On Working a Prehistoric Subject « Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

On Working a Prehistoric Subject

What’s Up?

The forecast for Saturday morning was for cloudy with a north wind so I headed to Jamaica Bay without hesitating. It turned out to be sunny and clear with a north wind; I should have been at Nickerson Beach.

Late Saturday afternoon was looking great for an orange/peach sunset filled with silhouettes and blast-off blurs, but a huge cloud materialized on the western horizon ruined the possible perfection. But I stayed late anyhoo and the skimmers were blasting off every two minutes as it got darker and darker. It is quite peaceful and beautiful being on the beach after the sun has set.

Today is Sunday 28 August 2022. The forecast is for the party cloudy skies with the first east wind since I arrived on Long Island at the very beginning of August. I will be headed for Nickerson Beach early, hoping that the weather forecast is correct and that skimmers skimming right at me are on the menu. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes one hundred fifty-six days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

Instagram

Follow me on Instagram here. I am trying to feature both new and old images, especially images that have not appeared recently on the blog. Or search for birds_as_art.

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

Send a PayPal for $62.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 and put $62.00 on your credit card. Pick one of your best images and upload the raw file using a large file sending service like Hightail or DropBox and then send me the link via e-mail. I will download and save your raw file, evaluate the exposure and sharpness, and optimize the image as if it were my own after converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw. Best of all, I will make a screen recording of the entire process and send you a link to the video to download, save and study.

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $699.00 each (were $799.00) and the price now includes the insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906. Order yours here while they last.

Please Remember

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

If You Enjoy the Blog …

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.



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. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was also created on 26 August 2022 at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY. While standing and trying to get on sun angle, I used the handheld Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 1600: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. AWB at7:44:16am on a sunny morning.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Animal Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly by accurately tracking the turtle’d eye. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger, sharper, high-res version.

Image #1: Common Snapping Turtle in shorebird pool

The Discovery

While sitting at a shorebird pool populated by about a hundred sandpipers and plovers, I saw a dark, round shape just break the surface of the water. I got up and moved to the north to check it out. It turned out to be a large Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) that would have tipped the scales in excess of 25 pounds. I called my two clients over and created Image #1 just before it left the pond and crawled up onto the muddy shore of the East Pond.

This image was also created on 26 August 2022 at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY. While seated on damp mud, I used the handheld/knee-podded Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 840mm) with The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Wheel. ISO 1600: 1/640 sec. at f/9. AWB at 7:51:14am on a sunny morning.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Animal Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly by accurately tracking the turtle’d eye. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger, sharper, high-res version.

Image #2: Common Snapping Turtle — tight head portrait

My First Instinct:Go Head Hunting

With the creature crawling to the north and slightly away from sun angle, my first instinct was to go for a head portrait. With the 1.4X TC in place, I did not have much choice. I sat down in some deep gooey mud — no worries I wear fisherman’s skins bottoms made from canvas with a rubber outer layer.When the big turtle obliged by turning its head back towards me, I fired off a few frames. Speaking of frames, I created 656 images of this subject. I kept 28 of those and more than half will wind up in the trash after the second edit. I made a series of images of just the tail and thought that they would be really neat. But, I should have gotten a bit higher as parts of the bottom of third of the tail was obscured by clumps of mud and Canada Goose poop.

This image was also created on 26 August 2022 at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY. While seated on damp mud I used the handheld/knee-podded Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 2 1/3 stops). AWB at 7:56:01am on a sunny morning.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Animal Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly by accurately tracking the turtle’d eye.

Image #3: Common Snapping Turtle — tight facing image

Turnabout is Fair Play (and in this case, most welcome)

Surpisingly, the slow moving reptile reversed course twice by turning to its left, circling, and then heading north again. During the turn, I had the creature facing me with the sun coming over my right shoulder. By this time I had removed the 1.4X TC, but I still needed to add a bit of canvas above the shell for Image #3.. Though four folks joined me in photographing the turtle, everyone moved slowly and the animal was not stressed or bothered at all. In 46 years of visiting the East Pond, it was the first Common Snapping Turtle I had seen. I did have an up-close, personal, and very scary encounter with one at Big John’s Pond more than 30 years ago.

Alligator Snapping Turtle?

I had thought that ranges of Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) and Common Snapping Turtle overlapped in the northeast. While doing the research for this blog post, I came across an entertaining and informative video comparing the two species. The video was entitled Alligator Snapping Turtle VS Common Snapping Turtle: Can you tell the difference?. You can watch it here.

This image was also created on 26 August 2022 at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NY. While seated on damp mud I used the handheld/knee-podded Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 2 1/3 stops). AWB at 7:58:21am on a sunny morning.

Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Animal Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly by accurately tracking the turtle’d eye.

Image #4: Common Snapping Turtle — leaving the scene

Bye, Bye, Baby

About 15 minutes after it emerged from the shallow, muddy water, the snapping turtle turned tail and clambered into the East Pond proper in search of a tasty duck dinner.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

9 comments to On Working a Prehistoric Subject

Leave a Reply

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>