Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Which is the Stronger of Today’s Two Featured Images?

Why did you make your choice?

What’s Up?

On Sunday morning, I took yet another worthwhile walk on the longest freshwater pier in the state of Florida. I usually do not need to walk far to find some action. After my pier walk, I drove around for a bit on what was a gorgeous morning and did a few cranes and a few (more) Ospreys.

Today is Monday 13 June 2022. The early morning ILE forecast is calling for clear skies with a breeze from the SW. I will be headed down to the lake as usual for a quick look-see. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes ninety days in a row with a new one.

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

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

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

And Please Remember

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

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

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

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

Money Saving Reminder

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

Important Note

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

Please Remember Also

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

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 12 June 2022 down by the lake at ILE. While standing on the pier, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 7:13:47am on a clear, sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Limpkin with freshwater mussel

Shooting Down at the Birds

I general, we’d like to be as low as possible. Being at the bird’s eye level is usually ideal as it offer an intimate perspective. That is obviously not possible when you are working on a pier, a boardwalk, or a steep bank (where getting down to water level is impossible). The advantage of being higher rather than lower on still days, you get better reflections. Anyhoo, I like this small-in-the-frame image. What do you like? What don’t you like?

Settings Error

Though I got a perfect exposure, I made a serious error when adjusting (or failing to adjust!) the settings. Take a close look at the EXIF data for Image #1, and if you see my error, leave a comment, and let me know what my settings should have been (had I been awake and aware), and what my mistake was.

This image was also created on 12 June 2022 down by the lake at ILE. Again, while standing on the pier, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000. 1/2500 sec. at f/4 (Wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 7:7:20:23am on a clear, sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Green Heron ready to strike

A New Find

Anything on the right side of the pier early on a sunny morning is going to be 30 or more degrees off sun angle. So, I rarely look on the north side. A few days ago, I happened to peek over the railing on the right and flushed a Green Heron that had been perched on a low, rotted piling that had been part of the previous pier. So now I am more careful. This bird was obviously ready to strike, and I knew it, but did not have the stamina to keep Fat Boy raised so I missed the strike. I plan to start checking the right side of the pier before I take my walk; if I see a Green Heron on one of the low perches, I will bring the 600 f/4 and both TCs. The longer the focal length the less I will be off sun angle.

What Bugs You?

Does anything about this image bug you? If yes, please leave a comment and let us know what it is.

Fish?

Is there any indication of a fish in Image #2? If yes, what is it?

Flight Photography at Jacksonville Till You Can’t Lift Your Lens! with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Join me on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park to learn about photographing terns in flight. 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns nest there and there are birds in the air all the time, often carrying all kinds of fish and crabs for their young. Learn about how the relationship between the wind and the sun impacts flight photography and about the best gear for shooting birds in flight. Join me on a workshop at Jacksonville this summer.

Cute & Beautiful: Photographing Chicks in Jacksonville, FL with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

There is an amazing beach near Jacksonville, FL where 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns and 12,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls (along with a few other species) breed each summer. As this video shows, photographing the chicks is easy in the summer. And there is tons of great flight photography as well. If you want to improve your bird photography skills, consider joining me on an Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT).

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

Jacksonville IPT #1: 4 FULL DAYS — the afternoon of FRI 1 JULY thru the morning of TUES 5 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers/Openings: 5)

Jacksonville IPT #2: 4 FULL DAYS — the afternoon of FRI 15 JULY thru the morning of TUES 19 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers/Openings: 5)

The first three folks to register on each trip can ride to and on and from the beach with me for no charge.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three 1/2 hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. We will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern feeding chick; Royal Tern/4-week-old chick; ink-stained Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern/3-week-old chick begging; Brown Pelican in flight on white sky day; fresh juvenile Laughing Gull on clean beach; Laughing Gulls stealing fish from Royal Tern; tight shot of Royal Tern in flight with fish for young.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

With clear skies and a SW wind on Friday morning, I opted to walk the pier again with the handheld 400mm f/2.8/1.4X TC/a1 rig. I had some success with a Limpkin chick feeding sequence and made some nice Great Egret flight images.

Facing a three-games-to-one deficit in the NBA finals, my beloved Golden State Warriors, led by Steph Curry — 43 points/10 rebounds, and a lock-down 4th quarter defense, defeated the (long-hated-by-me) Boston Celtics in front of a hostile crowd at the new Boston Garden. It was as fiercely a competitive game as I have ever seen. The series is now tied at two games to two. Game five will be on Monday night.

Today is Saturday 11 June 2022. The forecast for ILE is calling for mostly cloudy skies with rain developing followed by scattered thunderstorms. We need to let some water out of the pool as it has poured almost every day for the past two weeks. Did I mention that my clothes dryer quit and the new one will not be here until 20 June? Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes eighty-eight days in a row with a new one.

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

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

Another Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

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

These two images were created on 3 June 2022 at Lake Blue Cypress. Both were part of a more than 20-frame sequence, all razor sharp on the young bird’s eye. While aboard Clemens Van de Werf’s flats boat, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO ????. 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide-open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 6:44:08am on a an overcast morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to level beyond perfection (see below). Click on the image to view a high-res version. Both: Photo Mechanic screen capture of two Fresh Juvenile Osprey landing at nestimages.

Creating the Composite

As I mentioned in yesterday’s video here, I wanted to bring the juvie with best wing position into the image with the best adult-in-the-nest-with-wings-up image.

Once I decided which two images to combine, I converted one, and then used the same slider settings to convert the second image. (To do that, Control click on the image in the Camera Raw window and select Apply Previous Settings from the dropdown menu.) Once I had both images open in Photoshop, I ran Topaz DeNoise on each of them. Then I painted a Quick Mask of the bird in flight in _A1G0682, making sure to include as much sky as possible around the bird. Then I put that selection on its own layer (Control J), dragged it onto _A1G0668 using the Move Tool (V), and added a Regular Layer Mask. I positioned the flying bird layer and painted away the sky as needed. Scroll down to see the optimized image.

Because Ospreys have deep set eyes, it is almost always necessary to lighten the irises. I did lots of Eye Doctor work on both the young bird (one orange irises) and the adult (two yellow eyes). The depth of field (DOF) in front of the point of focus (the eye of the juvenile) at 49.3 meters is 1.25 meters. As the adult bird well in front of the young bird, it was just outside the zone of sharp focus. So, I selected the head of the adult, put it on its own layer, and ran Topaz Sharpen AI on that layer only. The improvement was great. Note that I never run Topaz Sharpen AI a whole bird, much less on a whole image.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

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

The techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with my complete digital workflow, Digital Eye Doctor Techniques, and all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: most of the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here. Today, I convert my Sony raw files in Photoshop with Adobe Camera Raw.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

This image is a composite of the two images above, both were created on 3 June 2022 at Lake Blue Cypress. I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO ????. 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide-open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 6:44:08am on an overcast morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to level beyond perfection (see below). Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Fresh Juvenile Osprey landing at nest

The Optimized Image

Some may frown upon combining two images to create a really beautiful image. As a nature photographer, my desire is to create beautiful images. That passion drives me. I have zero problems creating a composite from a sequence of images. All the images in the 20+ frame sequence show a young Osprey landing at the nest that is occupied by one of its parents. And while it does not depict a single instant in time, the composite images shows a young Osprey landing at the nest that is occupied by one of its parents …

ISO Question

All are invited to make an educated guess as to what ISO was used to create the images above and to leave a comment.

Image #1A: A7INFO screen capture of the Fresh Juvenile Osprey landing at nest image

I Was Not Kidding …

I was not kidding the other day when I mentioned that Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection performs better at f/2.8 than it does at the smaller apertures: f/4, f/5.6, f/8, and all those in between. Virtually every frame in the sequence shows the same amazing AF accuracy as seen in the screen capture above.

Click on the image to better see the green eye-AF boxes in action. Sony Alpha 1 Flight Photography AF Points!

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group: $150.00 (or Free)

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. By June 1, 2022, the group was up to an astounding 123 lucky and blessed folks. (More than a few folks own two or more a1 bodies! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. The best news is that everyone in the group receives an e-mail that includes a .DAT file with my a1 settings on it, and explicit directions on how to load my settings onto your a1; talk about convenience! I am now offering a .DAT file compatible with firmware update 1.20. Your entry into the group includes a consolidated Sony a1 CAMSETA2 INFO & GUIDE. New a1 folks will now receive four e-mails instead of the previous 28! You will see new e-mails as they are published. Simply put, this e-mail guide is an incredible resource for anyone with an a1.

All who purchased their Alpha 1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link — B&H or Bedfords — will receive a free Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up Guide and free entry into the Info Updates group after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.). Others can purchase their guide here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

Bugged?

If anything about the subject in today’s featured image bugs you, please leave a comment and let us know what it is.

What’s Up?

On the way home from getting my blood drawn, there was some nice color in the eastern sky so I stopped on SR 60 to make a few sunrise tree silhouettes. Things were slow down by the lake on Wednesday morning despite the seemingly gorgeous weather; a west/southwest wind on a clear morning makes bird photography difficult. I made a very few nice images of the single crane colt family and was working some Mottle Ducks south of the pier when today’s featured subject flew by for a one-good-frame-wonder.

Today is Thursday 9 June 2022. The forecast for ILE this morning is calling for mostly sunny, with a breeze from the SW. Despite the forecast, I will be heading down to the lake early as do every day when I am home. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes eighty-six days in a row with a new one.

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

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

Another Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

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

And Please Remember

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

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

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

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

Money Saving Reminder

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

Important Note

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

Please Remember Also

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

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 8 June 2022 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height, I used the no-longer available Induro GIT304L Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was estimated in less than 2 seconds. ISO 1600. 1/3200 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be less than one-half stop too dark. Not bad for a WAG. AWB at 7:22:33am on sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed just fine. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Great Egret — juvenile in flight

A Ridiculous, Unexpectedly Successful Image …

Talk about a grab shot. I was photographing swimming Mottled Ducks at ISO 1000: 1/500 sec. at f/8. I saw a Great Egret flying from left to right headed for sun angle. I spun the shutter speed dials without counting as I knew I needed a fast shutter speed for flight. From 1/500 sec. to 1 3200 sec is 2 2/3 stops. That means that I increased the shutter speed by eight clicks. But I knew also that I would need a bit more ISO. Again, without counting the clicks, I boosted the ISO from 1000 to 1600. Both were wild a _ _ guesses. It is miraculous that I came close to getting the exposure perfect. But it was more than workable.

With the exposure out of the way (for better or for worse), I framed the bird, acquired focus, and fired off a ten-frame burst. I knew that the bird was too big in the frame, but I went with my new philosophy — shoot first and ask questions later. In the first five images, the wings were cut off. In the last three, the bird had turned left and was flying away from me. Today’s featured image was miraculously perfect. I had the whole bird in the (here un-cropped) frame, the wing position was lovely, the background looked great, and though the active AF point was on the side of the bird about six inches directly behind the bird’s eye, the eye is razor sharp.

The lesson, aptly summed up by National Hockey League Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky, is this: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Typos

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

What’s Up?

When I got out of bed at 4:30am on Monday I peeked out the bathroom window and saw a sky filled with stars. When I headed down to the lake for a photo session at 6:55am, it was totally overcast and gloomy. Things were not looking great for bird photography. I photographed some tickseed blossoms, mostly for ID purposes. I drove the South Peninsula and the South Field. There was nothing around and the light was dismal. I decided to take one last spin around the North Field and spotted something very lovely. Learn more and check out today’s featured images by scrolling down to see what I found.

Shoot me an e-mail for Jacksonville IPT #1 late registration discount details.

Today is Tuesday 7 June 2022. Jim and I woke at 4:00am and by 4:30 we were in the car heading west for Fort DeSoto for a one-day road trip. After my morning session, we will head to Dr. Rucker in Bradenton. He will inject my right shoulder with Prolozone. These injections have helped me in the past. After that, we will head to Lakeland to pay off the lease on my SUV. And then home. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about more than two hours to prepare and makes eighty-four days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

Another Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

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

This image was created on 6 June 2022 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from my SUV, I used the BLUBB supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 1250. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/800 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:48:31am on a bright overcast morning. As below, RawDigger showed the raw file brightness to be perfect. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1: Osprey in fresh juvenal plumage on The Perch II

The Sad Recent History of The Perch II … Reversed!

Just a bit more than a year ago, working with my neighbor-friend Ralph, we found and erected The Perch II in the marsh just north of the pier at ILE. It replaced a very nice perch that I had put up with Anita North years before. That one had simply rotted and fallen. It could not be saved. You can read the whole story of The Perch II here.

Anyhoo, it took a while for the birds to find the beautiful new perch. But they did, and I made some nice images for several months. The subjects included Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, and Red-shouldered Hawk. But recently, the only birds that have landed on The Perch II have been Boat-Tailed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. And while I love photographing the common birds, they perch is generally too far away when these smaller birds land. In any case, I had not seen a large bird on the new perch for more than two month and I had just about given up checking it.

Yesterday morning, from a distance, I saw a large bird on the perch. As I approached, I was thrilled to see that it was one of the recently fledged Ospreys. Before making a final approach, I mounted the 1.4X TC on the 600 f/4, moved the DMF switch to OFF, raised the driver’s side window a little less than halfway (for comfort while photographing), and set up the rig on the BLUBB. I made a series of images, replaced the 600 with the 400 f/2.8, and then made another series of wider horizontal and vertical images. Then I backed the car up the small slope, switched back to the 840mm rig, and made a closer approach that resulted in Image #1. I just love the soft light, the texture of the silvery-gray wood, and of course, the handsome young raptor.

This image was also created on 6 June 2022 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB supported Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 500. 1/1600 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 7:44:50am on a bright overcast morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Juvenile Osprey on The Perch II with marsh grasses

Your Call?

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice. Is this question a no-brainer?

Flight Photography at Jacksonville Till You Can’t Lift Your Lens! with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Join me on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park to learn about photographing terns in flight. 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns nest there and there are birds in the air all the time, often carrying all kinds of fish and crabs for their young. Learn about how the relationship between the wind and the sun impacts flight photography and about the best gear for shooting birds in flight. Join me on a workshop at Jacksonville this summer.

Cute & Beautiful: Photographing Chicks in Jacksonville, FL with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

There is an amazing beach near Jacksonville, FL where 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns and 12,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls (along with a few other species) breed each summer. As this video shows, photographing the chicks is easy in the summer. And there is tons of great flight photography as well. If you want to improve your bird photography skills, consider joining me on an Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT).

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

Jacksonville IPT #1: 4 FULL DAYS — the afternoon of FRI 1 JULY thru the morning of TUES 5 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers/Openings: 5)

Jacksonville IPT #2: 4 FULL DAYS — the afternoon of FRI 15 JULY thru the morning of TUES 19 July 2022: $2099.00 (Limit 6 photographers/Openings: 5)

The first three folks to register can ride to and on the beach with me for no charge.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three 1/2 hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. We will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern feeding chick; Royal Tern/4-week old chick; ink-stained Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern/3-week old chick begging; Brown Pelican in flight on white sky day; fresh juvenile Laughing Gull on clean beach; Laughing Gulls stealing fish from Royal Tern; tight shot of Royal Tern in flight with fish for young.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

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

So, What Do You Think That I Did On Saturday Morning?

On Friday morning, I made more than 2000 photographs of various Ospreys. So, what do you think that I did on Saturday morning?

What’s Up?

Rain showers had been forecast for ILE on Saturday from dawn until 5pm. Though it was dreary for most of the day, the sun did peak through several times. I was down to the lake early and made a very few images. But I liked one; it is today’s featured image. It sprinkled for two minutes or so several times in the afternoon. Go figure. I culled my images from the Lake Blue Cypress boat trip, keeping 203 after the first edit (out of 3029). Many of the keepers are series of from three to ten similar images, most of which will wind up in the trash bin after the second edit.

I saw two very small Killdeer chicks and their protective parents running around just south of the pier. I wondered why I had not seen the adults there before. Then I realized that the two chicks were almost surely from the protected nest in the North Field. I was not able to make any images of them.

Shoot me an e-mail for Jacksonville IPT #1 late registration discount details.

Today is Sunday 5 June 2022. The forecast for this morning is for partly cloudy, but when I peeked out the back door at 5:00am, all that I saw were stars. It was warm and humid and very still. I will be heading down to the lake early. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes eighty-two days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

Another Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

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

Wanted to Buy

If you have any Canon Series III teleconverters (the 1.4X III or the 2X III) that you’d like to get rid of, please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in turning them into cash. I have an interested buyer.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission on items priced at $1,000 or more. With items less than $1000, there is a $50 flat-fee. One of the more popular used gear sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. If you are interested, please click here, read everything carefully, and do what it says. To avoid any misunderstandings, please read the whole thing very carefully. If you agree to the terms, please state so clearly via e-mail and include the template or templates, one for each item you wish to sell. Then we can work together to get your stuff priced and listed.

Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice only to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past years, we have sold many hundreds of items. Do know that prices for used gear only go in one direction. Down. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

New Listings

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

Blog regular Alice Garland is offering a Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift lens in near-mint condition for $549.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps and insured shipping via major courier to the lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears or other arrangements are made.

Please contact Alice at via e-mail or by phone at 1-509-954-4253 (Pacific time zone).

This specialty lens is used for portraiture, architectural, food, and landscape photography, the latter especially by folks photographing flower-fields. They offer precise control of depth of field. The newer “L” version of this lens sells new for $2,199.00 and is back-ordered pretty much everywhere. artie

Mixing a short telephoto field of view with perspective- and depth of field control, the TS-E 90mm f/2.8 from Canon is a tilt-shift lens well-suited to producing well-corrected imagery with a slightly compressed perspective. Up to +/- 8° of tilt is possible, for focus control, and +/- 11mm of shift, to adjust perspective and composition. The tilt-shift mechanism can be rotated +/- 90° for applying movements in any direction, and a tilt-locking mechanism can be used while shooting for greater stability. The lens also employs a Gaussian-type optical design to maintain image quality throughout the aperture range and a Super Spectra coating has been applied to individual element to reduce flare and ghosting for increased contrast and color accuracy.Canon & B&H

Canon Extender EF 2X II (teleconverter)

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price

Blog regular Alice Garland is offering a Canon Extender EF 2X II (teleconverter) in excellent condition for a BIRDS AS ART record-low $148.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps and insured shipping via major courier to the lower 48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears or other arrangements are made.

Please contact Alice at via e-mail or by phone at 1-509-954-4253 (Pacific time zone).

As regular readers know, TCs are so important to what I do that I always travel with three 1.4X teleconverters and two 2X teleconverters. (Note: they do fail on occasion …) In addition, TC AF performance and results are much improved with the Canon mirrorless bodies like the EOS R5 and the EOS R3. artie

This image was created on 4 June 2022 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Standing at full height, I used the no longer available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/100 sec. at f/5.6 (stopped down two stops) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 7:34:25am on dreary morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Osprey — twin chicks in the nest

What I Did on Saturday Morning

I love bird photography. So, I went down to the lake and made more Osprey images. I had visualized today’s featured image for several weeks and had been waiting for the chicks to be large enough to stand up in the nest and be visible. And I knew that only a cloudy day would work. On both counts, Saturday 4 June was the day.

Do You Like This Image?

Why or why not?

Fat Boy Firsts

For the first time, I worked with the 400 f/2.8 on a tripod. And for the first time (other than accidentally), I stopped down, two full stops in this instance. I wanted to be sure that the large nest and all the moss was sharp. The plan worked well. Note the placement of the chicks in the upper left corner.

Be sure to click on the image to better see the AF point — a green circular crosshairs with a red box inside it. Image #1A: A7INFO screen capture for the Osprey — twin chicks in the nest image

Fat Boy AF

As stated here recently, all Tracking:AF-C Methods with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled are faster and more accurate with an f/2.8 lens than they are with slower lenses. As seen in the screen capture above.

For Eagle-eyed Readers Only

Image #1 is virtually the same as the image seen in 1A. But I did eliminate two tiny things that bugged me. If you can spot one of them, you are doing very well.

A7INFO

A7INFO is an ExifViewer for Sony e-mount cameras. It reveals the AF point or points used to create Sony raw files. In addition, it accurately lists the Focus Distance; this is very helpful when studying depth of field. The program was created by Wolfram Söns of Cologne, Germany. Click here to learn more about A7INFO.You can download the correct version for your computer here. While you’re at it, be sure to leave a donation to support Wolfram’s efforts; $10.00 is suggested.

Note: at present, there is no app that I know of that can tell you after the fact what AF method you were using to create a given raw file … A 7INFO does indicate what it calls AFAreaModeSetting, along with other AF info, but most of it does not correlate with the settings we see on the camera.

Perspective Question

Would setting on a ladder and working with a much taller tripod have helped this image? Why or why not?

Flight Photography at Jacksonville Till You Can’t Lift Your Lens! with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Join me on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park to learn about photographing terns in flight. 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns nest there and there are birds in the air all the time, often carrying all kinds of fish and crabs for their young. Learn about how the relationship between the wind and the sun impacts flight photography and about the best gear for shooting birds in flight. Join me on a workshop at Jacksonville this summer.

Cute & Beautiful: Photographing Chicks in Jacksonville, FL with Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

There is an amazing beach near Jacksonville, FL where 8,000 pairs of Royal Terns and 12,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls (along with a few other species) breed each summer. As this video shows, photographing the chicks is easy in the summer. And there is tons of great flight photography as well. If you want to improve your bird photography skills, consider joining me on an Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT).

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Despite perfect conditions on Lake Kissimmee, Clemens Van der Werf had to work very hard to make a few good images. Why? Sun yields harsh shadows and almost all the birds that landed were on very cluttered perches. Such is bird photography. Be sure to click on today’s image to enjoy a high-res version and note the work that I did on the dark shadows.

Today is Friday 3 June 2022. The forecast for this morning is again calling for mostly sunny skies with a breeze from the ENE. We will be heading very early to Lake Blue Cypress with Clemens’ boat in tow. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes eighty days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn! Shoot me an e-mail for Jackson IPT#1 late registration details.

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $749.00 (was $799.00) and now includes the shipping to lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.

Wanted to Buy

If you have any Canon Series III teleconverters (the 1.4X III or the 2X III) that you’d like to get rid of, please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in turning them into cash. I have an interested buyer.

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

And Please Remember

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

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

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

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

Money Saving Reminder

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

Important Note

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

Please Remember Also

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

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 2 June 2022 aboard Clemens Van der Werf’s flat boat on Lake Kissimmee. While seated, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/3200 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 7:57:12am on sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Snail Kite male with meat extracted from snail

Snail-Mail by Air-male

The male Snail Kite was headed to its fledged and flying chick with a small meal. Photographing dark gray birds in flight on sunny days will often produce images with dark underwing shadows. I worked hard (but not too long) to open up the underwings. I used the Shadow slider (judiciously) during the raw conversion, and Tim Gray Dodge and Burn once I had the .TIF file in Photoshop. Conversely, I selected the brightest portions of the snail and ran a Linear Burn on that.

Do you like today’s featured image? Why or why not?

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II). You can order your copy from the BAA Online Store here, by sending a PayPal for $40 here, or by calling Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Be sure to specify Digital Basics II.

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

The techniques mentioned above and tons more great Photoshop tips and techniques — along with all my personalized Keyboard Shortcuts — are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my MacBook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here. Note: all the videos are now priced at an amazingly low $5.00 each.

You can learn how and why I converted all my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. More recently, I became proficient at converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw. About three years ago I began converting my Nikon and Sony RAW files in Capture One and did that for two years. You can learn more about Capture One in the Capture One Pro 12 Simplified MP4 Video here. The next step would be to get a copy of Arash Hazeghi’s “The Nikon Photographers’ Guide to Phase One Capture One Pro e-Guide” in the blog post here.

You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Tuesday morning was on the slow side. Yesterday’s flapping Osprey was flying. It looked as if it were enjoying it. Conditions were again perfect, and I got some good ones of the bird landing. For the first time, I worked with the handheld 400mm f/2.8 with the 1.4X TC. That gives you a 560mm f/4 lens and is 1 1/3 stops faster than the 200-600. But you cannot, of course, zoom in or out. It was, however, sunny. That as compared to Monday morning’s cloudy-bright skies. Photographing flight with blue skies and sun is far more difficult because of shadows, most of this on the underwings. I made some nice flight images of a fly-by Black-bellied Whistling Duck. Earlier, I had two perched in the Vulture Tree but they did not cooperate. All in all, it was the slowest morning in several weeks.

Only Bob Eastman offered a title for yesterday’s Osprey image. He wrote, “I’m telling Mom!” That put a smile on my face.

Today is Wednesday 1 June 2022. The forecast for this morning is again for mostly sunny skies with a breeze from the ENE. I will be heading down to the lake early. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes seventy-eight days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn! Shoot me an e-mail for Jackson IPT#1 late registration details.

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $749.00 (was $799.00) and the new low price now includes shipping to lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.

Wanted to Buy

If you have any Canon Series III teleconverters (the 1.4X III or the 2X III) that you’d like to get rid or, please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in turning them into cash. I have an interested buyer.

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens

Brand New in the Unopened Box
Sale Pending Instantly

Yours truly is offering a Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens in new condition in the unopened box for $2599.00. The sale includes the original product box and everything that came in it and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact artie via e-mail.

I used this lens for four months. Well, not this exact one. 🙂 I sold that one long ago. I loved it. It is extremely versatile. Topaz DeNoise AI makes the f/7.1 aperture a non-issue. It accepts the RF Extender 1.4X (teleconverter) (when you are zoomed out to 300mm or more). It sells new for $2899.00 but is out of stock almost everywhere. Grab this one, get it very soon, and put $300 in your pocket. artie

Covering a variety of telephoto focal lengths, the Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM spans a short- to super-telephoto range within a sleek and portable form factor. The modest maximum aperture enables a relatively portable design that is well-suited to handheld, walkaround use and optical image stabilization also helps to steady photos and videos by up to five stops when working in difficult lighting conditions. This lens is also characterized by its advanced optical design, which includes a series of Super UD and UD elements to greatly reduce chromatic aberrations and color fringing throughout the zoom range for a degree of clarity and color accuracy.

Balancing the distinguished optical assets is the Dual Nano USM focus system, which delivers fast, nearly silent autofocus performance with full-time manual focus override. A unique Control Ring is also integrated into the lens design for intuitive control over exposure settings from the lens itself and the rotating zoom ring also feature torque adjustment for fine-tuning the feel of the lens. Additionally, this 100-500mm is weather-sealed and has a fluorine coating to protect the front and rear elements. B&H & Canon

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

And Please Remember

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

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

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

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

Money Saving Reminder

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

Important Note

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

Please Remember Also

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

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 18 May 2022 down by the lake near my home at Indian Lake Estates, FL. I used the hand held Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 214mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1000: 1/500 second at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:05:22am on a clear morning. RawDigger showed the exposure was perfect. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird/Eye-Face Detection enabled. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1: Killdeer on protected nest

Finding the Nest

I stumbled on the nest in the North Field on 12 May when two adult cranes stumbled upon it. An adult killdeer flew off a short distance, landed, and performed a nest distraction display. I knew the general area of the nest, but since they are so well camouflaged, I did not approach in fear of stepping on the eggs. I observed carefully from a distance for several days and finally was able to spot the bird on the nest. I walked up to it and saw two eggs in what was not much of a nest, just a small circular depression in the sandy soil. I marked it with a piece of palm tree bark. I realized that there was a risk that the folks who mow the North Field regularly might accidentally destroy the nest, so I returned the next morning with four garden stakes, some yellow ribbon, and a hammer.

I made an image with my cell phone and sent an e-mail to the ILE office explaining what I had done (and why). I received a nice note from the Jon Harris, the Director of Highway and Grounds for ILE.

This image was created on 30 May 2022 at Indian Lake Estates, FL. Working from my SUV, I used the BLUBB supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 2000. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/400 sec. at f/11. (stopped down two stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 7:47:50am on a cloudy-bright morning. RawDigger showed the exposure was dead-solid perfect. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #2: Killdeer brooding one chick on the nest with the other chick standing nearby.

The Blessed Event

When I checked the nest on Sunday morning, an adult sat peacefully on two eggs. On Monday morning, there was no adult on the nest. I walked up and saw a single tiny chick in the nest. I quickly exited stage left. When I returned an hour later, one adult was brooding two chicks. I was glad to see that both eggs had hatched successfully. I stayed for ten minutes and made about 100 images, 42 of those with one chick visible somewhere in the frame. Image #2 was the best by far. It was a miracle that the face of the chick was not blocked by grasses.

DOF Question

Why did I stop down to f/11? Did it work?

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

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

Your Fave?

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Why?

What’s Up?

On Sunday morning I spent some quality time with the two-large-colt crane family at the end of the South Field. The end of session magic returned to some degree when I was able to get on sun angle on a sipping Osprey in blue water just south of the pier. After that, I returned to the South Field to create Image #2.

I was glad to learn that the sale of most of Sandra Calderbank’s used Canon gear that was listed in yesterday’s blog post became pending within hours of being listed.

Today is Monday 30 May 2022. The forecast for this morning is for mostly sunny skies with a gentle breeze from the SSE. I will be heading down to the lake early. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes seventy-six days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $749.00 (was $799.00) and now includes the shipping to lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.

Wanted to Buy

If you have an old tripod that is sitting around gathering dust, or any Canon series III teleconverters, the 1.4X III or the 2X III, please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested in turning them into cash. I have an interested buyer.

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

This image was created on 29 May 2022 down by the lake at ILE. Standing in the North Field, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 800. 1/1000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 7:39:12am on a then cloudy morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Sandhill Crane in wildflowers

Sandhill Crane in Wildflowers

Tickseed — I am not sure of the species — grows prolifically at Indian Lake Estates, but I have never seen so many in blossom at once in any of the large fields down by the lake. Foxglove — again, I am not sure of the species — grows as a tall, stringy plant along the edges of the marsh. When I saw the purple flowers interspersed with the tickseed blossoms, I took a closer look. The shape of the flowers indicated a foxglove species, but as these were growing close to the ground, I believe that it is a different species.

The trick to making a decent image in this situation was to make the image when the crane was parallel to the back of the camera. The bird did not spend much time doing that, so I was glad to get this one.

Image Design Question

Tracking AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled allows the photographer to place the subject anywhere in the frame. The Canon R and the R5 and the Nikon Z9 can do the same thing. That, boys and girls, eliminates what used to be the primary reason for using back button focus …

That said, why did I place the crane in the upper left part of the frame rather than in the more traditional lower left? There are two distinct reasons.

This image was created on the morning of 29 May 2022 in the North Field. I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and The One, the Sony a1 Mirrorless camera body. ISO 800. 1/80 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:31:23 in the shade (see below) on a breezy, sunny morning. Manual focus using the combination of Manual Focus Toggle and Focus Magnifier tips from the SONY Camera Users Guide and the Sony Alpha 1 Group e-mails. Picked and Plamped — see below for details. Click on the image to enjoy a larger, high-resolution version. Image #2: foxglove blossom (species?)

Why Picked and Plamped?

Many folks would say that it is always wrong to pick a wildflower and create a set-up with the blossom held in place with a Plamp. That is certainly true in parks and refuges where picking even a single blossom is prohibited. But when working on your own property or in public areas that are mown regularly, picking and Plamping one flower of hundreds or thousands is a far better approach than walking through and stomping or sitting down and destroying dozens if not hundreds of plants.

I positioned my vehicle west to east to block the north wind. Then I positioned the tripod with the Plamped foxglove flower. Next I set up a second tripod for the Canon 180 macro. The last step was to jury-rig a long-sleeved shirt to block the wind and ensure that the blossom was completely shaded. Focusing manually with focus peaking is the way to go with macro.

Subject in Shade, Background in Sun

Whether photographing birds or flowers, I love to find or to create situations where the subject is in the shade, and the background is lit by the sun. That is easy to do with picked and plamped wildflowers. With birds? Not so much. But once you are aware of the concept you can be on the lookout for birds in the shade with the backgrounds in the sun. Remember that in these situations, you will need to add lots of light to the metered exposure to prevent under-exposing the subject.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

It actually was partly cloudy at ILE on Friday morning. I’ve been checking on the Killdeer nest every day and am happy to report that there is always one adult bird sitting peacefully on the two eggs. There was so much action in the North Field that I did not head south until 8:15am. The tom Wild Turkey was displaying again. I spent some time with the not-such-a-baby anymore single crane colt and had an Osprey on a dead cabbage palm stump dining on an almost-whole fish.

Today is Saturday 22 May 2022. In total disbelief, I just finished watching the Miami Heat defeat the younger, stronger, Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoff series. The Celtics had totally destroyed the Heat in Games five and six. Miami’s superstar, Jimmy Butler, has been hobbled by an injured right knee. And Tyler Herro, NBA sixth man of the year, missed his third game in a row with a strained groin. Game 7 will be on Sunday night. The winner of Game 7 will face the Golden State Warriors for the championship.

The forecast for this morning is for partly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms beginning around 8am. I will surely be heading down to the lake early. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to to prepare and makes seventy-four days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission on items priced at $1,000 or more. With items less than $1000, there is a $50 flat-fee. One of the more popular used gear sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. If you are interested, please click here, read everything carefully, and do what it says. To avoid any misunderstandings, please read the whole thing very carefully. If you agree to the terms, please state so clearly via e-mail and include the template or templates, one for each item you wish to sell. Then we can work together to get your stuff priced and listed.

Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice only to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past years, we have sold many hundreds of items. Do know that prices for used gear only go in one direction. Down. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

New Listings

Canon EF 400mm DO II IS Lens with Extras!

Sale Possibly Pending

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon 400 mm DO II IS lens in like-new condition for $4498.00. The sale includes a Really Right Stuff replacement foot, an AquaTech soft lens cap, a LensCoat, the lens trunk, the lens strap, the rear cap, the original tripod foot, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

I owned and used and loved the 400 DO II when I shot with Canon and found a way to take it on most trips. I took it to Scotland and Nickerson Beach and San Diego. It served me well as my (lighter!) big gun on several Galapagos and Southern Ocean (the Falklands and South Georgia) trips. It is a killer lens for flight photography with or without the 1.4X III TC. It is razor-sharp with the 2X on static subjects and skilled folks have had amazing success hand holding it with the 2X III TC for flight and for action. And it will rock with an R5 or an R3 and both TCs. artie

Canon 100-400L IS II Lens with Extras

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price (with the replacement foot)
Sale Pending

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon 100-400L IS II lens in like new condition for a BAA record low of $1298.00. The sale includes the soft case, the original product box and everything that came in it, a Really Right Stuff replacement foot, a LensCoat, the original tripod foot, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98-meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an R5! This lens sells new for $2399.00 and is out of stock in many places. artie

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

BIRDS AS ART Record Low Price
Sale Pending within two hours of listing

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8 II L IS lens in near-mint condition for a BAA record-low $648.00. The sale includes the original product box, front and rear caps, soft case, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

First off, note as the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens does not accept a teleconverter, Canon mirrorless folks are much better off the an EF 70-200 and an adapter.

The versatile 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses have long been big favorites of many nature photographers. They are great for landscapes especially with fall color peaking in many areas. I have used this lens with Canon and Nikon and SONY. I used my Canon version to photograph granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals and to create bird-scapes and pre-dawn blast-off blurs at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico. They are fast and sharp and have 1000 uses. The 70-200 f/2.8 lenses are a specialty lens for bird photographers. Like the bad little child, when they are good, they are really, really good! I’ve used mine mostly for flight photography at point blank range where their performance is unmatched, especially in low light. I’ve killed with these lenses on the gannet boat in the UK, in Homer for eagles, for pre-dawn and blizzard blast-offs at Bosque, and at Merritt Island on feeding sprees right next to the road. Lenses in this class are easily hand holdable by just about everyone. artie

ps: To see what the 70-200 zoom lenses can do, see the blog post here.

Canon RF Extender 1.4X (teleconverter)

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon RF Extender 1.4X (teleconverter) in like-new condition for $399.00. The sale includes the soft case, original product box, front and rear caps and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

The RF 1.4X extender sells new for $499.00. Grab Sandra’s rarely used copy and put $100.00 in your pocket. artie

Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R

Sale Pending

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOSR in like-new condition for $159.20. The sale includes the soft case, original product box, front and rear caps and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

This adapter lets you use a Canon mirrorless body on your EF lenses. This sophisticated adapter incorporates a customizable Control Ring, the same as that on native RF-mount lenses, for intuitively adjusting exposure settings, such as ISO, aperture, and exposure compensation. artie

Price Drop

Canon EOS 7D Mark II with a great extra!

Price Reduced $100.00 28 May 2021

IPT veteran Sandra Calderbank is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition with only 4504 shutter actuations for a very low $549.00 (was $649.00) . The sale includes one battery and the charger, the strap, the original product box, and everything that came in it, a Really Right Stuff Modular Sliding L-Plate (RTS B702-L Set — a $150.00 value), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sandra via e-mail or by phone at 1-828-412-1047 Eastern time zone.

If you are looking to get started with a Canon dSLR, Sandy’s 7DII is for you. Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about two years ago when we both committed to using full-frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. The 7D Mark II is one of the greatest-ever values in a digital camera body. artie

This image was created on 27 May 2022 down by the lake at ILE. Standing in the North Field, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 640. 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be about 1/3 stop under. AWB at 7:36:27am on a cloudy-bright morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Wild Turkey tame displaying

Image Design Question

Would you have removed the two, tiny, yellow tickseed blossoms right on the frame-edge in the lower left corner? Why or why not?

Depth of Field Question

How is it possible that the entire turkey is covered by the depth of field at f//2.8? Scroll down for the answer.

Handholding The Sony 400mm f/2.8 Lens (AKA Fat Boy)

I am becoming more enamored with the Sony 400mm f/2.8 lens (AKA Fat Boy) every time I use it. With the lens being so back heavy, it is relatively easy to handhold considering that it weighs 6.864 lbs. (6 lbs.13.8 oz.) with the hood on and the original lens foot replaced with the CRX-5 Ultra Low Foot. After nearly 39 years of bird photography, I learned something new this morning when I put Fat Boy on the kitchen scale. The published weight of a super-telephoto lens, 6.4 pounds in the case of The Sony 400 f/2.8, does not include the weight of the hood. Who’d a thunk it?

In any case, at 6.864 lbs., the 400 f/2.8 weighs only 1.848 pounds more than The Sony 200-600 with the hood on and the original foot removed to save weight while handholding. The latter weighs in at 5.016 lbs.

The Speed Advantage

Until I began working with Fat Boy just a few days ago, I had not realized how huge an advantage the f/2.8 speed would be it. Across the board, it allows for the use of crazy-high shutter speeds and saves on ISO. The higher shutter speeds are great for handholding. There will be lots more on this great lens coming soon. Please remember, however, that for me, Fat Boy is an auxiliary lens, undoubtedly somewhat of an extravagant purchase.

PhotoPills Depth of Field (DOF) Calculator screen capture for today’s featured image

PhotoPills Depth of Field (DOF) Calculator

The entire turkey is covered by the depth of field at f//2.8 because I was far from a large subject using a relatively short focal length (as compared to 600 or 840mm). The PhotoPills Depth of Field (DOF) Calculator screen capture above shows that the total DOF is 1.17 feet. Though the turkey is a very large bird, 1.17 feet was just about enough to cover the entire bird. If you wanted to be picky, you could note that the range of sharp focus barely falls off on the tips of the feathers on the far side of the bird’s spread tail.

Note that stopping down to f/4 would have increased the total DOF to 1.65 feet. Note also that choosing any full frame camera body will yield correct results. Also, I learned the exact distance to the subject in A7INFO.

The Lesson

If the entire bird looks sharp in the viewfinder, it will be sharp in the final image. There is no need to stop down.

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

It was gorgeous again on Wednesday morning at ILE. And as has been the pattern recently, things began slowly, and I was ready to head home early. Then I saw another black Volkswagen in the North Field. Again, it turned out to be a displaying Wild Turkey tom (and two hens with about twenty poults). What began as a slow morning turned into a 1949-image photo session.

Steve Elkins asked me to let everyone know that Bedfords has the Canon MC20 Maintenance Cartridge in stock for $14.99 each. This hard-to-get part is vital for operating the popular Prograf 1000 printer. Limit four per customer.

Today is Thursday 26 May 2022. The Lakeland forecast is for cloudy. Jim and I will be headed early to Circle Bar B to see what’s about. (The 400 f/2.8 will not be making the trip …) I had planned to continue on to Lakeland to pay off the lease on my SUV. The guy at the car dealership had told me on Monday that I could come by “any time” to make the payment and asked that I let him know in advance. I texted him early yesterday asking if he would be in between 10 and 11am today and letting him know that “the money was in the bank.” He wrote back, “I will be in.” Then, late in the day, he texted me and said that several folks who need to administer the payment were on vacation. So much for “come in anytime.”

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes seventy-two days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

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

And Please Remember

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

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

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

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

Money Saving Reminder

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

Important Note

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

Please Remember Also

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

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 24 May 2022 down by the lake at ILE. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 400. 1/5000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect. AWB at 7:55:09am on sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Sandhill Crane calling

The First Session

On a whim, I unboxed the 400mm f/2.8 GM lens on Tuesday morning and threw it in the back of my SUV on some pillows. I figured that I would only use it when I was out of my vehicle. That changed soon when I found a way to place both the 600 f/4 GM and the 400 f/2.8 GM on the front passenger seat. The cranes at ILE are so tame that when they are standing in one place preening you can slowly drive right up to them.

Please remember that as I own the 600 f/4 that the 400 f/2.8 was an extravagant purchase. I did not think that I would find a lot of opportunities to use it at ILE, but it is likely that I was wrong. That said, traveling by air with both big lenses will be close to impossible.

I love the silky-smooth backgrounds and the razor-thin depth of field. Though the 400 is only a few ounces lighter than the 600, it is much easier to handhold because it is shorter with the weight concentrated at the rear of the lens. And I underestimated the value of the super-fast f/2.8 aperture … There are dozens more things that I love about the 400/2.8 that I will be writing extensively about the 400 f/2.8 in future blog posts.

Thinking of a nickname for the 400 2.8, I may go with “Fat Boy”, a blend of the nicknames for the two different types of atomic bombs produced by the Manhattan Project near the end of WW II. They were code-named Fat Man and Little Boy. Fat Man, which was dropped on Nagasaki, was the more complex of the two was a bulbous 10-foot-long bomb. (Learn more in the interesting article here.)

This image was also created on 24 May 2022 down by the lake at ILE. Standing on a slope near a canal, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 400. 1/2000 sec. at f/3.2. (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:04:59am on mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Limpkin fledgling with adult

Lots of Limpkin Families

There are several Limpkin families in the marsh this year. I photographed some large fledged chicks by the pier about a week ago. The chick in this image was the smallest of four accompanied by two adults. I got down by the canal and positioned myself so that they would be coming toward me at eye level. I clipped the feet of the larger chicks as they ran by me to catch up with the adults; I was fortunate to get this one completely in the frame. As autofocus needs light to see, the wider the maximum aperture, the faster the speed of initial focusing acquisition. Needless to say, AF with the 400 f/2.8 is lightning fast and very accurate.

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

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