Wildflower Confusion … « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Wildflower Confusion ...

What’s Up?

I spent two hours on Friday morning photographing a Great Blue Heron in the rain. I swam my 52 lengths (88 to a mile) in the rain on Friday afternoon. Then I went back down to the lake for another hour in the rain and photographed several totally soaked Sandhill Cranes. I had a ton of fun and by afternoon was experimenting with making sharp images at slow shutter speeds in the 1/30 to 1/80 second range.

The forecast for today is cloudy. I will head back down to the lake at about 8am to do some more hunting with my SONY gear. Speaking of hunting (or fishing), maybe the Great Blue Heron will actually catch something today …

BIRDS AS ART

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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 over $1000.00, 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. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H. Those include the SONY a7r IV, the SONY 200-600, the SONY 600mm f/4 GM, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is eager to please.

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 12 APR 2020. I used the Induro GIT 204/FlexShooter Mini-mounted Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter (at at 560mm) and the 61-mega-pixel monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/100 sec. at f/8 (wide opeen) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:50am on sunny morning in the shade of my SUV.

Manual focus.

Not Marsh Pink

Not Marsh Pink

I have noticed small, beautiful flowers here at ILE for well more than a decade; since this one was small and pink I assumed that it was Marsh Pink. (See Image #2 below from 2007). But looking around on the web I quickly realized that Image #1 does not depict a Marsh Pink Flower. Marsh Pink has five petals and a dark pink outline around the flower center …

If you know that identity of the flower shown in Image #1 (or if you have one of those cool flower ID apps), please leave a comment. My somewhat crude online research leads me to Cuckoo-flower (Lady’s Smock) which may or may not be a European invasive … All substantive knowledge on the subject will be appreciated.

SONY 100-400

As noted here many times previously, the .98 meter minimum focusing distance of the SONY 100-400 (the same as the Canon 100-400 II), is a huge plus. It comes in very handy when working with mega-tame birds and can be effective as a quasi-macro lens for large bugs (including butterflies and dragonflies), frogs, all but very small flower blossoms, and lots more. In addition, it is a more than capable flight lens that is a lot lighter than the 200-600. The 100-400 was my workhorse lens on the 2019 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. As with today’s Image #1, adding a 1.4X TC increases the versatility of these lenses.

This image was created on 12 MAY 2007 at Indian Lake Estates. I used the tripod/Mongoose-mounted Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM lens and the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II. ISO 400: 1/250 sec. at f7.1 on a sunny morning.

Marsh Pink?

Marsh Pink?

Why the question mark after Marsh Pink? Wikipedia states clearly that Marsh Pink is “restricted to salt marsh habitats.” There is no saltwater at Indian Lake Estates. I do recall seeing Marsh Pink growing in the summer on the South Flats of the (brackish) East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Reserve in Queens, NY. Again, substantive comments on the flower shown in Image #2 would be appreciated.

So the question is, can Marsh Pink occur in freshwater wetlands?

Price Drops

Canon EF Extender 1.4X II

Price dropped $50 on 10 FEB 2020!
Price dropped $40 on 25 APR 2020!

BPN friend Ravi Hirekatur is also offering a Canon EF Extender 1.4X II (the 1.4X II teleconverter) in excellent condition for the ridiculous, you-might-as-well-give-it-away price of $89.00 (was $179.00). The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via UPS to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Ravi via e-mail or by phone at 1-608-217-9593 central time.

The 1.4X II TC is every bit as sharp when used with older lenses such as the original 100-400 above and the original 500 and 600mm f/4 lenses. The series III TCs provide advantages only when paired with the series II and III lenses. I used this item more than quite often when I was using Canon, often with great success. artie

Navy blue (woman’s small) Xtrahand Magnum Vest

Price dropped $50 on 25 FEB 2020!

John Lowin is offering a navy blue (woman’s small) Xtrahand Magnum vest by Vested Interest for a ridiculosuly low $149.00 (was $199.00). The vest is in like-new condition. The sale also includes insured ground shipping by major courier to mainland US addresses only (unless other shipping arrangements are made). Please contact John via e-mail or by phone at 1-262-242-3559. Central time.

As most of you know, I use and depend on my (Magnum) Xtrahand Vest extensively both in the field and for air travel; it has saved my butt many times when traveling on small planes and puddle jumpers when they want to check or gate-check your roll aboard. At spots in the Southern Ocean and in the Galapagos archipelago, it is absolutely indispensable as it allows me to carry the extra lenses that I might need, along with water, food, and extra clothing. Without a backpack! As Vested Interest has gone out of business, this represents a rare chance to get yourself an Xtrahand Vest at a greatly reduced price. artie


flower-guide-cover-1200-w

The Art of Flower Photography, a 203 page eBook/a link to the PDF will be sent via e-mail: $29.00.

The Art of Flower Photography by Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris

You can learn everything e about this e-book here, or order your copy here.

Video: The Art of Flower Photography

In this B&H Event Space video, two of the world’s premier photographers of flora and fauna — Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito — share the techniques they use to create dramatic, sharp, well-composed, properly exposed images of flowers and flower fields. Denise does great things with the Canon 100mm f/2.8 L IS lens, while artie often goes to longer focal lengths—he has been seen photographing tulips at Keukenhoff Gardens, Holland, with a 600mm lens and a teleconverter. In addition to standard techniques, the video ends with Ippolito and Morris showing a wide range of abstract floral images and describing a variety of creative artistic effects such as multiple exposures, sharp/soft blending, texture overlays, warping a flower, creating zoom/twirls, in-camera blurs, and many others.

Click here to see the video.

If In Doubt …

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Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the BAA Online Store 🙂

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 or Bedfords, 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.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would, of course, appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links or Bedfords for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who regularly visit the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

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Typos

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