What’s Up?

If things go right this blog post should be published sometime on Tuesday morning, either by Peter Kes in Switzerland or by Jim Litzenberg from Indian Lake Estates. Thanks Guys.

I will already be aboard the Ortelius heading towards the Falklands. We will be back at the dock to disembark on the morning of 9 JAN. There is no wifi on the ship. That means that I will effectively and absolutely be without internet at least from 14 DEC through 9 JAN. At present I am further behind with answering e-mails than at any time since I have began answering folks’ photography-related questions about 25 years ago. I have been doing me best.

Please refrain from e-mailing me at the usual samandmayasgrandpa e-mail address until I get back home on 13 JAN. You can reach my right-hand man Jim Litzenburg by e-mail here or reach Jennifer here as usual.

Important Blog Notice

I hope to have some time before getting on the ship to prepare a few new blog posts and to have them published during my absence with the help of either Jim or the invaluable Peter Kes, the BAA webmaster. In addition, my plan is to resurrect a collection of older but very important educational blog posts (like today’s) and have them re-published during my absence. Please enjoy. Please consider signing up for an IPT. And please continue to do a great job of using my B&H and other affiliate links while I am gone. Today’s offering was originally published on 22 DEC, 2013. It garnered 42 comments. You might enjoy reading them by scrolling down here.

All of the plans above are dependent on my being able to get online with a decent connection at the hotel in Ushuaia…. If not, happy new year!

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H Is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Manual… Av… Tv… Program… Which is The Best Shooting Mode?

This is one of the age old photography questions: what is the best shooting mode? There are many who state definitively: “Real photographers work in Manual mode 100% of the time.” Many who preach this as gospel are hard-headed, obnoxious, loud-mouthed, and ignorant. Others simply prefer to work in Manual mode most or all of the time but realize that other modes might be best for other photographers (or clients) in a given situation.

At present I work in Manual mode most of the time, probably about 80% I would guess. I often work in Av mode, probably about 15% of the time. I occasionally work in Tv mode, probably about 4% of the time, but more than that when I am at Bosque del Apache NWR late each fall. (BTW, happy winter; it began today just after noon on December 21, 2013, at 12:11pm EST.) And I actually work in Program mode on rare occasion.
So what is the best shooting mode? The best shooting mode is the one that works best for you in a given situation. I will share my Shooting Mode preferences with you here.

Manual Mode

As I mentioned above, I now work in Manual mode about 80% of the time on average. When photographing birds against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality or when that possibility exists, working in Manual mode is mandatory. This is such an important principle that I will state it again: when photographing birds against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality working in Manual mode is mandatory.

Why? If you are in an automatic mode like Av or Tv and the background goes from light sky to dark trees you are dead in the water. Nobody can change the exposure compensation (EC) from say plus 2 to minus 1/3 stop instantly. Not to mention the times when the framing might yield both sky and trees or mountains in varying proportions. To learn to work in Manual Mode click here.

Similarly, you must be in Manual mode when the size of a very light or very dark subject in the frame is changing. Why? Unusually light or dark subjects have a big influence on your camera’s meter.

This image was also created on the 2013 Bosque IPT with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering at zero as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. The two crane images here were made about two minutes apart; the light on the subject was constant. I began by metering the sky and adding 1 1/3 stops in the late afternoon light. When working in Manual mode you strive to get the right exposure for the subject. That is what I did here. Note that the exposure for both images was 1/1000 sec. at f/9 at ISO 800. With the bird against the sky the exposure worked out to +1 as framed. With the bird set against the yellowish brown trees in the distance, the exposure worked out to the metered exposure, that is 0 EC or no exposure compensation. Understand that the exposure settings for each image were identical: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 at ISO 800. As the light on the birds was constant the correct exposure for the subjects were the same regardless of the background. Had I been working in Av mode at f/9 I would have needed to have been at +1 stop for the first image and then at zero for the image here. Changing the exposure compensation from +1 to 0 in less than an instant is simply not possible. That is why you need to learn to work in Manual mode whenever the background tonality might change. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird’s lower breast active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Manual Mode Misconceptions and Myths

One common Manual mode misconception is that when the light is changing from moment to moment that it is easier and better to work in Manual mode. This is definitely true when the background and the light are or may be changing quickly. But when the light is changing and the background is of uniform and constant tonality, working in Av (or Tv) is often simpler, better, and faster.

Let say that you are working at the beach and all of your subjects are on the sand and average to middle light in tonality. Most gulls and most shorebirds come to mind. Nothing is flying around. But the sun is peeking in and out of the clouds. As long as you understand exposure and the way that your camera’s meter works you may find it easier, more intuitive, and faster to work in Av mode: when the sun is out you make all of your images at 0 or +1/3 stop depending on your camera body. When the sun is behind a cloud you will set something like +1 2/3stops EC. For Nikon folks these values would likely be -1/3 or -2/3 stop when the sun is out and +1 stop or so when a cloud covers the sun.

This brings us to another Manual mode myth: “If you work in Manual mode you will always get the right exposure.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the statement is laughable. If you understand exposure it does not matter which shooting mode you are in. The fact is that Manual mode is Av mode is Tv mode as far as exposure is concerned. If you set your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture correctly in Manual mode so that you wind up with the right exposure and the analog screen in your viewfinder shows +2/3 stop, then you can simply work in Av or Tv mode and set +2/3 stop EC. As long as the framing and background remain the same the exposure will be identical.

Do not, however, forget the original premise above: When photographing subjects against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality working in Manual mode is mandatory. If you attempt to work in any automatic mode against backgrounds of changing tonalities you will wind up with many exposure errors.

This image of a pair of playful African Lion cubs was created with the Todd-pod mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera. ISO 800 Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6.in Av mode in soft morning light. One sensor below the central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the face of the closest cub active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. In situations where I happen to be in Av mode and I am absolutely sure of the correct EC (exposure compensation), it is faster and easier to continue working in Av mode than it is to switch to Manual mode. That was the case here as I knew that +1/3 stop would be perfect. It was. As always, getting the right exposure has nothing to do with what shooting mode you are in.

Getting the Right Exposure: Shooting Mode Does Not Matter!

The key to getting the right exposure depends on your knowledge of exposure theory, on understanding how to get the right exposure, on understanding how your camera’s meter works, on understanding the quality and direction of the light, and on knowing how to evaluate your histogram, check for blinkies, and adjust your exposure accordingly. Getting the right exposure has nothing to do with what shooting mode you are in. Again, do not forget the original premise above: When photographing subjects against backgrounds of rapidly changing tonality or when light or dark subject size is changing, working in Manual mode is mandatory.

To learn exposure theory, to begin to gain an understanding of how to get the right exposure, and to learn to properly evaluate you histograms, check for flashing highlight alerts, and adjust your exposure parameters, we recommend getting a copy of The Art of Bird Photography (soft cover) with its classic treatment of Exposure Theory, and a copy of The Art of Bird Photography II (916 pages on CD only). See and study the section on Exposure Simplified in the latter. You can save $10 by purchasing the 2-book bundle here.

This American Alligator with a Cattle Egret in its jaws was photographed at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens (hand held at 111mm) and the EOS-40D (now replaced for me by the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1 stop as framed: 1/4000 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode. Central Sensor AI Servo shutter button AF as framed. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version. When you have no clue as to what the situation might be, you are far better off being in Av mode than in Manual mode; you are never more than a few clicks away from the perfect exposure. See image next.

Av Mode

There are many situations where I find it best to work in Av mode. Most times when I am taking a walk with a long lens on my shoulder I set the camera to Av mode. If it is sunny, I set the ISO to 400. If it is cloudy, I set the ISO to 800. If it is cloudy dark I set the ISO to 800. I usually work wide open or close to it.

Why Av mode when taking a walk?

When I do not know what or where the subject might be and when I do not know if the subject will be in the sun or in the shade, I will always set Av mode so that I can quickly dial in something close to the correct EC and make an image or three. Note I: this is 100% dependent on having a thorough understanding of exposure. Note II: this same understanding is required to come up with the right exposure when working in Manual mode.

The classic example is as follows: I am at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I hear a woman scream. I have the 70-200 f/4L IS in my hands and start running. I see a big gator on the dirt in the sun with a Cattle Egret in its mouth. I instinctively dial in -1 stop EC as the gator is black and in the sun and taking up a good part of the frame and the egret is brilliant white. I make several images each with a good exposure. I see that the gator is heading under the boardwalk. I know that I will not need as much minus EC as the action will now be in the shade. I push the shutter button half-way and dial back to -1/3 stop with two counter-clockwise clicks of the thumb wheel. I make a few more images each with a perfect exposure.

If I had been working in Manual mode it would have taken 14 clicks of the shutter speed dial to come up with the right exposure. Nobody, not even the most obnoxious loud-mouthed Manual mode proponent could do quickly to get the right exposure when the gator slipped into the shadows.

While the above is an extreme situation it proves the point: when you are not sure what the situation will be Av mode is best. It allows you to come up with the right exposure quickly and easily, more quickly and easily than if you were working in Manual mode.

Similarly, as noted above in paragraph 3 in the Manual mode section, I often use Av mode when the light is changing and the background is of uniform and constant tonality.

Furthermore, if I happen to be in Av mode and I come upon a good situation where I am absolutely sure of the correct EC (exposure compensation) it is faster and easier to continue working in Av mode than it is to switch to Manual mode.

This image was created at the Willem-Alexander Pavilion at Keukenhof, Lisse, Holland with the tripod-mounted Canon Telephoto EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM Autofocus lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/20 sec. at f/13 in Av mode. Manual Focus on the tip of the pistil and re-compose. Click on the image to see a larger version. When photographing flowers in windless situations I find it easier and faster to work in Av mode than to work in Manual mode.

Av Mode Best for Flowers?

When photographing flowers in windless situations I also find Av mode best and more efficient than working in Manual mode. I found myself doing just that when photographing the tulips in Keukenhof Gardens, the Netherlands on last spring’s Tulip IPT.

I’d see and frame an image. Focus. Set Live View and the 2-second timer. Live View gave me mirror lock and the RAW RGB histogram. The 2-second timer assured sharp images at slow shutter speeds. Once I had fine-tuned the exposure I’d make a long series of images changing the aperture in one stop increments from wide open to f/22 or so. Once I had dialed in the right EC changing the aperture required only three clicks of the thumb wheel—the camera set the shutter speed each time. Had I been working in Manual mode I would have needed three clicks for the aperture and three more clicks the other way for the shutter speed. Where I come from six clicks is more work than three clicks. Working in Av mode made it fast and easy to crank out a series of images each with a different aperture….

Interestingly enough one image in a series would often stand out as clearly best.

Here is the principle that applies here: if the light and framing are constant and the only thing that you wish to change is the aperture it is faster and easier to work in Av mode. Can you do the same thing in Manual mode? Of course. But you will need to change more parameters than you would if you were working in Av mode. I prefer easier and faster 🙂

Tv Mode

As with Av mode, there are situations where working in Tv mode is far easier, far faster, far more intuitive, and far more efficient than working in Manual mode. For starters, one advantage of working in Tv mode is that it gives you absolute control of shutter speed.

This Snow Geese fly-in image was created at 6:21am on the early morning of November 27, 2013 at Bosque del Apache NWR with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 200mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop as framed in Tv Mode: 1/13 sec. at f/8. Color temperature 8000K. Tv mode +1/3 stop. ISO Safety shift. As described in the text below this is a simple recipe for creating pleasing blurs in the pre-dawn. Beginning and intermediate photographers would have a very tough time in situations like this if they were working in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround–Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Tv Mode for Blurs

As regular readers know, I love creating pleasing blurs, often in pre-dawn situations with beautiful color in the sky. Trying to create sharp images in these situations is almost always a huge waste of your mega-high ISO time. Working in Tv mode in conjunction with either ISO Safety Shift or Auto ISO is the way to go. You simply pick a slow shutter speed that is appropriate for the EV (light) level and the distance to the birds, dial in the right EC—usually +1/3 stop to +2 stops depending on the colors and tonality of the predawn skies, and fire away. The camera will set the needed ISO. As it gets brighter, the only thing that you need to do is pick the shutter speed that you want and dial in the right EC.

Teaching this method in the dark at Bosque allows even beginning photographers to create some wonderful images on their very first try.

Folks working in Manual mode in this situation need to change the ISO, the shutter speed, and the aperture every minute or two as the skies brighten. This is relatively easy for experienced photographers but working in Tv mode as described above is much easier and much more efficient for many folks.
To learn more about creating pleasing blurs see “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs” by Denise Ippolito and yours truly. This PDF is sent via e-mail and would make a great gift for all aspiring photographers,

Tv Mode When You Need a Minimum Shutter Speed

There are many situations where you want to be sure of having a minimum shutter speed, often when working in relatively low light and often when working from some sort of water craft. Unlike many flight photographers I do not subscribe to the theory that you need a minimum shutter speed of 1/1600 sec for flight photography. In many situations I would rather work at 1/500 sec. than choose a higher ISO. I have made many sharp flight images at 1/500 second.

The single rejoinder is that the background be of fairly uniform tonality. If the tonality of the background is constantly changing then as above, it is imperative that you work in Manual mode.

On my last Japan trip we were working with Steller’s Sea Eagles in flight in pink pre-dawn light. Both the ice and the sky were of about the same tonality—light middle, and I knew that +1 EC would give me a pretty darned good exposure most of the time. So I set Tv mode and chose 1/500 sec. I dialed in +1 stop EC and let the camera set the ISO and determine the aperture (which would always be wide open or close to it). I created many fine images that morning. And I have done the same thing often on Galapagos trips in similar situations. Fast, simple, and easy.

This image of a Red-eyed Vireo was created on South Padre Island, TX with the predecessor of the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the 500mm f/4L IS lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens), the 2X II TC (now replaced by the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the full frame EOS-1Ds Mark II (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X). ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/160 sec. at f/9 in Program mode. When photographing songbirds in relatively low, changing light with fill flash I like to work in Program mode and simple dial in the correct EC if needed. Doing so prevents the problems that you might encounter using Av or Tv and is much faster than working in Manual when the light is changing. Fill flash with the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, the Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Pack (for faster recycling), and the Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord 3n a Better Beamer at -3 stops with the Mongoose Integrated Flash Arm. Central sensor (by necessity)/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird’s upper back active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Program Mode

“Program mode?” you ask. “Are you nuts?”

There are actually two situations when I find that program mode is the best mode. When photographing family parties or friends’ weddings indoors with on-camera flash, I get fairly consistent results by setting the flash to -1/3 or -2/3 stops, working in Program mode, and dialing in EC as required; usually some plus EC for overall light subjects and scenes and some minus EC for dark subjects with a few bright highlights. Happy birthday!

The other time that I’d use program mode is when photographing songbirds with flash in low, changing light. First, I simply dial in the flash exposure compensation (on the flash not on the camera), usually about -1 2/3 stops for fill flash, set my ISO, dial in the right EC (as always depending my understanding of exposure theory), and begin making images. After I am set up the only thing that I need to change is the exposure compensation. If you are working in Manual mode you will spend most of your time changing two or more of the exposure parameters as the light changes.

I have not photographed many songbirds in recent years but would not hesitate to work in program mode when the right situation arises. I should be so lucky.

Which is The Best Shooting Mode?

I am hoping that by now that everyone realizes that there is no single best shooting mode for all situations. Study hard and learn to get the right exposure in all lighting conditions. Learn to use each of your camera’s shooting modes. And learn when it is best for you to use Manual, Av, Tv, or even Program. You will become a much stronger photographer.

Reflections, and An Invitation

Those of you who missed the celebration gallery from way back when moight enjoy it by clicking here and then clicking on the gallery link to view it.

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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 :).

What’s Up?

If things go right this blog post should be published by Peter Kes in Switzerland well before I arrive in Argentina on Saturday afternoon. Thanks Peter.

Along with the rest of my shipmates I will board the Ortelius on the afternoon of 15 DEC and disembark on the morning of 9 JAN. There is no wifi on the ship. That means that I will effectively and absolutely be without internet at least from 14 DEC through 9 JAN. At present I am further behind with answering e-mails than at any time since I have began answering folks’ photography-related questions about 25 years ago.

Please therefore refrain from e-mailing me at the usual samandmayasgrandpa e-mail address until I get back home on 13 JAN. You can reach my right-hand man Jim Litzenburg by e-mail here or reach Jennifer here as usual.

Important Blog Notice

I hope to have some time before getting on the ship to prepare a few new blog posts and to have them published during my absence with the help of either Jim or the invaluable Peter Kes, the BAA webmaster. In addition, my plan is to resurrect a collection of older but very important educational blog posts (like today’s) and have them re-published during my absence. Please enjoy. Please consider signing up for an IPT. And please continue to do a great job of using my B&H and other affiliate links while I am gone.

All of the plans above are dependent on my being able to get online with a decent connection at the hotel in Ushuaia…. If not, happy new year!

Placing All My Eggs in One Very Good Basket

I am feeling very comfortable with my decision to leave the 200-400 with Internal Extender at home for the Southern Oceans trip. Most of the birds are very tame and in addition, I have the 1.6X crop factor of the 7D Mark II for those time when I am not able to get real close physically. The 300 II/1.4X III TC with the 7D II actually gives me more reach than the 300 II/2X III TC with either of my full frame bodies. Studying the images above will give you an idea of how good the 300 II is when working with tame birds. The images below were originally published on June 1, 2014.

The Amazing Canon 300mm F/2.8L IS USM Lens/Part II of a Series

On late April,2014, Jim drove me to Bradenton to explore the possibility of getting some prolozone injections in both shoulders and my left knee. We hoped to photograph at Fort DeSoto that afternoon but that did not work out. We got up very early on Friday and were out on the beach before sunrise. As had been typical at DeSoto for a while, there were very few birds around but the birds that we found were gorgeous, tame, and pretty darned cooperative.

I decided to go light with the 300 II and both TCs and to leave the tripod in the car hoping against hope that I would not miss my 600 II too much. Fat chance of that I thought. Our first gem was the beautiful adult Laughing Gull standing on a berm of clean sand with a beautiful blue Gulf of Mexico background lit by soft, early morning light. Lying down flat on the sand was the obvious choice and that is just what I did. Nature photography is all about seeing the good situations and then choosing the best perspective.

The 300 II/2X III TC Combo for Small Shorebirds???

Yes. Without being restricted by a big lens and a heavy tripod it is fairly easy to keep low and get into position just ahead of the shorebirds feeding along the edge of the Gulf. Set yourself down 15-20 feet from the edge of the surf just ahead of sun angle and let the birds work towards you. At many locations the 600 II/2X III combo would have the great advantage of reach that is needed in locations where the birds are not so used to people. But with Florida’s tame birds the 300 II/2X III TC has the big advantage of mobility. And framing and following the shorebirds as the move quickly along the water’s edge stopping only infrequently to stop and feed for a moment is a lot easier to do with a fairly lightweight hand holdable lens.

Working With the 300 II Alone?

On our way back to the usual sand spit hotspot, we came across a beautiful breeding plumage Reddish Egret fishing in a small pool. Standing was the best plan here as I wanted to avoid having the either the far shoreline (trust me, it was not very far as the pool was a very small one) or the rather extensive reeds as obtrusive background elements.

Head-hunting With the 300 II/2X III TC Combo

When this gorgeous bird walked out of the pool I added the 2X III TC and approached slowly. It began walking to my right and was only able to create a few verticals. I had hoped to get close enough to create some horizontal head portraits but alas, the bird flew off. In retrospect, I would have been much better off working with Surround and selecting an upper sensor…. That’s another way of saying that I should have pointed the lens down to include more of the bird’s cobalt blue legs.

Sitting With the 300 II/1.4X III Combo

It is much easier to move quickly and get down on the ground right on sun angle with the 300 II/2X III than with the 600 II on a tripod either alone or with a TC. My left forearm rests on my left knee making it easy to hand hold while following the foraging or running birds. Knee-pod images are coming soon.

My 300 II Revelation

By 9:45am we were done. I had created a jumbo jet’s worth of RAW files during our short morning session: 747 images. 123 keepers after the 1st edit. As we were walking back to the car I had my revelation: If I had brought the 600 II and my Gitzo 3532 LS tripod to the beach that morning I would not have done nearly as well as I did with the lighter 300 II. When working with tame birds the 300 gave me great versatility as a quick peek at the images here shows; I used the 300 II alone, I used it with the 1.4X II TC. And with the 2X III TC. But more importantly the biggest advantage that the 300 II has for me is that it allows me to be much more mobile. The freedom that comes with hand holding allowed me to stay on sun angle and get to the right spot quickly with less physical effort.

Who’d of thunk it??? I say often that the longest lens is not always the best tool for a given job. I am glad that I finally learned that lesson for myself. Please remember that Fort DeSoto is not Nickerson Beach :). The birds are a lot tamer in Florida.

Fort DeSoto in Spring/Breeding Plumage IPT: April 24-26, 2015. 3 FULL DAYs: $1099. Limit 8/Openings: 7.

Meet and Greet at 8pm on Thursday, April 23.

Join me at Fort DeSoto at the height of the breeding season for many of our target species: Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, dark and light morph Reddish Egret, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. In addition, we will have a good shot at photographing a variety of arctic-bound shorebird species in breeding plumage. We should have good chances with a variety of courtship behaviors including courtship feeding, courtship displays, pre-copulatory stands, and copulation.

On this IPT you will the learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).

At lunch (included) we will review my images–folks learn a ton watching me edit–why keep this one and delete that one. If you opt to bring your laptop, we will take a look at five of your best images from the morning session. We will process a few of my images in Photoshop after converting them in DPP. That followed by Instructor Nap Time.

A $499 non-refundable deposit is required to hold you spot. The balance, $600 will be due on February 7, 2015. Please click here to read our cancellation policy. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork here and send it to us.

Facebook

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We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

Important Notice

I fly to Ushuaia, Argentina on 12 DEC arriving on the late afternoon on 13 DEC. I board the Ortelius on the afternoon of 15 DEC and disembark on the morning of 9 JAN. There is no wifi on the ship. That means that I will effectively and absolutely be without internet at least from 14 DEC through 9 JAN. At present I am further behind with answering e-mails than at any time since I have been answering folks’ photography-related questions about 25 years ago.

Please therefore refrain from e-mailing me at the usual samandmayas’ e-mail address until I get back on 13 JAN. You can reach my right-hand man Jim Litzenburg by e-mail here or reach Jennifer here as usual.

Important Blog Notice

I hope to have some time before getting on the ship to prepare a few new blog posts and to have them published during my absence with the help of either Jim or the invaluable Peter Kes, the BAA webmaster. In addition, my plan is to resurrect a collection of older but very important educational blog posts and have them re-published during my absence. Please enjoy. Please consider signing up for an IPT. And please continue to do a great job of using my B&H and other affiliate links while I am gone.

What’s Up?

Today is packing day. Serious packing. Getting everything that I need for a month long journey going as far south as the Antarctic Peninsula needs to be done with care. So I will be busy today.

This blog post was published from my home in Indian Lake Estates at just before 8:00am.

My Health

Many have written asking how my right shoulder and left knee have been doing since the last round of Stem Cell/Platelet-Rich-Plasma, and Prolozone injections several months ago.

For several years the pain in my right shoulder, from nagging but not-too-serious rotator cuff injuries, made it difficult for me to put on a t-shirt. If I swam two straight days, the pain got worse. When I was home for most of ten weeks from AUG thru mid-NOV, I was swimming 1/2 to one mile every day. Without pain. At present, I feel pretty much as if I have a new shoulder. While have not and will never go back to carrying a big lens on a tripod on my right shoulder, I am absolutely fine handling big glass in the field. As detailed in yesterday’s blog post here, I do use a variety of long lens bags when I need to walk considerable distances with heavy gear. In short, the results of the treatments have been nothing short of miraculous.

So how’s the bone-on-bone twice surgically repaired but not-too successfully left knee you ask? Nearly as good as the shoulder. It was pretty much perfect until the other day. I was with the Canon Destination Workshop group on Saturday morning past. As we approached the Flight Deck I noted that there were only a few cars. I made a snap decision to get take the group out on the deck. That decision turned out to be a brilliant one :). Anyway, I thought about getting out my flashlight while making my way out onto the deck with my gear. But I was a bit too lazy. On about my third step in the pitch dark my left foot struck on of those low concrete parking barriers. Ouch. I have had a very little bit of pain there since but yesterday I had a touch-up Prolozone injection and the knee is feeling great again this morning.

I am not sure if I mentioned it but when I had the right shoulder and left knee injected I opted to have Dr. Rucker try the same Stem Cell/Platelet-Rich-Plasma, and Prolozone injection protocol on my three trigger fingers: left pointer, right middle, and right pinkie. Those injections were extremely painful. Though healing there took longer than with the shoulder and the knee I am currently enjoying amazing relief from trigger finger pain.

So the right shoulder is like new, the left knee is not far behind, and the three trigger fingers are greatly improved. What’s the problem? The elders among us will remember the pitch line of the late Gilda Radner, as Saturday Night Live character Roseanne Roseannadanna, “It’s always something.”

About four months ago I began noticing a tiny pin-prick pain on the dorsal surface of the base of my left thumb. It was barely noticeable on some mornings. Skip ahead three months and I woke every day with pretty severe pain in the left thumb and wrist. When I would try to extend the thumb it felt as is someone were sticking a hot screwdriver into the base of the thumb and pushing it in as far as the wrist. A visit to my local chiropractor, TJ McKeon, revealed the very specific diagnosis of De Quervain’s Syndrome, aka tenosynovitis. As my health guru Dr. Cliff Oliver of San Diego, CA is 100% against the use of either splints or cortisone injections–the standard treatment for De Quervain’s, I got in touch with Dr. Rucker’s office.

Bino (the doctor who is most happy with a big needle in his hand) and his bother Dini, came up with a new protocol: A-Cell and Prolozone injections. Jim Litzenberg drove me to their office in Bradenton yesterday while I answered e-mails on the laptop online with my Verizon Droid. After a series of numbing injections Dr. Rucker went to work doing what he does best with a series of injections in the left thumb and wrist. And as mentioned above, he kindly volunteered to add two Prolozone injections to his day’s work. He used a new relatively pain free without-the-need-for-numbing injections method of delivering the Prolozone into the knee joint and the lower quadriceps. It worked just fine.

When the numbing medicine in my thumb wore off I was in quite a bit of pain but fortunately we had a few gel ice packs in a cooler. That brought me quite a bit of relief. Once we got home I took 3 Advils and iced the thumb some more. When I awoke this morning, the left thumb had calmed down and was feeling pretty darned good. That may very well be the result of the fast healing and pain relief properties of the Prolozone but I am hoping against hope that the miracles will continue.

The treatments are quite expensive but what is he price of pain relief and improved function? If anyone wishes to get in touch with the Rucker brothers they can call their office in Bradenton, FL at (941) 448-1199.

When I was talking to Dr. Oliver about my upcoming treatment, I casually mentioned that I eat about one large jar of store-bought mayonnaise a week. As my health guru/chiropractor/nutritionist he about had a cow. “Heck, you never asked me about condiments” I said somewhat defensively.

What’s the big deal? Nearly all store-bought mayo is made with either or both soybean or canola oil. Each causes an inflammatory response in humans. Can you say shoulder pain, knee pain, trigger finger pain, De Quervain’s Syndrome, and benign prostatic hypertrophy? The latter gets me up as many as six times per night for pit stops when I am away from home without my ice baths.

Yesterday was my first mayo-free day in many decades…. When I get back from the trip I will be trying some healthy mayo recipes using coconut oil. If I like any of them I will share them with you here. In the meantime, you might consider ditching the mayonnaise….

Those interested in hearing my complete life-improvement health story may shoot us an e-mail with the words “Health Basics File” cut and pasted into the Subject line.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H Is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

BAA Bulletin #470

BAA Bulletin #470 was published yesterday morning. It can be accessed online here. Be sure to check out the Bosque Moon Shot Repair Tutorial.

• Bosque Moon Shot Repair
• The Blog is the Bomb!
• Jim Neiger Osprey Heaven and Custom Anytime Workshops
• The New Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens
• Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Used Gear Prices Dropping Like a Rock

The prices of some used photography gear have been dropping recently like the proverbial rock. Sellers have been forced to offer lower and lower prices on certain used cameras and lenses. The Canon EOS-7D that was listed yesterday for $475 sold immediately. But several older version Canon 500mm lenses and more than a few Canon EOS-1D Mark IV bodies have lingered for too long. Below are some new items and new price reductions. Several are ground-breakingly low and should sell almost instantly. You can see the complete listings here.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20% plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily.

Used Gear Cautions

Though I am not in a position to post images of gear for sale here or elsewhere, prospective buyers are encouraged to request for photos of the gear that they are interested in purchasing via e-mail. Doing so will help to avoid any misunderstandings as to the condition of the gear. Sellers are advised to take care to photograph their used gear with care against clean backgrounds so that the stuff is represented accurately and in the best light; please pardon the pun :).

Brand New Listings (12/11/14)

Canon EOS-1DvX Body with Extras

Muir Robertson is offering a used Canon 1DX Body in excellent condition–a small scratch in one spot on the body otherwise like new. The camera comes in the original box and with the standard accessories. The shutter count is a very low 30,497. The sale includes a RRS L bracket, 2 spare 1 series batteries, a Lexar 1000X 64GB CF card, a large Hoodman eye-cup (great for those with glasses), and insured ground shipping to lower 48 US addresses. Camera has just been checked out and the sensor cleaned by Canon CPS. System change drives sale.

The price for this package is great value at $5099. Interested folks please contact Muir first by e-mail and then by phone at 513-314-2471.

Two 1D X bodies served as my workhorse camera bodies since their introduction in early 2012. Sturdy, super-fast frame rate, gorgeous image files, and a great AF system. artie

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Mk II Lens

Muir Robertson is offering a used Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Mk II lens in like-new condition for $1850. The sale includes the original box and accessories and includes a Really Right Stuff lens foot and insured ground shipping to lower 48 US addresses.

Interested folks please contact Muir first by e-mail and then by phone at 513-314-2471.

As regular readers know the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II lens is with me every time I head into the field. It is amazingly versatile. I use mine often alone and with either TC. artie

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM Lens (the white one with L series glass)

Muir Robertson is offering a used Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 L IS USM lens in excellent condition for $950. The sale includes the original box and comes with the optional Canon Tripod Mount Ring C, $164.95 at B&H, a RRS lens foot, and insured ground shipping to lower 48 US addresses. This lens is a great performer and if super fast f/2.8 isn’t critical, it is significantly lighter and smaller than the 70-200 F2.8 – perfect for travel.

Interested folks please contact Muir first by e-mail and then by phone at 513-314-2471.

I used this lens briefly in Norway to photograph jaegers in flight. It was ideal for the task: lightweight with super-fast and accurate focusing. artie

Canon EOS-5D Mk III with Extras

Muir Robertson is also offering a practically unused Canon 5D Mk III body in like-new condition with only 3,876 shutter actuations!. The camera comes with its original packaging, 1 spare battery, a Really Right Stuff L Bracket, and a Tamron AF 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD VC (Vibration Compensation) Aspherical (IF) Macro Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras, a Lexar 32GB 1000x CF card and insured ground shipping to lower 48 US addresses.

The remarkably low price for this package is only $2400. Interested folks please contact Muir first by e-mail and then by phone at 513-314-2471.

Y’all know how much I love my 5D III for landscapes and flowers and it does quite well for birds as well. artie

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Price reduced $350 on 10/17/2014!
Price reduced an incredible $650 on 12/10/2014!!!
Lowest price ever for this item!

Dan Womack is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in excellent condition with clean glass with a few small nicks on the lens hood for $4500. B&H was recently offering a virtually identical used “old 500” for $6,299.95; you can save nearly $2K by grabbing Dan’s lens asap. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case with keys, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Dan via e-mail or by phone at 337 412 1898.

The old five was at one time the world’s most popular telephoto lens. It still makes great images with both TCs. artie

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Kathleen Graff is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in very good to excellent condition for $4799. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case with keys, a Lens Coat, a 4th GD Custom Lens Adapter Plate CP-51, the lens manual, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Photos available. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Kathleen via e-mail with a copy sent here. Alternatively, you can try her by phone at 262-797-2530 or 262-389-7998.

The old five was at one time the world’s most popular telephoto lens. It still makes great images with both TCs. artie

Used Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS Lens
Lowest price ever for this item!

Barry Mansell is offering a used Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS lens in excellent condition for $949 including insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. The plastic lens hood has a very few light scratches. The sale includes the original tough fabric case, the front and rear caps, and the lens hood. Your gear will be shipped only after your check clears.

Please contact Barry via e-mail, by phone at 904-388-8675, or on his cell at 904-655-0022. Eastern Time Zone.

The 100-400 is a versatile intermediate telephoto zoom lens with 1,000+ uses. It makes a great starter lens especially for folks who do general nature and wildlife in addition to birds. I’ve sold 100s of images made with a 1-4 and denise loved hers for many years forsaking it only recently for the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Barry’s 100-400 is priced to sell. artie

Used EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Camera Body

Price reduced $700 on 12/10/2014. Lowest 1D IV price ever!

IPT veteran Brent Thompson is offering a used EOS-1D Mark IV digital camera body in excellent condition for $1799. The sale includes the RRS L-plate, the charger and battery, and all the manuals and cables that came in the box, the camera strap, the original box, and insured ground shipping to continental US addresses only. Your camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Brent via e-mail, by phone at 650-857-8695, or on his cell at 408-219-5023 (Pacific time).

Two Mark IVs served as my workhorse bodies for more than three years. artie

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Gerald Barrack is offering a used Canon EOS 1D Mark IV body for the low price of $1900. The body is in very good to excellent condition and is in perfect working order having been check by CPS in November 2014. The body has several scuff and wear marks that do not affect function. Photos are available upon request.

The sale includes a Really Right Stuff mounting plate, the original Canon camera strap, the battery charger and an extra battery, the instruction manual, and insured ground shipping within the continental US. Interested folks can contact Gerald via e-mail or try him on his cell at 201 638 3510 (Easter Time Zone). The camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Two Mark IVs were my workhorse bodies for many years. artie

Used Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Beth Starr is offering a used Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS, aka The Sigmonster, in like-new condition. Used only 3-4 times: $5,500. The sale includes the original shipping box and the original lens case. Includes insured ground shipping in the continental US. You can call Beth on her cell at 908-625-1589 or contact her via e-mail.

This is a superb lens for folks working from a vehicle with the lens supported by a BLUBB. James Shadle has used the Nikon mount version of this lens on a tripod for years to create many memorable images. Strong folks can save a bundle as this is a steal at $2,499 below the list price. artie

Used Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Mike Stevens is offering a used Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in like-new condition (used just once) for a ridiculously low $7999. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case, a Wimberley P-50 lens plate, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made; Paypal is an option.

Please contact Mike via e-mail, by phone at 951-260-2507, or on his cell at 951-821-1600.

The 800 was my go-to super-telephoto lens for about 4 years. artie

Used EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Camera Body

Price reduced $249 on 10/30/2014!
Price reduced another $300 on 12/7/2014!

Multiple IPT veteran and good friend Monte Brown is offering a used EOS-1D Mark IV digital camera body in excellent condition (with about 22,000 shutter actuations) for $1900. The sale includes the charger and an extra battery, the original box, cables, software, manuals, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only. Your camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Monte via e-mail or by phone at 765-744-1421 (Eastern time).

Two Mark IVs served as my workhorse bodies for more than three years. artie

Used Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS Zoom Lens

Price reduced $74 on 12/7/2014!

Multiple IPT veteran and good friend Monte Brown is also offering a used Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS Zoom Lens in very good to excellent condition for only $799. The sale includes both front and rear lens caps, the older-style tough fabric case, the original box, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Monte via e-mail or by phone at 765-744-1421 (Eastern time).

I used this lens for about two years. It makes a great lightweight, intermediate telephoto lens that is sharp, easily hand held, and works well with a 1.4X teleconverter. It is great for hand held flight photography and would go great with a 7D II (and a 1.4X TC) as a starter bird photography rig for folks who work around relatively tame birds. artie

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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 :).

What’s Up?

My flights home were a piece of cake. Jim picked me up at MCO just after 2:00pm on a very rainy Monday afternoon. I almost slept on the plane a few times…. And as I type, I am falling asleep again in the car. After a stop at Publix we arrived at home just before 4:00pm. Laundry tomorrow and then packing for the next big trip. On Friday.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and was published from my home sweet home in Indian Lake Estates, FL at 3:30am.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H Is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

65-Point Automatic Selection AF Area Selection Mode

I love to use 65-Point Automatic Selection AF Area Selection mode when photographing the cranes in silhouette. It allows me to place small in the frame birds well out of the center of the frame and it allows me to frame incoming pairs without clipping the wingtips of one or the other. If the contrast gets too low I will usually go to Surround.

I had the group in the perfect location but the color did not materialize until it was way too dark to shoot despite the thin clouds that had graced the western horizon in late afternoon. You never want to get into the business of predicting sunrise or sunset colors….

Half-way Decent

We did get just a bit of sky color well after sunset. As I often do I created a few images with the distant ridge and the color. I am not sure why I had not thought of combining two such images before.

The Color Fine-tune box

I juiced up the colors of the sky image a bit during the RAW conversion in DPP 4 using the Color Fine-tune box on the Perform basic image adjustment tab. Though we only touch upon the use of the Color Fine-tune box in the DPP 4 Guide I used it a lot recently with sunrise and sunset images from Bosque. How do I use it? Experiment by dragging the center point around. Next I worked on the color in Photoshop with both Vibrance and Selective Color adjustments.

The Blending

I knew that there was probably a one-step technique to blend the two images together using one of the Blend Modes in PS. But I had no idea which one would retain the rich colors of the BKGR image and the deep BLACKs of the SILH. I experimented and finally hit the case ace for four of a kind.

If you know or think that you know which Blend Mode I used please do leave a comment. Note: the sky was the bottom layers, the crane pair was the top layer.

Just for the record books…

The file name for the optimized image, “Sandhill Cranes landing–blend of two images _Y8A7665 Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM.tif” lets editors know what they are dealing with. My intent is always to avoid deception and to let folks know how an image was created.

Digital Basics

Everything that I did to optimize today’s image is covered in detail in my Digital Basics File–written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style. Are you tired of making your images look worse in Photoshop? Digital Basics File is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips (including the Surface Blur settings that I used to smooth out the noise in the ISO 6400 image as taught to me by Denise Ippolito), details on using all of my image clean-up tools, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, working with color and contrast, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, Contrast Masks, Digital Eye Doctor techniques, using Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, a variety of ways to make selections, how to create time-saving actions, and tons more.

Great 7D II/DPP v4.01.0 News

An updated version of Canon Digital Photo Professional that supports RAW files from the EOS-7D Mark II was released more than a month ago and is available for download the Canon USA website. To download DPP v4.1 first click here and then click on Drivers and Software and follow the prompts.

The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF)

The Photographers’ Guide to Canon Digital Photo Professional 4.0 by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris: $40.

Artie first went to DPP because he was not happy with the colors he was getting with 1D X and 5D III images from ACR (Adobe Camera Raw). Though less than intuitive, he found it fast and easy to use once he mastered the basics. He collaborated with Arash Hazeghi on the first DPP RAW Conversion Guide. Do understand that the DPP RAW Conversion Guide details the use of various iterations of DPP 3. He calls those the DPP 3.whatever versions. The latest version is DPP 3.14.41.0.

Some time ago Canon released DPP 4.0, completely and utterly new and different from DPP 3. When it was introduced DPP 4 worked only EOS-1D X, EOS-5D Mark III, and EOS-6D images but support for the EOS-7D Mark II was added to the latest version when that camera began shipping.

When I first opened DPP 4 I felt as if I were in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 and was being asked to fly it. There were so many tabs and buttons and controls that I simply closed the program. I immediately called Arash and asked him if he wanted to work together on a DPP 4 guide. After 100s of hours of work the guide was ready to teach you to conveniently and easily use DPP 4 to create the finest possible image files from your 1D X, 5D III, 6D, and 7D II image files. Basically, Arash sent me a sophisticated outline that I re-crafted into a clear, concise, easily understood, and easy to follow how-to guide written in the BAA style. Arash created all of the charts, diagrams, and graphics.

His charts with recommendations for both Chrominance and Luminance Noise Reduction values for each of the 4 covered cameras at various ISO settings are alone worth the price of the book. He spent many dozens of hours experimenting with high ISO RAW files and shares his findings with you in the DPP 4 Guide. Folks will surely want to create some sort of easily accessible quick reference on their laptops and home computers.

DPP offers a host of great features some but not all of which are reminiscent of ACR. These include the following: Multi-image display, the extremely valuable Before/after Comparison layout, Highlight/shadow warnings, White Balance, and the eight RAW Conversion tabs that include sliders for Brightness, Highlights, Shadows, Contrast, Hue-Saturation, Color Tone, Sharpness, Noise Reduction, HSL (Hue/Saturation/Luminance), Lens Corrections, and Digital Lens Optimizer among others. We teach you how to best utilize each of those and many more. We share our slightly different DPP workflows and dozens of tips that will simply make your life easier. Arash uses DPP4′s rating system for choosing his keepers while artie continues to rely on BreezeBrowser Pro for that. DPP offers a variety of sorting filters. We explain all of the options. In addition, we teach you how to set your preferences and how to arrange your workspace for the greatest efficiency.

Both authors firmly believe that the manufacturer’s conversion algorithms will always out-perform 2nd party software when it comes to preserving image quality, fine detail, and accurate color rendition.

The authors wish to thank Chuck Westfall and Rudy Winston of Canon USA for their help; they are always available to answer our nit-picking questions. Sincere thanks also to Ken Kovak, Bob Schwartz, Dane Johnson, and John Stuhlmuller for their thoughtful and substantive reviews of late drafts of the DPP 4 manuscript.

You can order your copy of the DPP 4 Guide for $40 through the BAA Online Store by clicking here, by calling Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 with credit card in hand, by sending us a check made out to “Arthur Morris” or a money order for $40 to BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855, or by by sending a Paypal for $40 to e-mail. IN the latter two instances be sure to note DPP 4 Guide so we know what you are ordering :).

Note: the Sharpness and Noise Reduction Charts will be updated to include the recommended values for the 7D Mark II. I have been sending RAW files to Arash for several days. Now Arash has a lot more work to do. For those who have purchased the DPP 4 Guide, the update will of course be free but please be patient.

Those using older Canon camera bodies like the 1D Mark IV, the 7D, the 50D, the 40D, the various Rebels (not highly recommended for serious nature photography), are directed to the original DPP RAW Conversion Guide click here. DPP 3 (the latest version is DPP v3.14.41.0) does a fine job of converting images from the older camera bodies. I used it for several years.

DPP 4 eGuide 7D II Update

If you have purchased the DPP 4 eGuide and have purchased a 7D II, please request the free update by shooting Jim an e-mail with the words DPP 4 7D II Update cut and pasted into the Subject Line. You must include some sort of proof of purchase; a cut and paste of page 2 of the current guide will suffice. If you send your request without including proof of purchase your updated eGuide will not be sent 🙂

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Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

Did I miss your e-mail?

Obviously, I have been swamped and with my trip to the Southern Oceans beginning this coming Friday, I will continue to be swamped. If I missed an e-mail from you, especially one dealing with the sale of used gear, please shoot me an e-mail and I will try to get to it before I leave. Apologies to those who might be feeling neglected. I have never been this far behind before….

What’s Up?

Oh what a day! The first day of the Canon Destination Workshop was amazing. We enjoyed a red pre-dawn and followed by a white goose blastoff right in our face at the Ed Kranepool. We headed back early and then after our program and a short break, we found the geese at the north end and enjoyed blastoff after blastoff, capped by the largest Bosque blastoff I have ever seen, a triple header from three fields where the flocks wound up intermingling and then coming together as one. I have enjoyed so much great photography at Bosque this year that I am sure that I will not get to share much of it with you until I get back from upcoming my Southern Oceans expedition adventure with Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris.

Today is Day Two of the workshop. Tomorrow I wake at 2:00 and head to ABQ for my flights home. This blog post took 1 1/2 hours to prepare and was published from my hotel room in Socorro, NM at 4:59am.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H Is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Images Questions

#1: Why did I set -1/3 stop EC?
#2: Give me two reasons that I went with an 8 second exposure when I could have gone with ISO 400 and a 2 second exposure….

Saturday’s stunner marked four of the last six days with breathtaking sunrises.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20% plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens, have been dropping steadily.

Used Gear Cautions

Though I am not in a position to post images of gear for sale here or elsewhere, prospective buyers are encouraged to request for photos of the gear that they are interested in purchasing via e-mail. Doing so will help to avoid any misunderstandings as to the condition of the gear. Sellers are advised to take care to photograph their used gear with care against clean backgrounds so that the stuff is represented accurately and in the best light; please pardon the pun :).

Prices Reduced!

Used EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Camera Body

Price reduced $249 on 10/30/2014!
Price reduced another $300 on 12/7/2014!

Multiple IPT veteran and good friend Monte Brown is offering a used EOS-1D Mark IV digital camera body in excellent condition (with about 22,000 shutter actuations) for $1900. The sale includes the charger and an extra battery, the original box, cables, software, manuals, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only. Your camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Monte via e-mail or by phone at 765-744-1421 (Eastern time).

Two Mark IVs served as my workhorse bodies for more than three years.

Used Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS Zoom Lens

Price reduced $74 on 12/7/2014!

Multiple IPT veteran and good friend Monte Brown is also offering a used Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS Zoom Lens in very good to excellent condition for only $799. The sale includes both front and rear lens caps, the older-style tough fabric case, the original box, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Monte via e-mail or by phone at 765-744-1421 (Eastern time).

I used this lens for about two years. It makes a great lightweight, intermediate telephoto lens that is sharp, easily hand held, and works well with a 1.4X teleconverter. It is great for hand held flight photography and would go great with a 7D II (and a 1.4X TC) as a starter bird photography rig for folks who work around relatively tame birds.

New Listings

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM Lens, the “old six”

An Amazing Package for Someone Young and Strong. Or Old and Strong.

Gerald Barrack is offering a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens for the record-low price of $5600, or $5800 with the 1.4X II and 2X II TCs thrown in. The lens is in very good condition with perfect glass and many dings and wear on the painted surface that do not affect function. Photos are available upon request. The lens was given a clean bill of health after a clean and check by Canon in Nov. 2014. The gear will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made. The sale includes the lens trunk, the front leather hood, the rear lens cap, and insured ground shipping within the continental US.

Interested folks can contact Gerald via e-mail or try him on his cell at 201 638 3510 (Easter Time Zone).

The old six was my workhorse super-telephoto for too many years….

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Gerald is also offering a used Canon EOS 1D Mark IV body again for a record low price: $1900. The body is in very good to excellent condition and is in perfect working order having been check by CPS in November 2014. The body has several scuff and wear marks that do not affect function. Photos are available upon request.

The sale includes a Really Right Stuff mounting plate, the original Canon camera strap, the battery charger and an extra battery, the instruction manual, and insured ground shipping within the continental US. Interested folks can contact Gerald via e-mail or try him on his cell at 201 638 3510 (Easter Time Zone). The camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Two Mark IVs were my workhorse bodies for many years.

Used Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Beth Starr is offering a used Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS, aka The Sigmonster, in like-new condition. Used only 3-4 times: $5,500. The sale includes the original shipping box and the original lens case. Includes insured ground shipping in the continental US. You can call Beth on here cell at 908-625-1589 or by 843-224-7383 James Shadle has used the Nikon mount version of this lens to create many great images. Strong folks can save a bundle as this is a steal at $2,499 below the list price.

Used EOS-7D: cheap!

William Ellison is offering a used Canon EOS-7D in like new condition for $479; less than 5,000 actuations. The sale includes all of the stuff that came with the lens originally including the manual, the CDs, the battery and charger, all connecting wires and cables for USB and HDMI, the strap, the original box, and insured ground shipping to the continental US.

You can contact William by phone at 843-224-7383 or via e-mail

This 1.6 crop factor camera would make a great starter outfit for someone just getting started as a digital nature photography. Folks who have heard bad things about the original 7D should need to check out the “How Dan Cadieux Masters Canon EOS-7D Image Files” blog post here. When you see Dan’s images, all created with the original 7D, you will be amazed.

Existing Listings

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Kathleen Graff is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in very good to excellent condition for $4799. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case with keys, a Lens Coat, a 4th GD Custom Lens Adapter Plate CP-51, the lens manual, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Photos available. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Kathleen via e-mail with a copy sent here. Alternatively, you can try her by phone at 262-797-2530 or 262-389-7998.

The old five was at one time the world’s most popular telephoto lens. It still makes great images with both TCs.

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Mike Stevens is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in like-new condition (used just once) for a ridiculously low $4999. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case, a Wimberley P-50 lens plate, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made; Paypal is an option.

Please contact Mike via e-mail, by phone at 951-260-2507, or on his cell at 951-821-1600.

The old five was at one time the world’s most popular telephoto lens. It still makes great images with both TCs.

Used Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Mike Stevens is offering a used Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in like-new condition (used just once) for a ridiculously low $7999. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case, a Wimberley P-50 lens plate, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made; Paypal is an option.

Please contact Mike via e-mail, by phone at 951-260-2507, or on his cell at 951-821-1600.

The 800 was my go-to super-telephoto lens for about 4 years.

Used EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Camera Body

IPT veteran Brent Thompson is offering a used EOS-1D Mark IV digital camera body in excellent condition for $2449. The sale includes the RRS L-plate, the charger and battery, and all the manuals and cables that came in the box, the camera strap, the original box, and insured ground shipping to continental US addresses only. Your camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Brent via e-mail, by phone at 650-857-8695, or on his cell at 408-219-5023 (Pacific time).

Two Mark IVs served as my workhorse bodies for more than three years.

Used EOS-1D Mark IV Digital Camera Body

Price reduced $299 on 10/30/2014!

Marc Lombardi is offering a used EOS-1D Mark IV digital camera body in excellent condition with 57800 actuations for $2400. The body has one minor cosmetic scratch on top. The sale includes the charger and two batteries, a RRS plate, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only. Your camera will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Marc via e-mail or by phone at 610-585-3500 (Eastern time).

Two Mark IVs served as my workhorse bodies for more than three years.

Used Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS Lens

Multiple IPT veteran Jack Panzeca is offering a used Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS lens in very good + condition for $999 including insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. The tripod collar has one small scratch. The sale includes the original tough fabric case, the original box, the front and rear caps, the lens hood, and the strap. Your gear will be shipped only after your check clears.

Please contact Jack via e-mail or by phone at 817 819 1756. Central Time Zone.

The 100-400 is a versatile intermediate telephoto zoom lens with 1,000+ uses. It makes a great starter lens especially for folks who do general nature and wildlife in addition to birds. I’ve sold 100s of images made with a 1-4 and denise loved hers for many years forsaking it only recently for the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Jack’s 100-400 is priced to sell.

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Price reduced $350 on 10/17/2014!

Dan Womack is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in excellent condition with clean glass with a few small nicks on the lens hood for $5150. B&H is offering a virtually identical used “old 500” for $6,299.95; you can save more than $1000 by grabbing Dan’s lens asap. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case with keys, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Dan via e-mail or by phone at 337 412 1898.

Used Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift Manual Focus Lens

Price reduced $100 on 10/17/2014

Multiple IPT veteran Shelly Goldstein is offering a used Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift Manual Focus lens in excellent condition for the ridiculously low price of $799. The lens sells new for $1,399.00. The sale includes the front lens cap, the lens shade, the rear dust cap, and insured shipping via Fed Ex Ground to US addresses only. The lens was cleaned and checked by Canon in September 2014.

You can contact Shelly via e-mail or by phone at 646-423-0392 (EST). Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears.

The 90 Tilt Shift is a specialized lens that enable precise control of depth of field along with perspective control. It is useful for portrait, product, and landscape photography. George Lepp loves it for flower field and macro photography, using it often with the 2X III teleconverter.

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

IPT veteran Stuart Hahn is offering a used original owner Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in excellent condition with clean glass for $5250. B&H is offering a virtually identical used “old 500” for $6,299.95; you can save more than $1000 by grabbing Stu’s lens asap. The sale includes the front leather lens hood, the rear dust cap, a used RRS B-91 Flash Bracket, the original case with keys, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Stu via e-mail or by phone (after October 3) at 916-485-1630 (Pacific time).

IPT Updates

Would you like to visit some of the great bird photography locations on the planet? Would you like to learn from the best? Click here and join us.

Facebook

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Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

Thanks

Sincere thanks to those who have and those who continue to leave congratulatory comments on the streak. No worries. This is not a new streak. 🙂 Everyone’s kind words are greatly appreciated.

What’s Up?

Thursday was a rare day off. Though it looked like a total bust with heavy cloud cover at 5:30am there was a layer of thin cloud right at the horizon and it was easy to see well before 6:00am that all were going to be in for a rare treat. We were; there were pinks and purples everywhere with mega reflections. Images coming soon. I drove Denise to ABQ for her AA flight to Chile. I typed this paragraph in a Verizon store in Albuquerque; my Droid battery died. It is plenty cloudy up here so I will likely take another afternoon off. It actually rained in Socorro on Thursday, the first real daytime rain I experienced in 20 years of visits at this season. I wish that it had been colder….

Tonight I meet the sold-out Canon Destination workshop group. Jim Heupel will be co-leading with me. This blog post was published from my hotel room in Socorro, NM at 3:05am.

Incredible luck: photographing a big cat from my vehicle at Bosque

I once saw a Mountain Lion at the refuge. It was on the East Farm Loop Road. It was about 400 yards from me. As I got closer I saw that it was covered in mud and dripping wet. I thought at first that it was a huge River Otter. But as I continued to drive slowly towards the animal its long tail made its identity very clear. As with the one that I saw at Merritt Island NWR, it disappeared as quickly and quietly as it had appeared.

I never thought that I would have a chance to photograph a Big Cat at the refuge. But today, I had that chance and took every advantage of the opportunity. See image next.

The Big Cat

Unfortunately the “Big Cat” that I photographed from the car today was not a Mountain Lion. It was a large Caterpillar bulldozer, one that has seen lots of use on the refuge. I had had my eyes on the Caterpillar logo for several days and once the huge machine was moved from one side of the road to the other all that I had to do was wait for a cloudy day. Thursday was bingo!

I guess that there is still a lot of little kid left in me.

110 Years Since the First test of the Steam-powered Track-type Tractor

November 24th past marked an important day in the Track-Type Tractor’s history — and Caterpillar’s for that matter. On this day in 1904 in Stockton, California Benjamin Holt tested his steam-powered track-type tractor prototype for the first time. Holt was not satisfied with the performance of his company’s steam traction engine tractors. Regions of California were difficult to prepare for crops because both horses and steam traction engine tractors got stuck in the soggy peat soil.

Holt’s first inclination was to experiment with wider wheels. Some of his machines had wheels that were each 18 feet wide; the engine itself was already 10 feet wide. For that reason, roads and gates to fields needed to be 46 feet wide. These experiments were inefficient, costly and added to the weight of the machine without improving its performance.

After years of research, Holt instructed his mechanics to remove the rear wheels from the 40-horsepower Holt Junior Steam Traction Engine #77 and replace them with a pair of tracks he had designed. These tracks were nine feet long and 24 inches wide. The track shoes consisted of three-by-four-inch wooden slats bolted to an endless chain. The weight of the machine moved on rollers anchored to a supplementary frame.

On Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1904, this tracked machine was given its first field test and it performed very well. Today, #77 is recognized as the prototype of the world’s first commercially successful track-type tractor. You can learn more about this very interesting company by clicking here.

Bear Boat/Bears Catching Salmon IPT: September 1-8, 2015 from Kodiak, AK/6 FULL & 2 1/2 DAYS: $6699. Happy campers only! Maximum 8/Openings: 5. Plus the leader: Arthur Morris.

If I do not have four deposit checks in hand by 1/31/2015 I reserve the right to scrap this trip so please do not purchase your plane tickets until you hear from me. 🙂 Only one to go.

Join me in Katmai National Park, AK for seven days of photographing Coastal Brown Bears (grizzlies) catching salmon, fattening up for the long winter. Other subjects will include Mew and Glaucous-winged Gulls in flight and dip-feeding on salmon roe. Did I mention that we live on a boat and that the food is great? Most of our photography will be done in a variety of famed locations: Geographic Harbor, Kinak Bay, and Kukak Bay. We once had 39 bears fishing the creek at Kukak….

It is mandatory that you be in Kodiak no later than the late afternoon of August 31, 2015 September to avoid missing the float planes to the boat on the morning of September 1. With air travel in AK being what it is, with the chance of fog or other bad weather–being on Kodiak on August 30 is an even better plan). I be on Kodiak on August 30 to avoid any potential disaster. That said in my nearly a dozen bear boat trips I was delayed only once but since I was day early as noted above there was no harm, no foul.

We will take one or more float planes to the boat mid-morning on September 1. We will photograph bears fishing that afternoon and every day for the next six days (weather permitting of course). We should have bears catching salmon every day. In addition, we will get some nice stuff on Mew Gull and Glaucous-winged Gulls dining on roe and the remains of predated salmon. We may–depending on where the concentrations of bears are–get to photograph Harbor seals and some hauled out Steller’s Sea Lions (an endangered species). Halibut fishing (license required) is optional. On September 8, our last morning on the boat, those who would like to enjoy one last photo session will do so. The group returns to Kodiak via float plane midday. Most folks will fly to Anchorage and then continue on red-eye flights to their home cities.

The eight days will consist of six full days (Sept 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7) of photography featuring lots of Coastal Brown Bears catching salmon as above plus a variety of other natural history subjects plus some nice scenic photography that I forgot to mention above. Plus the first afternoon and the last morning.

What’s included? 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS on the boat as above. All meals on the boat. (The food is quite excellent.) National Park fees. One night’s double occupancy lodging on Kodiak; arrive: Sept 1/depart: Sept 2. The thank-you-in-advance dinner on Sept 1. In-the-field photo tips, instruction, and guidance. An insight into the mind of a top professional; I will constantly let you know what I am thinking, what I am doing, and why I am doing it. Small group image review, image sharing, and Photoshop instruction on the boat.

What’s not included: Your round trip airfare to and from Kodiak, AK (almost surely through Anchorage). All necessary lodging other than the cost of your double occupancy room on the night of August 31 should you opt to arrive early–we can arrange that in advance for you. We will let you know the cost of a single supplement for the one night if so desired. The cost of the round-trip float plane to the boat on September 2 and back to Kodiak on September 9. The cost of a round trip this year was $500. The suggested crew tip of $210.

Is this an expensive trip? Yes, of course. But with 6 full and two half days, a wealth of great subjects, and the fact that you will be walking with the bears just yards away (or less….) it will be one of the great natural history experiences of your life. Most folks who take part in a Bear Boat IPT wind up coming back for more.

A $2,000 per person non-refundable deposit by check only made out to “Arthur Morris” is required to hold your spot. Please click here to read our cancellation policy. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork here and send it to us.

Your deposit is due immediately. That will leave a balance of $4699. The next payment of $2699 will be due on February 15, 2015. The final payment of $2000 is due on May 1, 2015.

I hope that you can join us for this wondrously exciting trip.

By e-mail from Bill Keown, veteran of three bear boat trips!

Hi Artie, What a great trip! With the exception of the one bright sunny day it was just great. Very different from my first trip in June where we only had the bears clamming; the fishing bears were amazing! As always I learned a lot and enjoyed the group immensely. All the Best, Bill

Facebook

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

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

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. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

Thanks

Sincere thanks to the many who left congratulatory comments on a solid year of educational blog posts. Your kind words were and are greatly appreciated. I enjoyed taking a day off from the blog after 366 consecutive posts. 🙂

What’s Up?

On Tuesday, the morning of the third full day of this year’s 4-Day Bosque IPT, we lucked out again with a second killer sunrise with big flocks of geese flying back and forth through the color for more than fifteen minutes. The tour loop road was totally dead so we did a bunch of teaching near the Flight Deck after a group potty stop. Topics covered included rear focus, shutter button AF, setting the limit range switch on both Canon and Nikon lenses, and creating and saving sets of custom settings. In addition, Denise and I shared our My Menu items and the reasons for our individual choices.

Today is the 4th and last morning of what has been a great IPT. This blog post took about two hours to prepare and was published at 4:33am from my hotel room in Socorro, NM.

Please Help Support My Work on the BAA Blog

Thanks a Stack! The last six weeks have been great!

The last seven weeks have been quite rewarding with more and more folks making it a habit to use my B&H links especially for their major gear purchases. It is great to feel appreciated. Thanks a stack to all who used our links for purchases large and small.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H Is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. 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 we are 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 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 visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Thanks Donna!

This image was inspired by multiple IPT veteran Donna Bourdon (Old Car City and UK Puffins and Gannets). I had been using my 200-400 with Internal Extender every morning for the Main Impoundment fly-ins and blast offs. After seeing some of the images that Donna made of geese against a blood red sky with her 600II/1.4X III/7D II rig, I decided to go that route after noting some nice clouds on the eastern horizon. One thing is for sure, you cannot beat the reach of this combo at f/5.6…

Three Mistakes…

Not sure how I wound up in 65-Point Automatic Selection AF Area Selection mode; I should have been in my usual AI Servo Surround. In Tv mode I thought that I had rolled the index finger wheel enough clicks to get to 1/125 sec. I fell one click short of that. I should have snugged up the controls on the Mongoose M3.6 a bit. All three of my errors led to this image being a bit less sharp than I would have preferred. When you see a gorgeous bird floating in surreal pink water your brain does not always work as it should. 🙂

Used Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Beth Starr is offering a used Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS, aka The Sigmonster, in like-new condition. Used only 3-4 times: $5,500. The sale includes the original shipping box and the original lens case. Includes insured ground shipping in the continental US. You can call Beth on here cell at 908-625-1589 or by e-mail. James Shadle has used the Nikon mount version of this lens to create many great images. Strong folks can save a bundle as this is a steal at $2,499 below the list price.

Canon EOS-7D Mark II Back in Stock at B&H and Now Shipping

B&H has a limited supply of Canon EOS-7D Mark II bodies in stock. They are ready to ship you one today. Take part in the revolution. Need reach along with a great AF system and superb image quality? Order yours today by clicking on the logo link below.

Does anything about the 7D Mark II bug you?

If anything about the 7D Mark II bugs you, please let me know via e-mail.

The Bosque Site Guide

All BAA Site Guides are designed so that with a bit of study you can show up at a great place and know exactly where to be at what time on what wind and in what lighting conditions. With a Site Guide on your laptop you will feel like a 20-year veteran even on your first visit. Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. If you plan on visiting the refuge it would be foolish to make the trip without having this guide in hand. Why spend money on gear and travel and then spend days stumbling around in the wrong spots? If you have visited previously, and are still unsure of where you should be at this time of day with that wind, this guide will prove invaluable to you as well.

You can order yours here or check out all of our site guides here.

Bear Boat/Bears Catching Salmon IPT: September 1-8, 2015 from Kodiak, AK/6 FULL & 2 1/2 DAYS: $6699. Happy campers only! Maximum 8/Openings: 5. Plus the leader: Arthur Morris.

If I do not have four deposit checks in hand by 1/31/2015 I reserve the right to scrap this trip so please do not purchase your plane tickets until you hear from me. 🙂 Only one to go.

Join me in Katmai National Park, AK for seven days of photographing Coastal Brown Bears (grizzlies) catching salmon, fattening up for the long winter. Other subjects will include Mew and Glaucous-winged Gulls in flight and dip-feeding on salmon roe. Did I mention that we live on a boat and that the food is great? Most of our photography will be done in a variety of famed locations: Geographic Harbor, Kinak Bay, and Kukak Bay. We once had 39 bears fishing the creek at Kukak….

It is mandatory that you be in Kodiak no later than the late afternoon of August 31, 2015 September to avoid missing the float planes to the boat on the morning of September 1. With air travel in AK being what it is, with the chance of fog or other bad weather–being on Kodiak on August 30 is an even better plan). I be on Kodiak on August 30 to avoid any potential disaster. That said in my nearly a dozen bear boat trips I was delayed only once but since I was day early as noted above there was no harm, no foul.

We will take one or more float planes to the boat mid-morning on September 1. We will photograph bears fishing that afternoon and every day for the next six days (weather permitting of course). We should have bears catching salmon every day. In addition, we will get some nice stuff on Mew Gull and Glaucous-winged Gulls dining on roe and the remains of predated salmon. We may–depending on where the concentrations of bears are–get to photograph Harbor seals and some hauled out Steller’s Sea Lions (an endangered species). Halibut fishing (license required) is optional. On September 8, our last morning on the boat, those who would like to enjoy one last photo session will do so. The group returns to Kodiak via float plane midday. Most folks will fly to Anchorage and then continue on red-eye flights to their home cities.

The eight days will consist of six full days (Sept 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7) of photography featuring lots of Coastal Brown Bears catching salmon as above plus a variety of other natural history subjects plus some nice scenic photography that I forgot to mention above. Plus the first afternoon and the last morning.

What’s included? 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS on the boat as above. All meals on the boat. (The food is quite excellent.) National Park fees. One night’s double occupancy lodging on Kodiak; arrive: Sept 1/depart: Sept 2. The thank-you-in-advance dinner on Sept 1. In-the-field photo tips, instruction, and guidance. An insight into the mind of a top professional; I will constantly let you know what I am thinking, what I am doing, and why I am doing it. Small group image review, image sharing, and Photoshop instruction on the boat.

What’s not included: Your round trip airfare to and from Kodiak, AK (almost surely through Anchorage). All necessary lodging other than the cost of your double occupancy room on the night of August 31 should you opt to arrive early–we can arrange that in advance for you. We will let you know the cost of a single supplement for the one night if so desired. The cost of the round-trip float plane to the boat on September 2 and back to Kodiak on September 9. The cost of a round trip this year was $500. The suggested crew tip of $210.

Is this an expensive trip? Yes, of course. But with 6 full and two half days, a wealth of great subjects, and the fact that you will be walking with the bears just yards away (or less….) it will be one of the great natural history experiences of your life. Most folks who take part in a Bear Boat IPT wind up coming back for more.

A $2,000 per person non-refundable deposit by check only made out to “Arthur Morris” is required to hold your spot. Please click here to read our cancellation policy. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork here and send it to us.

Your deposit is due immediately. That will leave a balance of $4699. The next payment of $2699 will be due on February 15, 2015. The final payment of $2000 is due on May 1, 2015.

I hope that you can join us for this wondrously exciting trip.

By e-mail from Bill Keown, veteran of three bear boat trips!

Hi Artie, What a great trip! With the exception of the one bright sunny day it was just great. Very different from my first trip in June where we only had the bears clamming; the fishing bears were amazing! As always I learned a lot and enjoyed the group immensely. All the Best, Bill

Fort DeSoto in Spring/Breeding Plumage IPT: April 24-26, 2015. 3 FULL DAYs: $1099. Limit 8/Openings: 7.

Meet and Greet at 8pm on Thursday, April 23.

Join me at Fort DeSoto at the height of the breeding season for many of our target species: Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, dark and light morph Reddish Egret, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron. In addition, we will have a good shot at photographing a variety of arctic-bound shorebird species in breeding plumage. We should have good chances with a variety of courtship behaviors including courtship feeding, courtship displays, pre-copulatory stands, and copulation.

On this IPT you will the learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).

At lunch (included) we will review my images–folks learn a ton watching me edit–why keep this one and delete that one. If you opt to bring your laptop, we will take a look at five of your best images from the morning session. We will process a few of my images in Photoshop after converting them in DPP. That followed by Instructor Nap Time.

A $499 non-refundable deposit is required to hold you spot. The balance, $600 will be due on February 7, 2015. Please click here to read our cancellation policy. Then please print, read, and sign the necessary paperwork here and send it to us.

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