Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card A

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS. SAT 10 APR thru the morning session on TEUS 13 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings 5.

While DeSoto is one of the rare photo hotspots with the potential to be great any day of the year, it absolutely shines in spring. Many of the wading birds and shorebirds are in full breeding plumage. The terns and gulls are courting and copulating. We will have lots of flight photography opportunities. Did I mention that many of the birds are silly tame?

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card B

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 26 APR thru the morning session on THURS 29 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6/Openings: 5.

Not only am I conversant in all three major camera systems used in the US — Nikon, Canon, and SONY (sorry Andy Rouse …), I have used all three within the past four years. Those include both SONY and Canon mirrorless. On both of these IPTs you will learn how to get the best exposure, how to get the most out of your AF system, and how to get close to free and wild birds. And tons more.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card C

Fort DeSoto Spring IPTs Expected Species

With any luck, we should get to photograph the following species: Laughing, Ring-billed, Herring, and Lesser Black-backed Gull; Royal, Sandwich, and Forster’s Tern: Great, Snowy, and white and dark morph Reddish Egret and Great Blue, Little Blue, and Tricolored Heron; Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, and Brown Pelican. We will see and photograph lots of shorebirds including American Oystercatcher, Black-bellied, Wilson’s, Semipalmated, Snowy, and Piping Plover, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Dunlin, Red Knot, Sanderling, and Western and possibly White-rumped Sandpiper.

Sign up for both IPTs and enjoy a $200 discount. Most of us will be staying in nearby Gulfport.

What’s Up

Thursday morning dawned northwest windy, quite chilly, and blessedly cloudy. I took a walk with my Canon R5/RF 100-500 lens and, for the first time ever, experimented with creating some 6-frame On: ContShtng (Continuous shooting priority) Multiple Exposures. All aspects of creating in-camera Multiple Exposure (ME) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) images are detailed in the almost finished Canon R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. In addition, I share how I set up and use Custom Shooting Mode C3 to save a ton of time when I want play around with either ME or with HDR. I was surprised that I kept one pretty neat image.

I began working on the Getting the Right Exposure with the R5 section for the R5 User’s e-Guide and should have that finished today. I sent an e-mail yesterday to everyone who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide offering an advance review copy of the Canon R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. If you did not receive that e-mail, please let me know via e-mail.

I am almost finished with the guide. After completing the stuff on exposure, I still need to work on the MY MENU section and create a gallery of R5 images. In addition, I got through several of the R5 Camera User’s e-Guide reviews that were e-mailed by folks who were kind enough to take a serious look at the manuscript.

Last night was another too-clear dud of a sunset; without any light clouds or fog or mist on the western horizon, there is little sunset color.

Today is Friday 5 March 2021. The forecast if for clear skies with gentle NW winds switching to the NE at about 9:00am. I will do my best to get down to the lake early.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took about 1 1/2 hours to prepare and makes seventy-four days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens that you would like to part with, please contact me via e-mail. I have another interested buyer.

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

Last Thursday, I sent out about a dozen copies of the almost finished Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide for review to folks who had previously gotten free copies of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide by using my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear. In the same vein, I contacted everyone who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide yesterday.

Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this guide has required a ton of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete). It should be finished by the first week in March. 2021. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide has become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide; it will be revised if warranted.

The complete Camera User’s guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords), will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide. The best news is that the end is in sight.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 27 February 2021 at my back-up morning location at Fort DeSoto Park. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). ISO 500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be less than 1/3 stop under, i.e., almost perfect. AWB at 8:01:43am on a clear morning. Upper Left Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to absolute perfection by painting the bird’s eye with AF points. Click on the image to see an inexplicably sharper version. Image #1: Laughing Gull — adult breeding plumage display calling/vertical front-end image design

Catching Up

In the Getting What I Went For, In Spades, at 1200mm … blog post here, I posted :

All are invited to leave a comment letting us know which of today’s four featured images they like best. As always, please let us know why you made your choice. Comparative comments are also welcome. I will share my favorites in order from one to four here in a few days. Along with my reasons.

My Favorite

Though I love all four of the images presented in this post, #1, above, was my favorite. I love the color scheme — the red, white, and blue of Old Glory, plus the black. I love the meticulous front-end vertical framing (see more of that in item-next). I love the display/calling. I love the pretty-much perfect breeding plumage. And as mentioned in the blog post, I love the small breaking wave in just the right spot in the lower left of the frame.

Images #2 and #4 were tied as my second favorites. I liked #2 for the rather coy preening pose and the extensive blue background. And I liked #4 because I like Laughing Gulls in full breeding plumage, I like head and shoulders portraits, and I love perfection.

Lots of folks chose #3 as their favorite and for good reason. While I agree that it is a very strong image, my final tally is #1, #s 2 & 4, and #3. Thanks to the many who left a comment. Please remember that nobody is or was right or wrong.

Vertical Front-end Portraits

Anthony Ardito/March 1, 2021 at 1:21pm

#3 perfect comp and action. #1 would have been if rear end was not cut off.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART/March 2, 2021 at 7:43am

Anthony, Anthony, Anthony. See Chapter Seven, Designing the Image, in the original soft-cover The Art of Bird Photography, particularly (and coincidentally), the Laughing Gull image on the right side of page 107. The caption there includes the words, … then cut off the rear of the bird, just behind the legs.

Front-end verticals like Image #1 can be quite powerful as they will reveal much more detail than smaller in the frame images of the same subject. When working with a fixed focal length lens they are often the best option when you cannot zoom out to include the whole bird in a horizontal frame …

with love, a

An Interesting Series of Comments at the Art or Trash blog post here.

(BPN-friend) William Dix/March 4, 2021 at 11:11 am

Artie, FWIW, an unrelated bit of information that might interest some: the Audubon Photo Awards for this year have added a new stipulation: the use of Topaz Sharpen AI is not permitted on any submitted image. In response to my query they sent the following: “Sharpening is not permitted with AI software, but it is permitted, if minimal, with software like Photoshop or Lightroom.”

Warren Howe/March 4, 2021 at 11:44am

That’s interesting because “AI” means very different things to many companies. I have seen one “AI” sharpening system for out-of-focus images that actually replaces parts of the image, like teeth, earings, etc., rather than just trying to sharpen them. Now that’s AI and I would agree that that should not be used in a contest.

But, I think Topaz uses AI just to learn or predict what is actually there, not replacing from image pieces over the internet.

Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART/March 4, 2021 at 11:47am

Thanks, Bill. Personally, I couldn’t care less about Audubon. They have, in the magazine, shown a huge anti-photographer bias.

The last thirty or more years of Audubon Magazine have been nothing but junked cars and oil spills. Not that that stuff is not important, but at times, folks forget that beautiful images often inspire folks to take action and to take steps to preserve habitat. And that sometimes they can change a person’s life.

with love, artie

ps: Thanks to old VIREO friend Doug Wechsler for this: Glenn van Nimwegen was the guy’s name.

Glenn van Nimwegen

I met Glenn at Everglades National Park when I was first starting sometime in the late 1980s. At about the same time I met Charles Krebs, a highly skilled nature/stock photographer. Both were very kind to me. Below is the only thing I have been able to find online about Glenn.

Van Nimwegen, Glenn

Obituary from The Pella Chronicle, November 20, 2003

Interment for Glenn Van Nimwegen, 57 of Jackson, WY and Pella, IA, who passed away Nov. 5, 2003 was held at the Oakwood Cemetery in Pella.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Van Dyk-Duven Funeral Home in Pella.

That Glenn was only one year older than me and has been gone for nearly two decades is a reminder of how blessed I have been. A sign of the times is that I have not been able to find a single image created by Glenn Van Nimwegen online …

Give it a Go

If — after reading and learning from this blog post — you would like to improve your editing/picking your keepers skills, please leave a comment denoting what you think is the strongest image in each of the three groups. And let us know why you made your choices. You can indicate your choice with the GROUP and file number, like this: GROUP 1 — 4389. I like the wing position and the way the bird is framed by the waves.

Canon R6 Bodies in Stock now at Bedfords/R5 Bodies on the Way!

Steve Elkins asked me to let you know that he is receiving a good number of Canon EOS-R6 bodies today. Get yours by clicking here. Enter the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout, save 3%, and enjoy free second-day air Fed-Ex shipping. And shoot me your receipt to receive your free copy of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide and save $65.00 off the price of the R5 User’s e-Guide.

Six R5 Bodies are on the way as well …

What’s Up?

It was mostly grey on Tuesday morning with the sun trying to peek through on occasion. Both crane families are doing well. I took a zillion mostly bad images of Cattle Egrets as there was a big hatch of small mayflies. I got a very few decent flight shots and one different image that I think is really neat. I will share that one with you here soon.

I worked long and hard all morning but don’t ask me on what. I often find myself wishing that there were 48 hours in a day. Sunset was totally grey, so I stayed home.

Today is Wednesday 3 March 2021. The forecast for this morning is for cloudy-dark with SW winds and scattered thunderstorms. I may head down early for a walk and then get back to work.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes seventy-two days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past thirteen months at the bottom of the page.

Price Drop

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera Body with Extras!

Price Reduced $100 on 2 NOV 2020!
Price Reduced $100 on 1 MAR 2021!

Stuart Hahn is offering a Canon 5D Mark II in excellent plus condition for a silly-low $385.00 (was $585.00). The LCDs have been protected with screen protectors since day one. The sale includes everything that came with the camera originally, a RRS L bracket, 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 Stu via e-mail or by phone at 1-916-485-1630 (Pacific time zone).

Stu Hahn was the first-ever seller on the Used Gear Page many years ago when he parted with his Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens, the “old five.” This 5D II body would be ideal for a budding landscape or Urbex photographer, as well as for some looking for a great body to convert to IR. My 5D II was expertly converted by Kolari Vision. It is also a very good body for bird and nature photography; I used mine as a back-up for my old 1D Mark IV bodies. It served me very well in that capacity in the Southern Ocean a while back when I foolishly used my two 1D IVs in a driving rainstorm for two hours with the expected result. That 5D II saved the trip for me. Stu’s body is priced to sell. artie

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

On Thursday, I sent out about a dozen copies of the almost finished Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide for review to folks who had previously gotten free copies of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide by using my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear. In the same vein, I will be contacting everyone who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide on Monday.

Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this guide has required a ton of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete). It should be finished by the first week in March. 2021. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide has become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide; it will be revised if warranted.

The complete Camera User’s guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords), will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide. The best news is that the end is in sight.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would like a 3% discount, and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 28 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL on my In-the-Field morning with Steve King. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1600. Exposure determined by test image histogram check: 1/2000 second at f/7.1. Center Zone/AI Servo AF performed quite well. Framing for after-bath flapping

Initial Framing for Flapping-After-Bath Images

The image above shows approximately how you want to frame the bird while it is bathing; note that I have given the bird room to jump up into the frame. If you approach any closer, you will surely be clipping wings. With both Canon and SONY, center zone is my choice for the flapping-after-bath images. Note that you have some (up & down and side to side) latitude in framing with center zone. Thus, I was able to place the bird nicely down and slightly to the right (in the frame).

It almost goes without saying that you want the light and the wind coming from behind you so that the bird will flap while facing you and flapping into the wind.

If a bird is flapping vigorously, you may wish to move closer or add a teleconverter to go for the dramatic splashing shots. But you will surely miss the after-bath flapping images if you do. Zooming out rapidly in those situations is a huge challenge at best. I recommend that you go for one or the other.

These six images were created on 28 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL on my In-the-Field morning with Steve King. For all of the images in this screen capture I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. All in this series were created at 1/2000 second at f/7.1 with ISOs of either 2000 (for the first three images) or 1600 (for the bottom three images). Center Zone/AI Servo AF performed quite well. Click on the screen capture to view a larger version. Laughing Gulls flapping-after-bath GROUP A

Setting the Exposure with ISO on the Rear (Thumb) Wheel

Note with all three groups that after setting the shutter speed and the aperture (all wide open at f/7.1), I set my exposures by using ISO on the rear (thumb) wheel, just as I do with SONY. Taking a look at the EXIF for all three groups, you can see that the morning got brighter as time went by. For Canon, that means that you need to make a test exposure and evaluate the histogram every time the light changes. And when the light is changing almost second by second as a cloud passes in front of the sun, you will have to guesstimate. With SONY it is faster, simpler, and far more efficient to change the ISO as the light changes based on live Zebras in the viewfinder; you do not have to create a test image and evaluate the histogram. SONY folks can learn exactly how to do that in the Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video or the Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and Two Camera Set-up Videos.

Why not use the live, in-viewfinder histogram with the Canon R5?

Folks might ask, Why not use the live, in-viewfinder histogram with Canon? There are lots of problems with that approach. You have a choice of a small or a large histogram. The larger one is easier to read, but both cover a good portion of the frame; this obstructs your view and makes it difficult to design the image you want. But the major problem is that even with the large histogram, the right- (highlight-) end of the histogram is not depicted accurately. On numerous occasions, the histogram shows plenty of room on the right, but when you make an image, you will often find that it is a gross over-exposure.

These six images were created on 28 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL on my In-the-Field morning with Steve King. For all of the images in this screen capture I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. All in this series were created with ISOs of either 1600 (for the first three images) or 1250 (for the bottom three images). Center Zone/AI Servo AF performed quite well. Click on the screen capture to view a larger version. Laughing Gulls flapping-after-bath GROUP B

20 Frames-per-Second Editing

Even though I am conservative with regards to pressing the shutter button, I often find myself making well more than a thousand images during a decent session. I choose my keepers in Capture One. Once all the files in a folder load, you can pretty much view the images at slide-show-speed. I use T to red-tag my keepers. At times I slow down a bit to open an image in RawDigger to check the exposure. That done, I can correlate what I have learned in RawDigger with the red highlight warnings in Capture One. Assuming that you know what you are looking for (see item-next for help with that), it is possible to edit large folders in warp-speed time. I created more than 1800 images on my morning with Steve. I chose my 161 keepers in about 12 minutes. In time, that number will be reduced to about 50 after a second round of editing.

These six images were created on 28 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL on my In-the-Field morning with Steve King. For all of the images in this screen capture I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. All in this series were created at 1/3200 second at f/7.1. The first image was created at ISO 800, the last five at ISO 640. Center Zone/AI Servo AF performed quite well. Click on the screen capture to view a larger version. Laughing Gulls flapping-after-bath GROUP C

What Makes a Good Flapping-after-bath Image?

1- Is the subject relatively centered without any clipping of feet or wings? Is it facing forward or flying away?

2- Is the head sharp?

3- Is the flapping pose/wing position interesting, artistically pleasing, or dramatic (or relatively boring)?

4- Does the position of the feet & legs add something special?

5- Is one, or are both eyes, visible?

6- Do the background waves and wavelets add something to the motif or are they distracting?

7- Is the subject isolated? If not, can the image be saved with a small crop? Having other birds or man-made objects like piers or boats in the background is generally (but no always) an image-killer.

8- If the sun is out, are the underwings evenly illuminated? Harsh shadows are big negatives.

9- The condition of the subject and the plumage stage.

Even a single “no” answer to any of the questions above (except for #s 4 & 9), will usually result in an insta-pass-it-by delete. Six or seven yeses usually mean a red-tagged keeper. Eight or more positive responses and you just might have a family jewel.

Give it a Go

If you would like to improve your editing/picking your keepers skills, leave a comment denoting what you think is the strongest image in each of the three groups. And let us know why you made your choices. You can indicate your choice with the GROUP and file number, like this: GROUP 1 — 4389. I like the wing position and the way the bird is framed by the waves.

Typos

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

Your Favorite

All are invited to leave a comment letting us know which of today’s four featured images they like best. As always, please let us know why you made your choice. Comparative comments are also welcome. I will share my favorites in order from one to four here in a few days. Along with my reasons.

What’s Up?

I had a great Sunday morning with R5/RF 100-500 shooter Steve King. We both learned a ton. We photographed Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls, Brown Pelicans in flight, and several species of shorebirds (including two tame Whimbrels!), and several species of egrets and herons. While it was mostly sunny, we did have a few clouds come over at times. This gave Steve the opportunity learn the differences involved when determining the correct exposures in bright sun as compared to cloudy conditions. Steve also learned about staying on sun angle, keeping his left palm to the sky when hand holding, and about the strategies used when photographing birds flapping after their baths. And I have an idea involving the Lock Button on the R5 to eliminate an annoying problem with the R5; I will be exploring a possible solution soon. I created 1866 still-to-be edited images.

Steve kindly loaned me his RF 2X teleconverter. I was pretty much astounded by the R5/RF 100-500/2RF 2X TC combination. Face Detection plus Tracking AF was fast, responsive, and accurate. And a quick peek at the images revealed that they are astoundingly sharp. I will be sharing some of them with you here soon. While a 600-1000mm zoom lens is nothing to sneeze at, you need to pick your spots carefully; the wide open aperture at 500mm is f/14. In the bright sun, I worked at ISO 800 and 1000, used shutter speeds ranging from 1/500 to 1/1000 second, and apertures ranging from f/14 to f/20. Do understand that precise framing while hand holding at 1000mm is a huge challenge, especially if the birds are moving at all. In low light this combination will require the use of exceedingly high ISOs … All that said, I will almost surely be purchasing a Canon Extender RF 2x from Steve Elkins at Bedfords this week.

I was glad to learn that Anthony Ardito sold his SONY a7r iv body for a BAA record-low $1998.00. The winner of the $25.00 BAA store-credit ID quiz will be revealed tomorrow.

Today is Monday 1 March 2021; can you believe that it is already March??? The forecast for this morning is “partly cloudy” with south winds. I peeked out the back door at 7:00am to see clear skies everywhere. Though I have a ton of work to do, I will head down to the lake soon for a short session.

It is now 8:00am and I am sitting in my SUV working on finishing this blog post. I am parked, square to the sun, 60 feet from the long-dead road-killed raccoon, liberated from the fridge for just this occasion. There is a light breeze from the south so all I need is a few interested vultures, or a hungry Bald Eagle …

8:22am: I missed an incoming Black Vulture. I snapped a few frames of it standing near the raccoon but after a few minutes, it flew off. Back to the blog post.

8:36am: I saw an adult Bald Eagle flying right at the raccoon. I lowered the exposure (ISO) three clicks from the vulture exposure as I rated the rig to my eye, but as I had been photographing the raccoon alone I had an off-centered single-AF point. By the time I got where I needed to be, the eagle had flown well past sun angle. Had I been a bit more familiar with my Canon gear I would have gotten a few pretty good frames …

8:50am: a young Bald Eagle flew by at a distance, once having a brief interaction with an Osprey.

8:56am: a dozen Turkey Vultures circled overhead …

9:02am: two landed. One took off.

9:09am: I am about to hit Publish and give up for today. Perhaps I should have brought down some smoked salmon skins and a defrosted fish head or two … Now that would have been cheating!

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you have a great day.

I should have mentioned yesterday that my fine dinner at Left Bank Bistro was the first time I had eaten in a restaurant in more than a year. And that the money I spent was more than I had ever spent on a dining-alone meal.

This blog post took two hours to prepare and makes seventy days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

134 sold to rave reviews. The SONY e-Guide by Patrick Sparkman and Arthur Morris

The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide (and Videos)

Click here to purchase the guide with one Camera Set-up Video. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your camera body so that we can send you a link for the correct video.

Click here to purchase the guide with two Camera Set-up Videos. Be sure to e-mail us by clicking here to specify your two camera bodies so that we can send you links for the correct videos.

Click here to learn more about the SONY e-Guide.

Folks who have used my B&H affiliate links or purchased their SONY gear are invited to e-mail for discount information.

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We puzzled as to why the Max G values for different cameras were different. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

On Thursday, I sent out about a dozen copies of the almost finished Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide for review to folks who had previously gotten free copies of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide by using my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear. In the same vein, I will be contacting everyone who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide on Monday.

Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this guide has required a ton of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete). It should be finished by the first week in March. 2021. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide has become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide; it will be revised if warranted.

The complete Camera User’s guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords), will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide. The best news is that the end is in sight.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 27 February 2021 at my back-up morning location at Fort DeSoto Park. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). ISO 500. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be less than 1/3 stop under, i.e., almost perfect. AWB at 8:01:43am on a clear morning. Upper Left Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to absolute perfection by painting the bird’s eye with AF points. Image #1: Laughing Gull — adult breeding plumage display calling/vertical front-end image design

I Knew Exactly What I Wanted …

I knew exactly what I wanted: clean tight and graphic head shots of a killer-plumaged Laughing Gull with a bit of behavior thrown in for good measure. So I set the tripod up low for seated shooting and added the 2X TC to the 600 GM/a9 ii. This bird flew in almost on sun angle and began calling. I moved the Zone to the upper left position, acquired focus, and fired off an eight-frame sequence. All were sharp and pretty and pretty dramatic. The one with the perfectly placed wavelet in the lower left corner of the frame was the easy pick.

This image was also created on 27 February 2021 at my back-up morning location at Fort DeSoto Park. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 8:05:14am on a clear morning. Upper Right Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to absolute perfection, again by painting the bird’s eye with AF points. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Laughing Gull — adult breeding plumage preening neck

Getting Better

I should have mentioned above that this individual was the most perfect Laughing Gull in all of Florida: full breeding plumage with a totally clean face and bill. As it was by itself for the most part, I did not have to worry much about isolating the subject. The bird moved toward me to just right of sun angle so I scootched a bit forward and a bit to my right. When it began preening its neck I quickly and easily moved the Zone to the upper right position and created a short sequence. Even at 20 frames per second these behavioral situations do not last very long. With this one I love the bill tip buried in the white feathers, the almost pure blue background, and the absolutely perfect head angle.

This image was also created on 27 February 2021 at my back-up morning location at Fort DeSoto Park. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 8:07:01am on a clear morning. Center Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed well. The active AF points were on the base of the bird’s neck, on the exact same plane as the bird’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3: Laughing Gull — adult breeding plumage calling/horiztonal

More Calling

The bird stayed put right in front of me and right on sun angle. I would guess that I was about 25 feet from the subject. Or maybe a few feet closer. It is likely that had I moved the Zone to upper center, that the system would have grabbed the eye. But no matter, the base of the bird’s neck was on the same plane as the bird’s eye. The variegated background with shades of blue and grey was the result of breaking waves rendered totally out of focus.

This image was also created on 27 February 2021 at my back-up morning location at Fort DeSoto Park. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure to be perfect. AWB at 8:07:21am on a clear morning. Center Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed well. The active AF points were on the spot where the hood meets the upper breast just below the very base of the bird’s bill. Again, on the exact same plane as the bird’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #4: Laughing Gull — adult breeding plumage/head and shoulders portrait

The Ultimate Head and Shoulders Portrait

This is the one I came for: clean, tight and graphic — a gorgeous bird, nicely framed, right on sun angle, and with the perfect head — two degrees toward.

I did see one courtship feeding and lots of displaying. On the two DeSoto IPTs, there will be dozens of equally beautiful, easy-to-photograph Laughing Gulls. We will surely have some chances to photograph them (as well as Royal and possibly Sandwich Terns), performing various courtship displays including the copulatory stands that often end with the pair copulating. Do consider joining me.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card A

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS. SAT 10 APR thru the morning session on TEUS 13 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings 5.

While DeSoto is one of the rare photo hotspots with the potential to be great any day of the year, it absolutely shines in spring. Many of the wading birds and shorebirds are in full breeding plumage. The terns and gulls are courting and copulating. We will have lots of flight photography opportunities. Did I mention that many of the birds are silly tame?

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card B

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 26 APR thru the morning session on THURS 29 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6.

Not only am I conversant in all three major camera systems used in the US — Nikon, Canon, and SONY (sorry Andy Rouse …), I have used all three within the past four years. Those include both SONY and Canon mirrorless. On both of these IPTs you will learn how to get the best exposure, how to get the most out of your AF system, and how to get close to free and wild birds. And tons more.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card C

Fort DeSoto Spring IPTs Expected Species

With any luck, we should get to photograph the following species: Laughing, Ring-billed, Herring, and Lesser Black-backed Gull; Royal, Sandwich, and Forster’s Tern: Great, Snowy, and white and dark morph Reddish Egret and Great Blue, Little Blue, and Tricolored Heron; Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, and Brown Pelican. We will see and photograph lots of shorebirds including American Oystercatcher, Black-bellied, Wilson’s, Semipalmated, Snowy, and Piping Plover, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Dunlin, Red Knot, Sanderling, and Western and possibly White-rumped Sandpiper.

Sign up for both IPTs and enjoy a $200 discount. Most of us will be staying in nearby Gulfport.

Typos

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

Ask Yourself This

So far, four folks have signed up for the three currently scheduled IPTs. All of them have been on multiple IPTs. Ask yourself, why do you think that is?

What’s Up?

As noted previously, North Beach was terrible on Friday morning. When I spoke to other photographers, the words “hit or miss” kept popping up. Yesterday was great with two breeding plumage Reddish Egrets including a white morph! So I went to my back-up morning spot and did very well.

I got into my AirBnB by 12:30 and took a much needed nap. Then I decided not to go looking for the GHO nest and went to my favorite afternoon beach. And had one of my best days ever photographing the usual shorebirds: Short-billed Dowitcher, Semipalmated and Wilson’s Plover (one of the latter with a fiddler crab!), Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, and Dunlin. Conditions were perfect. I photographed the birds bathing (splashing and splashing), flapping after their baths, preening, feeding, and posing. I ignored the Least Sandpipers and the Willets. More on that great afternoon soon. With images.

If you have a long lens and would like to join me this afternoon, please contact me ASAP via e-mail or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372.

I was glad to learn last night of the sales of IPT veteran Mike Ross’s Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for $9500.00 (was $9998.00) and his Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for $1898.00 became final. Mike recently sold more than $21,000 of used SONY and Canon gear.

If you shoot Canon Mirrorless, do check out the Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide item below.

Today is Saturday 27 February and the weather at DeSoto is looking great again. I hope that you have a great day wherever you are.

This blog post took two hours to prepare and makes sixty-nine days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens that you would like to part with, please contact me via e-mail. I now have two interested buyers.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSotoIPT card A

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS. SAT 10 APR thru the morning session on TUES 13 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings 5.

While DeSoto is one of the rare photo hotspots with the potential to be great any day of the year, it absolutely shines in spring. Many of the wading birds and shorebirds are in full breeding plumage. The terns and gulls are courting and copulating. We will have lots of flight photography opportunities. Did I mention that many of the birds are silly tame?

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card B

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 26 APR thru the morning session on THURS 29 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6.

Not only am I conversant in all three major camera systems used in the US — Nikon, Canon, and SONY (sorry Andy Rouse …), I have used all three within the past four years. Those include both SONY and Canon mirrorless. On both of these IPTs you will learn how to get the best exposure, how to get the most out of your AF system, and how to get close to free and wild birds. And tons more.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card C

Fort DeSoto Spring IPTs Expected Species

With any luck, we should get to photograph the following species: Laughing, Ring-billed, Herring, and Lesser Black-backed Gull; Royal, Sandwich, and Forster’s Tern: Great, Snowy, and white and dark morph Reddish Egret and Great Blue, Little Blue, and Tricolored Heron; Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, and Brown Pelican. We will see and photograph lots of shorebirds including American Oystercatcher, Black-bellied, Wilson’s, Semipalmated, Snowy, and Piping Plover, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Dunlin, Red Knot, Sanderling, and Western and possibly White-rumped Sandpiper.

Sign up for both IPTs and enjoy a $200 discount. Most of us will be staying in nearby Gulfport.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

Recent Sales

IPT veteran Mike Ross sold his Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for $9500.00 (was $9998.00) and a Sony FE 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens in like-new condition for $1898.00, both in late-February 2020.
Ted Keltz sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $546.00 in late February 2021.
Ted Keltz sold his Tamron SP 150-600 F/5-6.3 Di VC USD for Canon EF in like-new condition for the bargain price of $399.00 and a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS lens in excellent condition for $249.00 in mid-February 2021 just a few days after they were listed.
Craig Mossey sold his SONY a7r iv in near-mint condition for a very low $2198.00 (was $2398.00) in mid-February 2021.
IPT veteran Mike Ross sold his Sony a9ii mirrorless digital camera body in like-new condition for a BAA record-low $3197.00, a Sony a9 mirrorless digital camera body in like-new condition with only 341 shutter actuations for a BAA record-low $1900.00 (was $1996.00), a Sony a7r iii mirrorless digital camera body in like-new condition for $1498.00, a Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $3898.00, and a Canon Extender EF 1.4X iii in like-new condition for a very low $219.00 all within days of their being listed.
Craig Mossey sold his SONY A9 body in excellent condition with 4304 shutter actuations for $1998.00 (was $2,198.00) in early February 2021.
BAA-friend Robert Kimbrell sold his Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the ridiculously low price of $1948.00 (was $2198.00) inn early February 2021.
Chuck Carlson sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark IV body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $1249.00, a BG-E20 Battery Grip for the EOS 5D Mark IV in new condition for $149.00, a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $1299.00, a Canon EF 24-70 f2.8L II USM lens in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $799.00, and a Canon Extender EF 1.4X iii in excellent condition for a very low $219.00, all within one day of their being listed in early February.
BAA-friend and multiple IPT veteran Bill Schneider sold his Sony a9 ii Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $3198.00 (was $3498.00) in early February 2021.
BAA-friend and multiple IPT veteran William Schneider sold his Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $2598.00 one hour after it was listed in late January.
BAA-friend Craig Elson sold his Sony a9 ii Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $3198.00 two hours after it was listed in late January 2021.
Arthur Morris sold his Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in excellent-plus condition for the BAA record-low price of $2098.00 (was $2498.00) after three price reductions in late January 2021.

Price Drop

Sony Alpha a7r IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body

Price Reduced $400 on 27 FEB 2021

BAA-friend Anthony Ardito is offering a Sony a7r IV Mirrorless Digital camera body in like-new condition for the very low price of $1998.00 (was $2398.00). The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it and insured UPS ground shipping to lower-48 US addresses. Your new camera will not ship until payment clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Anthony via e-mail or by phone at 610-248-6876 (Eastern time zone).

For the past two years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. I’ve typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. As the 7r IV sells new right now for $3498.00, you can save a cool $1100.00 by grabbing Anthony’s pretty much new a7r iv. Though this 61-MP body is especially attractive to landscape and macro photographers, it is great for birds as well as you can pretty much crop to your heart’s content. artie

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

I sent out about a dozen copies of the almost finished Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide for review to folks who had previously gotten free copies of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide by using my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear. In the same vein, I will be contacting everyone who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide on Monday

Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this guide has required a ton of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete). It should be finished by the first week in March. 2021. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide has become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide; it will be revised if warranted.

The complete Camera User’s guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords), will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide. The best news is that the end is in sight.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 26 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde FL. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender RF 1.4x (at 700mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 800. Exposure determined via test image/histogram evaluation: 1/640 sec. at f/16 (stopped 2 2/3 stops ???) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this one to be perfect. Maybe I am learning … AWB at 9:22am on a sunny morning. 1-Point/AI Servo AF performed just fine. Image #1: What is it?

RF 100-500 Close-focusing MFD

With a minimum focusing distance of about 4 feet at 500mm, the RF 100-500 offers slightly less magnification than either the SONY 100-400 or the Canon 100-400 II. But at 500mm, it provides greater working distance. Even very tame birds like the one in Image #1 have their limits. Had I taken even a half-step more, the bird would have flown.

This image was created on 26 February 2021 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde FL. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens with the Canon Extender RF 1.4x (at 480mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 500. Exposure determined via test image/histogram evaluation: 1/640 sec. at f/16 (stopped 2 1/3 stops ???) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this one to be less than 1/3-stop under. AWB at 9:34am on a sunny morning. Again, 1-Point/AI Servo AF performed just fine. Image #2: What is it?

Age and ID Quiz: Earn a $25.00 credit in the BAA Online Store

To earn a $25.00 credit in the BAA Online Store be the first to leave a comment on identifying the species of bird seen in Images #1 and 2 and signifying “adult” or “juvenile.” I will withhold judgement for two days so that if the first person gets it right, the rest of you can still have fun by agreeing or disagreeing. 2nd place gets zip.

Image #2C: Topaz DeNoise AI screen capture for the second What is it? image

Topaz DeNoise AI Stuff

After clicking on the 400% view screen capture to enlarge it, check out the background noise in the original (the “before”) on the left. Then compare that to the smooth-as-a-baby’s butt background of the “after” version on the right. With the near-perfect exposure (thanks to my work with RawDigger), you might ask why there seems to be some much background noise in the original.

There are two reasons for that:

1- We are viewing at 400%!
2- As we are exposing for the very light-toned feathers, the darker toned water is about 2/3-stop under-exposed. Remember, light tones need less light to be properly exposed than any darker tones. Remember also that under-exposed portions of an image will always show more noise than properly exposed portions of an image. Confused? Study the section on Exposure Theory in the original soft cover, The Art of Bird Photography, the book that inspired many of today’s top bird photographers. Follow that up by mastering digital exposure as detailed in The Art of Bird Photography II (on CD) or via electronic download.

Color EFEX Pro Detail Extractor

I have recently gotten back to using Color EFEX Pro Detail Extractor as detailed in Digital Basics II.. The fine feather detail (FFD) in tight plumage images (TPIs) often seems somewhat lacking no matter how much depth-of-field you’ve used. As with today’s two featured images, Detail Extractor really brings up those details. If you are new to bird photography, save $10 by getting the Two-Book Bundle.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

Me, early, on the way to Fort DeSoto on Friday morning for a busman’s holiday.

Photography on Thursday morning at ILE was fair. I did some of the larger crane chicks. They act as if I do not exist. They were hanging in a spot where the grass was too high. I did some Cattle Egret flight from the car, got one good one, and continued to learn about R5 AF.

Speaking of the R5, I am pretty much finished with the guide, but for the gallery and the section on MY MENU. I will be sending out a few review copies very soon and should have the guide available in the store by the end of next week the latest.

The forecast for Thursday night is looking very good: clear with northeast winds. I will be heading down at about 6pm and hope to be sound asleep by 7pm so that I am well rested for the drive to Fort DeSoto.

The weekend weather for DeSoto is still looking excellent. If you would like to join me for one or more inexpensive In-the-Field Instructional sessions, please contact me ASAP via e-mail or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Saturday morning is looking perfect.

I was glad to learn that Morris Herstein sold his Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro Lens for Canon EF within hours of it being listed on Thursday.

Today is Friday 26 February and I hope that you have a great day wherever you are.

This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and makes sixty-eight days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens that you would like to part with, please contact me via e-mail. I now have two interested buyers.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSotoIPT card A

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #1. 3 1/2 DAYS. SAT 10 APR thru the morning session on TEUS 13 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings 5.

While DeSoto is one of the rare photo hotspots with the potential to be great any day of the year, it absolutely shines in spring. Many of the wading birds and shorebirds are in full breeding plumage. The terns and gulls are courting and copulating. We will have lots of flight photography opportunities. Did I mention that many of the birds are silly tame?

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card B

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2

Fort DeSoto Spring IPT #2. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 26 APR thru the morning session on THURS 29 APR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6.

Not only am I conversant in all three major camera systems used in the US — Nikon, Canon, and SONY (sorry Andy Rouse …), I have used all three within the past four years. Those include both SONY and Canon mirrorless. On both of these IPTs you will learn how to get the best exposure, how to get the most out of your AF system, and how to get close to free and wild birds. And tons more.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

All of the images were created at Fort DeSoto in April or early May. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Fort DeSoto IPT card C

Fort DeSoto Spring IPTs Expected Species

With any luck, we should get to photograph the following species: Laughing, Ring-billed, Herring, and Lesser Black-backed Gull; Royal, Sandwich, and Forster’s Tern: Great, Snowy, and white and dark morph Reddish Egret and Great Blue, Little Blue, and Tricolored Heron; Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Wood Stork, Roseate Spoonbill, and Brown Pelican. We will see and photograph lots of shorebirds including American Oystercatcher, Black-bellied, Wilson’s, Semipalmated, Snowy, and Piping Plover, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Dunlin, Red Knot, Sanderling, and Western and possibly White-rumped Sandpiper.

Sign up for both IPTs and enjoy a $200 discount. Most of us will be staying in nearby Gulfport.

This image was created on 8 May 2019. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR AF lens and my favorite Nikon camera, the Nikon D850 DSLR. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus about one stop: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops). AWB at 7:13am in soft light. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Laughing Gulls courting

Image Perspective Question

In a recent Fort DeSoto in Spring! Announcing Two DeSoto IPTs. New and Selected Used Gear Listings. The Under-Appreciated Laughing Gull. And an Image Perspective Question blog post here, I asked, with regards to the image above: Why would today’s featured image have been twenty times better if I had gotten down on my belly?

Kudos to Jeff Walters, the only one to take a stab at the question when he left this comment:

You would get more blue sky in the background had you gotten on your belly and may have eliminated the dark spot in the foreground.

His answer was correct in part (there is no sky in the image), but he missed the two most important reasons:

#1 (by far). Had I gotten down on my belly all of the butt-ugly detail and texture in the sand would have disappeared; gone, goodbye, forget it. Imagine that you are looking down at a patterned tablecloth. You would see the entire pattern. Yes the foreground and distant background would have been nicely out-of-focus, but you would still have seen the pattern. Now imagine that you kneel down so that your eyes are at table-top level? Would you see a shred of the pattern? No, not at all.

#2: Being down at the level of the birds, the image would have had a much more intimate feel to it, as if you were part of their world,

#3: Note: the blue strip at the top of the image was actually the Gulf, not the sky. So had I gotten wet and sandy, we would have had a lot more of the blue Gulf water along with some probably grey sky. But again, all of the ugly detail in the sand would have been gone.

I plan on getting down and dirty whenever possible at DeSoto.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

I had hoped for some huge flocks of ibis in flight at Circle B Bar Preserve before the sun came up and there were. But they were about two miles distant. I did make some half-way decent blurs. I headed for my favorite morning American White Pelican spot and did quite well. I was so busy driving and answering e-mails that I did not touch the R5 Camera User’s e-Guide yesterday. I should have a ton of time to work on it today.

Jim and I went down to the lake at 3:30pm to check on the two crane families. All four chicks were safe and accounted for. Last year, only two Sandhill Crane chicks survived. That out of the six that hatched along the lakefront. The wind was from the northeast, perfect for sunset silhouette photography. I went back down at 5:50pm. There was some nice color brewing, but the wind had switched to the southwest so I turned around and went back home.

Today is Thursday 25 February 2021. The forecast for this morning is for clear skies with a gentle NW breeze. Though that is not good for bird photography, I will head down early to check on the little cranes and see what else is about.

If you would like to explore the possibility of a morning In-the-Field Instructional session here at ILE for crane chicks, or at Lakeland for American White Pelicans, please contact me via e-mail or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372.

As noted below, Bedfords is getting a considerable number of Canon R5 and R6 bodies very soon. The RF 100-500s and 70-200s are, however, currently very difficult to get. My best advice is to stop what you are doing and order yours now to get on the list and get your new lens faster. And be sure of course to use the BIRDSASART code at checkout to save 3% and enjoy free second-day air Fed-Ex shipping.

I was glad to learn that Ted Keltz sold his Canon 7D Mark II and that the sale of Monte Brown’s Canon 100-400 II became pending within hours.

This blog post took more than two hours to prepare and makes sixty-seven days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a anon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens that you would like to part with, please contact me via e-mail as I have an interested buyer.

The BAA Used Gear Page

The Used Gear page continues to be very active. The BAA Used Gear Page is the place to sell your used photographic equipment. We will help you to get your gear sold quickly for 20 to 60% or more than what the big guys are offering … Doubt me? Check out the Recent Sales list for the past eleven months at the bottom of the page.

Canon EOS 5D Mark III dSLR Converted to Infrared (with Extras)

BIRDS AS ART friend and multiple IPT veteran Morris Herstein is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark III dSLR converted to infrared (830 nanometers) by Life Pixel in excellent plus condition with extras for $999.00. The sale include two Canon LP-E6N batteries, the charger, the front body cap, two Lexar 128GB 1066X flash cards, 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 Morris via e-mail.

When I shot Canon exclusively, I had a ton of fun making landscapes, tree-scapes, and cloud-scapes with a 5D Mark II that had been converted to infrared. The 5D III is a step up from that. These infrared-converted bodies pair well with the 24-105 and any of the 70-200s. artie

Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro Lens for Canon EF

Sold first day of listing!

BIRDS AS ART friend and multiple IPT veteran Morris Herstein is offering a Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4 Macro Lens for Canon EF in new condition for a very low $279.00. The sale include the 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 Morris via e-mail.

This is a fully manual super-wide angle lens that focuses down to life-size. It sells new for $499.00. artie

Before now, wide-angle macro required the use of extension tubes and other workarounds, but now the Laowa 15mm Macro offers true 1:1 magnification without the hassle. The ultra-wide perspective on full-frame cameras allows users to get exceptionally close to their subjects with a minimum focus distance of just 4.7″, and have them fill the frame, while still capturing the background.

Full manual operation is required with this lens through the use of a physical aperture ring with a range of f/4 to f/32 and a large focusing ring. A flat front element provides room for a 77mm front filter thread for using a selection of specialized filters to enhance your scene. Additionally, it has a near circular 14-blade diaphragm for smooth out of focus elements and comes with a lens hood. B&H

FlexShooter Pro Tripod Head

BIRDS AS ART friend and multiple IPT veteran Morris Herstein is offering a barely used FlexShooter Pro head in for a BAA record-low $498.00. The sale includes 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 Morris via e-mail.

The FlexShooter Pro is a ballhead that thinks and acts like a gimbal head. Thanks to the bi-directional clamp, it is great for lenses short and long. Once your rig is set up properly, long lenses stay right where you point them without your having to lock up the head! Where you point the lens is what you get. That thanks to the patented counter-balanced spring system design. I predicted that these heads would take the world of nature photography by storm. And they have. They sell new for $599.00. artie

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We puzzled as to why the Max G values for different cameras were different. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

As most of you know, I have been working on a complete BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this has required a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete). It should be finished any day now. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide has become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide; it will be revised there if warranted.

The complete Camera User’s guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords), will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide. The best news is that the end is in sight.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Coming Soon to Bedford’s: a truckload of Canon R5 and R6 Bodies!

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on Wednesday 24 February 2021 at my favorite Lakeland morning spot. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed the exposure here to be perfect. AWB at 7:45am on a partly cloudy morning. Upper Right Zone AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: American White Pelican immature in soft light

A Pastel Masterpiece in Simplicity …

I loved this image through the viewfinder. And it looked even better on my MacBook Pro. There’s no flying bird, and no action. There is no habitat. Simplicity can work well. I find the soft pastels magical. What do you think?

Why Zebras?

Kapil Kapre left this comment (for moderation) at the Too Cute blog post:

I have access to live zebras on my Sony, but I turn them off because they distract me. I do understand the benefit of zebras, and logically they seem like they would help a lot. But practically, how often are you in a situation where you need to quickly set a new exposure and don’t have time for a test shot? I’m sure it’s different for everyone, for me there’s always time for a quick test shot as I deliberate a bit on the composition and/or wait for a specific pose, etc. Or maybe I’m just too slow 🙂

I knew that Kapil’s question warranted a thoughtful response. I was pretty sure from his comment that he does not have the Sony Camera User’s e-Guide. I e-mailed him and confirmed that. So here goes:

Kapil, I wish that you could have been with me this morning in Lakeland photographing the American White Pelicans. The sun was going in and out every minute. Without exaggeration, I had my thumb on the big rear wheel and was changing the exposures (by changing the ISO) several times a minute. Even a shift of the bird’s head position can change the intensity of the Zebras (and require a small adjustment). Do understand that Zebras at the camera’s default settings are 100% worthless. In the aforementioned guide, we teach you exactly how to set up the Zebras and how to use them in the field. Then, in nearly all circumstances, you aim for faint Zebras.

So the answer to your question is very often! And it is not different for anyone who wants to learn to make good exposures consistently. Not to mention that when I switched over to a cormorant, a coot, or a Wood Duck, Zebras, again — set up properly, allowed me to routinely attain excellent or perfect exposures. Do understand that subjects of different tonalities require different amounts of light to be properly exposed. White subjects need less light than middle-toned subject to be properly exposed, and dark subjects need more light than middle-toned subjects to be properly exposed. Best advice on learning exposure theory is to consult the section on that topic in the original The Art of Bird Photography.

On a final note, there are times — not very often, that I turn off Zebras to avoid the distractions. And yes, we cover those situations in the guide.

For me, turning off Zebras is like turning off the jet engines because they are too loud. While you are flying …

Image #1A: RawDigger screen capture for the American White Pelican immature in soft light image

RawDigger Screen Capture at 300%

Click on the screen capture to see the rosy-red OvExp warnings (seven pixels worth) in the specular highlight in the pelican’s eye. In the RawDigger e-Guide you will learn exactly how to set up the Adapted “pink” RawDigger Histogram and how to use it to quickly and easily evaluate the exposure or raw file brightness of images from all digital cameras currently in use. We speak at great length on specular highlights.

Image #1B: Topaz DeNoise on the American White Pelican immature in soft light image

What Noise?

With perfect and near-perfect exposures (thanks to RawDigger study), noise may approach zero (as with today’s featured ISO 800 image). If you click on the image to enlarge it and take a close look at the pupil and the iris — noise is always worse in the darker tones, there is practically zero noise. So why run DeNoise on images like this? Because DeNoise and Low Light (usually) offer just the right amount of non-destructive sharpening. Why usually? At times results can be improved by reducing the Enhance Sharpness slider by one-third or one-half.

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide

126 pages, 87 photographs by Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.

Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

I had thought about doing a guide to some of the great but little-known photo hotspots around central Florida for about a decade, but those plans never came to fruition. I met Joe online in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net about two years ago. Joe’s photography has improved tremendously over the past few years; he credits the BAA blog, my books and PDFs, and his participation on BPN. The one thing that I learned right from the get-go about Joe is that he is a hard and tenacious worker, always striving to improve his skills and to grow his knowledge base. As he knew of more than a few good spots in central Florida, I broached the idea of us doing a photographic site guide that covered many of the little-known photographic hotspots from Brandon to Lakeland to Joe Overstreet Road to Indian Lake Estates (my Florida home for the past 20 years or so). After more than many, many dozens of hours of effort, The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide is now a reality. Thanks to Joe’s wife Dottie for her review of our writing. We all learned once again that writing is a process, a back and forth process. All thanks to the white pelicans of Lakeland. Here are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide:

• Indian Lake Estates: Sandhills Cranes with chicks and colts, lots of vultures, and Ospreys up the kazoo!
• Gatorland, Kissimmee: Learn to make great images of wading birds in a cluttered rookery.
• The Brandon Rookery: Great for nesting Wood Storks, Great Egrets, and more.
• Circle Bar B Reserve, Lakeland: Here you will find a great variety of avian subjects in a great variety of habitats.
• Lake Morton, Lakeland: There are lots of silly tame birds here including and especially American White Pelican during the colder months.
• Lake Mirror, Lakeland: Tame Anhingas, Limpkins, and a zillion White Ibises at times.
• West Lake Parker, Lakeland: Here you will have a chance for two difficult birds, Snail Kite, and Purple Gallinule.
• Joe Overstreet Road, Kenansville: Crested Caracara, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrike, and much more on the fenceposts and barbed wire.

Each location includes a map, a detailed description of the best spots, best season, light and time of day instructions, the expected species, and an educational and inspirational gallery that is designed to open your eyes as to the possibilities.

You can purchase a copy here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

All of the images (plus lots more) were created on a very short visit at the end of January. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Merritt Island NWR IPT card

Merritt Island NWR IPT

Merritt Island NWR IPT. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 15 MAR thru the morning session on THURS 18 MAR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings: 3.

When I visited — and later lived — in Deltona, FL, I made many trips to Black Point Wildlife Drive and environs. On a recent visit, I did quite well. The birds were much tamer than I remembered. I know the place well. Early spring was always best. There are tons of ducks, and wading birds including and especially both ibises. It can be great at sunrise with large flocks of shorebirds, waterfowl, ibises, and American White Pelicans filling the skies. We should get to do lots of flight photography on the causeway. At least a few good chances with Roseate Spoonbill are possible.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

What’s Up?

After spending ten minutes with the crane family at the north end of the north field, I drove to the South Peninsula to set up a road-kill cafe. That done, I pulled my SUV into position so that I could do some work on the R5 Camera User’s e-Guide while waiting for the vultures to come to breakfast. I set the exposure, put the rig on the passenger seat, an grabbed my laptop. Opps. Where are my glasses? . Did I leave them at home or did they fall out of the car at my first stop near the end of the North Field? I called Jim and asked him to check around for my glasses. No luck there. I had a spare pair in the glove box so I went to work on the guide and got some good stuff done.

Usually, I sense a vulture circling and am able to make some good flight images from the front seat. I was concentrating hard on the guide (while working on the Q Button section). I glanced out at the bait only to discover that I had missed eleven vultures flying into the perfect wind. Bummer. :). I had very few chances on flight after that, so I set up the SONY 600 GM with the 2X and the a9 ii on the tripod in the vehicle, moved the car closer to the hungry birds, and made a slew of nice Black Vulture head portraits along with a few frames of one chowing down on the raccoon’s neck and another enjoying some long, skinny intestines.

At about 9:30, I drove back to the North Field to look for my glasses. I did not want to run them over with the car so I parked well away from the search area. I began walking a short by long grid while staring at the ground. When I was almost done, I looked up at the sky and said, “Elaine, help me out here.” My late-wife has bailed me innumerable times in similar (and even in dangerous) situations. I was about ready to give up when I decided to walk the grid long by short. As I turned, I looked down to my left and saw my glasses staring up at me. “Thanks, babe!”

After brunch I got some more work done on the guide, napped, did my bursts, and enjoyed an easy swim. Sunset was grey so I never got down to the lake after an early-as-usual dinner.

If you would like to explore the possibility of a morning In-the-Field Instructional session here at ILE for crane chicks or at Lakeland for American White Pelicans, please contact me via e-mail or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372.

Today is Tuesday February 23 2021. The forecast for this morning is for partly cloudy turning sunny with northwest winds. That is a bad forecast for bird photography. I peeked out the door at 7:05am and saw that it is dead-clear in the east. Sunny with northwest winds is worse for bird photography than partly-cloudy with northwest winds so I am gonna get down to the lake ASAP before the wind picks up. Have a great day.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes sixty-five days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

The RawDigger e-Guide with Two Videos

by Arthur Morris with Patrick Sparkman

The RawDigger e-Guide was created only for serious photographers who wish to get the absolute most out of their raw files.

Patrick and I began work on the guide in July 2020. At first we struggled. We asked questions. We learned about Max-G values. We puzzled as to why the Max G values for different cameras were different. IPT veteran Bart Deamer asked lots of questions that we could not answer. We got help from RawDigger creator Iliah Borg. We learned. In December, Patrick came up with an Adapted Histogram that allows us to evaluate the exposures and raw file brightness for all images created with all digital camera bodies from the last two decades. What we learned each time prompted three complete beginning to end re-writes.

The point of the guide is to teach you to truly expose to the mega-Expose-to-the-Right so that you will minimize noise, maximize image quality, best utilize your camera’s dynamic range, and attain the highest possible level of shadow detail in your RAW files in every situation. In addition, your properly exposed RAW files will contain more tonal information and feature the smoothest possible transitions between tones. And your optimized images will feature rich, accurate color.

We teach you why the GREEN channel is almost always the first to over-expose. We save you money by advising you which version of RawDigger you need. We teach you how to interpret the Max G values for your Canon, Nikon, and SONY camera bodies. It is very likely that the Shock-your-World section will shock you. And lastly — thanks to the technical and practical brilliance of Patrick Sparkman — we teach you a simple way to quickly and easily evaluate your exposures and raw file brightness using an Adapted RawDigger histogram.

The flower video takes you through a session where artie edits a folder of images in Capture One while checking the exposures and Max-G values in RawDigger. The Adapted Histogram video examines a series of recent images with the pink histograms and covers lots of fine points including and especially how to deal with specular highlights. The directions for setting up the Adapted Histogram are in the text.

If we priced this guide based on how much effort we put into it, it would sell it for $999.00. But as this guide will be purchased only by a limited number of serious photographers, we have priced it at $51.00. You can order yours here in the BAA Online Store.

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

As most of you know, I have been working on a complete BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this has required a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete). It should be finished by late February. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide has become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide; it will be revised if warranted.

The complete Camera User’s guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords), will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide. The best news is that the end is in sight.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 21 February 2021 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Sitting in the wet grass I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 500mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1640. Exposure determined via test image/histogram evaluation: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this one to be absolutely perfect. Maybe I am learning … AWB at 7:44am on a sunny morning. Face Detection plus Tracking AI Servo AF performed to perfection as shown in the DPP 4 screen capture below. Image #1: Sandhill Crane chick flapping in place

The Situation

I headed down to the lake early at about 7:15am. Things were looking good for setting up the raccoon road-kill cafe as it was clear with a stronger than predicted east wind. I decided to check on the two new crane families; all four chicks appear to be in good shape. I found the pair with the larger chicks in a decent setting so I got down on my soon-to-be-wet butt with the Canon rig in hand. I made some test images and — after carefully evaluating the histogram — wound up with a perfect exposure. I went with 1/1000 second as in the past, when trying to minimize ISO (and thus noise), I’d go with 1/500 second and wind up loosing images to motion blur when the subject flapped in place or began to run.

After creating a few series of images I noticed one of the chicks standing still in a fairly nice area with some wildflowers in the background. I turned the rig to vertical, acquired focus, and began making images. After the first few the bird serendipitously began to flappier its little wing-stubs. I kept firing until the show was over. I made 41 images in all. Today’s featured image — with the little one staring right down the lens barrel for an instant — was my favorite. There are a few other very good ones. I am toying with the idea of creating an animated GIF with all 41 images.

Image #1A: DPP 4 screen capture for the Sandhill Crane chick flapping in place image

Face Detection plus Tracking Kills!

Note the red AF square squarely on the chick’s right eye. By comparing the original frame with the optimized image, you can see that I cropped a bit from the lower and upper right to center the subject. (I write about this exact situation in the AF portion of the R5/R6 AF e-Guide and in the R5 Camera User’s e-Guide: I’ve never seen an AF system that (when set up correctly) can perform so well with tall-in-the-frame birds facing and looking right down the lens barrel at the photographer.

After evaluating all of the the images in the sequence in DPP 4, I’d rate overall the performance of Face Detection plus Tracking as excellent plus plus. Near the end of the sequence as the bird jumped up and down a bit, AF momentarily lost the eye and grabbed the forehead or the cheek. But every frame was sharp.

Image #1B: RawDigger Adapted (pink) histogram screen capture for the Sandhill Crane chick flapping in place image

Getting Better With R5 Exposures …

If you own the RawDigger e-Guide, you will understand exactly why this is a dead-solid perfect exposure. And you will learn why to totally disregard the 283 OvExp pixels (out of 45 million); by enlarging the image in RawDigger and scrolling around, you will see the rosy red OvExp warnings only on the specular highlights on the dew drops.

In the RawDigger e-Guide you will learn exactly how to set up the Adapted “pink” RawDigger Histogram and how to use it to quickly and easily evaluate the exposure or raw file brightness of images from all digital cameras currently in use. Tip: for a perfect exposure, you want the GREEN histogram to get 2/3rds of the way from the 8000 line to the 16000 line; with today’s featured image the GREEN channel gets all the way to the 16000 line without any significant over-exposure (OvExp) noted.

Image #1C: Topaz DeNoise AI screen capture for the Sandhill Crane chick flapping in place image

Topaz DeNoise AI Revelations

After clicking on the screen capture to enlarge it, check out the background noise in the original on the upper left. With the perfect exposure (thanks to my work with RawDigger), the background noise (in the original) is next-to-nothing. As has been the case recently, I went with Low Light on Auto pretty much by flipping a coin; results with DeNoise AI were pretty much identical.

Do note the incredible (fine-feather and otherwise) detail in this sharp R5 image.

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide

126 pages, 87 photographs by Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.

Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

I had thought about doing a guide to some of the great but little-known photo hotspots around central Florida for about a decade, but those plans never came to fruition. I met Joe online in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net about two years ago. Joe’s photography has improved tremendously over the past few years; he credits the BAA blog, my books and PDFs, and his participation on BPN. The one thing that I learned right from the get-go about Joe is that he is a hard and tenacious worker, always striving to improve his skills and to grow his knowledge base. As he knew of more than a few good spots in central Florida, I broached the idea of us doing a photographic site guide that covered many of the little-known photographic hotspots from Brandon to Lakeland to Joe Overstreet Road to Indian Lake Estates (my Florida home for the past 20 years or so). After more than many, many dozens of hours of effort, The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide is now a reality. Thanks to Joe’s wife Dottie for her review of our writing. We all learned once again that writing is a process, a back and forth process. All thanks to the white pelicans of Lakeland. Here are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide:

• Indian Lake Estates: Sandhills Cranes with chicks and colts, lots of vultures, and Ospreys up the kazoo!
• Gatorland, Kissimmee: Learn to make great images of wading birds in a cluttered rookery.
• The Brandon Rookery: Great for nesting Wood Storks, Great Egrets, and more.
• Circle Bar B Reserve, Lakeland: Here you will find a great variety of avian subjects in a great variety of habitats.
• Lake Morton, Lakeland: There are lots of silly tame birds here including and especially American White Pelican during the colder months.
• Lake Mirror, Lakeland: Tame Anhingas, Limpkins, and a zillion White Ibises at times.
• West Lake Parker, Lakeland: Here you will have a chance for two difficult birds, Snail Kite, and Purple Gallinule.
• Joe Overstreet Road, Kenansville: Crested Caracara, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrike, and much more on the fenceposts and barbed wire.

Each location includes a map, a detailed description of the best spots, best season, light and time of day instructions, the expected species, and an educational and inspirational gallery that is designed to open your eyes as to the possibilities.

You can purchase a copy here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

All of the images (plus lots more) were created on a very short visit at the end of January. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Merritt Island NWR IPT card

Merritt Island NWR IPT

Merritt Island NWR IPT. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 15 MAR thru the morning session on THURS 18 MAR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings: 4.

When I visited — and later lived — in Deltona, FL, I made many trips to Black Point Wildlife Drive and environs. On a recent visit, I did quite well. The birds were much tamer than I remembered. I know the place well. Early spring was always best. There are tons of ducks, and wading birds including and especially both ibises. It can be great at sunrise with large flocks of shorebirds, waterfowl, ibises, and American White Pelicans filling the skies. We should get to do lots of flight photography on the causeway. At least a few good chances with Roseate Spoonbill are possible.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

This Just In!

At 11:15am on Sunday 21 February, I completed work on the first draft of all Menu items for the R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. Don’t get too, too excited; there is still lots of work to do.

What’s Up?

After struggling to finish yesterday’s blog post ASAP and head over to Lakeland, I did manage to get on the road at 6:44am. It was totally cloudy when I left. The sun broke through the clouds for a while. Once I got set up, the clouds predominated though the light kept changing. It was great to see that the pelicans were back in force; thanks to BPN-friend Joe Przybyla for the heads-up.

I did get some work done on the R5 User’s Guide yesterday, enjoyed my swim, and headed down to the lake for a half-way decent sunset, the first in more than a week. With the wind from the northeast, conditions were perfect but they were not landing in the perfect spot …

I was glad to learn that two many-multiple IPT veterans, Donna Bourdon and John Dupps, signed up for the Merritt Island NWR IPT. And good friend Bill Schneider will be joining me for two private days after the IPT ends. He wants to learn how to set up his Sony Alpha a1. We should be getting our new bodies in early March.

Folks who would like to explore the possibility of an In-the-Field Instructional Session in Lakeland (two hours/$200) are invited to contact me via e-mail to consider the weather and set up a date.

As always, questions and comments on today’s images are welcome.

Today is Sunday 21 February 2021. The forecast for partly sunny turning cloudy early with easterly winds. Things are looking pretty good for my morning photo session. After two chilly days in a row, the pool is down six degrees …

This post took about 2 1/2 hours to prepare and makes sixty-three days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide Info

So far, more than 122 folks have sent PayPals for their copy of the Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide. And 41 who used my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear have e-mailed for and received their free copy of the guide. If you e-mailed your Bedford receipt or sent a PayPal and did not receive your guide, please LMK immediately via e-mail.

Feedback on the guide continues to be overwhelmingly positive. Please scroll down to read about the BAA Canon EOS R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. Note that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide immediately as the R5/R6 User’s Guide will still take about another week or two to complete.

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

The Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is Now Complete!

Forty-one pages. 6250 words. 50-DPP4 screen captures showing the R5’s vaunted AF system in action. Note: the AF system of the R5 is identical to the AF system of the R6.

You will learn:

1- The two most useful AF Methods for general bird photography and for birds in flight and the one AF method that works best for me for birds in flight.

2- How to set up your R5/R6 AF Menus.

3- What boxes to check (and un-check) under Limit AF Methods.

4- How to change the AF Method quickly, easily, and efficiently. Note: the default way of doing this is clunky, cumbersome, and inefficient at best. One person replied that this tip alone was worth the price of admission.

5- The only setting that should be used for Initial Servo AF pt for Face Detection + Tracking.

I you are currently using multiple back buttons either for general bird photography or for birds in flight, what you learn in this guide will change your life. For the better.

The guide is free to all who have ordered an R5 or an R6 using my B&H affiliate link or from Steve Elkins/Bedfords using the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Please send your receipt to me via e-mail. It will take me a few days to a week to verify the B&H purchases. Bedfords folks should expect their free e-Guides fairly quickly.

To purchase your copy of the e-Guide, please click here or send a PayPal for $25.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words R5/R6 AF Guide in your PayPal e-mail.

Everyone who purchased the AF guide will receive their free update some time today.

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

As most of you know, I have been working on a complete BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this has required a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete). It should be finished by late February. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-guide has become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide; it will be revised if warranted.

The complete Camera User’s guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords), will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide. The best news is that the end is in sight.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 20 February 2021 at my favorite morning spot in Lakeland, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure as 1/3-stop too dark. AWB at 8:12am. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: American White Pelican face detail

Two-system Insanity Success

I got out of my car, set up the SONY 600 GM on the Induro 404L tripod with the 1.4X TC and the a9 ii. Then I screwed the Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap connector into the bottom of the camera body (with the RF 100-500 mounted on it) and put the Canon rig on my shoulder. The Canon rig is so light that you barely know that it is there. Once it got a bit brighter, I replaced the 1.4X TC with the 2X.

Note the time of creation for each image; amazingly, all of those that I chose for today’s blog were made in just six minutes.

Image #1A: Topaz DeNoise AI with the American White Pelican face detail image

Low Light Continues to Shine

Here again, starting in Comparison View, Low Light on Auto was the clear but narrow choice over DeNoise AI on Auto. Click on the image to see the incredible image quality of the SONY a9 ii 1200mm images and the complete elimination of the noise in the background.

Saved by my Own Guide!

I recently updated Photoshop to Adobe Photoshop 2021 22.2.0 Release to try some new features. The update did save all of my keyboard shortcuts and my actions, but I lost Topaz. And I did not know how to get Topaz to re-appear in the drop-down menu under Filter. So I opened a copy of the Topaz Getting Started Guide, followed the directions, and was good-to-go in three minutes. Hooray! You can get your free copy of this e-Guide by using the ARTHUR15 code at checkout.

This image was created on 20 February 2021 at my favorite morning spot in Lakeland, FL. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 500mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1250. Exposure determined via test image/histogram evaluation: 1/2000 sec. at f/7.1 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this one to be 2/3 stop under-exposed. I still struggle at times with R5 exposure). AWB at 8:14am on a then cloudy morning. The very best R5/R6 AF Method for birds in flight (IMHO) is detailed in the R5/R6 AF e-Guide. Image #2: American White Pelican in flat flight

Working with Two Rigs

I am photographing the pelicans on the bulkhead at 1200mm. I see two pelicans flying over the lake. I step out from behind the tripod and move to my left, raise the 100-500, make sure that it is zoomed to 500mm, adjust the exposure as best I can, and fire off a few frames. With sharp R5 45MP files, large crops (like the one here) are no problems. Once the birds fly off, I get behind the tripod and go back to work with the SONY gear.

This image was created on 20 February 2021 at my favorite morning spot in Lakeland, FL. I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital camera body). ISO 640. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/500 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this exposure as 1/3 stop too dark. AWB at 8:16am. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed to perfection. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3: American White Pelican face and bill detail

Working at 1200mm with the SONY Gear

When I noticed the yellow reflections on the water behind the last pelican on my in line-up, I had to move the tripod to my left and back up a bit to be able to include the horn on the pelican’s bill in the image. It was faster and easier to do that than to switch out the 2X for the 1.4X TC. With the remarkable sharpness of the SONY rig at 1200mm, image quality is never an issue when deciding between 840 and 1200.

This image was created on 20 February 2021 at my favorite morning spot in Lakeland, FL. I used the handheld Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM lens (at 500mm) and the highly touted 45MP Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Digital camera body. ISO 1000. Exposure determined via test image/histogram evaluation: 1/2000 sec. at f/7.1 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed this one to be 2/3 stop under-exposed. I till struggle at time with R5 exposure). AWB at 8:18am on a then cloudy morning. Face detection + Tracking performed perfectly by nailing and tracking the bird’s eye. Learn to quickly and easily change R5/R6 AF methods in the R5/R6 AF e-Guide. Image #4: American White Pelican swimming

Sometimes Loving What Is is a Better Choice than Bitching and Whining

When the guy emptying the trash receptacles around the lake drove by on his 4-wheel ATV, several pelicans slid into the water and began swimming away. Rather than getting pissed off, I made the best of the situation by moving well to my left (away from the tripod) and created this image. I just love the dark water.

Typos

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

All of the images (plus lots more) were created on a very short visit at the end of January. Click on the card to enjoy a larger version. Merritt Island NWR IPT card

Merritt Island NWR IPT

Merritt Island NWR IPT. 3 1/2 DAYS. MON 15 MAR thru the morning session on THURS 18 MAR 2021. $1499 includes three lunches. Limit: 6. Openings: 5.

When I visited — and later lived — in Deltona, FL, I made many trips to Black Point Wildlife Drive and environs. On a recent visit, I did quite well. The birds were much tamer than I remembered. I know the place well. Early spring was always best. There are tons of ducks, and wading birds including and especially both ibises. It can be great at sunrise with large flocks of shorebirds, waterfowl, ibises, and American White Pelicans filling the skies. We should get to do lots of flight photography on the causeway. At least a few good chances with Roseate Spoonbill are possible.

A $499 deposit is required to hold your spot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “BIRDS AS ART) to us here: BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, is due immediately after you sign up. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. If you cancel due to COVID 19 concerns, all of your payments will be refunded.

More R5/R6 AF e-Guide Kudos/Via e-mail from Tim Heenan of Australia

artie, Many thanks for the update- your AF guide has proven a godsend in simplifying what is a fairly complicated set of procedures. I hope Canon takes note. I am very much looking forward to the impending EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide.

Wanted to Buy

If you have a Canon EF 24-70 version II lens taking up room on a shelf that you would like to get rid of, please contact me via e-mail.

What’s Up?

My medical procedure on Thursday morning went smoothly. As expected, it revealed reflux. I am awaiting the results of the H. Pylori snip test. I did not make a single image yesterday. I did do my bursts and a enjoyed a nice 60 lengths swim in a warm pool. And I did go down to the lake right before sunset to check on the two new crane families. So far, so good. I did not do a minutes work on the Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide but am planning on hitting it hard today, Friday 19 February 2021.

The forecast for this morning is for mostly cloudy skies with winds from the southwest; NTG for bird photography but I will head down to the lake at 8:45am.

This post took well more than two hours to prepare and makes sixty-one days in a row with a new one. Please remember …

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide Info

So far, more than 122 folks have sent PayPals for their copy of the Canon R5/R6 AF e-Guide. And 41 who used my affiliate links to purchase their Canon mirrorless gear have e-mailed for and received their free copy of the guide. If you e-mailed your Bedford receipt or sent a PayPal and did not receive your guide, please LMK immediately via e-mail.

Feedback on the guide continues to be overwhelmingly positive. Please scroll down to read about the BAA Canon EOS R5/R6 User’s e-Guide. Note that the info in the BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is so important that I opted to publish the AF guide immediately as the R5/R6 User’s Guide will still take about another week or two to complete.

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide

BAA Canon R5/R6 Autofocus e-Guide is Now Complete!

Forty-one pages. 6250 words. 50-DPP4 screen captures showing the R5’s vaunted AF system in action. Note: the AF system of the R5 is identical to the AF system of the R6.

You will learn:

1- The two most useful AF Methods for general bird photography and for birds in flight and the AF method that works best for me for birds in flight.

2- How to set up your R5/R6 AF Menus.

3- What boxes to check (and un-check) under Limit AF Methods.

4- How to change the AF Method quickly, easily, and efficiently. Note: the default way of doing this is clunky, cumbersome, and inefficient at best. One person replied that this tip alone was worth the price of admission.

5- The only setting that should be used for Initial Servo AF pt for Face Detection + Tracking.

I you are currently using multiple back buttons either for general bird photography or for birds in flight, what you learn in this guide will change your life. For the better.

Here are the first three paragraphs of this e-Guide:

From the moment I learned about the new Canon mirrorless bodies, I read about using two or three back-buttons to focus using different AF methods. The word on the street said that the way to go for birds in flight was to use one button to acquire focus with Zone AF or with Large Zone: Horizontal AF and then switch to another button to activate Face Detection + Tracking AF and then use the shutter button to make an image. My immediate thought was, “This is insanity! There has got to be a better way.” In short, there is a far superior way to set up AF on your R5 or R6.

The default method of switching AF Methods with the R5/R6 bodies is cumbersome at best. It involves first pressing the grid button (my name) on the upper right back of the camera and then pressing the hard-to-access M-Fn button to toggle through the AF Methods. This method is so bad that it will not be mentioned again in this guide.

The guide is free to all who have ordered an R5 or an R6 using my B&H affiliate link or from Steve Elkins/Bedfords using the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Please send your receipt to me via e-mail. It will take me a few days to a week to verify the B&H purchases. Bedfords folks should expect their free e-Guides fairly quickly.

To purchase your copy of the e-Guide, please click here or send a PayPal for $25.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net and be sure to include the words R5/R6 AF Guide in your PayPal e-mail.

Everyone who purchased the AF guide will receive their free update some time today.

Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide

As most of you know, I have been working on a complete BAA Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide. Because the camera and the Menus are so complex, this has required a lot of research, a lot of time, and a lot of effort (and will continue to do so until it is complete. It should be finished by late February. As always, folks who use the BAA affiliate links to purchase their Canon gear will receive a substantial discount. The final update of the R5/R6 AF e-guide will become part of the complete Camera User’s e-Guide but will be improved as and if warranted.

Great Topaz News!

Folks who use the BAA Topaz link to purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or the Utility Bundle (or any other Topaz plug-ins) will receive a 15% discount by entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout. If the stuff is on sale (as it usually is), you save 15% off of the sale price! To get the discount you must use my link and you must enter the discount code. Be sure to start with this link.

Those who purchase Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI, or any other Topaz plug-ins using my link and then entering the ARTHUR15 code at checkout can e-mail to request a short Getting Started with Topaz e-Guide. Please include a copy of your Topaz receipt that shows the discount. Aside from the basics, the guide explains how to install the plug-ins so that they appear in the Photoshop Filter Menu.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Flagship Price Drop

Canon EOS-1DX Mark III professional digital camera body

Price Reduced $200 on 4 FEB 2021
Price Reduced $300 on 18 FEB 2021

Used Gear Page regular Don Busby is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark III dSLR in like-new condition with less than 10,000 shutter actuations for a very low $4999.00 (was $5499.00). The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it including the 64gb CF Express Card, the CFexpress reader, and an extra battery. Also included is 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 Don via e-mail

The Canon 1Dx bodies have been solid performers under challenging conditions for many years. The autofocus performance of the 1Dx and 1Dx MkII had been lacking as compared to Nikon or lately Sony (A9) especially when it comes down to dynamic focusing using the whole sensor array or specific zones. on the 1DX Mark II, the Automatic AF area selection never did a great job of acquiring and tracking the subject; thus, that mode was pretty much useless for photographing birds in flight. Single-point AF or AF Expand (4 or 9 points) with the tracking sensitivity set at -2 often produced good results for me with flying birds, but the fact that you were limited as far as image design always bothered me. Nikon’s dynamic focusing and Sony’s tracking capabilities provided extra compositional flexibility. As a result, many bird photographers decided to leave Canon and switch to Nikon or a Sony a9 series body. I decided to stay the course with Canon for two reasons: my collection of great Canon lenses, and the fact that the development of sensor and AF technology is like an arms race: one day Nikon is ahead, the next day Canon is ahead. I was lucky enough to get the new Canon 1Dx MkIII camera body from Steve Elkins just in time for my trip to Alaska to photograph the bald eagles. It was the perfect place to test the improved AF capabilities of the new Canon flagship body, the EOS-1D X Mark III DSLR with CFexpress Card and Reader.

The 1Dx MkIII is a hybrid camera with an Optical Viewfinder (OVF) and Live-View shooting making it a mirrorless camera at the same time that it is a rugged dSLR. There are a ton of other great new features, but I focused primarily on testing the new enhanced AF system. I was especially interested to see if the new dynamic 191-point Automatic AF selection and the AF zones would perform better than the previous versions of the 1Dx. The conclusion is that even under difficult circumstances — the first two days with heavy winds and heavy snow) — the camera had no issue focusing on the subject and keep tracking it with the Automatic AF selection mode. I used the center point to acquire focus and as soon as it locked the focus on the bird, it did a great job keeping multiple AF points on the subject and tracking it through the frame and through the snowflakes. The same applied for the Zones — smaller AF areas with multiple AF points active. Even with busy backgrounds, the AF stayed locked on the subject. The AF modes have been reduced to 4 compared to 5 in the previous 1Dx models. I primarily used Mode 2 (Continue to Track Subjects, Ignoring Possible Obstacles) and Mode 4 (For Subjects That Accelerate or Decelerate Quickly) but was not able to see a significant difference between the modes. Even with trying the “Deep Learning” Automatic setting (Tracking Automatically Adapts to Subject Movement) I did not notice a significant difference. They all performed really well. The conclusion is that Canon has produced a camera that is now on-par or even better than its competitors with respect to AF performance. Although I did not test the mirrorless capabilities yet, other tests show that this function is also equal to or better than the Sony A9 performance, the only difference is that you can not use the OVF in mirrorless-mode with the 1DX III and have to use the display on the back of the camera (the rear monitor) instead. Due to the fact you have to keep the camera away from your eye, this is somewhat awkward for photographing birds in flight. I am very happy with the AF performance as compared to the previous Canon models and am looking forward to testing it further on Florida birds this coming spring. Clemens van der Werf

The 1DX III sells new right now for $6,499.00. Grab Don’s almost new body, save a $1000.00, and get an extra battery to boot! I remember how thrilled Clemens was with his then brand-new 1DX III in Homer. You can see some of his eagle images made with the 1DX iii in the Field-testing the New Canon EOS-1DX Mark III at Homer: World-Class Nature Photographer Clemens Van der Werf Shares the Skinny on Canon’s New Flagship Camera Body post here. artie

New Listings/Amazing Canon Gear Bargains

Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Extras

Ted Keltz is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in excellent condition for a BAA record-low $546.00. The sale includes a Delkin Devices 32 GB UDMA 6 memory card, a Canon WiFi adapter W-E1 (installed), the front cap, the the strap, the original battery, the battery charger, the original product box and manuals, all the original software on CDs, and insured ground shipping via UPS to lower-48 US addresses only.

Please contact Ted via e-mail.

Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about four 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. One thing is for sure: the 7D Mark II is the greatest value ever in a digital camera body. artie

Tamron SP 150-600 F/5-6.3 Di VC USD for Canon EF

Ted Keltz is offering a Tamron SP 150-600 F/5-6.3 Di VC USD for Canon EF in like-new condition for the bargain price of $399.00. The sale includes a LensCoat, a 95mm B+W 010 UV-Haze filter, the rear lens cap, the front lens cap, the lens hood, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via UPS to lower 48 addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Ted via e-mail.

I have seen lots of great images made with this exact lens both on IPTs and on BPN. This is the original version of the more current Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 for Canon EF, and thus is priced ridiculously low. It would make a great starter lens for any beginning bird photographer. artie

Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS Lens

Ted Keltz is offering a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS lens in excellent condition for $249.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the original lens hood, and the lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via UPS to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Ted via e-mail.

The 24-105 zoom lens was my go-to, all purpose, do-everything lens. Whenever I opted to leave it in my vehicle, I would come to regret my decision within the first hundred yards … I always took it with me when there were clouds around as it is a great lens for creating bird-scapes. And zoomed to the long end you can use it for quasi-macro and tightly detailed images. I used it often down on my belly to photograph dead birds. Don’t laugh. I once sold an image of a recently-deceased Blue-winged Teal made with a focal length of 50mm for $20,000. Honest. artie

This image was created on the afternoon of Saturday 30 January 2021 at Black Point Wildlife Drive at Merritt Island NWR. Working away from my SUV, I used the Induro GIT 404L/Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the blazingly fast AF King, the Sony Alpha a9 II Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 640. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed the exposure here to be perfect. (See the screen capture below). AWB at 4:39pm on a sunny afternoon. Tracking Expand Flexible Spot AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed better than the operator; see the screen capture below. Click the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Common Moorhen swimming fast

Common Gallinule

Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata), is a handsome, medium-sized rail that is found in aquatic environments. There are more than a few pairs down by the lake near my home. But they are very difficult to photograph. Back in the days of film, I knew a spot at Loxahatchee NWR where they could be photographed swimming in still blue water on a fairly consistent basis. At times they have been known as Common Moorhen, at other times as Common Gallinule — the scientists change both their minds and the name of the bird every decade or so). In any case, I was glad have several good chances on this species each afternoon on my recent visit to Black Point Wildlife Refuge. And yes, they were swimming in still blue water.

You can see some more images from that afternoon in the Blue-winged Teal Three Ways blog post here.

Image #1A: SONY AF points on the Common Moorhen swimming fast image

AF Strategy for Head Bobbing Birds

With birds that bob their heads while swimming or walking, it is often better to place the AF point on the upper breast or the back of the neck as either will be on the same plane as the bird’s face. This technique worked to perfection with today’s featured image.

I will be sharing info on the program that I use to determine the SONY AF points after the fact as soon as I finish the Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide.

Click the image to see a larger version. Image #2A: RawDigger Adapted (pink) histogram for the Common Moorhen swimming fast image

Correlating Zebras to RawDigger

While I am learning to create consistently excellent exposures with my Canon R5/RF 100-500 rig, that requires making a test image in each new situation. With my SONY gear, I know exactly how many Zebras I need to see in various lighting conditions (before I push the shutter button) to create a perfect exposure. With today’s featured image, with the sun out on a clear late afternoon, I knew that having a few Zebras on the white feathers near the tail and the yellow bill tip would result in a perfectly exposures raw file. And that is just what the RawDigger Adapted (pink) histogram above shows. The more you expose to the right, the less noise in the dark tones, the better the image quality, and the smoother the color transitions.

In the RawDigger e-Guide you will learn to set up the Adapted “pink” RawDigger Histogram and use it to quickly and easily evaluate the exposure or raw file brightness of images from all digital cameras currently in use. Tip: for a perfect exposure, you want the GREEN histogram to get 2/3rds of the way from the 8000 line to the 16000 line (just as you see in the screen capture above).

Note: you can learn exactly how Patrick Sparkman and I set up Zebras with our SONY gear (and tons and tons more) in the The Sony Camera User’s e-Guide and One Camera Set-up Video. A Two Camera Set-up Video is available here.

Typos

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

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s two featured images is your favorite? Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.

Stuff

There is lots of great news. The American White Pelicans have returned to my favorite morning spot in Lakeland. I will soon be announcing two IPTS — a first-ever Merritt Island NWR IPT in March, and the traditional Fort DeSoto Spring IPT. Dates and rates coming soon. In addition, I am and will be available for small group or private In-the-Field Instruction sessions at all of the above locations.

What’s Up?

It was dreary and heavily overcast on Tuesday morning. I had a ton of fun creating funky, foggy, in-camera HDR flight images; I kept a record-high 13 jpegs from that single session. I will be sharing some of them with you here soon. After my walk, I took a ride around looking for a second crane nest and instead found a pair with two tiny chicks on the same territory formerly used by Old Gnarly, the crane with the deformed bill. It seems as if he is now among the dearly departed as he nested — not always successfully — in the same area at the north end of the North Field, for about a decade.

A link to the final update of the BAA R5/R6 AF e-Guide was sent yesterday. The AF guide will continue to be available here in the BAA Online Store. If you should have received your link but did not, please let me know via e-mail.

I put in several hours of work on the Canon EOS R5 Camera User’s e-Guide and hope to get even more done today. The complete guide will sell for $75.00. Folks who purchased their Canon gear using my links will receive a $65.00 discount; the guide will cost them a nominal $10.00. Folks who spent more than $7500.00 on Canon mirrorless gear using either of my affiliate links (B&H or Bedfords) will receive the User’s Guide for free. Folks who purchased the R5/R6 AF e-Guide will receive a $10.00 discount on the User’s e-Guide.

It was sunny with blue skies when I swam yesterday afternoon, but things turned totally grey by 5:00pm. Today is Wednesday 17 February 2021. The forecast for this morning is for early drizzle turning partly cloudy. I will likely get down to the lake at some point this morning even if only for a pier walk.

This post took about 1 1/2 hours to prepare and makes fifty-nine days in a row with a new one. Please remember…

Please Remember

With income from IPTs now at zero, 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 save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) — 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.

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day 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 use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists 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 a9 ii, 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.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on 22 April 2017 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. I used the handheld Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 348mm) and my favorite-ever Canon dSLR, the EOS 5D Mark IV . ISO 800. Exposure determined via test image/histogram evaluation. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Aperture Priority (Av) mode. RawDigger showed that I could have gone 1/3 stop lighter. AWB at 8:50am on a cloudy-bright morning. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Laughing Gulls copulating

The Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens

I really loved my 100-400 II. While the SONY 100-400 focuses just as close and is just as versatile, the zoom on the Canon 1-4 II was much smoother (than on the SONY 1-4). When selling used copies of this lens on the Used Gear Page, I have often written something like this:

The incredibly versatile 100-400 II was my favorite Canon lens. I loved the .98 meter close focus — tall folks can focus on their own toes! And it was a great flight lens with birds at close range. And I did well with it with the 1.4X III teleconverter. The 1-4 II currently sells new for $2,399.00 so you can save a very handsome $xxx by grabbing Joe Blow’s lens asap.

It wasn’t just hype! Today, the 100-400 II will kill with either an R5 or and R6 and the Standard RF to EF Adapter.

A Serious Depth-of-Field Mistake ???

Was f/9 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) a good choice for Image #1? Why or why not?

This image was created on 20 April 2017 at Fort DeSoto Park, Tierra Verde, FL. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my favorite-ever Canon dSLR, the EOS 5D Mark IV . Exposure determined via test image/histogram evaluation. ISO 400: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3 stop). AWB at 9:14am on a nearly sunny morning. Image #2: Breeding plumage Royal Tern displaying

The EOS 5D Mark IV

Near the end of my time using Canon gear, three 30.4MP 5D IVs served as my workhorse bodies for about four years. When selling used copies of this body on the Used Gear Page, I have often written something to this effect:

What can I say? The 5D IV was my favorite-ever Canon digital dSLR. I owned and used three of them while my 1DX II sat on the shelf in my garage for the most part. I routinely used the 5D IV with the 1.4X III or the 2X III teleconverters with both my 500 II and my 600 II super-telephoto lenses. The 5D IV sells new today for $2,499.00; if you have been dreaming of a 5D IV, grab Dumb Don’s camera body right now and save a cool xxxx.xx! artie

Again, it wasn’t just hype!

DeSoto in April

The huge attractions at DeSoto in April are the Royal and Sandwich Terns and the Laughing Gulls in full breeding plumage. Breeding behaviors such as courtship displays, courtship feeding, and copulations are seen often and in many cases, easily photographed. I can teach you to look for the behavioral clues that signal what will likely happen next. In addition, many of the wading birds are also in full breeding plumage.

Typos

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