Basic Pano Creation Errors by Yours Truly... And Bosque IPTs Heating Up

What’s Up?

I got most of my packing done on Tuesday and headed into town for a check-up with Dr. Holmes. All good. Set the alarm for 3:00am this morning but woke at 2:50. As I type at 4:31am we are in the car. Jim is dropping me at MCO. I fly from Orlando to MSP where I meet co-leader Denise Ippolito for our flight to Spokane. We have 1 1/2 days for some advance scouting and meet the first Palouse IPT group on Thursday evening.

If you missed “A Comparison: The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II with TCs vs the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II,” be sure to see item one here.

This blog post, the 139th in a row, took about 1 1/2 hours to prepare. It should be published a bit before 4:50am on Wednesday morning. Sorry David 🙂

Bosque IPTs Heating Up

Interest and registrations and for both Bosque IPTs have been picking up greatly over the past two weeks. See below for complete details.

Used Photography Gear for Sale

There has been lots of action on the Used Photography Gear page here. Stuff has been flying off the virtual shelves here almost every day; the following items have sold within the past week:

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens sold for $4999 by Jacques Bouvier on May 20, 2015.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II sold by Carl Zanoni for $1649 on May 19, 2015.
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM sold by Owen Peller for $799 on 5/19/15.
Canon EOS-1D Mark IV sold by Gerald Barrack for $1599 in May, 2015.
Canon EOS 7D DSLR Digital Camera Body (with battery grip) sold for $579 by Barbara Garmon on May 23, 2015.
In addition, a sale is pending on Barbara Garmon’s old 100-400.

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.

Brand New Listings: these four should sell almost instantly!

Canon 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

Pat Lillich is offering a used Canon 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens in near-mint condition (with only some minor wear on the hood knob) for a ridiculously low $9500: serial number 9000000194, new in July 2012. The lens sells new right now for $11,499 at B&H. The sale includes all original packaging and accessories, a RealTree LensCoat,the front cap, a black LensCoat TravelCoat, and a 4th Generation Design low foot. Recently sent to CPS for a Clean and Check and unused since. Has the letter “P” in silver paint on the base of the lens foot. Will hand deliver within 150 miles of San Jose, CA for an in person cash sale. Otherwise buyer pays insured FedEx shipping. The lens of course will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Alan Lillich via e-mail or by phone at 408-348-7479 (Pacific time).

I own and use this amazing lens often. It is, simply put, the premier super-telephoto lens for bird, wildlife, and nature photography currently in production. It blows the Nikon 600 f/4 away with regards to both weight and sharpness. Many of the young guns hand hold it routinely often with the 1.4X III. Patrick Sparkman hand holds it often with the 2X III TC. Did I mention that the 4-stop IS system is so good as to be hard to believe.? You can own this great lens and save just a shade under $2,000 right now! BTW, both Pat and Alan take very good care of their gear.

Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO USM Lens

Stephan R. Leimberg is offering a used Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO USM Lens in excellent condition for $3699–another BAA lowest-price-ever for this item. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the leather front hood, the original case, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. Please contact Steve via e-mail or phone at 904-491-0474 (eastern time). Please e-mail for photos. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

I used this lens for several years with great success, especially for birds in flight and when working from various type of water craft. Gannets in Love was created with the 400 DO. You can that one and 13 other killer images that I made with my 400 DO here. The title of that blog post is “The Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO Lens: Fourteen Images that Prove that the Internet Experts are Idiots.”

Canon 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

Clemens Vanderwerf is offering a Canon 500mm/f4L IS II USM lens in near-mint excellent plus condition for $7,999.The lens was only used once during a trip to South Georgia in October 2012. The sale includes the LensCoat that has been on it since day one, an off-brand replacement foot, the fabric front cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, the warranty certificate, the lens booklet, the original box with everything that came in it, and insured UPS ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

This lens is super sharp and light. There is not a single scratch, ding, or chip anywhere on the paint.

Please contact Clemens via e-mail or phone at 954 608 8704 (eastern time).

I owned this lens and loved it and with the reach advantage of the 7D Mark II I am thinking hard about selling my 600 II and getting the new five….

Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens

Kevin Hice is offering a used Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for a lowest-price-ever $4750. The sale includes the LensCoat that has been on it since day one, the lens trunk 300B (with a few insignificant scuffs), the fabric front cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, the CD, the original box with everything that came in it, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

This lens is super sharp and great in low light. No scratches or chips on the paint even on the tripod foot.

Please contact Kevin via e-mail or phone at 701 460 6112 (central time).

I own and use the amazing lens often. It is great for hand holding and for flight, with or without either the 1.4X III or the 2X III TC. In all cases it is amazingly sharp in competent hands. Outdoor Photographer editor Rob Sheppard was stunned by the sharpness of my allo-preening Macaroni Penguins image that was created with the 300 II and the 2X III TC.

This image is a two-frame pano assembled in Photoshop. Both images were created at Morro Bay with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 100mm) and the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. For the left hand image: ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/100 sec. at f/11. AWB. AI Servo Zone/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure; it selected an array of 3 AF points including the center AF point and two above it (one just to the right). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. For the right hand image: ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/125 sec. at f/11. AWB. AI Servo Zone/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure; it selected an array of 3 AF points, one to the right of the cener AF point and two below that (including one just to the leftt). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Photographing Morro Rock

Photographing Morro Rock well as a completely natural geographical feature is a challenge mainly because there is all sorts of junk at the bottom of the rock: dozens of light poles, several parking lots including one very large one, and a really ugly chain link fenced-off area. And if you try to photograph it from the waterfront in town, you are often dealing with views that are severely obstructed by all manner of boats. If you keep your eyes open on your way out of town you can usually find one spot that yields an unobstructed view…. I’d had a single promising location in mind and needed only to wait for a dead clear morning so that I could work with that sweet light. And I did.

Lots of Mistakes by Yours Truly

If you read the image caption above carefully you will note that in my haste to get back to those spectacular Long-billed Curlews, I made four basic mistakes that everyone should avoid when creating base images for stitched panos. How many can you identify and list?

Image Design Comment

I really love the two small green triangles in the lower right corner; I worked hard to get as much of that green in the frame as possible. The chain link fence is right below those.

This is a Black and White version of the today’s image. It was created in NIK Silver Efex Pro using the High Contrast Smooth pre-set. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

The Black and White

A while back, Denise shared some really cool B&W images of Morro Rock that she found online; she and those inspired the B&W treatment here. Which do you prefer, the color version or the B&W? The latter was created in NIK Silver Efex Pro using the High Contrast Smooth pre-set. I simply open an image in SEP, click through whatever pre-sets looks mildly interesting, and then select and apply the one that I like best.

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.

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.

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.

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