1D X Detective

This adult Ross’s Goose image was created at Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR . ISO 200: 1/320 sec. at f/18 in Manual mode (brilliant white in full sun exposure with histogram check). Central sensor (by necessity)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. As regular readers know I purchased a second 1D X after wrecking my first in South Georgia (along with my new 500 f/4L IS II). I was aghast at first when the new 1D X would not AF with the 1.4X TC…. See “1D X Detective” below for the whole story.

West Nyack, NY Event/Triple Header: Art Morris, Robert O’Toole & Denise Ippolito

Each of the three talented photographers above will each present a unique program on Saturday, December 15, 2012 (10:00 am to 5:00 pm) at the Palisades Center Mall, 1000 Palisades Center Dr, West Nyack, NY.

Arthur Morris (Canon Explorer of Light/sponsored by Canon USA):

Arthur Morris is a free-lance nature photographer, teacher and writer specializing in birds. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s premier bird photographers and photographic educators. His images, published the world over, are noted for both their artistic design and their technical excellence. His fitting credit line: BIRDS AS ART. His book, “The Art of Bird Photography” is the classic How-to work on the subject. The all new follow-up, The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages of CD only) was released in 2006 to rave reviews. Artie, one of the original “Explorers of Light,” has been a Canon contract photographer for the past fifteen years and continues in that role today. He is a co-founding publisher of BirdPhotographers.net A popular speaker, he has conducted more than 500 slide programs and seminars over the past two decades. He currently travels, photographs, teaches and speaks his way across North America and the world while leading BIRDS AS ART/Instructional Photo-tours and Photo-Cruises each year. Art will talk about and show you “What Makes a Good Nature Photograph.

Robert O’Toole:

Robert, a professional photographer for more than a decade, now specializes in wildlife and nature. He is an accomplished photographic instructor; he got his start co-leading BIRDS AS ART/Instructional Photo-Tours with Art Morris. He has written two Photoshop tutorials and a Nikon camera User’s Guide for BIRDS AS ART Books. In his presentation, Robert will share the inspiration, the passion and the creative vision that drives his photography. Robert will share some of his favorite images,equipment,and techniques and the stories behind them.

Denise Ippolito

Denise Ippolito is a freelance photographer, artist and writer living in NJ. She is a moderator in the Out of the Box Forum at BirdPhotographers.net. Denise has co-led several BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. Denise offers her own workshops featuring avian, flower and HDR photography. As a former award winning floral designer and garden center owner, Denise has worked extensively with flowers; her most recent eBook “Bloomin Ideas” reflects her love for flowers and art.

Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris co-authored the hugely popular eBook, “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs.” Her program will cover the great variety of techniques that can be used to create pleasingly blurred images in the field, and at times, during post-processing. Topics that will be discussed and illustrated include pan blurs, zoom blurs, camera movement blurs including flame- and jiggle-blurs, subject movement blurs including moving water blurs, long exposure blurs, the need for accurate focusing, managing your ISO settings, in-camera multiple exposures, subject to film plane orientation, choice of shutter speeds, and how subject to sensor distance affects the degree of blurring.

With the advent of digital photography and the popularity of intentionally blurred images in prestigious nature photography competitions, more and more people are enjoying the challenges and rewards of creating pleasing blurs. Whether you photograph wildlife, flowers, people, street scenes or landscapes, this is one program that you will not want to miss if you would like to learn to unleash your creativity.

A Great Opportunity

Triple Header represents a great opportunity for all levels of photographers to learn and enjoy. The programs will run from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with several breaks including a lunch break. Thee vent will be be held in the Adler Room, 4th floor, on the Macy’s side of the mall (by the Ice Rink). There is plenty of available parking at the mall which is conveniently located right off a major highway. Join us to learn from three outstanding photographers and lecturers in a relaxed atmosphere.

Approximate schedule:

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Robert O’Toole, A Passion for Photography
11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Denise Ippolito, How to Create Pleasing Blurs
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Art Morris, What Makes a Good Nature Photograph

The mall has a large food court or you can bring your own. Price: $10.00/per person. For more info or to sign-up, click here. The event is a Ridgewood Camera Club Meetup Group program.

This Snow Geese sunrise silhouette image was created at Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR . ISO 200. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/6400 sec. at f/8 in Tv mode. Central sensor (by necessity)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Having AF at f/8 with the 800mm f/5.6/1D X is hugely important to me….

1D X Detective

As regular readers know I purchased a second 1D X after wrecking my first in South Georgia (along with my new 500 f/4L IS II–see “Wrecked and Loving It!“). I was aghast at first when the new 1D X would not AF with the 1.4X TC. I checked the new camera to see that the firmware was indeed 1.1.1. It was. I e-mailed and called Chuck Westfall at Canon for his thoughts. At some point that morning as he was investigating I remembered that I had a copy of the 1.1.1. firmware on my desktop. What the heck? It couldn’t hurt to load it onto the camera. Voila! After re-installing the firmware the camera autofocused at f/8 with the 1.4X III TC on the 800 f/5.6L IS. Hooray! I called Chuck back and let him know of my findings. He asked for a few days to check things out.

As it turns out, I was right. See the Canon USA Product Advisory here.

I was pleased to be able to help and pleased to get the e-mail below from Chuck:

Hi Artie,

Chuck Westfall
Advisor, Technical Information
Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

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And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.