Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

This blast-off blur was created at Bosque del Apache NWR in San Antonio, NM with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) (hand held at 215mm), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Item – $145.83 Value! [expires soon]! ISO 50. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/13 sec. at f/22 in Manual mode. Central sensor Surround/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see the spectacular larger version. I achieved the slow shutter speed by having the Hoya 77mm Warming Circular Polarizer Glass Filter set to dark and screwed onto the front of my 70-200 II. See below for details on “set to dark.” Here I moved the lens down a bit while panning with the flock to create the unusual blurred effect.

Finally Blasting…

Though Bosque has been great, the huge mid-morning blast-offs had been missing. Until the last morning of the IPT. There was a big group of birds in the cornfield just past the Farm Deck. Then we saw a huge blast-off way to the north and were thrilled when all of those birds joined the birds in the cornfield to form a swirling seething mass of avian life. Within minutes they blasted off, flew around in circles right in front of us for a few minutes, and then landed in the next field to the west.

A minute apart with the same gear: the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) (hand held at 330mm), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Item – $145.83 Value! [expires soon]! ISO 50. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/13 sec. at f/22 in Manual mode. Central sensor Surround/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see the spectacular larger version. I achieved the slow shutter speed by having the Hoya 77mm Warming Circular Polarizer Glass Filter set to dark and screwed onto the front of my 70-200 II. See below for details on “set to dark.”

In the image above, I was panning with the birds flying left to right which blurred the foreground cranes that were facing to the northeast. Denise Ippolito was jumping up and down doing vertical snow angels while most of the IPT group was left with their jaws dropping. It was a huge series of blasts.

Same same gear: the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) (hand held at 310mm), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Item – $145.83 Value! [expires soon]! ISO 50. Evaluative metering -2/3 stops as framed: 1/13 sec. at f/22 in Manual mode. Central sensor Surround/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see the spectacular larger version. I achieved the slow shutter speed by having the Hoya 77mm Warming Circular Polarizer Glass Filter set to dark and screwed onto the front of my 70-200 II. See below for details on “set to dark.” With correct exposure for the WHITEs set manually I did not need to worry about changing the compensation when the birds flew in front of the dark distant mountain.

The 77mm Circular Warming Polarizer

Once you have screwed on the circular polarizer, put the camera in Av mode and point it 90 degrees to the sun. Then rotate the polarizer slowly and watch the shutter speeds. When the shutter speed is at its lowest, the polarizer will be at its maximum darkening effect. Leave it set to the darkest setting. You will be able to set a shutter speed 2 to 3 stops slower than if you were using the lens alone. In addition, this filter warms the images up nicely. As long as you are working on sun angle it turns harsh light into sweet light. Even at 9:45am.

Hoya 77mm Warm Circular Polarizer Glass Filter

Same old same old; the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter) (hand held at 245mm), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Item – $145.83 Value! [expires soon]! ISO 50. Evaluative metering -2/3 stops as framed: 1/13 sec. at f/22 in Manual mode. Central sensor Surround/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see the spectacular larger version. I achieved the slow shutter speed by having the Hoya 77mm Warming Circular Polarizer Glass Filter set to dark and screwed onto the front of my 70-200 II. See below for details on “set to dark.” With correct exposure for the WHITEs set manually I did not need to worry about changing the compensation when the birds flew in front of the dark distant mountain.

NIK Color Efex Pro

On the first and last images above I ran a new Color Efex Pro recipe: 33% Tonal Contrast, 50% White Neutralizer, and 50% Detail Extractor. White Neutralizer really brought the BLUEs to life.

NIK 15% Discount

As regular readers here know, NIK Color Efex Pro has drastically changed my digital workflow. You can save 15% on all NIK products by clicking here and entering BAA in the Promo Code box at check-out. Then hit Apply to see your savings. You can download a trial copy that will work for 15 days and allow you to create full sized images.

Learn to use your 5D Mark III in the 5D Mark III User’s Guide.

The Bosque Site Guide

Great year or poor year, the priceless information in the Bosque Site Guide will help you learn to be in the right spot at the right time. I followed my own advice to a tee yesterday morning and had a small group of friends and early-arriving IPT folks in the right locations all morning. Why waste time driving around trying to figure out where to be on this wind or in these lighting conditions? As I have written before, heading to Bosque without the Bosque Site Guide on your laptop is downright foolish. Why? You simply do not know as much about Bosque as I do. 🙂

Learn about all of our Site and Set-up eGuides here.

Your Favorite

Take a moment to let us know which of the four images above is your favorite, and be sure to let us know why.

NYC Seminar & Door Prize Info

Do consider joining Denise Ippolito and me in Staten Island in December for a great weekend filled with learning, fun, and great door prizes.

NYC Seminar Door Prize Info

Wow! We have put together a killer collection of door prizes for the NYC Seminar. If you live in the northeast and are not yet registered click here to join us and have a chance at winning some of the great and valuable loot below.

From ThinkTank: an Airport AirStream™ Rolling Camera Bag; meets all International carry- on regulations. A $324.75 value.
From LensCoat: a Standard LensCoat® RainCoat. A $79.99 value.
Manfrotto/Gitzo will be contributing one or more items.
From Delkin: a 32 gb 700X Compact Flash Card plus give-aways. The card is a $134.99 value.
NIK has sent a gift certificate for one copy of NIK Color Efex Pro, the Photoshop filter plug-in that has changed my digital workflow. Enter the code BAA at checkout to save 15%.
Topaz is sending a gift certificate for their black and white effects filter program.
Micheal Tapes at RAW Workflow has chipped in with a Lens Align Mark II. A $79.95 value.
You might also win a copy of The Art of Bird Photography II by Arthur Morris or a copy of A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Arthur Morris and Denise Ipplito.

Thanks a stack to all of our generous sponsors.

Join denise (images above) and artie (below) in Staten Island to learn get inspired, give your creativity a big boost, and improve both your in-the-field techniques and your image optimization skills.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.

The ship Usuaia on a relatively benign evening awaits the return of the last zodiac. This image was created with the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM AF Lens (hand held at 105mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Item – $150.33 Value! [expires soon]! Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/100 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Lower central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Zodiac Misadventure Video

As I have mentioned, a cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia, and or/Antarctica can be physically demanding, grueling at times, and dangerous at other times. Marc Lombardi,a fine and creative photographer whom I met on the recent Cheesemans’expedition, sent me a great video. As I watched it the first time, my heart was stuck in my throat. Was this guy gonna make it onto the ship or not?

You’ll want to watch it twice so click here and then when you watch it a second time, check out my commentary below.

OK. Now the details. As I watched the video a second time (it is only 1 minute, 39 seconds long) I realized that I was the guy having all the problems. Yikes!

When you are getting on or off the video, the guidelines are:

1-Never do anything until the zodiac driver tells you to go.
2-If you do not feel safe when told to go, it is OK to abort.

There are small lengths of heavy duty ropes used as handholds around the gunnels of the zodiacs. As the zodiac approaches the gangway, the seaman on the bottom platform tosses a length of rope to either the zodiac driver, or, in rougher conditions, to the seaman in the front of the zodiac. He is always dressed in a survival suit… Then either the zodiac driver or the second seaman keeps tension on the rope to hold the zodiac in place. On rough days with lots of swell, the rope can be released and then re-tightened by the person holding it to keep the zodiac safely in position.

We had landed at the spectacular St. Andrews Bay early that morning and had planned on being ashore till 7pm. Though it did not seem to have gotten any windier, we were told, at about 4pm, that the swells were getting dangerously larger and that the captain had called off the landing; everyone needed to get back to the ship now.

OK, now that the scene is set, you can watch the video again by clicking here.

At about the six second mark, expedition leader Ted Cheeseman, our Zodiac driver that day, said “Go.” I felt the zodiac began to drop and not feeling safe, decided to wait for a more opportune moment. At the 7 second mark of the video you can hear a loud pop as the handhold rope broke. That was followed by Ted’s “Yooooh.” He pushed us away from the gangway, re-started the outboard, and came around for a second approach. At the 1:08 mark Ted said “Go” again but as the zodiac dropped about 5 feet at that moment I chose to stay aboard. At the 1:24 mark I mercifully made it onto the gangway followed soon thereafter by Denise Ippolito. Whew!

As I wrote in BAA Bulletin #422, “Kudos to expedition leader Ted Cheeseman for putting together the great itinerary and pulling it off. He made several major changes due to sea conditions and all were spot on. The Cheesemans’ staff’s greatest skill is in getting folks safely in and out of the zodiacs and onto shore even in condition where most other tour companies would call it a day. In addition all were knowledgeable and helpful, and trust me, at 66 I appreciated their help.”

Thanks a stack to Marc for sharing this great video. You can see some of his great photography here. Click here to see his trip gallery. Be sure to find his Silver Grebe photos! For more trip images, these created by his life partner Elise Spata, click here.

Click Heres

Click here for NYC Seminar information.

Click here if you missed the caption contest.

Click here to see BAA Bulletin #423. It includes info on the first MP4 Photoshop Tutorial Video and NYC Seminar info.

If you missed the South Georgia/Falkland Islands Southern Oceans Trip Report, see BAA Bulletin #422.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.

This Snow Goose sunrise blur was created with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto zoom lens with the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (teleconverter) (hand held at 98mm) with the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/15 sec. at f/4 in Tv mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Bosque Conditions and Kudos

Simply put, early morning conditions at Bosque del Apache NWR, San Antonio, NM are excellent this year. The main impoundment and both crane pools are brimming with water and have been disked–cleared of most vegetation. Nearly all the irrigation ditches have been cleared of tall vegetation providing unobstructed lines of sight to the birds. Kudos to Deputy Refuge Manager Aaron Mize, to the rest of the management team, and to the great crew of volunteers for getting one of the crown jewels of the national wildlife refuge system in the best shape it has been in more than a decade.

This sunrise image was created with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto zoom lens (hand held at 168mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/15 sec. at f/4 in Tv mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Sharpness Tip

As detailed and illustrated on page 467 of The Art of Bird PhotographY II (in the section on advanced sharpness techniques) I rested the 70-200 on the tripod-mounted 800mm lens in order to create a sharp image. Below is a free excerpt on the subject adapted from ABP II:

Little Lens on Big Lens Technique

I am often in the field with a big tripod-mounted telephoto and an intermediate telephoto lens, the latter hanging from my shoulder via the Black Rapid RS-7 strap. When the light gets low or when I need some extra depth-of-field, I will often tilt the big lens towards the sky at about 40 degrees, lock the tripod controls, and rest the smaller lens on the base of the lens barrel of the larger lens. Then I reach around the camera that is mounted to the big lens and support the front end of the barrel of the shorter lens with my left hand as shown below. This will get you an extra stop or two of either shutter speed or aperture as needed, whether you are using an IS lens or a non-IS lens.

(Note: a picture is worth a thousand words–sometimes you just gotta buy the book!)

Click here for more on ABP II.

This image of the Ed KranePool was created with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto zoom lens with the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (teleconverter) (hand held at 155mm) with the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Item – $150.33 Value! [expires soon]! ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop as framed: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Note the beautiful clean water devoid of vegetation: a photographer’s dream.

The Bosque Site Guide

Great year or poor year, the priceless information in the Bosque Site Guide will help you learn to be in the right spot at the right time. I followed my own advice to a tee yesterday morning and had a small group of friends and early-arriving IPT folks in the right locations all morning. Why waste time driving around trying to figure out where to be on this wind or in these lighting conditions? As I have written before, heading to Bosque without the Bosque Site Guide on your laptop is downright foolish. Why? You simply do not know as much about Bosque as I do. 🙂

Learn about all of our Site and Set-up eGuides here.

This Sandhill Crane flight image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens and the Canon EOS-1D X digital SLR . ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stop off the low blue sky confirmed by histogram check: 1/2000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The Bosque Site Guide Current Conditions Update

If you are at Bosque right now or are heading to the refuge in the next week or two and you own a copy of the Bosque Site Guide, you are invited to e-mail and request a copy of the Bosque Site Guide Current Conditions Update. You will receive a short e-mail describing other current strategies and letting you know exactly where to be in the pre-dawn.

Important Notes

As I only have one short visit under my belt this year so far, the Current Updates e-mail will not be sent until midday on Saturday November 24, 2012. This will give me time to figure out what is going on after 8am and in the afternoons. If you would like to receive this update, please cut and paste the words “Bosque Site Guide Current Conditions Update” into the subject line and be sure to include proof of purchase. The simplest thing to do is to include a screen capture of the first page of the guide. No updates will be sent unless you include some sort of proof of purchase. Please do not call or e-mail Jim as he knows nothing about this :).

Bosque on Facebook

Visit Bosque on Facebook here and bookmark the page. It’s a great way to keep up on current events and refuge conditions.

Click Heres

Click here for NYC Seminar information.

Click here if you missed the caption contest.

Click here to see BAA Bulletin #423. It includes info on the first MP4 Photoshop Tutorial Video and NYC Seminar info.

If you missed the South Georgia/Falkland Islands Southern Oceans Trip Report, see BAA Bulletin #422.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.

This wonderful scene-setting image was created at Cooper Bay, South Georgia by friend Alan Lillich with the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM AF Lens (hand held at 105mm) and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/400 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Click on the image for a larger version. Alan and his photographer-wife Pat are multiple IPT veterans; they will be with us again soon on both the Southwest Florida and Holland (both the tulips and birds segments) ITPs. Denise Ippolito can be seen dead center top in her new, grey Xtrahand vest. Her friend Lyndelle Fairlie of San Diego, CA is in blue. The folks in the center are getting their gear out of their drybags while the next zodiac is landing. All in white-out conditions. Here, Alan made good use of it to create an image that really set the scene. He used the Gentoo Penguin very nicely as a compositional anchor. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Alan Lillich. The 24-105 is my go-to B-roll lens. A B-roll lens is usually a short zoom lens that can be used to create general interest non-wildlife images, to create scenics (including scene-setting images), and to create bird- & wildlife-scapes. In a pinch, it is not bad as a quasi macro lens. (See here for an example of the latter.) I use mine for a great variety of purposes and make sure that it is in my Xtrahand vest each and every time that I head into the field. On the rare occasions that I forget to pack the 24-105 the need for it invariably arises almost immediately.

If You Snooze…

If you snooze, you generally lose. We have seen that theme play out for me in various blog posts.

After nearly 3 days at sea on the way from the Falklands to South Georgia, and 8 days of strenuous landings and long hikes, I was tired. On my January 2011 trip to the Southern Oceans the hike up and down the bluff to the Macaroni Penguin colony at Cooper Bay had been a very difficult one. I do not like tussock grass…. Expedition leader Ted Cheeseman rightfully cautioned folks on the difficult conditions. It was assumed that the heavy snowfall would exacerbate the difficulty of the climbs up and down. The first leg of the hike was up a rock-strewn stream. I figured that with snow the rocks would be very slippery. My plan all along had been to skip the landing and do some Zodiac cruising. But as it turned out, there were no macaronis on the rocks along the shoreline so the zodiac cruising was a no-go.

The deciding factor for me was that after the hike up and down to the colony, you needed to hike back up a good distance and then back down the rocky stream, Having arisen at my usual 4am I did not technically snooze but I did decide to skip the landing and work on some images….

This wonderful, scene-setting image was created at Cooper Bay, South Georgia by friend, top student, and multiple-IPT veteran Clemens van der Werf with the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO Autofocus Lens (hand held at 138mm) and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Clemens van der Werf Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Clemens made great use of the Sigma 50-500mm lens (for Canon mount) on this trip. He properly works at an aperture of f/8 or smaller at all times as the lens is not sharp wide open. But as you can see in this and especially in the next image, the lens is incredibly sharp at f/8.

Here is another killer from Cooper Bay, South Georgia created by Clemens van der Werf with the Sigma 50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM APO Autofocus Lens (this time hand held at 500mm) and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Clemens van der Werf Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Notice that Clemens took advantage of the great versatility of the Sigma 50-500mm lens, working at 138mm to create the first image, a lovely bird-scape, and then at 500mm for the tight head and shoulders portrait. Additionally, he knew that when working close to minimum focusing distance for the tight image the image would benefit from a bit of additional depth-of-field.

As immediately below, this lens is also available with a Nikon mount as we have seen before and often with images by Robert O’Toole.

This Sheathbill flight image was created by friend and multiple-IPT veteran Paul Mckenzie with the old Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens (replaced by the Canon 300mm f/2.8: IS II lens) and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 160. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Click for a larger version. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Paul Mckenzie.

In the image above, Paul exhibited his usual great creativity by choosing a slow shutter speed to accentuate the falling snow. He wisely set a low ISO to enable him to use a wide aperture and then panned perfectly to achieve a sharp eye and head at 1/200 sec., a relatively slow shutter speed for flight photography.

This Light-mantled Sooty Albatross flight image was also created by the talented Paul Mckenzie with the old Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS lens (replaced by the Canon 300mm f/2.8: IS II lens) and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Click for a larger version. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Paul Mckenzie.

Above we see more of the same from Paul. Note the different look to the snowflakes as a result of the faster shutter speed. This species is not an easy one to photograph…. While I was on the boat and most of the gang was concentrating on the macaronis, Paul was looking for something different. And did so with great success.

This killer image of copulating Gentoo Penguins was created on the Cooper Bay landing by the talented Michael Viljoen of South Africa. Michael attended a Bear Boat IPT a few years back. Nikon 200-400 hand held at 400mm. ISO 500. Evaluative metering at 0: 1/640 sec. at f/8. Rear focus. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Michael Viljoen.

Amazing behavior in a somewhat strange setting (at least for humans), a perfect exposure, two perfect head angles, and kissing penguins make for a great image. It would be easy to move the birds back in the frame a bit using techniques from APTATS II; it would take about five seconds. As presented, there is a bit too much room behind the lovebirds and not quite enough in front of them.

This image was created at Cooper Bay, South Georgia, by Denise Ippolito with the Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens (hand held at 400mm) and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Click for a larger version. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Denise Ippolito.

Here, I like the inclusion of the tussock grasses in the upper corners to frame the subject, the wonderful head angle, and the disturbed snow that leads us to believe that this Macaroni Penguin was having a hard time getting around.

This image was created at Cooper Bay, South Georgia, by Denise Ippolito with the Canon 100-400mm IS L zoom lens (hand held at 400mm) and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Click for a larger version. Image copyright 2012 and courtesy of Denise Ippolito.

To create the “penguin in heaven” look for the image above, Denise chose her perspective carefully and then snuggled down awkwardly in the snow so that the snow-covered mound of tussock grasses would dominate the foreground. By doing so she created an ethereal mood for this image.

The 100-400 is much maligned. Denise loves here. And she consistently shows that <em>this lens is sharp at 400 and is sharp wide open. Those who disagree need to look in the mirror; can you say operator error?

When the Zodiacs Returned

When the zodiacs returned I was anxious to learn how the group had done. “It was wonderful. The Macaroni Penguins were at the top of the first climb. The foot-deep wet snow actually made the climb up easier. And the “climb” down was even easier.” Folks simply sat down, cradled their gear in their laps, and tobogganed down.

You snooze. You lose. You gotta love it.

Lessons Learned

#1: If there is a chance to photograph a difficult species, do not skip the landing.
#2: Bad weather often means great photography.
#3: And perhaps most important of all; do not assume that conditions will be the same from one year to the next. Heck, we should never assume that conditions will be the same from one day to the next.

It is often said that if we do not learn our lessons, God, or whomever is in charge, will keep putting us in the same situation till we get it right.

That said I was very tired and was concerned about getting hurt. Ted Cheesman says often, “If you are tired or concerned about the difficulty of a landing it is often best to stay on the ship.”

All in all I wish that I had gone :).

Which Is Your Favorite?

Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which is your favorite image above and why. Feel free to choose more than one.

Click Heres

Click here to see BAA Bulletin #423. It includes info on the first MP4 Photoshop Tutorial Video, Bosque IPT late-registration discount info, and NYC Seminar info.

If you missed the South Georgia/Falkland Islands Southern Oceans Trip Report, see BAA Bulletin #422.

Photographer Links

Each of the photographer links above will take you to a web site that contains some incredible imagery. Enjoy.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.

This optimized image of a group of adult King Penguins about to enter the ocean was created on an early morning (6:04am) landing at St. Andrews Bay with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens (at 70mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/800 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. Lowest Central sensor/AI Servo/Rear Focus AI Servo Suround AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

A Rare Side-lit Image…

“Point your shadow at the birds.” If I have said it once, I have said it 1,000 times. Or 10,000. In my 28+ years of bird photography I have created only a handful of side-lit images that I am happy with. Above is one more to add to that small collection. As you can see by the shadows on the beach, I was working about 80 degrees off of sun angle. For two reasons. First, I did not want to get in the ocean and get swept away by a big wave never to be seen again. (A good reason, no?). Second, with the sun just up, the light was not too, too harsh even though we were pretty close to the bottom of the world.

I was lucky in that I somewhat mis-judged the exposure. I went with the metered exposure because the bright WHITEs on the penguins breasts were near the middle of the frame and the snow on the mountains would also influence the meter towards under-exposure. But I had to do some fancy work during the DPP conversion to recover the blown highlights on the birds’ breasts. Minus 1/3 stop or even -2/3 stop would have been better and brought the WHITEs into Photoshop with RGB values at about 230 (as I prefer).

Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris is the only tour company I know of that offers serious photographers (as well as just plain folks) the option of landing before breakfast at selected spectacular sites in the Southern Ocean. The photographers can take advantage of the best light. Those who prefer to sleep in join the landing later in the morning.

See the original capture below.

Do You?

Take a moment to let us know if you like or don’t like the side-lit image above. And either way, let us know why.

This is the original image. When comparing it to the optimized image that opened this blog post, note the really messy beach, the crop from our right, the expanded (actually stretched) canvas to our left, and the two birds that were removed. You will likely need to click on the image to see the larger version to find the second bird. As usual I used the Patch Tool, the Spot Healing Brush, and a few Quick Masks and Layer Masks to execute the clean-up. All as described in detail in Digital Basics, an e-mailable PDF that is sent via e-mail and includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips and techniques, and info on the great keyboard shortcuts that I use. See below for our newest educational offering.

MP4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos

Today we offer the first of what will become many MP4 screen-capture Photoshop Tutorial videos, King Penguin Image Clean-up. Many folks have expressed a desire to see me at work in Photoshop doing all the great stuff described in detail in Digital Basics and to hear my voice as I explain each step along the way. The topics covered in this first video include the use of the Patch Tool, the Spot Healing Brush, Content Aware Fill, and the basics of both creating and using Quick Masks and Layer Masks.

This 16 minute, 50 second MP4 video will be sent to your e-mail address via YouSendIt. Save it to your computer and then simply click and play. We have long thought about creating Apps but they are quite costly and you need something special to play them on.

King Penguin Image Clean-up MP4 Photoshop Tutorial Video

The King Penguin Image Clean-up MP4 Photoshop Tutorial Video is available right now for the ridiculously low introductory price of $3.00. If we sell a zillion of them we just price all of them at $3.00. No guarantees though. To order yours through the BAA store, click here. Or call Jim weekdays between 9am and 5pm (3pm on Fridays) at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Or send us a Paypal for $3.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net with the words King Penguin Image Clean-up in the e-mail.

NYC Seminar Door Prizes!

Good news: the Hilton Garden Inn in Staten Island survived Hurricane Sandy with bells on; the seminar will be presented as scheduled.

Better yet, we have put together a killer collection of door prizes for the NYC Seminar. If you live in the northeast and are not yet registered click here to join us and have a chance at winning some of the great and valuable loot below.

From ThinkTank: an Airport AirStream™ Rolling Camera Bag; meets all International carry- on regulations. A $324.75 value.
From LensCoat: a Standard LensCoat® RainCoat. A $79.99 value.
Manfrotto/Gitzo will be contributing one or more items.
From Delkin: a 32 gb 700X Compact Flash Card plus give-aways. The card is a $134.99 value.
NIK has sent a gift certificate for one copy of NIK Color Efex Pro, the Photoshop filter plug-in that has changed my digital workflow. Enter the code BAA at checkout to save 15%.
Topaz is sending a gift certificate for their black and white effects filter program.
Micheal Tapes at RAW Workflow has chipped in with a Lens Align Mark II. A $79.95 value.
You might also win a copy of The Art of Bird Photography II by Arthur Morris or a copy of A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Arthur Morris and Denise Ipplito.

Thanks a stack to all of our generous sponsors.

EOS-5D Mark III User’s Guide

With the wreck of my EOS-1D X (see “Wrecked. And Loving It” for complete details), I went to my 5D Mark III as my workhorse camera body. It performed flawlessly surviving some heavy drizzle, sand, grit, and extensive use. I used it almost exclusively for seabird flight photography from the ship. As I have said from the get-go, the 5D Mark III’s new AF system is superb.

You can learn everything about it your D Mark III including my custom Case for flight photography, my favorite AF Area Selection Modes, how I use the great HDR and Multiple Exposure Features, and pretty much everything that I know about this great lightweight camera iin the 5D Mark III User’s Guide. I will be updating it in January. All updates are free.

Learn more or purchase the 5D III UG here.

To thank us for all the free info that we provide on the blog, in Bulletins, and via e-mail, or if your decision to purchase a 5D III was influenced by what you learned here, please use one of our B&H affiliate links immediately below to order and e-mail me a copy of your receipt. The upper logo-link is for the body alone (along with ($154.83 of free items), the lower link for a kit with the body and my B-roll lens, the 24-105mm zoom. (I never leave home without it.)

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.

This two-frame stitched composite of an Elephant Seal pup and its mom was created at Fortuna Bay, South Georgia with the tripod mounted Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800: 1/320 sec. at f/8 confirmed by histogram check. Central sensor/Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. I had been concentrating on the face of the pup and missed a chance when it brought its left front flipper forward so I pointed the lens to my right and created an image that included the young seal’s flipper. Then it was a simple matter of converting both images in DPP and merging them in Photoshop: File/Automate/Photoshop. As described in detail in Digital Basics along with my complete digital workflow, all of my keyboard shortcuts, and dozens of great Photoshop tips.

Wrecked. And Loving It.

While not as well known as the two spectacular South Georgia King Penguin colonies at Salibury Plain and St. Andrews Bay, Fortuna Bay has consistently offered superb photographic opportunities whenever I have visited. Conditions on the morning of October 25 were ideal: cloudy bright with light winds. It was our third day of landings and the fifth day of the expedition. I was in a mellow mood and took my time setting up my gear once I got ashore. Rather than rushing to the colony I headed in the opposite direction toward a big group of Elephant Seals and made the image above. Then I headed towards the colony about a mile distant.

This image of a small group of King Penguins with a frozen waterfall in the background was created at Fortuna Bay with the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM AF Lens (hand held at 84mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

After about a half mile I came across a nicely arranged group of King Penguins. I grabbed the 24-105 lens, got on the ground, and approached slowly without disturbing the birds. With four very good and one acceptable head angle this, the first image in the series, was the best.

This image of a sleeping King Penguin was also created at Fortuna Bay, South Georgia. I used the tripod mounted Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II lens, the Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/320 sec. at f/8. Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Next I came upon shipmate Andreas Liedmann sitting low and photographing some King Penguins against a backdrop of pure white snow. After carefully choosing my position to ensure that the snow on the distant hillside (see image next) would make up my background, I splayed the legs of my Gitzo 3532 LS tripod,got down in the snow, and had a blast.

This image depicts the situation described above. It was created with the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS EF USM AF Lens (hand held at 24mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/640 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF and recompose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Aravind Krishnaswamy soon joined us. That’s my 500 II between them. Little did I know what would happen in less than two hours….

Wrecked

I made my way slowly to the colony, hooked up with Denise Ippolito for a while, had my lunch–ham and cheese roll-ups with mayo and low-sugar ketchup and an ice cold orange-ade made with a little bit of orange juice, water, and Stevia, a natural sweetener. Yummy. And messy.

I worked with Alan and Pat Lillich for a while. A bit after 1pm I began to head slowly back to the landing site. Before the trip I had been concerned about falling on some of the longer, more difficult hikes and wanted lots of time to meander and to enjoy. The last zodiac back to the ship would be at 2:30 pm so that the ship could re-position for the afternoon landing at Stromness. I was walking slowly on a clean, flat area with no snow just taking in the sights, totally relaxed and not at all in my usual rushed state. The 500 II and the 1D X were on the tripod that rested on my right shoulder with the lens pointing behind me. My right toe caught on a small rock about the size of my fist. I pitched forward. There was no chance to roll or attempt to protect my gear. I landed gently but the camera hit a half buried rock and was ripped from the lens mount. As I got up and realized that I was OK but that my gear was not I noted that the 1D X was firing rapidly. I removed the battery and it quit. I tried without success to mount the camera onto the lens. In short order I realized that both items had seen their last action on the trip.

I remembered that the last thing I did before leaving for the airport on October 16 was to remove the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS lens from my Think Tank Airport International™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag, place it in one of the large front pockets of my Xtrahand Vest, and put the 300 f/2.8L IS II lens into the rolling bag. Why? “In case anyone wrecks a lens the 300 2.8 II would make a great back-up and provide lots of magnification with the 2X III TC.” I had no idea that that person would be me.

(Note: you can learn more about my custom-designed Xtrahand Vest from Vested Interest here. Denise got one for the expedition and loved it especially because it distributes the weight of your gear so well making it seem lighter than it would be if you were using a backpack.)

As I walked, still alone, I laughed. I was unhurt (or at least it seemed so at the time). I joked that I had been hurt worse getting into bed. I had the 300 2.8 II as a great back-up. I knew that the wreck was the very best thing that could have happened. How could I know that? Because it happened. And because I am a lover of what is. (See the work of Byron Katie at www.THEWORK.com.) I did not berate myself. No matter how careful we are accidents can and do happen.

When I got back to the ship and shared my tale most folks commented to the effect that “you must be so upset.” “What a terrible thing to happen at the start of the trip.” I thought to myself, “What a trip that was.” With “trip” as a pun of course. “No,” I said. “It was the best thing that could have happened and lots of good will come of it.” “Happiness is a choice,” I explained while hearing Byron Katie’s voice in the back of my head. “I am in a great place with great people, I have a great back-up lens, I was not hurt, and I am simply choosing happiness. What good would it have done to lament my fate.”

As it turned out my shoulder was injured a bit resulting in some numbness in my right hand and arm that continues. Both Dr. Oliver and Dr. McKeon are pretty sure that it is a circulatory issue and that it will subside with treatment over time. So am I.

Yesterday I ordered a second 1D X so that I will have one at Bosque and today Jim and I will be shipping both the 500 II and the 1D X to the Canon Factory Service Center in Jamesburg, NJ. All in all, you gotta love it. Why? It’s what is.

Want more peace in your life? See “Loving What Is; Four Questions That Can Change Your Life” by Byron Katie.

Are IPTs expensive? Of course they are. For good reason. The most experienced, knowledgeable, and hardest working leaders. Great Photoshop instruction. Great folks. And great food. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

Largest-ever Bosque del Apache IPT Late Registration Discount

With only a single opening and the IPT beginning in one week we are glad to be offering the largest-ever late registration discount for this great IPT. Please call Jim weekdays from 9-5 eastern time at 863-692-0906.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399.

Co-leaders: Denise Ippolito, landscape photography expert Jim Heupel, and Photoshop expert Mike Hannisian. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 3.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

Nobody alive or dead knows Bosque better than I do. Do consider joining us for the educational experience of a lifetime. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

Bosque/Albuquerque Thanksgiving Buffet Invite

For the past ten years or so I have hosted a midday Thanksgiving Day meal, in part to honor the memory of my late-wife, Elaine Belsky Morris, and in part because I love meeting others who love Bosque as I do. At first it was held at the wonderful and relatively elegant Val Verde Steak House in Socorro, now defunct. Then it was held at the lovely and historic Luna Mansion. Luna Mansion closed a few years ago and recently re-opened but no longer serves Thanksgiving Day. In 2009 we had fun and a fine meal at the Stage Door Grill but that wonderful little joint recently bit the dust also. Socorro is a tough place for businesses to survive. In 2010 we went a bit upscale and dined in the New Mexico Ballroom at the Hilton Albuquerque hotel. There was tons of food and it was all delicious.

The Hilton is now a Crowne Plaza and the good news is that they are having the buffet again this year as they did in 2011. I will be picking up the tab for the IPT group, but as always, all visiting birders and photographers are invited to join us. If you would like to take part in the fun and camaraderie this year please send a check for $45.00 per person made out to “”Arthur Morris”” to cover the cost of the buffet that will include all the traditional items plus lots more as well as tax and tip. Drinks are on you. Please mark ““Thanksgiving Buffet” on your check and mail it to; BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 4041, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Be sure to include your e-mail address on your check and in a short note. Sorry, no PayPals or credit cards for this. I do hope that you can join us.

I have group reservations for Thanksgiving Day (of course). Those joining us will need to be at the hotel at 11:30 am sharp. It is located at 1901 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, about an hour up I-25 from the Super 8 Motel in Socorro where I have stayed happily with my groups for well more than a decade. I do hope that you can join us.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

And from the BAA On-line Store:

LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather….
Gizo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera’s hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.

Leopard, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson. Todd has an uncanny knack for spotting the big cats.

Ten Good Reasons…

Here are a dozen good reasons to join Todd Gustafson, Denise Ippolito, and me on our African Safari to Tanzania is August 2013. All of the images are Todd’s. For more info and a complete itinerary, please contact Jim at BAA via e-mail.

African Elephants, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 70-200mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

Todd (and the other leaders as well) will teach you to develop your creative vision.

Impalas battling, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will put you on the action with the van in the best spot for a given lighting condition.

Hippos battling, Ngorongoro Crater. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

Crater is like a zoo, only the animals are wild and they are not fooling around…. Note the perfect timing and the two perfect head angles. I taught Todd well.

Zebra braying, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will teach you how to isolate using your longest focal length lenses.

Yellow-billed Storks courting, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will teach you when and why to hold the hammer down.

Baobab sunset, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), Nikon 200-400 lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

You will learn that Todd always knows where to be when….

African Elephants, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 70-200mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

You will learn when to go for more depth-of-field.

Serengeti Lioness yawning. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

You will learn to create small in the frame wildlife-scapes.

Lion snarling, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), Nikon 200-400 lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will teach you to anticipate the peak of action.

Africa Photo Safari: August 2013

Serengeti Summer Migration Safari: 12 full and two half-days of photography: $12,999/person double occupancy. Limit: 12/Openings: 7.

Leaders: Todd Gustafson, Denise Ippolito, and Arthur Morris.

Leave the US AUG 3, 2013. Fly home from Arusha, Tanzania on the evening of August 18. Day 1 of the safari is August 5. Our last morning of photography is August 18. We will be visiting Taranagire National Park, Seronera Lodge–aka Leopard City!–twice, an exclusive mobile tented camp in the Serengeti, and at the end, the spectacular wildlife spectacle that is Ngorongoro Crater.

A deposit of $4,000 is due now. We will not cash your check until we have 7 deposits in hand. If the trip does not run, we will return or tear up your check. As there has been great interest already, we fully expect that the trip will run.

Happy Campers only please.

Once we cash your check you will be strongly advised to purchase travel insurance. While we all assume that we will be fine, health and family emergencies do arrive unexpectedly. You may wish to consider using Travel Insurance Services. Do understand that most policies must be purchased within two weeks of our cashing your deposit check.

The 2nd payment of $4000 is due NOV 30, 2012. The final payment/balance is due MAR 30, 2013.

Sign up with a friend or a spouse and apply a $300 per person discount.

Minimum to run as noted above: 7 photographers. Guaranteed maximum no more than 12 photographers plus the three great leaders. 3 persons/van. You get a row of seats for yourself and your gear. In addition to rotating in-the-field instruction with each of the co-leaders, artie, Todd, and denise will be available for image sharing and review and informal Photoshop instruction during breaks and after meals. And–with apologies to Miss Manners–even during meals!

The lodging is all first class. Please e-mail for a PDF with additional details, the complete itinerary, and a description of the unparalleled photographic opportunities that we will enjoy.

Please e-mail to request the complete itinerary. Any questions? Please e-mail Todd. As always, we will work with the first 12 deposits that we receive. I hope that you can join us.

Bosque/Albuquerque Thanksgiving Buffet Invite

For the past ten years or so I have hosted a midday Thanksgiving Day meal, in part to honor the memory of my late-wife, Elaine Belsky Morris, and in part because I love meeting others who love Bosque as I do. At first it was held at the wonderful and relatively elegant Val Verde Steak House in Socorro, now defunct. Then it was held at the lovely and historic Luna Mansion. Luna Mansion closed a few years ago and recently re-opened but will no longer serves Thanksgiving Day. In 2009 we had fun and a fine meal at the Stage Door Grill but that wonderful little joint recently bit the dust also. Socorro is a tough place for businesses to survive. In 2010 we went a bit upscale and dined in the New Mexico Ballroom at the Hilton Albuquerque hotel. There was tons of food and it was all delicious.

The Hilton is now a Crowne Plaza and the good news is that they are having the buffet again this year as they did in 2011. I will be picking up the tab for the IPT group, but as always, all visiting birders and photographers are invited to join us. If you would like to take part in the fun and camaraderie this year please send a check for $45.00 per person made out to “”Arthur Morris”” to cover the cost of the buffet that will include all the traditional items plus lots more as well as tax and tip. Drinks are on you. Please mark ““Thanksgiving Buffet” on your check and mail it to; BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 4041, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Be sure to include your e-mail address on your check and in a short note. Sorry, no PayPals or credit cards for this. I do hope that you can join us.

I have group reservations for Thanksgiving Day (of course). Those joining us will need to be at the hotel at 11:30 am sharp. It is located at 1901 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, about an hour up I-25 from the Super 8 Motel in Socorro where I have stayed happily with my groups for well more than a decade. I do hope that you can join us.

Are IPTs expensive? Of course they are. For good reason. The most experienced, knowledgeable, and hardest working leaders. Great Photoshop instruction. Great folks. And great food. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

Bosque del Apache IPT Late Registration Discount Announcement

With four openings on this IPT and me headed out of town till 11/11 we are glad to announce a healthy late registration discount for this great IPT. Please call Jim weekdays from 9-5 eastern time at 863-692-0906 for details and leave a message if he is at the post office. Or call me today, at the same number.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399.

Co-leaders: Denise Ippolito, landscape photography expert Jim Heupel, and Photoshop expert Mike Hannisian. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 4.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

Nobody alive or dead knows Bosque better than I do. Do consider joining us for the educational experience of a lifetime. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

A Greener View

After Jeff Rugg read the “Field Etiquette for Nature Photographers” post here, he sent me the column that he has written for the weekly newspaper column that he writes. He was writing for permission to mention the blog in his column; I gladly assented. Jeff’s Yellow-rumped Warbler Art image was awarded first prize in the Digital Category in the BIRDS AS ART 1st Annual Bird Photography Competition. You can see his image here.

I thought it apropos to share this with you here in a guest blog post.

Jeff enjoys creating avian composite images. He created the files for this one in his backyard with the old EOS-30D (replaced now by the EOS 7D) and the Canon EF 100-400mm IS L zoom lens. He did not need to worry about having others scare off his birds. From Jeff: “This bird bath composite was created in the bird bath area of my water garden. I used the Canon 30D set on a tripod with the Canon 30 foot remote cable release. When I saw a bird striking a good pose, I created an image. The first shot was at 10:20am and the last one was 4:46pm all on April 10 of this year. The shutter speed varied. All at f/5.6, ISO 160, at 200mm. For more on the 7D/100-400 combo see “How Dan Cadieux Masters Canon EOS-7D Image Files.”

A Greener View

By Jeff Rugg

It is the political season and that seems to bring out the worst in human behavior. I won’t be getting into politics in this article, but I would like to talk about proper etiquette while people are roaming around in nature. If you, like me, have been on a bike or hiking trail this summer, you may have seen some familiar scenes. First, there are the trail hogs. They are having a great time talking about who knows what and who knows who and while doing so they are taking up the whole width of the trail. They often seem oblivious to the natural surroundings and to anyone else who wants to use the trail. Second, there are the speed demons. They may be running or riding a bike and they are not to be trifled with. Pity the poor trail hogs when a speed demon is on the same trail.

Next, there are people with dogs. The dogs are almost always supposed to be on a leash, but the rules don’t say the leash can’t be 500 feet long. Dogs can frighten some people, but they can really frighten animals. Have you been to the beach this summer? Did you see someone sending their dog running into flocks of gulls and shorebirds? Last, we have people who loudly interrupt or barge on past bird watchers and nature photographers. Parks and wildlife are ‘used’ by lots of people with differing needs and that can lead to confrontations.

What do all these situations have in common? Lack of knowledge of proper natural area etiquette. In cities, people don’t usually make eye contact, but in nature most people are friendlier and are often willing to stop and talk. Trail hogs need to pay more attention to their surroundings and note when other people are approaching; they need to be courteous enough to allow passage without hindering other people. Trail runners, joggers and mountain bikers all need to realize there will be slow people on the same trail and give them enough advance notice of their approach that they can safely get out of the way. Dog owners need to realize that terrorizing people and wildlife is never appropriate, even for gulls or squirrels. This advice also applies to beach joggers and driving on the beach.

Bird watchers and wildlife photographers are usually cognizant of their affect on birds and other animals, but not on people. Other park users may not realize their own affect on an animal when they just walk right up to someone who spent a lot of time trying to get close to a bird or another animal. Birders and photographers may need to notice other people more often. People will often stop from walking in front of a camera and wait for the photographer to take a picture, but they shouldn’t be made to wait forever. It is not appropriate to approach birders or photographers without their first acknowledging your presence, just as it is not appropriate for them to ignore people trying to use the same area of the park. If after several minutes the photographer has not acknowledged your presence, it is appropriate to quietly ask if you can approach or move past.

The bigger concern is not about disturbing the person, but about disturbing the objects of their attention, the birds and animals that they are photographing. It may be more appropriate for the photographer to move towards you, so that the wildlife is not bothered by too many people getting too close.
If you are interested in more information on field etiquette for nature photographers, Arthur Morris writes an incredibly good blog on his Birds As Art website and he recently covered this topic. Check it out at www.birdsasart-blog.com and I am sure you will not be disappointed at the photography and the information he delivers. If you or someone you know is interested in nature photography, Mr. Morris has written several excellent books that would make great holiday presents.

To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website here.

Article Copyright 2012: Jeff Rugg and Creators.Com

What Do You Think?

Take a moment to leave a comment and share your thoughts with Jeff in my absence. Denise Ippolio and I are on a Cheeseman’s Ecology Safaris Southern Ocean expedition until 11/11.

NYC Weekend Nature Photography Seminar

Presented by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure and Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Hilton Garden Inn, Staten Island, New York. December 8-9, 2012 from 9am-4:30pm.
Weekend: $169. SAT or SUN: $99. Lodging available for out of town guests.
Saturday: Image Capture Sunday: Image Evaluation and Processing

Click here for complete details including the Saturday and Sunday schedules, club and group discount info, and registration incentives and for more info on the In-the-Field Seminar Follow-up Workshop.

Artie, the grizzled veteran, is widely noted as one of the premier bird photographers, tour leaders, and educators on the planet. Denise, who specializes in flowers, is the mega-creative up-and-comer, a popular lecturer, a skilled field instructor, and an amazing Photoshop wizard who will share her tips and tricks with you. Both artie and denise are full time professional nature photographers.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours

Click here for complete IPT information including the current schedule and links to general IPT info, deposit and cancellation policies. and the required registration and release forms.

Shop B&H

Shop B&H. Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of the links above or below. We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

This image of a Royal Tern coming in for a landing was created at Fort DeSoto with the hand held Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II lens, the Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop off the sky: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Central sensor/Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

A Great Morning at Desoto

This is another of the many wonderful images that I created on the morning of Sunday, September 16 at Fort Desoto Park just south of St. Petersburg, FL. For more on that wonderful day (including lots of great images and a 100% crop that will knock your socks off) click here and here.

The image above was created from the original image below.

What Would You Do?

What changes did I make during post-processing? (Hint: there are at least six major ones.)

What would you have done?

Was what I did to the image wrong?

Would you have done anything else?

Which image do you like better, the original below or the master file above?

NYC Weekend Nature Photography Seminar

Presented by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure and Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Hilton Garden Inn, Staten Island, New York. December 8-9, 2012 from 9am-4:30pm.
Weekend: $169. SAT or SUN: $99. Lodging available for out of town guests.
Saturday: Image Capture Sunday: Image Evaluation and Processing

Click here for complete details including the Saturday and Sunday schedules, club and group discount info, and registration incentives and for more info on the In-the-Field Seminar Follow-up Workshop.

Artie, the grizzled veteran, is widely noted as one of the premier bird photographers, tour leaders, and educators on the planet. Denise, who specializes in flowers, is the mega-creative up-and-comer, a popular lecturer, a skilled field instructor, and an amazing Photoshop wizard who will share her tips and tricks with you. Both artie and denise are full time professional nature photographers.

BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours

Click here for complete IPT information including the current schedule and links to general IPT info, deposit and cancellation policies. and the required registration and release forms.

Shop B&H

Shop B&H. Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of the links above or below. We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

This image was created with the hand held Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3. Central sensor Surround/Rear Focus AI Servo AF active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version.

I Suck at Flight Photography. But…

I Suck at Flight Photography. But I am hard-working and determined. On our first afternoon with Osvaldo and Walter we had lots of great chances with Condors in flight. Click here if you missed the info on Osvaldo. Out of about 350 images, I kept 41. Most of the keepers were pretty bad. Tons of the images had the wings cut off, were mis-framed, or plain old not sharp. Heck, you cannot expect the images to be sharp when you cannot keep the active AF sensor anywhere near the bird’s head.

When my flight images are bad, the first place I look is in the mirror; can you say “Operator Error”? Sure, it is easy to blame your gear but the fact is that the gear that I would be complaining about is the same gear that produced the image above….

When Osvaldo saw my optimized Condor image, he said, “That is the finest image of a Condor that I have ever seen. And I have seen lots of great ones on several of the Chilean nature photography sites.” The next day I asked him if he said that to be nice. He assured me that that was not the case and that his original assessment was both accurate and honest. I was flattered and very proud of myself, especially considering how bad I am at flight photography. Sometimes persistence can be a great virtue.

This JPEG represents the original capture. The dark blotches were quite distracting. Note the crop from the right and below for a more pleasing composition–easy to do with the killer 22mp files of the 5D Mark III.

I used a 40% opacity/0% hardness Clone Stamp Tool brush to clean up most of the dark areas. The dark area by the feet was dealt with with Protect and Defend Cloning on a Layer as taught to me by Denise Ippolito. A small bit of NIK Color EfexPro Detail Exractor and Tonal Contrast. All of the above and tons more is covered in detail in the latest update of our Digital Basics File. If I can finish packing tonight I will do my best to create the PDF and get it to Jim before I head off-line for three weeks….

This is a 100% crop of the optimized TIFF.

The 100% crop above gives you an idea of the kind of quality you can expect from sharp RAW files converted with Canon Digital Photo Professional. Once I get into Arash Hazeghi’s NR eGuide I am positive that I will be able to eliminate most or all of the luminance noise in the BLACKs.

The Digital Photo Professional RAW Conversion Guide

The Digital Photo Professional RAW Conversion Guide by Arthur Morris with Arash Hazeghi is complete and available.

I have long resisted doing conversions in Digital Photo Professional (DPP), the software that comes on a CD in the box with your new Canon camera. I tried it a few times, found that the interface was not as user-friendly as with Adobe Camera RAW (ACR), and did not see any great advantages to using it. ACR was fast and the results were excellent.

When I began working with images from my new EOS-1D X, I noticed right off the bat that the colors were off and that the image quality was poor at best. Skilled photographer Arash Hazeghi had been using DPP for quite some time, often touting its benefits in the Avian Forum at Bird Photographer’s.Net. With phone help from Arash, I began converting my 1D X images in DPP explicitly following his instructions. The images looked so good and so clean with accurate color that before long I was converting all my 5D Mark III, 1D Mark IV, and 1D X images in DPP and loving the results.

In this new eGuide (sent via e-mail as a 19-page PDF) I share everything that Arash taught me. I encourage you to give DPP a shot even if like me you tried it before and did not like it…. There is a good reason that Arash has a PhD!

The simplest and fastest way to order your copy of “The Digital Photo Professional RAW Conversion Guide” (DPP RCG) is through the BAA On-line Store by clicking here. Or, you can order your copy by sending a check for $15 made out to “Arthur Morris” to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Be sure to include your e-mail address (written legibly). If you prefer PayPal you can send $15 to us via e-mail; be sure to include the title of the eGuide.

This image of an adult White-tailed Kite was created by Arash Hazeghi with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Telephoto lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the unfortunately discontinued EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 640: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6. This image was of course converted in DPP and processed further using the techniques detailed in Arash’s new eGuide, “The Professional Photographer’s Guide to Noise Reduction for EOS Cameras.” Note the superb detail and the beautiful smooth virtually noise-less background. If you want to have your socks knocked off, check out the bird’s talons in the HD sized version here. Image courtesy of and copyright 2012: Arash Hazeghi.

Announcing “The Professional Photographer’s Guide to Noise Reduction for EOS Cameras” by Arash Hazeghi

The Professional Photographer’s Guide to Noise Reduction for EOS Cameras: $35

This 50-page eGuide includes many high-resolution examples, figures, and screen captures.

After learning to do RAW conversions in DPP with the The Digital Photo Professional RAW Conversion Guide, those who wish proceed to the next level, who wish to consistently obtain professional quality images that look impressive in both large prints and digital presentation, are directed to Arash’s advanced eBook, “The Professional Photographer’s Guide to Noise Reduction for EOS Cameras.”

This eGuide, which covers post-conversion noise reduction for EOS cameras, will help you improve the quality of your digital photographs over a wide ISO range. The techniques detailed in this guide approach both luminance noise reduction and sharpening in a scientific manner and are designed to help you produce the highest quality image files, files with maximum fine detail.

These techniques have been developed and refined after many years of dedicated work by Arash. The various steps in processing high-ISO images are explained clearly and in detail with many examples. You will learn to produce clean, noise free images with most modern EOS camera models at ISO 1600 and even at ISO 3200 and beyond with selected models. The 50-page eGuide is available in digital (PDF) format; it is sent via e-mail. It includes many high-resolution examples and figures. To order your copy, click here, send a check for $35 to BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855, or send a PayPal for $35 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net. After purchase, you will receive e-mail instructions for downloading it via YouSendIt.

NYC Seminar Door Prizes!

NYC Seminar Door Prizes!

Wow! We have put together a killer collection of door prizes for the NYC Seminar. If you live in the northeast and are not yet registered click here to join us and have a chance at winning some of the great and valuable loot below.

From ThinkTank: an Airport AirStream™ Rolling Camera Bag; meets all International carry- on regulations. A $324.75 value.
From LensCoat: a Standard LensCoat® RainCoat. A $79.99 value.
Manfrotto/Gitzo will be contributing one or more items.
From Delkin: a 32 gb 700X Compact Flash Card plus give-aways. The card is a $134.99 value.
NIK has sent a gift certificate for one copy of NIK Color Efex Pro, the Photoshop filter plug-in that has changed my digital workflow. Enter the code BAA at checkout to save 15%.
Topaz is sending a gift certificate for their black and white effects filter program.
Micheal Tapes at RAW Workflow has chipped in with a Lens Align Mark II. A $79.95 value.
You might also win a copy of The Art of Bird Photography II by Arthur Morris or a copy of A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Arthur Morris and Denise Ipplito.

Thanks a stack to all of our generous sponsors.

Shopper’s Guide

Thanks a stack to all who have used our B&H affiliate links to purchase their gear as a thank you for all the free information that we bring you on the Blog and in the Bulletins. Before you purchase anything be sure to check out the advice in our Shopper’s Guide.

Shop B&H

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins. 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 the links above. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!