Red-footed Booby Retrospective

Stuff

On Sunday, I drove with younger daughter Alissa and husband Ajiniyaz to visit their older son, my grandson Ilyas, at the Anderson Center for Autism, about 30 minutes north of Poughkeepsie, New York. Illy has adapted amazingly well to his new home and the staff loves him.

This blog post took almost three hours to prepare.

Great News on the Galapagos Front

Right now I have ten deposits for the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise so we are pretty much good to go. One participant signed up for the single supplement. That means that we will have only 12 participants plus me, all of that just a bit better for a photographic trip. I have room for one couple or two singles. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Pierre Williot

I would encourage anyone who wants to sell some of their photographic equipment to contact Art. High-end photographic equipment can be difficult to sell. Art, with is widely read daily posts, will allow you to sell your equipment fairly easily for a reasonable price and commission. Please, seriously consider the price that he suggests as it can be hard to face the reality of the actual value of well loved equipment! Art is well aware of the current market for second-hand photographic equipment.

Used Gear Page News

After a month or so in the summer doldrums, sales on the Used Gear page have been picking up recently:

Jamie Baker sold his Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III in near-mint condition for $299.00 in late August.
John Lowin sold a (men’s extra large) Xtrahand Magnum vest by Vested Interest for $229.00 within a day or two of listing it in late August, 2018.
Anthony Ardito sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens in like-new condition for BAA record-low by far price of $449.00, his Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $1,499.00, his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $1,099.00, his Canon Speedlite (flash) 600EX-RT flash in like-new condition for $399.00, his  Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens (for Canon mount) in near-mint condition for $250.00, and his Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF mount in like new condition for $399.00, all with a day or two of their being listed.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in mint condition with less than 75,000 actuations (rated to 400,000) for $4,199.00 in late August.
Todd Koudelka sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (“the “old five”) in very good plus condition for the BAA record-low price of $3199.00.
Pierre Williot sold his canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens (the original 600 IS) in very good to excellent condition for $3999.00 in mid-August.
Todd Koudelka sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV in near-mint condition (but for a few tiny, barely visible scratches) for the BAA record-low-by-far of $2249.00 (was $2449.00) in early August.
Ron Gates requested that the listing for his Canon 70-200mm lens be removed and kindly sent me a check for 4% of the original asking price.
Julie Brown sold her Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in excellent condition for $2099 in early August.
IPT veteran Bill Wingfield sold a Wimberley V-2 WH-200 Gimbal Head in very good condition for a ridiculously low $299.00 and a Gitzo GT3532LS Carbon Fiber tripod in good condition for only $249.00, bot in early August.
IPT veteran Bill Wingfield sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for $1049.00 in late July 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 5DS R in like-new condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $1999.00 (was $2399.00).

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there Edinburgh hotels, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on the 2015 BAA Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT, again on the incredible Darwin Bay landing. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 560mm) and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 800. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/60 sec. at f/13 in Manual mode. AWB. After getting as tall as possible (to better parallel the plane of the feet) I focused on the middle toe of the bird’s left foot to take advantage of the depth of field in front of the point of focus. With telephoto lenses d-o-f is close to 50/50, 50% in front of the point of focus and 50% behind the point of focus. With short lenses it is generally about 66% in front and 33% behind the point of focus. Image #1: Red-footed Booby — close-up of feet

Not Rocket Science

It is not difficult to understand how this species was named. Darwin Bay is the premier location on the planet for getting close to and photographing this species. All of the images in today’s blog post were created there. Only on my Galapagos trips will you make two landings at this world-class location.

This image was created on the 2013 BAA Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT on the incredible Darwin Bay landing. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens (at 400mm) with the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode. AWB. Image #2: Red-footed Booby dark morph adult in breeding plumage yawning

As I’ve Said

The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens is deadly in the Galapagos, deadly in Africa, and deadly in the Southern Ocean. By adding an external TC you can get up to 884mm of reach.

Canon EF 200-400 f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (with extras!)

Price dropped $300 on 21 AUG 2018!

Mike Diersing is offering a Canon EF 200-400 f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender in very good-plus condition (the glass is immaculate) for the crazy, BAA record-low-by-far price of $6,899.00 (was $7,199.00). The sale includes a Really Right Stuff LCF-53 lens foot, a Realtree Max-5 LensCoat, the front and rear lens caps, the original tripod and monopod mounts, the lens trunk with keys, the lens strap, the lens manual, and insured ground shipping via FedEx to US addresses only.

Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mike via e-mail.

This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. And I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I love it in the Palouse for its versatility. Recently, I often found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT. Many nature photographers use it as their workhorse telephoto lens as it offers 884mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H right now for $10,999.00. You can save a neat $4,100.00 by grabbing Mike’s lens right now. artie

This image was created on the 2015 BAA Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT, again on the incredible Darwin Bay landing. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 560mm) and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 800. Evaluative metering -2/3 stop: 1/60 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB. Image #3: Red-footed Booby dark morph adult in breeding plumage

Hand Held and Pushing It!

Working at 560mm while hand holding at 1/60 second is not for the faint of heart. The great image stabilization of the 100-400 II helps a lot but you need to make sure not to use sloppy sharpness techniques. Be sure to turn sideways to the subject and tuck your left elbow into your side (like and Olympic rifle shooter) and be sure to hold the lens well out on the lens barrel.

Exposure Quiz

Why did Image #2 need +2/3 EC while Image #3 of the same subject in similar light need -2/3 stop EC?

This image was created at Darwin Bay, Genovesa (Tower Island) at 6:18am on Day 13 of the 2015 Galapagos Photo Cruise with the hand held Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +2 stops off the grey sky: 1/800 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode in cloudy dark conditions was a slight underexposure. AWB. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. Though the selected AF point was on the bird’s upper back the image was exceptionally sharp on the booby’s eye. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #4: White morph Red-footed Booby landing to collect nesting material

A Common Occurrence

We are always the first party to land at Darwin Bay. To our benefit the tourist boats enjoy a leisurely breakfast at about 8am before landing. This allows Juan to give us a bit more freedom than it customary. On our early morning landings, the Red-footed Boobies are often collecting nesting material. I will miss the speed of the 400 DO II as f/4 saved me a stop of shutter speed in these situations …

To learn more about the creation of this image, see the Valuable Flight Photography Gear and ISO Lessons, and a 100-400II/7D II Disadvantage … blot post here.

This image was also created at Darwin Bay, Genovesa (Tower Island), this one at 6:31am of Day 13. Again I used the hand held Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1600: 1/800 sec. at f/4 in Manual mode in cloudy dark conditions. As I was mistakenly set up for a white morph bird this one was about 2/3 stop underexposed. . AWB. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. Though the selected AF point was squarely on the bird’s face, a rarity for me…. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #5: Intermediate morph Red-footed Booby taking flight with nesting material

Try for the Take-offs Too!

While I concentrate on incoming birds braking in flight as seen in Image #4, at times I will try for the birds taking flight with sprigs of nesting material in their bills.

This image was created on the 2017 BAA Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT on our second Darwin Bay landing. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) with the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at about -1 stop (!): 1/800 second at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB. Center AF point AI Servo/Surround/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. Image #6: Red-footed Booby intermediate morph adult in flight

Flat Flight/The Intermediate Morph of Red-footed Booby

As you might expect, the intermediate morph red-footed are grayer than the white morphs but not as dark as the dark morph birds. Once the morning mist has lifted there are several good spots to photograph the red-footeds, the Nazca Boobies, and the frigatebirds in flat flight.

This image was created on the 2017 BAA Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT on our second Darwin Bay landing. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens with the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 420mm) and my then favorite baby booby camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at about -1 stop (!): 1/800 second at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB. Two AF points left of the center AF point AI Servo/Expand/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was active at the moment of exposure and fell on the middle of the lower mandible. Image #7: 3-day old Red-footed Booby chick

Oops!

To see the grossly under-exposed original and learn how I saved it, see the I Was So Excited That … blog post here.

Canon EF Canon 100-400 L IS II USM Lens

I am offering a used Canon 100-400 L IS II in very good plus (almost excellent) condition and in perfect working order — I had to send it to Canon twice to restore smooth zooming — for $1399.00. The sale includes the original product box, the front and rear lens caps, the carrying case and strap, the manual, and insured ground shipping via UPS to US addresses. Your new lens will not ship until your check clears.

Please get in touch with artie via e-mail or on his cell phone at 863-221-2372 (Eastern time). Please leave a message if no answer.

Y’all know how much I loved and now miss this amazingly versatile lens. I will miss it on my next Galapagos trip … artie

This image was created on the 2017 BAA Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT, also on our second Darwin Bay landing. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens with the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 420mm) and my then favorite baby booby camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at about -1 stop (!): 1/800 second at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB. It was of paramount importance to select a single AF point and place it on the chick’s left eye. So that is what I did. Image #8: Red-footed Booby chick yawning

Red-footed Booby Nests

At Darwin Bay, the red-footeds build stick nests in the mangroves. Many of the nests are right at eye level, with some even below that. The trick is to find a nest with a nice clear shooting slot and then wait for the chicks to wake up.

Your Favorite?

Which of the images featured above is your favorite? Do let us know why.

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To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

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Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).