Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Stuff

Sunday was a lazy day filled with mostly crummy NFL games. I cut down one small, skinny dead tree and sawed off a long, sturdy branch from a fallen dead tree to serve as perches once I plant them in the lake a ways out from the shore. Boy, that wood was hard!

Folks did a good job yesterday commenting on the Herring Gull with whelk image. Below is another head angle challenge. It will be interesting to see everyone’s thoughts.

I was glad to learn of that the sale of Steve Cashell’s Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens is nearly complete; he is waiting for the check to clear.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred twenty-two days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took more than an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Wanted to Buy

Please contact me via e-mail if you are interested in selling a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L is II USM in excellent condition as per the usual terms.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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 might include system, camera body, accessory, and lens choices and decisions.

These two images was created on the morning of October 21, 2017 with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and my favorite tern photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/200 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. AWB in predawn light. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -2. One row down and four AF points to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s cheek directly below the bird’s eye. Winter Plumage Common Tern on Beach

Common Tern on Beach

What I really liked about this situation was that this bird isolated, well away from the rest of the flock: about 40 Sandwich Terns, 6 Forster’s Terns, and another few commons. None of the birds were going anywhere.

Head Angle

Are you seeing much of a difference in the head angle in A and the head angle in B? (Note again that the two images were created in the same one one-hundredth of a second.)

Image Question

The beach was dry. The bird was tame. What is the most likely reason that I did not splay the legs of my tripod and get down flat on the ground and create a more intimate image?

Winter Plumage Common Tern on Beach/tight crop of head

Head Angle Nitpicking

I’ve been told often that my comments on head angle are nitpicking, the one or two degrees difference in head angle cannot possibly be important to the success of an avian image. As nitpicking is defined as looking for unimportant errors or faults, especially in order to criticize unnecessarily. I humbly disagree. In my opinion, differences in head angle as small as one degree or even less can make a huge difference with bird photographs.

With today’s two images, what would you say about the heads angles:

a-Image A clearly has the better head angle.
b-Both images are the same; the head angle makes no difference.
c-The head angle in image B is vastly superior to the head angle in image A.

If you chose either A or B, please let us know why you made your choice.

Cropping Question

Whichever image you prefer, would you crop it? If yes, how?

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

Home safely and getting ready for a swim …

Wanted to Buy

Canon 7D Mark II in at least excellent condition. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to sell yours.

Click on the logo-link above to check out the latest silly-sick low prices on just about everything that B&H sells!

Amazing 5D Mark IV Sale!

Amazing 5D Mark IV Sale!

Right now you can purchase a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with the BG-E20 Battery Grip for the crazy low price of $3199. I am not sure how long this Black Friday sale will last …

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

Thursday was a 100% relaxing day spent with family and football and fine food with younger daughter Alissa hosting. I did get some additional work done on the 5D Mark IV User’s Guide. I hope to get out to do some photography on Friday. I fly home very early on Saturday.

If you would like advance notice of a slew of used Fuji and Sony gear coming to the Used Gear page soon — including a Fuji X-T2 camera body — please get in touch with me via e-mail.

If you are interested in joining the Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT at this late date, please shoot me an e-mail or call me on my cell at 863-221-2372 (and leave a message if I do not pick up).

Canon EOS-1DX Mark II

Shock the world price #2/Reduced $800 on 22 NOV 2017!

Mansoor Assadi is offering a lightly used Canon EOS-1DX Mark II professional digital camera body in like-new condition for a BAA record low $3998 (was $4899) with only 23,000 shutter actuations.The camera was recently cleaned and checked by Canon. The sale includes the front body cap, a RRS L-plate, a LensCoat BodyBag, the original box with everything that came in it, and insured ground shipping via major courier. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

The 1DX Mark II is Canon’s rugged, blazingly fast professional digital camera body. It features an amazing AF system and high quality image files with great dynamic range. It is the choice of Arash Hazeghi, one of the world’s premier birds in flight photographers. artie

The Streak

Today makes one hundred nineteen days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took more than an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Used Gear Sales

Things have been picking up on the Used Gear Page recently after a two-month downturn, especially with long glass. You can see the complete updated listings here.

Recent Sales

• Chesley Swann sold a Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS Zoom lens (the original 1-4) in excellent condition for the very low price of $529 in mid-November.
• Mike Lawie sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II body in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $923 and his Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens in excellent condition also for a BAA record low price: $448. Both in mid-November.
• Gary Wade sold his Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens in near-mint condition for the record-low BAA price of $7449 in mid-November.
• Multiple IPT veteran Shelly Goldstein sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens (the “old five”) in excellent condition for the $3899 a week after it was listed.
• Peter Noyes sold his Nikon D-810 Digital SLR Camera Body in excellent condition for $1499 two hours after it was listed.
• Multiple IPT veteran Shelly Goldstein sold his Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Super Telephoto lens in like-new condition for $9,399 in early November before it was even listed …
• IPT veteran Duncan Douglas sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens (the “old five”) in early November for #3699.
• Robert Blanke sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II professional digital camera body in like-new condition for the BAA record low/shock the world price of $3999 an hour after it was listed.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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 might include system, camera body, accessory, and lens choices and decisions.

Basket Stanchions and the Witch’s Tree Sunset/Optimized version Be sure to enjoy an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

Basket Stanchions and the Witch’s Tree Sunset …

Sometimes you create a dramatic image knowing in advance that you will have some serious work to do in Photoshop. Such was the case with today’s featured image. What I envisioned as the final image (below) was just too good to pass up.

This image was created at Heckscher State Park, Long Island, NY on the evening of Tuesday, November 21, 2017 with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and my favorite sunset photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop as framed: 1/200 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. K7500. Colorful sunset. Note: the lens was braced on the top of a chain link fence. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -5. Center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter Button/Spot AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point caught a branch in the middle of the tree. Trees and basketball stanchions at sunset Be sure to enjoy an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

Witch’s Tree Sunset Optimized

One of the tricks that I use to juice up the color of sunrise and sunset images during the RAW conversions in DPP 4 is to pull the Color fine-tune dot into the lower right corner towards RED; this really intensifies the sky colors. I brought the TIF file into Photoshop and leveled the image using the Ruler Tool (my personalized keyboard shortcut R). The rest of the image optimization for me was more difficult than it seemed it would be at first glance. I thought that simply circling the basket stanchions with the Patch Toll and then applying Content Aware Fill (default shortcut Shift + Delete) would take care of the right-most basket. It did not. Instead, it made a mess. So I started again using Divide and Conquer principles by breaking the basket stanchion into smaller sections (using the Clone Stamp Tool at 0% hardness ) and then using the Patch Tool on each section. That worked just fine. The two stanchions on our left went away easily with Content Aware fill. I used the Patch Tool to eliminate the bright light on the horizon. That left me with the tree branches in the upper left. I thought about leaving them. I tried Content Aware Fill on the whole thing but again that made a huge mess. Again I worked in smaller sections but the results were quite lumpy so I applied an 80 pixel Gaussian Blur to the whole image (on a Layer), added a Hide-all (Black or Inverse) layer mask, and then painted the effect in (B + D) on those upper left tree branches with brushes of varying opacities. A bit more texture in that area might have been a bit nicer but overall I was happy with the final image.

Last was a fast and dirty NeatImage noise reduction that was badly needed on the deep REDs.

ps: when I showed the final image to my younger daughter Alissa she asked, Africa?” Heckscher is 19 minutes from her home. 🙂

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt. You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a Paypal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The few things mentioned above (and tons more) are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. The new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):

• The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
• The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.

You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And you can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret???; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below. You can see a composite of more recent images in the DeSoto Sucked This Past Weekend blog post here.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office on Monday with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

Having stayed up late to watch the end of the Monday Night Football game I stayed in on Tuesday morning despite what turned out to be pretty good weather: clear skies with light southwest winds. I relaxed for most of the morning, paid a visit to crack A.R.T. chiropractor Dr. Dan Holland at True Sports Care in Nesconset, and then headed back to Heckscher State Park to photograph gulls in the big puddle in Parking Field 7. After being oh for six in search of the lingering Hudsonian Godwit I had pretty much given up on seeing or photographing the bird. This tale is continued in the Finally! I am nothing if not … feature below.

I was glad to learn yesterday that Robert Blanke sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II professional digital camera body in like-new condition for the BAA record low/shock the world price of $3999 an hour after it was listed!

If you are interested in joining the Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT at this late date, please shoot me an e-mail or call me on my cell at 863-221-2372 (and leave a message if I do not pick up). The details are below.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred seventeen days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Used Gear Sales

Things have been picking up on the Used Gear Page recently after a two-month downturn, especially with long glass. You can see the complete updated listings here.

Recent Sales

• Robert Blanke sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II professional digital camera body in like-new condition for the BAA record low/shock the world price of $3999 an hour after it was listed.
• Chesley Swann sold a Canon EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS Zoom lens (the original 1-4) in excellent condition for the very low price of $529 in mid-November.
• Mike Lawie sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II body in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $923 and his Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM zoom lens in excellent condition also for a BAA record low price: $448. Both in mid-November.
• Gary Wade sold his Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens in near-mint condition for the record-low BAA price of $7449 in mid-November.
• Multiple IPT veteran Shelly Goldstein sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens (the “old five”) in excellent condition for the $3899 a week after it was listed.
• Peter Noyes sold his Nikon D-810 Digital SLR Camera Body in excellent condition for $1499 two hours after it was listed.
• Multiple IPT veteran Shelly Goldstein sold his Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Super Telephoto lens in like-new condition for $9,399 in early November before it was even listed …
• IPT veteran Duncan Douglas sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens (the “old five”) in early November for #3699.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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 might include system, camera body, accessory, and lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 21 at Heckscher State Park, Long Island, NY with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and my favorite shorebird photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering + 2/3 stop as framed: 1/1600 sec. at f/7.1 in Av mode. Cloudy WB in light cloudy conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -2. Center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the front of the bird’s breast as originally framed, right on the same plane as the bird’s face and eye. Hudsonian Godwit, worn juvenile plumage. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.

Finally! I am nothing if not …

Continued from Stuff: The hard to find godwit was last seen at Field 7; I was thisclose to driving by Field 6 when I arrived at Heckscher. But at the last second, I said, “What the heck” and turned into Field 6. As I pulled up to the basketball courts — the spot where the bird had been hanging out for more than three weeks, I was happy to see a single worn juvenile Hudsonian Godwit feeding in the short grass. Better yet, two women out on a health walked passed within 15 feet of the object of my desire; the bird hardly noticed. I grabbed my 500 II; my 1.4XIII TC was already in place so I stuck my 2X III TC in my coat pocket and mounted the 5D Mark IV, grabbed my Induro GIT 304L tripod with a Mongoose M3.6 on it, and headed around the bird to get on sun angle. I opted not to put the lens hood on the 500 II as it was quite windy.

The bird had flown a short distance to some really nice grass. I had already lowered the tripod to sitting height so once my faint shadow was pointed at the bird I sat, adjusted the height of the tripod legs, and went to work. As I was getting in place I had put the camera into Av mode at ISO 800 and added 2/3 stop of light for the dried grasses. Today’s featured image was the fourth photo that I created just as the bird had paused and posed. I stayed with the bird for about 15 minutes eventually getting a lot closer, that after I had switched out the 1.4X for the 2X. But by then the bird was in some pretty grungy-looking grass and that fourth, smaller in the frame image, turned out to be my very favorite by far. The habitat is likely quite similar to the habitat in Chile or Argentina where this species winter on grasslands. It is another example of my developing taste for wider rather than tighter images.

After six tries I had pretty much given up but wound up succeeding; I am nothing if not persistent and determined. Today’s featured image is a small crop of the original from below and behind the bird. Thanks again to Isaac Grant for helping me keep tabs on this bird and to David La Magna for is help as well. Sometimes it takes a village. 🙂

ps: the gull photography got really good when the sun came back out. Photos soon.

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret???; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below. You can see a composite of more recent images in the DeSoto Sucked This Past Weekend blog post here.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Because of the narrow time frame, your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid not by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

Billy Joel was as good as ever at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. And we sat on the floor so our seats were much better than at last month’s concert. I headed back to younger daughter Alissa’s home on the LIRR on Sunday morning. Jen and Maya arrived on Saturday and Sam is joining us soon from Boston where he is studying film-making at Emerson College. It will be the first time that I am spending Thanksgiving with my family in well more than two decades.

As I do not fly home until the Saturday afternoon after turkey day I hope to get out to do some more photography in the coming week. Do consider joining me on the Early Winter DeSoto IPT. Details below.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred fifteen days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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 might include system, camera body, accessory, and lens choices and decisions.

This image was created at Robert Moses State Park in Suffolk County, Long Island, NY with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 286mm) and my favorite deer photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/250 sec. at f/5.0 in Tv mode. Cloudy WB in cloudy conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: extrapolated to -3. Two AF points up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the right side of the deer’s neck right below the right eye (as originally framed; this is a slight crop to 3X2 from the the top, from our right, and from the bottom.) White-tailed Deer doe Be sure to enjoy an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

Intermediate Telephoto Lens Versatility and Advice

Intermediate Telephoto Lens Versatility

As you have been seeing here for about two years most every week, the versatility of the Canon 100-400 II borders on phenomenal. All of the 70-200mm lens, the old Canon 100-400, and the Nikon 80-400 (some of those with a teleconverter) are all excellent. But none match the new 1-4 with its amazing close focus, its four-stop IS, and it sharpness (especially with the 1.4X III TC).

Intermediate Telephoto Lens Advice

I have written this often: “Never drive through a park or preserve or any type of natural area without having at least your intermediate telephoto lens immediately at hand. Not seeing any birds at Moses we neglected to do that. In short order we had several young bucks with fairly nice racks starting at us at point blank range. The next minute there was one on the other side of the road walking slowly with the branches of a fairly large bush draped over him. At that point I followed my own advice …

This image was created at Robert Moses State Park in Suffolk County, Long Island, NY with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 286mm) and my favorite deer photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 in Tv mode. Cloudy WB in cloudy conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment at 400m: -5. Two AF points to the right and one row up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the deer’s forehead slightly above and in front of the eye as framed. White-tailed Deer young with tongue out Be sure to enjoy an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

When Working From Your Vehicle: Engine Off/Engine On?

When using your vehicle as a blind, you often have to decide whether to turn off the engine or leave it running. Most folks think that it is always best to always turn off the engine but that entails two risks:

1- The subject is often alerted to your presence when you turn off the engine, often to the point of fleeing. Oops.

2- Let’s say you turn off the engine and the subject is OK with that. But, it changes its position and you need to re-position your vehicle; most modern vehicles make a loud, unpleasant, electronic beep or other piercing sound when the key is turned. These sounds will often upset the apple cart instantly; bye-bye birdie (or animal).

Hand Holding Tip When Working From Your Vehicle with the Engine Running

If you are hand holding (usually an intermediate telephoto lens) the trick to photographing from your vehicle (usually at very close range) is to not rest your left forearm on the lowered window or on the door frame. Simply tuck your left elbow into our side, hold the lens well out on the lens barrel, and fire away. I made both of today’s image with the engine on confident that the vibrations would not effect the sharpness of the images made at 1/250 second or faster.

Your Favorite and Why?

Which of today’s featured images do you like best? Be sure to let us know why.

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret???; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below. You can see a composite of more recent images in the DeSoto Sucked This Past Weekend blog post here.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Because of the narrow time frame, your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid not by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

Midday on Friday I visited my 62-year old sister Arna in a nursing/rehab home. She is not doing well at all. It is a long story. That afternoon Anita North and I were off to Heckscher State Park where as many as five young Hudsonian Godwits had been hanging out for a month. Last week there were three left, and one of those was seen on Thursday. We had our hopes up and thanks to the kindness of BPN’s Isaac Grant we learned late in the day that the bird had changed parking fields. Alas, we did not find the bird.

On Friday evening there was a big family dinner meeting to discuss Arna’s care, treatment, and finances. Nothing was decided but by the time we all said good night everyone felt very close and loving.

I was thrilled to learn that Gary Wade sold his 400mm f/2.8 L IS Canon lens right after I suggested that a $500 price drop might do the trick. There are still lots of great camera body deals on the Used Gear Page here Do consider joining me on the Early Winter DeSoto IPT. Details below.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred thirteen days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Everybody’s Doing It…

Everybody’s buying and selling used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page. Sales of lenses especially have been picking up recently. There are lots of great deals on a variety of camera bodies right now, all with low prices. 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 charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They recently folded. And eBay fees are now in the 13% range. 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. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the yellow-orange menu bar at the top of each blog post.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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.

This image was created at Fort DeSoto on the morning of November 11, 2017 with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite endangered species camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/1250 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB in mostly sunny, very slightly overcast conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -10. One AF point to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the front part of the faint neck-band pretty much on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Image #1: Piping Plover, worn juvenile on clean sand beach Be sure to enjoy an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

The Times They May Be a Changing …

For the past few decades, images like the one above were the apples of my eye: large in the frame subjects, low perspectives, clean and distant backgrounds, sharp focus, and shallow depth of field. Very recently I have begun leaning to smaller in the frame subjects and have come to realize that including some grasses, twigs, pebbles, leaves, or other accoutrements is not the end of the world. See below for a recent example.

Note: Both of today’s images were created while I was sitting behind my lowered tripod.

Image Sharpness

If you are impressed by the sharpness of today’s images, both made at 1200mm, note the AFA value of -10 for my 600 II/2X III TC i, and my main 5D Mark IV body. With a carefully done micro-adjustment for this rig and this rig only, the AFA of -10 will make quite a substantial difference in the sharpness of the images. You often wind up with AFA values close to zero like -1 or +2; in those cases you would have been fine had you not done the micro-adjusting. There is of course, no way of knowing in advance. So I do the work and wind up being confident that I will be making consistently sharp images with a given gear combination.

Learn more about making accurate LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustments in the log post here.

This image was created at Fort DeSoto on the morning of November 11, 2017 with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite endangered species off camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/1250 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB in mostly sunny, very slightly overcast conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: -10. One AF point to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on middle of the neck band as originally framed, directly behind and on the same place as the bird’s eye. Image #2: Piping Plover, worn juvenile with turtle grass & ??? Be sure to enjoy an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

The Wider View

Here the bird had moved well left of sun angle but was headed back toward me so I was sitting farther from it than I had been. The bird was foraging along at a good pace in typical plover fashion, step, step, step, stop. I attempted to track him as he was stepping and with this image I succeeded in making a sharp one that included some colorful grasses in the frame. The optimized image above was cropped from three sides: below, left, and above while maintaining the original 3X2 proportion.

The Stronger Image?

Which of today’s two featured images do you feel is the strongest? Why?

A DPP 4 Screen Capture for Image #2

A DPP 4 Screen Capture for Image #2

I included the DPP 4 screen capture in today’s blog post for two main reasons:

• 1- So that you could see the extent of my crop and how I saw the picture within the picture.
• 2- To show you the placement of the AF point. In an ideal world I would have moved the AF point to the left so as to move the bird back in the frame a bit.

The Image Optimization

After converting the image in DPP 4 and bringing the TIF file into Photoshop I attempted to eliminate the distracting stuff while leaving most of the grasses to convey an accurate sense of place. The moment that I saw the sharp RAW file on my laptop I immediately saw the picture within the picture, the crop from three sides that would leave me with a very nice image.

As is usually the case, I used the Spot Healing Brush, the Patch Tool, a bit of Content Aware Fill, and several small Quick Masks refined by layer masks to do the clean-up work.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt. You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a Paypal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II)

The few things mentioned above (and tons more) are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. The new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):

• The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
• The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.

You can learn how and why I and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And you can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret???; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below. You can see a composite of more recent images in the DeSoto Sucked This Past Weekend blog post here.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Because of the narrow time frame, your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid not by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

It is 9:28am on Wednesday November 15 as I put the finishing touches on this blog post. I am on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) on the way to Penn Station to see the new Broadway musical “A Bronx Tale.” Going to visit my friends at B&H on Thursday to celebrate $5,000,000+ in BAA affiliate sales. Mazel tov to all concerned. No swimming for me till I get back to ILE and 25 NOV.

Do consider joining me on the Early Winter DeSoto IPT. Details below.

This Just In

It is now 5:47am on Thursday November 16, 2017. I just spent almost an hour responding to the many comments in the Answers please: a-, b-, & c … blog post here. Even if you did not leave a comment there it would behoove the serious students to give it all a careful read. I will comment on the generalities in a future blog post.

ps: A Bronx Tale was fabulous!

The Streak

Today makes one hundred eleven days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Everybody’s Doing It…

Everybody’s buying and selling used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page. Sales of lenses especially have been picking up recently. There are lots of great deals on a variety of camera bodies right now, all with low prices. 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 charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They recently folded. And eBay fees are now in the 13% range. 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. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the yellow-orange menu bar at the top of each blog post.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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.

This image was created on the 2016 San Diego IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens and the greatest-ever value in a digital camera body, the 1.6X crop factor Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 800: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB in soft, late afternoon light at 3:59pm. Center AF point/AI Servo/Expand AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point fell on the bird’s lower breast above the raised left foot; this was pretty much on the same plane as the coot’s eye. American Coot running

Multiple Choice Exposure Quiz

In the Ugly as a Coot … And Multiple Choice Exposure Quiz blog post here, I wrote:

Given the lighting conditions as noted in the caption above, which would be the correct EC (exposure compensation) for this image?

A: +1 1/3 stops

B: zero (the metered exposure)

C: -1 1/3 stops

Most folks came up with the right choice. Southern Oceans group participant David Peake explained things perfectly when he wrote, The image is overall dark tones so the camera is likely to meter to bring the exposure up. This necessitates a compensation of -1 1/3. Don’t want to blow out those white highlights now.

A few folks thought otherwise. If you had any doubt, you need to study the section on Exposure Theory in The Art of Bird Photography and the section entitled “Exposure Simplified” in The Art of Bird Photography II (on CD). Please call Jim at 863-692-0906to order the downloadable version).

This 5-frame in-camera multiple exposure was created early on the morning of Thursday, November 9, 2017 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. 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 476mm) and my favorite bird aquatic wildflower photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB in bright early morning sunlight with clear skies. Flexi-zone Single rear button AF in Live View (for mirror lock) with the 2-second-timer. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. No LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjustment is needed or applied when you focus in Live View via contrast off the sensor. Pickerelweed, 5-frame multiple exposure

Pickerelweed Multiple Exposure: one frame, five images …

In the Free 5D Mark IV User’s Guide Excerpt. One frame, five pickerelweed images … blog post here, I posted this:

Image Design Question

Why do I wish that I had lowered the position of my lens six inches?

I was surprised that no one came up with the correct answer. By lowering my tripod and thus the position of the lens about six inches, I would have moved the out-of-focus brown strip down in the frame so that it was placed just at the top of the green stem (rather than bisecting the blossom). Yes Eleanor, there would have been more “light green in the background” but you missed the main reason.

Marbled Godwit Straightforward Image Optimization Challenge Results

In the Marbled Godwit Straightforward Image Optimization Challenge Results Offer a Tremendous Opportunity for Learning … blog post here, I posed the following questions.

• 1-In general, do you prefer the cropped or the un-cropped versions?
• 2-Do you think that the image needed to be leveled?
• 3-Which image is a big overexposure?
• 4-Which image or images have the best beach clean-up?
• 5-Which image is presented too dark?

My Answers

#1: I far prefer the un-cropped versions. Had you asked me that same question 15 years ago I would surely have said that I preferred the cropped versions. In general, my tastes have changed– matured if you would — to preferring the bird smaller in the frame while including more habitat. Of the cropped versions, Image #7, by Rachel Hollander was my favorite. Rachel is one of the excellent moderators in the Wildlife Forum on BPN.

#2:There is no right answer here as either choice (or somewhere in between) might be correct; there are no firm indications either way. It is simply a matter of personal preference.

#3: Image #9 as presented is the only one that has been processed much too light. There are RGB values in the highlights in the 250s with more than a few 255 readings.

#4: The very best beach clean-ups for me were in Images #2, 10, and 12. Images #13 and 16 were quite good as well but just a tad behind.

#5: Image #18 was the only one processed well too dark.

In a few days, I will post a short critique each of the submitted images.

Image #1

Image #1

Image #2

Image #2

Image #3

Image #3

Image #4

Image #4

Image #5

Image #5

Image #6

Image #6

Image #7

Image #7

Image #8

Image #8

Image #9

Image #9

Image #10

Image #10

Image #11

Image #11

Image #12

Image #12

Image #13

Image #13

Image #14

Image #14

Image #15

Image #15

Image #16

Image #16

Image #17

Image #17

Image #18

Image #18

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret???; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below. You can see a composite of more recent images in the DeSoto Sucked This Past Weekend blog post here.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Because of the narrow time frame, your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid not by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

Monday was mostly a day of taking it easy, working on blog posts, and thinking about what to pack for my trip to Long Island/NYC. I leave at about lunch time on Tuesday. I did get in my exercises and a 3/4 mile swim.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred nine days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Everybody’s Doing It…

Everybody’s buying and selling used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page. Sales of lenses especially have been picking up recently. 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 charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They recently folded. And eBay fees are now in the 13% range. 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. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the right side of the yellow-orange menu bar at the top of each blog post.

Canon EF 400mm f/4 IS DO Lens

The Lowest-ever BAA Price!

Pradip Thachile is offering a Used Canon EF 400mm f/4 IS DO lens in excellent condition for the BAA record low price of $2097.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the original tough front lens cover, the lens strap, an Arca-Swiss compatible lens plate, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Please contact Pradip via e-mail

I used this lens for several years with great success, especially for birds in flight and while working from various type of water craft. In addition, it would make a great prime super-telephoto lens for folks with a 7D II. The multiple-honored Gannets in Love was created with the old 400 DO. You can see that one and 13 other killer images that I made with my old 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.” Pradip’s lens is priced to sell. artie

Latest Used Gear Kudos

via e-mail from Robert Blanke

Hey Artie. Thank you again–the 5D s sale makes four cameras sold at fair prices and commissions, with the first three going in one day! Cheers Robert

New Listings

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

IPT veteran Carolyn Peterson is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera body in excellent condition for $1399. The sale includes a brand new Vello BG-C9 Battery Grip (an $80 value), the front body cap, one battery (with protective cover), the battery charger, the shoulder strap, the original product box and everything that came in it, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only.

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

Please contact Carolyn via e-mail or phone at 1-503-730-9262 (Pacific time/evenings best).

I owned and used this superb, full frame, 22mp digital body for several years. It was always my first choice for scenic, Urbex, and flower photography until I fell in love for a while with the 5DS R (for a lot more money!). In addition, I loved my 5D III body for birds with my big lenses and both TCs. I used mine to create many saleable images. artie

Canon GPS receiver GP-E2

Carolyn Peterson is offering a Canon GPS receiver GP-E2 for EOS camera bodies in Near-mint condition for $149. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only.

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

Please contact Carolyn via e-mail or phone at 1-503-730-9262 (Pacific time/evenings best).

This item sells new at B&H for $239.95 so if you are interested it makes sense to grab this one and save more than a few bucks. artie

Canon EF 17-40 f/4L USM Lens

Carolyn Peterson is offering a Canon EF 17-40 f/4L USM lens in near-mint condition for ($499). The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it including the soft lens pouch, the lens hood, the front and rear caps, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only.

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

Please contact Carolyn via e-mail or phone at 1-503-730-9262 (Pacific time/evenings best).

The 17-40 is a high quality “L” series wide angle zoom that fits both full frame and APS-C sized DSLRs (and offers 27-64mm coverage with the latter bodies). It focuses down to 11 inches so it is great for both wide angle scenics and tight mini/macro scenics. It conveniently accepts 77mm filters. artie

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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.

This image was created at Fort DeSoto Park on the late afternoon of Friday, November 10, 2017 with the Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and my favorite large plover photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 1250. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/60 second at f/5.6. Cloudy WB in dark, overcast conditions. Two AF points up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was placed on the bird’s neck just catching a piece of the base of the proximal end of the lower mandible. LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjustment: -1. Black-bellied Plover, worn juvenile ETTL fill flash at at -1 stop with the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT on the Mongoose Integrated Flash Arm via the Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord (2′). Forgetting my Better Beamer Flash Extender wasted lots of battery power.

The Poser

As you learned in the Sandpiper Photography Tips blog post here, shorebird occasionally pause while feeding. If you are quick, or if you can learn to anticipate their pauses, you greatly increase your odds of making a sharp image. If you are lucky, a foraging shorebird might stop for several seconds. Oftentimes I will make a squeaking sound with my lips in an attempt to get a feeding bird to hold still for a second or two.

Rarely, a feeding sandpiper or plover will stop for a nice rest. Fortunately for me, the young Black-bellied Plover in today’s featured image opted to stop right in front of me as I was seated behind my lowered tripod. And he chose to hold his left leg up. And he stayed so still that the big drop of water on the tip of his bill. Amazingly, he stayed for ten full minutes. With his leg raised. And with the big drop of water in place. With my first (seated) efforts, the shoreline bisected the bird’s belly. So when he stayed, I splayed the legs of my tripod and got flat down on the ground. This moved the shoreline nicely below its belly. As I was on a small rise I wanted to get even lower but could not. If I had brought my Panning Ground Pod I would have run back to the car to get it and could have gotten about six inches lower. When you need to get really, really low, nothing beats the Panning Ground Pod.

As it got darker and darker, I raised the flash output to zero and then to +1 getting closer to flash as main light. All of the results were acceptable.

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Because of the narrow time frame, your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid not by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).

Stuff

I met Lee Sommie and Noel Heustis early on Saturday for a morning of bird photography. It was not a great morning but we finished up by spending two hours with a very tame and photogenic juvenile Piping Plover. Then a great lunch at the Neptune Grill in Gulfport. No swim. No exercise. Yes nap 🙂

Sunset was tougher than the morning had been with east winds and a clear western sky. There had been a pretty big group — about 20 — of mostly young woman sitting on a rock wall enjoying the sunset. As we walked by one of the ladies asked, “Any good pictures?” I said, “You asked the right person.” I shared a few half-way decent blasting highlights images on the back of the camera. We wound up chatting for a bit and we learned that they were a Girl Scout group from Indian Rocks Beach. I went back to the car for a business card and grabbed my laptop as well. Next thing you know my Macbook Pro was sitting atop one of those big rubber garbage cans and I was doing a slide show for the girls. Everyone was pretty much captivated. The whole thirty minutes represented a wonderful and magical connection.

If you did not chime in on Thursday’s blog post, please do so now by clicking here; the blog is designed to be interactive. As always, the more folks who participate, the more everyone will learn. And yes, that includes me 🙂

The Streak

Today makes one hundred seven days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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.

This 5-frame in-camera multiple exposure was created early on the morning of Thursday, November 9, 2017 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. 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 476mm) and my favorite bird aquatic wildflower photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/160 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB in bright early morning sunlight with clear skies. Flexi-zone Single rear button AF in Live View (for mirror lock) with the 2-second-timer. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. No LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-adjustment is needed or applied when you focus in Live View via contrast off the sensor. Pickerelweed, 5-frame multiple exposure

Pickerelweed Multiple Exposure: one frame, five images …

To create this multiple exposure I chose On:Func/Ctrl (see more below) and set the number (of exposures) to 5. Then I went to Live View, set the 2-second timer, rear button focused, and figured the correct exposure using the live histogram in conjunction with Exposure Simulation. After I made the first image, I shifted the lens slightly; the really neat thing about using Live View for Multiple Exposures is that when you shift the lens and half-press the shutter button, you will see the resulting image before you even press the shutter button. Make the second image and then repeat for the next three images for a total of five.

Image Design Question

Why do I wish that I had lowered the position of my lens six inches?

Free 5D Mark IV User’s Guide Free Excerpt

Below is a free excerpt from the 5D Mark IV User’s Guide (in progress). Folks might be wondering “What’s taking him so long?” I want everyone to see the amount of detail, checking, and re-checking that goes into each section of the guide, into each item entry. I need to be 100% sure that 100% of the information is accurate, and that the directions are clear, concise, simple, easy to follow, and completely accurate. That involves first trying to decode the information in the camera body Instruction Manual and then working to understand the implications of each setting wth regards to nature, wildlife, and bird photography. Oftentimes I need to head into the backyard or down to the beach to give the various settings a test drive. Anyway, enjoy, and when you see some nice patterns, follow the directions and create a few multiple exposures.

Note: If you are confused by anything in the excerpt or note any errors or typos, please get in touch via e-mail.

Multiple Exposures

You can create in-camera multiple exposures with your 5D Mark IV. It is easier to access Multiple Exposure (ME) shooting by pressing the Creative Photo button) than by accessing it via the menu item. The Creative Photo button (I call it the “artist’s brush” button) is the topmost button in the vertical row of five buttons to the left of the large LCD on the back of the camera; it looks like an artist’s brush inside a rectangle. Once you press it, turn the thumb wheel clockwise once so that the Multiple exposure icon –the one in the middle — is highlighted in orange. Then press the Set button and proceed as directed below.

Here’s how to create Multiple Exposures:

Hit the Set button to bring up the ME menu. If you wish to check the look of the merged image as you proceed, or if you wish to save all the frames, choose Func/Ctrl (Function and Control Priority). The continuous shooting frame rate will decrease noticeably. If you are in Live View with On:Func/Ctrl set you can see the way the image will look when it merges with the next image in the series before you push the shutter button. This is very helpful when creating pattern multiple exposures or soft/sharp multiple exposures. In On:Func/Ctrl you have a choice on the menu as to whether you wish to Save source images. I always do by setting All images. If you do not want to save all the images set Result only.

If you wish to create a multiple exposure of a moving subject, you must choose ContShtng (Continuous shooting priority); the frame rate will not slow down. Important note: if you select ContShtng, only the multiple exposure will be saved. You will not be able to save all the images in the sequence. See page 268 in the camera instruction manual for a list of operations the will be disabled during this type of shooting.
Be sure to select Disable when you are done creating multiple exposures. You can also cancel Multiple exposure shooting by turning the camera off and then back on again.

For Multi-expos ctrl (Multiple exposure control) I recommend setting Average after setting the correct exposure compensation for a single frame. After creating the first multiple exposure image, you can check the histogram for the final result and adjust your exposure compensation as needed.

For No. of exposures (number of exposures) set the number of images that you wish to include in your final image. You can choose from 1-9 images. To set the number, first hit the Set button, then scroll up or down with the thumb wheel, and then hit Set again to register your choice.
As mentioned above, at Save source imgs (Save source images), selecting All images gives you great flexibility after the fact. If you do not get the image you want, you can assemble your own multiple exposures in Photoshop during post-processing using Layers. In addition, you might love one of the series as a stand-alone image. Remember, if you set ContShtng (Continuous shooting priority) at the outset, only a single image will be saved.

At Continue Mult-exp (Continue Multiple-exposures) set Continuously unless you wish to create only a single multiple exposure and then go back to normal shooting.

For more information and to check out the really fine details and restrictions that are in place when on creating multiple exposures, see pages 268-272 of the camera instruction manual.

Select image for mult. Expo.

If you would like to create a multiple exposure image on top of an image already recorded on the card, you must have Multiple Exposure active with all of your menu choices set and must of course have some images on the card. Then scroll down to Select image for multiple exposure at the bottom of the Multiple exposure sub-menu. Note: the base image must be a full-sized RAW file created with the 5D Mark IV without Highlight Tone Priority (HTP) enabled. You may, for example, wish to put an image of a large moon created with a long telephoto lens into a scenic image to be created with a wide angle lens. There are of course lots of other possibilities here for those with creative minds. The camera indicates Only compatible img’s displayed but that is a lie. ☺ If you do select an image that was created with HTP enabled it will show as Unselectable image.

First set On: Funct/Ctrl. If you wish to shoot only one image on top of your selected image, make sure that you have set the No of exposures to 2. If you wish to shoot multiple exposures on top of your base image then the No of exposures should be set to 3 or more.

Now select Select image for mult. Expo. Then hit the Set button. The images on the card will be displayed. Scroll with the Thumb Wheel to the image to that you wish to use as the base image, press Set, and the scroll to OK and press Set again. Now create the next image of the multiple exposure sequence. If you have set the No of exposures to 2, then you are finished. You can review the image by hitting the Replay (image review) arrow. If you have set the No of exposures to 3 or more, the number of remaining images will be shown near the upper right of the LCD. Continue until you are done. Again, there is lots of room here for creativity and plain old messing around.

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Because of the narrow time frame, your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid not by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

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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 :).

More Blog Subscription Problems 🙂

It appears that our server was recently spammed by AOL and possibly by several other (AOL-related?) e-mail providers. AOL was the first to do that to BPN more than a decade ago and we eventually solved the problem. But, they are back on our case. If you suddenly stopped receiving BAA Blog notices please click here to learn the easy work-around.

Stuff

If you did not chime in on yesterday’s blog post, please do so now as the blog is designed to be interactive. As always, the more folks who participate, the more everyone will learn. And yes, that includes me 🙂

I was glad to learn early on Thursday that Peter Noyes’ Nikon D-810 Digital SLR sold for $1499 just two hours after it was listed and that Multiple IPT veteran Shelly Goldstein sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens (the “old five”) in excellent condition for the $3899 a week after it was listed. I did lots more work on the 5D IV Guide on Thursday. I swam 3/4 mile. Did lots of positional exercises and cardio stuff and answered lots of e-mails; business as usual.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred five days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took more than two hours to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections willing.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 folks 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.

This image was created on a zodiac photo-cruise at Hope Bay, Antarctica with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the EOS-1DX (now replaced by the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops as framed: 1/1250 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB in slightly overcast conditions. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: +5. Two AF points above the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand/Rear Button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point fell on bird’s face below and to the right of it’s eye where the white and black meet. Adelie Penguin on ice floe with wings raised, Hope Bay, Antarctica Be sure to enjoy an enlarged version by clicking on the image.

Why and How to Stand Up in a Zodiac …

Why is it often necessary to stand up in a Zodiac? The most common reason is so that you can have a clear line of sight to the subject over the folks kneeling in front of you. On well-run zodiac photo-cruises, most of the folks on the subject side of the zodiac will be kneeling (if it is physically possible for them to do that). Folks on the opposite side, the side away from the subject, will usually need to stand so that they can enjoy good photographic opportunities. On well-run zodiac photo-cruises experienced drivers will turn the boat around completely after a good pass so that the standing folks kneel and the kneeling folks stand.

With today’s image, there was another big reason for me to stand. What was it?

If you are in decent shape with relatively good balance, the physical process of standing up in a zodiac is not a big challenge. Before standing make sure that the area around your feet is clear of any gear that has been placed on the floor, and most importantly, ask the zodiac driver for permission to stand. This ensures that the driver will not move the zodiac unexpectedly. Have fun. And be safe.

May I be frank? If you are making a trip to Antarctica, South Georgia, and even the Falklands without having a copy of the Southern Ocean Photography Guide on your laptop and studying it at length, you are making a huge mistake. 🙂

The Southern Ocean Photography Guide: $100, via download link

The Southern Ocean Photography Guide (SOPG) e-book is complete and is available for purchase here for $100.00. Or, you can call us at 863-692-0906 Mondays through Fridays with your credit card in hand. A link to your PDF will be sent ASAP (Monday through Friday). This guide is one hundred twenty-eight pages, 21,500 words, and contains 158 inspirational photographs each accompanied by an educational caption.

Why a Photography Guide rather than a Site Guide? The SOPG includes a ton of information on the complex logistics of a voyage to South Georgia and/or Antarctica. The information in this guide will help you select the right trip, to prepare for your trip properly in terms of clothing and photography gear, and will teach you about the various forms of photographic opportunities that you will have including landings, zodiac cruises, photographing from the ship while underway, and ship cruising. The logistics of getting your gear and yourself safely ashore are covered in detail. For those considering such an expedition, there is a frank discussion about the physical demands of a Southern Ocean voyage.

The new guide does include specific tips for many of the popular landings. In South Georgia these include the landings at Elsehul, Fortuna Bay, Right Whale Bay, Hercules Bay, Grytviken, Stromness Harbor, Godthul, Undine Harbor, and Cooper Bay, as well as the famed landing sites at Salisbury Plain, Gold Harbor, and the mind-boggling St. Andrews Bay. In Antarctica you will–weather permitting–likely land at Brown Bluff, Jougla Point, Petermann Island, Neko Harbor, Danco Harbor, Hannah Point, and for the extremely lucky, Bailey Head. There is lots of zodiac cruising down by the continent at locations that include the ice- and Humpback Whale-filled Cierva Cove, Paulet Island (where landings are possible but not likely), Hope Bay, and lots more. You will learn what to expect on a zodiac cruise and how best to maximize your opportunities while protecting your gear.

Scroll down here for a free excerpt.

Why So Expensive?

Actually, if you consider the value of the information in the PDF that you will receive, the SOPG is cheap. I have spent well more than $70,000 out of pocket on my five Southern Ocean trips. You will likely be spending $10 to $20K or more on your trip. And you will likely be bringing $10 to $20K or more worth of gear on your trip. $100? That is a huge bargain.

As above, the info in this guide will prove invaluable. It will help you be prepared; it will help you to dress properly so that you can stay as warm and as dry as possible; it will help you keep your gear safe and dry; it will help you to maximize your photographic opportunities. And, if you follow the safety tips, it might even save your life.

From Ted Cheeseman

Ted Cheeseman was the Expedition Leader on two of my three Cheesemans’ Ecology Safari voyages. He is skillful, dedicated, and extremely knowledgeable. He is as passionate about ice and penguins as I am about bird photography. I recently sent him a review copy of the SOPG. Here is what he had to say:

Thank you for sharing this. I had no idea you were putting so much work into the guide. It was really fun to see your images. I have, of course, seen many of them, but many more I had not. I read a lot of it, not comprehensively but spent about an hour. Great stuff Artie. Your introduction is solid, honest, appropriate, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the experience from your perspective. Ted

Recent Fort DeSoto Images From bottom left clockwise back to center: Great Egret, blasting sunrise highlights; Black Skimmer, winter plumage in pre-dawn light; Roseate Spoonbill foraging; Brown Pelican, juvenile landing; hybrid heron X egret; American Oystercatcher feeding; Royal Tern, worn juvenile; Great Blue Heron from below.

Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT. 3 1/2 days: $1599

Saturday DEC 2 (afternoon session) through the full day on Tuesday DEC 5, 2017. Meet and Greet Introduction on SAT DEC 2, 2017

With no water in Estero Lagoon, Corkscrew Swamp and Anhinga Trail total busts for many years, and Ding Darling NWR managed into oblivion, Fort DeSoto has emerged as the premier bird photography location in the state. Join me in early winter to escape the cold weather and photograph lots of tame terns, gulls, herons, egrets (including Reddish Egret), shorebirds (including and especially Marbled Godwit), Osprey, and Brown Pelican. Long-billed Curlew, Wood Stork, and Roseate Spoonbill all range somewhere between likely and possible.

Learn to get the right exposure every time, to approach free and wild (and often tame!) birds, and to design a pleasing image. And learn the location of my new Fort DeSoto hotspot along with my favorite sunset location (sky conditions permitting). To register call Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 or shoot me an e-mail.

DeSoto IPT Details

This IPT will include four 3 hour afternoon sessions, three 3 1/2 hour morning sessions, three lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. Dinners are on your own so that we can get some sleep.

Because of the narrow time frame, your $499 non-refundable deposit can be paid not by credit card. Call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906 to register. Your balance must be paid by check once you sign up. The balance check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) should me mailed to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your balance check. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Canon lens rentals are available on a limited basis: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, and 200-400 f/4 with Internal TC.

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New 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 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 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 will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

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 :).