My Upcoming Travel Schedule, Quit Being Lazy... And Induro Ballhead Info

What’s Up?

I am currently fighting a cold, mostly upper chest congestion and a scratchy throat but am feeling pretty good this morning…. Today is start packing day!

I fly to Miami on Wednesday afternoon where I will meet up with Denise Ippolito. We will take a red eye flight to Santiago, Chile arriving at 7:10am on Thursday morning. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Airport. After clearing customs we will throw our checked bags in a room, grab our photo gear, and meet our local guide in the lobby at 8:45am for a day of condor photography. On Friday morning we will drive down the coast to do Inca Terns and follow that up with more condors.

Early Saturday we fly to Stanley in the Falklands with Brian and Billie Snell who joined us in Miami and will be spending an additional week with us on our first-ever land-based Falklands IPT. We fly back to Stanley the following Friday and do a local trip by van for more Rockhopper Penguins–can anyone ever get enough rockhoppers? We transfer to the Ortelius that Saturday afternoon to begin our Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition. We are looking forward to meeting and working with the BAA group. We depart the ship in Stanley on November 14 and return to Santiago arriving at 10pm. We overnight at the Holiday Inn Airport for a full day of rest and take red-eye flights the following evening to head towards our respective homes. I arrive in Orlando at 8:21am on Monday November 16.

We fly to Albuquerque on Friday, November 20 for the two (nearly sold-out) Bosque IPTs returning home on Thursday, December 3.

How’s that for a travel schedule?

I will be 100% without internet from 24-30 OCT and then again from 1-14 NOV. Jim will be in the office doing his usually stellar job of minding the store and Jen will be here to help with with all things IPT related. You can reach either of them by phone at 863-693-0906. You can reach Jim by e-mail or Jen at e-mail (the latter with Attn. JEN in the Subject line).

Please refrain from e-mailing me from 23 OCT through 15 NOV.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily.

You can see the complete listings by clicking here or always by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the right end of the navigation bar at the top of each blog post page.

After a lull in September, things have really heated up lately:

Canon 500mm f/4L IS (the “old five”) was sold by Glen Shellhammer for $2450 in mid-October, 2015.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens was sold instantly by Walt Anderson for $4750 in mid-October, 2015.
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the “old five”) was sold by Dane Johnson for $4150 in early October 2015.
Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 zoom lens (Canon mount) was sold by Beth Starr for $4,999 in early October 2015.
Canon EOS-1D X in excellent condition was sold by Patrick Sparkman for $3650 in early October, 2014.
Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens was sold for $699 by Sean Traynor on October 7, 2015.
Canon 100-400 L IS zoom lens (the old 1-4) was sold by Susan Carnahan for $675 in mid-October, 2015.

New Listings

Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”)

Alice Garland is offering a used Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”) in very good to excellent condition for only $3999. The sale includes the lens trunk, a LensCoat and a Hoodie, the rear leans cap, the strap, the original leather front cover, the lens info sheet, the Canon drop-in circular polarizer, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. (Serial #21366.) Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Alice by e-mail or by phone at 509-954-4253 (Pacific time).

As regular readers know the “old five” was the world’s most popular super telephoto lens for many years. I owned and used one for more than a decade. Alice’s lens is priced to sell immediately. artie

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Camera Body

Alice Garland is also offering a used Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Camera Body in excellent condition for only $1350. The sale includes a Really Right Stuff L plate, the original packing box, the original product box, the manual and solution disk, an extra battery, the and battery charger and strap, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. Serial number is 1821300091. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Alice by e-mail or by phone at 509-954-4253 (Pacific time).

Two 1D Mark IV bodies served as my workhorse cameras for almost four years. There are fast and rugged and dependable and I enjoyed the 1.3X crop factor. artie

This image was created with the hand held Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens (at 73mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. With the on-camera Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on Leah’s face and recompose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Clockwise from upper left: my nephew, Brian Weinstein; his wonderful and beautiful wife Melissa (Missy); my grandnephew, Max Weinstein, the bar mitzvah boy–a highly skilled little league baseball pitcher; little sister Leah–too cute; and little brother Carter–at age two he could throw a ball through a wall! Whenever I see Carter I ask him, “Where are your Little Liver Pills?” Young folks can learn about those here on WikiPedia. Behind the family is the ark that holds several torahs, holy scrolls that are sacred to the Jewish religion. Max did quite well reading from the torah at his bar mitzvah on Saturday. This image was created at the Thursday morning service as the use of electronic devices in the temple on Sabbath is not permitted.

Quit Being Lazy

No, this is not a repeat blog post error. Very few folks took the opportunity to learn by answering the questions posed yesterday. Now is your chance. The few folks who tackled the questions did fairly well so please, no peeking. You will find the questions below by scrolling down just past the EFIX data.

Above is a portion of the EXIF data as shown by DPP 4; hit Command + I to show info.

Here is your second chance 🙂

Why Tv mode? Remember that I have ISO Safety Shift set on all of my Canon cameras.

Why 1/80 sec?

Why did I need to go to -1 1/3 stop EC?

Why did I set the flash EC to +1?

Why Color Temperature 4200?

Does anyone know an easy way to set the Color Temperature on the camera when working indoors without a white card? I do and will share it with you here soon.

Induro BHM Ballhead Update

I have used the Induro BHM2 Ballhead for more than a year. It weighs only a pound yet is rated to 30.9 lbs. Both the BHM2 and the slightly smaller BHM1 feature double action separate positioning and pan controls, a Universal Arca-Swiss style Quick Release mounting plate system, and an Integrated Lock Limiter Tension Disk – to fine-tune the ball’s movement, and properly balance the tension with the weight of your gear. It has a large locking knob to control the movement of the ball and a separate lock to control the 360° panning motion. The ball is housed in a precision-machined black magnesium alloy body. Simply put, the Induro ballheads are lightweight and simple and easy to use. And, you can actually get your hands on the well-spaced knobs so that you can adjust them; that is not the case with many other much too-heavy, much too costly ballheads.

Please note that denise and I use a ballhead only when mounting a camera body with a short zoom lens. We do not, nor do we recommend, using any ballhead with a super-telephoto lens. For all super-telephoto lenses we both recommend only the Mongoose M3.6, the lightweight gimbal head that I have been using for more than a decade. In addition, efficiency and performance when working with intermediate telephoto lenses such as the Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens, and all of the 70-200 lenses will be vastly improved when working with the Mongoose rather than even the best ballhead. Learn more about the Mongoose or purchase yours by clicking here. Please e-mail for low foot or plate info for the Mongoose.

The BHM1 is a bit lighter and a bit smaller and slimmer than the BHM2 but is still rated to an impressive 22 pounds. Again, the BHM2 is rated to 30.9 pounds.

Here’s the rub, both of the ballheads above are no longer in production and will soon be replaced by “new” models, the virtually identical BHM1S and BHM2S Ballheads. You can save a bundle by ordering the last one of each right now by clicking here.

Note: Though each ballhead includes a matching Arca-Swiss style compatible QR Plate we strongly recommend that you place that in the product box and purchase the much more elegant and much more efficient Wimberley P-5 camera body plate by clicking here.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Just 1 spot left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Just 3 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail after July 29.

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