Adobe RGB, sRGB, and more Preview the same image in two color gamuts, side-by-side, for comparison in photo editing.
P3 Color Preview for Digital Outputs Deliver accurate colours to videos with P3 colour space for your video projects.
Video Format Support SW272U helps pros get the best video results with HDR support and multiple video formats.
Select SDI to HDMI Device Compatibility BenQ has tested select SDI to HDMI devices as compatible with SW272U. Videographers can thus connect their SDI devices to the monitor for stable and non-compressed signal transmission and real quality video image.
HDR10 and HLG Thanks to SDI to HDMI Device Compatibility, SW272U is also HDR10- and HLG-compatible, making it perfect to preview the HDR effect of video content during the editing process for best results.
Chroma Sampling Support or Video Format
Combined with the above video format compatibilities, SW272U supports 4:4:4, 4:2:2, and 4:2:0 sampling in determining monitor fidelity.
Expand Your Efficiency Quick to transfer various data and deliver power.
Hotkey Puck G3 Cordless for unlimited convenience.
Convenient Design Easy to access OSD, I/O port, and card reader efficiently.
Leatherette Base Save the workspace for valuable items.
Pantone Connect Premium Go digital with BenQ, the first brand to work with Pantone on a mobile app. As an existing owner or a new purchaser of BenQ professional monitors, you get one year of free Pantone Connect Premium for digitally mobile colour consistency and accuracy.
Shading Hood The detachable shading hood effectively reduces screen glare from ambient lighting. Block external light for stellar colour accuracy.
CalMAN Certified All BenQ PhotoVue monitors earn Calman Verified and Pantone Validated status. In close collaboration between BenQ and Portrait Displays, the Verified by CalMAN program ensures each display to be accurate out of the box and true to multiple industry-standard colour gamuts. The Verified by CalMAN mark is only given to the highest-grade of displays.
Pantone Certified In 2019, BenQ announced that it’s SW series of monitors became the world’s first stand-alone displays to earn the Pantone Validated status, ensuring colour-matched inter-operability with a plethora of production-grade colour output devices qualified by Pantone. Pantone Validated provides designers and photographers confidence in the Pantone colours rendered on-screen throughout their creative process, to better align materials in Pantone colours or simulations using Pantone-licensed output solutions.
Rigorously evaluated and approved by Pantone colour experts, BenQ SW monitors offer integrated colour correction and BenQ-exclusive AQCOLOR technology to guarantee superior fidelity in colour accuracy, including tested quality in achieving Pantone Matching System (PMS) colours. In use by virtually every colour-critical industry and manufacturer worldwide, the PMS system is a universal language of colour that allows creative professionals to specify and match specific colours, regardless of the equipment and materials used to produce the exact colour.
You can read more information on BenQ becoming Pantone Verified here.
World’s First Pantone SkinTone Validated Certification
As of 2022, the BenQ SW series became the world’s first stand-alone displays to achieve Pantone SkinTone Validated certification. Pantone SkinTone Validated supports the Pantone SkinTone guide, the first of it’s kind for matching and reproducing a wide range of human skin tones that accurately reflects the diversity of our multicultural society.
The photograph of the month for July 2023 comes from my recent ground-level wildlife masterclass in Zululand, South Africa (read the trip report) and is of a large bull Elephant that came to drink at one of the watering holes on first light. The photograph was taken from one of the game reserves’ state-of-the-art overnight hides with a 14-35mm f4L IS Lens at 14mm. I had set up the camera on a tripod, ready to go in the eventuality an animal would come to drink. After sitting in the hide all night, having such a wonderful opportunity was manna from heaven. Photographs such as this are often pure serendipity. Outside of having the technical proficiency to capture such rare opportunities, it sometimes comes down to a little luck with the wildlife arriving on the scene at just the right time. In this case, the night in the hide had been quiet, with no activity and no animals coming to drink at the watering hole (a test of patience). Then, on first light, this large male Elephant walked out of the trees to sake its thirst. The Elephant stayed in what was the best light of the day for maybe a minute before it wandered back into the bush. During the minute the Elephant came to drink, I don’t think I drew more than a breath or two, my heart racing, recognising the unique and special opportunity I was being provided. Best of all, I could share it with the others in the hide.
I have just published episode #77 of my Wild Nature Photography Podcast. In this podcast episode, I compare and review two very different solutions by two competing companies to protect expensive telephoto lenses when out in the field – Lens Coat and AlphaGVRD. Lens Coat offers its traditional neoprene cover solution, and AlphaGVRD provides a more contemporary 3M Wrap. Which is best and why? Listen in for my thoughts and impressions on fitment, durability, ease of use, investment price and ultimately, my thoughts and impressions on which is best and why.
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 