Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Stuff

There was an influx of passerines (small perching birds) on Wednesday; I wound up with 32 species total in spite of missing a few easy birds. I had 28 on my Thursday morning walk; the birds that were present in the woods near my home were totally absent this morning …

I am still trying mightily to fill the single slot on the Falklands Land-based IPT (DEC 22, 2018 thru JAN 5, 2019). 🙁 If you missed the details or are interested in a discount offer, please see the blog post here and shoot me an e-mail immediately.

Only two folks are signed up for the Early Winter DeSoto IPT; do consider joining us on that or another IPT. You can see all the current offerings here.

Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime/Limit 13/Openings: 4

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for one or two couples, one couple and two singles, or four singles. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse, do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

New Listing

Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II Lens

Charlie Curry is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II lens in like-new condition for a very low $1598.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens hood, lens pouch/case, a low foot, the original foot, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Charlie via e-mail or by phone at 1-407-448-7797 Eastern time.

Y’all know how much I loved and now miss this amazingly versatile lens. artie

Price Drop!

Canon EF 200-400 f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (with extras!)

Price Reduced $400 on November 8, 2018.

Charlie Curry is offering a Canon EF 200-400 f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender in like-new condition (with extras) for $6,799.00 (was 7,199.00). The sale includes the lens trunk with keys, a RRS LCF-53 lens foot, the front and rear lens caps, and the original lens foot. Also included: the lens manual, the lens strap, and insured ground shipping via FedEx to US addresses only. Cashier’s check only.

Please contact Charlie via e-mail or by phone at 1-407-448-7797 Eastern time.

This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. And I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I loved it in the Palouse for its versatility. Last summer, I often found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT. Many nature photographers use it as their workhorse telephoto lens as it offers 784mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H for $10,999.00. You can save a neat $4,200.00 by grabbing Charlie’s like-new lens right now! artie

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on Day 1 — October 24, 2018 — of the recently concluded Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island expedition via icebreaker. While seated on the snow and ice, I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 400mm) with my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus about 1 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Auto 1 WB on a cloudy-bright morning One AF point up from the center AF point/Single/Shutter button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. I kept my 80-400 rig on my shoulder via an RS-7 Curve Breathe Strap so that it was instantly accessible when I was working with the tripod-mounted 500 PF. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Emperor Penguin/the first head portrait!

The Greeting Committee of One

It was almost predictable. We were less than 1/3 of the way to the colony when we encountered a single, very friendly adult Emperor Penguin right next to the flagged track. I could not believe our good fortune as the bird was completely accepting of our presence. You might say that it was totally oblivious. While standing, I made a few images to fine-tune my exposure and then sat to get a sky background. I stayed with this bird for about 15 minutes before heading toward the colony. The walk was rather easy but for the fact that I and most everyone was over-dressed and thus over-heated. Perhaps it was the encounter with this gorgeous penguin that made me feel as if I were floating on air rather than walking or trudging. As I walked I was thinking of the too-cute chicks and of getting close enough to some adults to create some Emperor Penguin abstracts.

Having seen many tens of thousands of King Penguins and a few hundred emperors, I raised this question quite often during the trip: Which is the more beautiful species, king or emperor? When comparing similar species, we will often feel that the rarer species is the more beautiful … We will further explore this topic in the future.

The Skinny on the Nikon 80-400 VR …

I love having the Nikon 80-400 VR on my shoulder via an RS-7 Curve Breathe Strap so that it is accessible when I am working with a longer tripod-mounted super-telephoto lens. It is very versatile and comparable in weight to the Canon 100-400 II. At times I find the extra 20mm at the wide end very useful — it was great working at 80mm for the ice patterns, but I do of course miss the close-focusing abilities of the Canon intermediate zoom which focuses down to .98 meters or 3.2 feet. That as compared to 1.75 meters or 5.74 feet.

Like the original Canon 100-400mm lens, there is a strong possibility that the construction of the current Nikon 80-400 VR is somewhat suspect. Why do I say that? When photographing on the DeSoto Fall IPT I had the lens on my shoulder and was using it to create images of flocks of feeding wading birds with marsh grass backgrounds. It was zooming in and out perfectly. I went to the long lens for a minute and when I went to the 80-400mm again it got badly stuck at 200mm; zooming wider than that was difficult at best. I was absolutely sure that I had not banged the lens at all, and could not understand why it got stuck. So I sent my 80-400 VR in to be repaired and got a loaner 80-400 VR for the trip. It was a bit odd that both my 80-400 and the borrowed one needed +5 AFA fine-tune with my backup D850. My 80-400 got back just before I left but to be safe I brought the loaner on the trip. To be honest I was worried about a repeat of the problem. The loaner performed perfectly throughout the voyage.

I was glad that Nikon fixed the lens under warranty and am hoping that the problem does not recur. When I mentioned to friend/client Anita North that I was having trouble zooming wider than 80mm with the 80-400, she said that she was having similar problems. She brought hers on the Emperor Penguin expedition and indeed, hers got stuck at 200mm but not as badly as mine had. If you have had a similar problem with your Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens, please leave a detailed comment.

Fort DeSoto in early winter is rife with tame birds. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The 2018 Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT/Thursday December 7 through the morning session on Monday December 10, 2018: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1549. Limit 8/Openings: 6.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in early winter. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We may very well get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three year. And we should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

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

There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

As with the fall IPT, this one will run with only a single registrant. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place at 7:30 on the evening of Sunday, September 23. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in late September. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers arrive.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

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

Typos

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

Stuff

Don’t forget to set your clocks back 🙂

I spent most of yesterday trying unsuccessfully to fill the single slot on the Falklands Land-based IPT (DEC 22, 2018 thru JAN 5, 2019). 🙁 If you missed the details and are interested, please see the blog post here.

Only two folks are signed up for the Early Winter DeSoto IPT; do consider joining us on that or another IPT. You can see all the current offerings here.

I was glad to learn that Multiple IPT veteran Mike Gotthelf sold his Canon EOS-7D Mark II for $799.00 soon after it was listed. If you have any Used Photo Gear page business, please shoot me an e-mail.

Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime/Limit 13/Openings: 4

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for one or two couples, one couple and two singles, or four singles. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse, do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Emperor Penguin Expedition composite

Bucket List Sea Ice Beyond Success …

After the ship was seemingly stuck in the ice for hours, the captain made good progress. When we stopped, we learned that he had gotten us within 6 miles of the Snow Hill Base camp. Everyone was elated as we were well within helicopter range. We had had several helicopter briefings and several Emperor Penguin trek briefings as well. The announced temperature on the morning of October 24 was -4 Celsius, about 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The helicopter operations ran like an oiled Swiss watch. I was on the third helicopter on Day 1, the first helicopter on Day 2, and the last helicopter on Day 3 which, due to two big storms in the Drake, would be our last. The first day everyone was mega-overdressed and constantly shedding layers. My X-trahand vest has a large rear pocket and two long straps on the upper back that made it easy to store (and carry) extra layers.

It was a pleasure meeting noted wildlife photographer and filmmaker Sue Flood on the trip. She has a great new book out, Emperor, the Perfect Penguin. Pretty much everyone on the ship — including and especially me — was inspired and motivated after browsing the hard copy of her book in the library. Better yet, Sue, who has probably spent more time at various Emperor Penguin colonies than any other photographer (living or dead), was amazingly helpful. On our journey down the Drake and through the ice she answered endless questions about gear, clothing, and her favorite bird. Thanks again Sue! You can order Sue’s book by clicking on the logo-link below.

In any case, Day 2 (my best single day of photography), was warmer still. And Day 3 was actually hot with many folks — including me — shedding their parkas and photographing in shirtsleeves without gloves! Having never worn sunglasses in my life, I tried without success to get a pair in the ship shop. Sue Flood kindly loaned me her back-up pair. I used them sparingly the first two days but by 9am on day 3, I could not look at the ice — sun blindness would be soon to arrive … Out of necessity, I devised a way to photograph with the sunglasses in place. That evening my eyes looked as if I had been on a six day drunken binge; they were nearly closed and bloodshot with huge dark bags under them. They returned to normal very quickly.

Sue stated that in all her years of visiting Emperor Penguin colonies that our weather for the three days or landings was the best she had ever seen or heard of. Warm with little to no wind and mostly cloudy bright conditions.

I will be sharing many of the images above from the trip with you here in future blog posts.

Blessed

Please understand that my life continues to be one amazing blessing after another. Very few folks on the planet have ever had the privilege of traveling (however arduous) to and photographing an Emperor Penguin colony, a trip that is possible for the general public only on a helicopter-equipped ice-breaker. That I was able to make the trip, to make the 3.7 mile round trip walk each, and to make more good images than I ever dreamed possible, was and is one one of the great highlights of a very rich life.

Your Favorites?

After viewing the (admittedly small) thumbnails, please leave a comment noting your three favorite images above. If you hit Command + a few times and view at 125%, you should be able to read the titles.

Sue Flood is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker, zoologist, adventure travel leader and public speaker. Her work takes her all over the world but she has a special passion for the wildlife and icy beauty of the Polar regions and is one of the very few women professional photographers who returns again and again to Earth’s harshest and most demanding environments.

Her first visit to the Poles happened during her 11 years in the BBC’s prestigious Natural History Unit, working on such global hits such as The Blue Planet and Planet Earth, with Sir David Attenborough; on National Geographic and Discovery Channel co-productions and on the Disney nature movie Earth.

Since then, Sue’s travels as a photographer have taken her to hundreds of destinations on all seven continents and found her camping at -25°C amid penguins, capturing rare scenes in the African bush, living aboard Russian ice-breakers; exploring the vast Pantanal wetlands of Brazil, guiding trips to exotic parts of Asia and seeking out spirit bears in North America.

Sue was born and brought up in Wales and attended The Queens School, Chester before gaining a zoology degree from the University of Durham. When she is not in some far-flung location Sue lives with her husband Chris Graham in North Wales, UK.

Fort DeSoto in early winter is rife with tame birds. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The 2018 Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT/Thursday December 7 through the morning session on Monday December 10, 2018: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1549. Limit 8/Openings: 6.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in early winter. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We may very well get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three year. And we should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

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

There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

As with the fall IPT, this one will run with only a single registrant. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place at 7:30 on the evening of Sunday, September 23. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in late September. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers arrive.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

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

Typos

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

Stuff

I got off the ship on the morning of Wednesday, October 31. I had two hours to kill before the bus would take my group to the airport. Amazingly, there were 4-8 Southern Giant Petrels feeding near shore and displaying aggressively. I grabbed the 500 PF and a D850 and sat on a rock for 105 minutes photographing them. Checking in at the Ushuaia airport was a nightmare for photographers with carry-ons. My X-tra hand vest saved me. I will share the details in a future blog post … The one-stop flight to Buenos Aires left me with a 3+ hour layover, then the red-eye to Miami. I slept a lot in 45-60 minute segments 🙂 The final leg was MIA to MCO where I was met by my dependable friend and employee, my right-hand man Jim Litzenberg.

Only two folks are signed up for the Early Winter DeSoto IPT; do consider joining us on that or another IPT. You can see all the current offerings here.

If you have any Used Photo Gear page business, please shoot me an e-mail.

Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime/Limit 12/Openings: 3

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for a couple or for two same-sex roommates, and for a male single. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on October 23, 2018 on the recently concluded Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island expedition via icebreaker. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 80mm) with my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 1000. Matrix metering plus 2/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. (Should have been plus at least 1 1/3 stops.) AUTO 1 WB on a cloudy afternoon. One AF point down from the center AF point/Single/Shutter button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. My rig was on my shoulder via an RS-7 Curve Breathe Strap to make sure that I did not drop it overboard. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #1: Sea Ice Patterns

The Drake Passage

From the trip advertisement:

DATE DESCRIPTION

Oct 19 Board the Khlebnikov.
Oct 20 – 21 Cross the famous Drake Passage to the Weddell Sea.
Oct 22 – 28 Six to seven days of opportunities for excursions to the emperor penguin colony of Snow Hill Island.
Oct 29 – 30 Cruise northward across the Drake Passage, returning to Ushuaia.

We did board the Kapitan Khlebnikov on the afternoon of October 19 as scheduled. So far so good. The first night, some of it in the Beagle Channel, was not bad. It was a bit rougher on our first full day As noted previously, icebreakers do not have a keel and thus roll significantly in all but very calm seas. They suggest at least “one hand for the ship.” I always went with two hands for the ship. It got very rough on the second night. There were winds in excess of 70mph with 20-25 foot seas. My roommate was thrown out of her bed across the room, fortunately without injury. Others did not fare as well. The biggest roll was =/- 35 degrees in a span of 11 seconds. (If anyone knows the correct technical term for the duration of a single roll, the 11 seconds above, please leave a comment. I am thinking that period might be correct …) With the still-large waves coming from the east, we spent almost all of day 2 heading east by slightly north to avoid rolling severely in a beam sea (with the waves at a right angle to the course of the vessel). In other words, we were sailing away from Antarctica … It took us three full days to cross the Drake. We got into the sea ice on the 23rd, a full two days behind schedule.

After attending a neat lecture on how icebreakers work by one of the Quark staff, I spent the afternoon on the bow looking for and photographing neat patterns in the sea ice.

So this turned out to be the reality:

Oct 19 Board the Khlebnikov.
Oct 20 – 24 Cross the famous Drake Passage to the Weddell Sea.

This image was also created on October 23, 2018 on the recently concluded Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island expedition via icebreaker. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 98mm) with my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus 1 2/3 stops: 1/500 sec. at f/8 in A (Aperture Priority) mode. AUTO 1 WB on a cloudy day. AUTO 1 WB on a cloudy day. Two AF points down from the center AF point/d-25/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. My rig was on my shoulder via an RS-7 Curve Breathe Strap to make sure that I did not drop it overboard. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: Cracked Ice Patterns

Seeing the Sea Ice Patterns

I shared my images with lots of folks on the ship. To a person, all were amazed by the sea ice images presented here, even those who had spent hours on deck photographing the ice. As with all nature photography with a zoom lens, here were my thought processes:

#1: Figure out a good exposure system as I did with images #2-4. Image #1 was a poor guess.

#2: Keep your eyes open and see what interests you.

#3: Once you see something interesting, zoom to the approximate focal length that you will need.

#4: Quickly move the AF point so that you can capture your vision on the card with the stuff that needs to be sharp in sharp focus.

Most of the boys and girls were looking out and seeing ice. I was looking for patterns …

Were We Gonna Make it to Snow Hill?

I had realized from the get-go that there was a least a chance that we would not be able to get to Snow Hill to photograph the Emperor Penguin colony. The first group, 12 days ahead of us, had gotten to the colony three times in very tough conditions with the air temps as low as -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) with winds gusting to beyond 30 knots. But there were no guarantees for us. If the ice had shifted we might not be able to get close enough to Snow Hill Island so that we were within helicopter range. If the winds were too high or there was fog, the copters could not fly. On the afternoon of day 4 it seemed that we were hopelessly stuck in the ice as the captain moved the ship forward and then back for hours without making any forward progress.

Word spread that we were about 20 miles from Snow Hill and that if we could not get closer that only half of the 100 passengers could get to the colony each day. If the weather was good. My attitude was that whatever happens would happen. Keep tuned in here to see if we made it to the Emperors or if the trip was a total bust …

This image was also created on October 23, 2018 on the recently concluded Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island expedition via icebreaker. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 98mm) with my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus 2 stops: 1/400 sec. at f/7.1 in A (Aperture Priority) mode. AUTO 1 WB on a cloudy day. Four AF points down and two to the left of the center AF point/d-25/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was placed on the corner of the crack in the lower left. My rig was on my shoulder via an RS-7 Curve Breathe Strap to make sure that I did not drop it overboard. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #3: Sea Ice with Lead and Crack

Your Favorite?

Which of the three featured images above do you like best? Why?

The First Distant Emperor …

This image was also created on October 23, 2018 on the recently concluded Emperor Penguins of Snow Hill Island expedition via icebreaker. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 98mm) with my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus 2 stops: 1/500 sec. at f/7.1 in A (Aperture Priority) mode. AUTO 1 WB on a cloudy day. Three AF points down and four to the left of the center AF point/d-25/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was placed on the penguin as originally framed. My rig was on my shoulder via an RS-7 Curve Breathe Strap to make sure that I did not drop it overboard. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image 4: Adult Emperor Penguin on Sea Ice

The First Emperor

When the ship sailed past this adult Emperor Penguin on the sea ice, I figured that I better make an image in case it was the only one that we would see. So I did.

Fort DeSoto in early winter is rife with tame birds. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The 2018 Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT/Thursday December 7 through the morning session on Monday December 10, 2018: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1549. Limit 8/Openings: 6.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in early winter. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We may very well get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three year. And we should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

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

There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

As with the fall IPT, this one will run with only a single registrant. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place at 7:30 on the evening of Sunday, September 23. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in late September. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers arrive.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

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

Typos

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

Stuff

As I am traveling in the Southern Ocean, I will be without internet access from the afternoon of October 19 until November 1. When I left, there were only two people signed up for the Early Winter DeSoto IPT; do consider joining us.

Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime/Limit 12/Openings: 3

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for a couple or for two same-sex roommates, and for a male single. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Airbnb

For the past few months, I have been hearing folks use the word Airbnb, most notably, Amy Novotny. Out of curiosity I asked a few questions. What I learned amazed me. Join Airbnb and become part of a community that connects global travelers with local hosts across the world. Find a place to stay and discover things to do. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, our secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. Last night I made a reservation for an Airbnb apartment for my upcoming January San Diego visit: 13 nights with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link below to save $25.00.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for their Edinburgh hotels, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on the 2018 Fall Fort DeSoto IPT on the morning of September 22, 2018. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 95mm) with my back-up mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. AUTO ISO 320. Matrix metering +2 2/3 stop: 1/125 sec. at f/4.5 in Tv mode. AUTO1 WB at 7:24am just before sunrise with some light clouds to the east. I used a single AF point two up and two to the left of the center AF point/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon). AF was active at the moment of exposure. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Tree skeleton in pre-dawn light

Keep Your Eyes Open All the Time …

I have had my eyes on a stand of tree skeletons at my favorite morning DeSoto location. The trees are killed by salt water and beach erosion as the ever-changing sands of the beautiful Pinellas County beaches erode and shift. I have even photographed them a few times but there were simply too many signs in the wrong places. On my most recent visit I was pleased to note that the small cluster of trees in today’s featured image was both isolated and sign-free.

I was last to leave the car and several of my folks were walking ahead of me. When I saw the golden light on the water (caused by the light clouds to the east) to our left, I called them all back to photograph the tree. Paraphrasing the late Robin Williams in his incredible golf stand up skit (If you want … a linguistic adventure, go drinking with a Scotsman), if you want to photograph nature, keep your eyes open. (If you can deal with lots of f-bombs, the skit is the funniest thing that I have ever seen. I have watched it many dozens of times and am listening to it as I type. It cracks me up every time. The first 2:15 of the Youtube video are hysterical.)

Anyway, back to nature photography: take a walk with your gear; keep your eyes open; and when you see something that catches your interest — be it a bird, an animal, color, an interesting plumage, or anything else — make a plan to create an image of whatever it is that interests you. To me, that is the essence of creativity …

To create today’s featured image I had to move back a good bit as I was too lazy to switch to my 24-120. In the background you see a hint of what was to become a huge red tide fishing spree involving several thousand birds.

The Blue Sand

Do you find the blue sand objectionable? Why or why not?

Fort DeSoto in early winter is rife with tame birds. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The 2018 Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT/Thursday December 7 through the morning session on Monday December 10, 2018: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1549. Limit 8/Openings: 6.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in early winter. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We may very well get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three year. And we should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

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

There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

As with the fall IPT, this one will run with only a single registrant. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place at 7:30 on the evening of Sunday, September 23. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in late September. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers arrive.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

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

Typos

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

Stuff

Last February, a friend and I signed up for Andrew McLachlan’s Cayman Brac/Brown Booby Workshop. We had a great time, learned a bunch, and wound up with a ton of great images (as seen on the blog). Andrew is a moderator in the Landscapes, Cityscapes and Travel Forum on BirdPhotographer’s.Net. His e-guide to frog photography will be published this fall by BIRDS AS ART books. Nuf’ said …

Peru – 2019
Landscapes and Micro Fauna of the Cordillera Escalera

Join Andrew McLachlan and Mark Pepper (Understory Enterprises) for an exclusive photography retreat within the Cordillera Escalera, near Tarapoto, Peru. This location is situated within the foothills of the Andes Mountains, in Amazonian Rainforest. The dates for this event are October 19 – October 26, 2019 (6 ½ days of photography). Maximum number of participants is 6 / 8 depending on participants attending (if two couples are attending the tour we can extend the capacity to 8). The minimum number of participants for this tour is 3. The photo tour fee is $3800.00 US Currency. We need to arrive in Tarapoto, Peru on October 19, 2019 and we will depart for home on October 26, 2019. Depending on everybody’s departure time on October 26, 2019, we may be able to fit in one additional half day of photography.

The focus of this photo tour will be landscapes and micro fauna of the Cordillera Escalera. There is nothing quite like watching the sun rise over the foothills of the Andes Mountains as each new day awakens, standing in awe at towering waterfalls, photographing dart frogs in their natural habitat, or venturing out to explore the night life of the Amazon rainforest. One highlight of the night-time excursions will be photographing the endangered Cochran Frog, which has a very limited range in the Cordillera Escalera. We will also be photographing many species of insects endemic to this region. The biodiversity of the Cordillera Escalera leaves no shortage of subjects to photograph.

For more info or to register, please contact Andrew via e-mail.

Mark Pepper

We could not ask for a more friendly and knowledgeable guide. Mark Pepper has been exploring this rainforest environment for over 15 years. Mark has even worked with BBC film crews filming in the area. Using his extensive knowledge and keen eye he will locate several species of dart frogs for us to photograph, not to mention some very fascinating insects!

Some locations during this tour will require the ability of being able to walk several kilometres over uneven terrain in a humid environment. If you have any concerns regarding this please do not hesitate to inquire for additional information.

Our accommodations will be at the luxurious Understory House, which is also equipped with a gorgeous infinity pool over-looking the Cordillera Escalera, within the foothills of the Andes Mountains and Amazonian rainforest. There are two rooms with one queen bed each and one room with two sets of adult bunkbeds. Many of our morning sunrise sessions will be conducted on site, as we have an outstanding view of the sun rising over the mountain range.

Itinerary:

Daily excursions will be determined based on the current weather conditions.
Image review sessions will be conducted both in the field via LCD and at the Understory House via laptop computers.
Breakfast – at the Understory House
Lunch – at various locations during the tour based on each day’s travel plans
Dinner – in the town of Tarapoto at one of the many fine restaurants

What’s Included:

In-depth Photographic instruction
Accommodation at the Understory House
Transportation to and from Understory House and to all photographic destinations
Pick-up and drop-off at the Tarapoto airport for your arrival and departure
Free Wifi at the Understory House
All meals

What’s Not Included:

Your airfare to and from Tarapoto, Peru (via Lima).

Alcoholic beverages
Travel insurance
Medical insurance

The Details

Photo Tour Fee: $3800.00 US per person.

To secure your spot a non-refundable deposit of $1,200 US is due now. The balance of the fee, $2600.00 US, is due no later than March 31, 2019. A signed Waiver of Liability form must accompany the non-refundable deposit. Waiver of Liability forms will be emailed to those wishing to register.

Travel Insurance: Participants are encouraged to purchase their own medical, travel, and trip cancellation insurance.

The Cancellation Policy: Full refund less $1200 US non-refundable deposit up to 91 days prior to Photo Tour date. No refunds 90 days prior to the date.

If fewer than three folks sign up you will receive a complete refund that will include your non-refundable deposit.

Stuff

As I am traveling in the Southern Ocean, I will be without internet access from the afternoon of October 19 until November 1. When I left, there were only two people signed up for the Early Winter DeSoto IPT; do consider joining us.

Like spoonbills? Do consider joining me on the Hooptie Deux Spoonbill IPT next February; scroll down for the details.

Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime/Limit 12/Openings: 3

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for a couple or for two same-sex roommates, and for a male single. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Airbnb

For the past few months, I have been hearing folks use the word Airbnb, most notably, Amy Novotny. Out of curiosity I asked a few questions. What I learned amazed me. Join Airbnb and become part of a community that connects global travelers with local hosts across the world. Find a place to stay and discover things to do. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, our secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. Last night I made a reservation for an Airbnb apartment for my upcoming January San Diego visit: 13 nights with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link below to save $25.00.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for their Edinburgh hotels, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created in Ushuaia, Argentina on the afternoon of October 18, 2018. I used the tiny, hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped-up mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 400. Matrix metering +1/3 stop: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AUTO1 WB at 4:45pm on a clear afternoon. I used a single AF point two up and two to the left of the center AF point with Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF. AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s neck right on the same plane as its eye. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +2. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #1: Dolphin Gull, adult in breeding plumage with mussel

The First Nikon 500mm PF Lens Images

On Wednesday afternoon, I headed down to the waterfront in Ushuaia to create a few images before we board the ship on the afternoon of Friday, October 19. It was wind against sun and there was not much around but I did make some decent images of the Dolphin Gulls. Image #1, above, was my fourth keeper with the new lens. I found hand holding the lens to be an amazing pleasure; I quickly got used to the small size and the light weight. When you raise the camera you are surprised at how large the bird is in the frame; it is hard to believe that it is a 500mm lens.

This image was also created in Ushuaia, Argentina on the afternoon of October 18, 2018. I used the tiny, hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and my souped-up mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 800. Matrix metering +1/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AUTO1 WB at 5:02pm on a clear afternoon. I used the center AF point with Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF. AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was placed on the bird’s face just below and slightly in front of the bird’s eye. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: -2. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: Dolphin Gull: unsharpened 100% crop of a head portrait

The 500 PF With the TC-E14

I was looking forward to trying the new lens with the TC-E14. I was very happy with the the speed of initial AF acquisition, the sharpness, and the incredible fine feather detail — the latter in part due to the fabulous image quality of the D-850 files. That said, the 500 PF is one very sharp lens. With the 1.4X TC, this combination will serve as my long telephoto lens on the (possible) Emperor Penguin hikes and on the Antarctica zodiac landings if we have bad luck with emperors.

From left to to right clockwise back to the center: Brown Pelican, Roseate Spoonbill downstroke, Brown Pelican sunrise silhouette, Double-crested Cormorant pre-dawn blur, Roseate Spoonbill flapping after bath, Brown Pelican taking flight, Roseate Spoonbill taking flight, Reddish Egret white morph breeding plumage in flight, and Reddish Egret dark morph breeding plumage in flight. All images on this card were created by me on the Hooptie Deux at Alafia Banks on the February 2018 trip. You can click on each card to enjoy a larger version.

2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT — FEB 16 thru 19, 2019: $2599.00. Limit: 5 photographers/Openings: 4.

3 1/2 days on the boat including four morning photo sessions and three afternoon sessions via customized pontoon boat.

Price per day Reduced from the 2018 rates! Please e-mail for details on IPT veteran and couples’ discounts. Pro-rated options may be available …

We will be leaving the dock very early for the morning sessions (weather permitting) in hopes of photographing the pre-dawn American Crow and White Ibis blast-offs. All sessions are planned for the Alafia Banks Roseate Spoonbill Rookery. We might consider other options in the unlikely event of horrific weather. There will be lots of opportunities for flight photography of several species including and especially Roseate Spoonbill. Also likely for flight photography are nesting Brown Pelican, both morphs of Reddish Egret, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, White and Glossy Ibises, and Double Crested Cormorant. We should have some good chances with birds carrying nesting material. This IPT includes all boat and guide fees, in the field instruction, chest waders (feel free to bring your own of course to assure a perfect fit), and three working lunches on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. For the most part we will be standing in mid-calf to knee high water behind our tripods. We help you get in and out of the boat with your gear. This is likely not the best trip for folks with mobility or balance problems. Note however that some folks opt to stay on the boat to photograph. They usually have lots of chances for flight photography of spoonbills and other species but are almost always pretty far away from the spoonbills that land.

All images on this card were created by me on the Hooptie Deux at Alafia Banks

The Timing and Tides are Perfect!

I recently saw a similar trip advertised two months too late for breeding plumage spoonbills … The 2019 Hooptie Deux/Roseate Spoonbill Boat 3 1/2 DAY IPT represents an incredible opportunity to photograph Florida’s most wanted species. I do hope that you can join us. There will be a meet and greet at 7:00pm sharp on the evening of Friday February 15, 2019. All of the images on the card were made on the Hooptie Duex during the last two weeks of February, prime time for the spoonies in mega-breeding plumage. Many folks have written expressing interest so please do not tarry.

Please e-mail to hold your spot. Then you may either secure your spot by calling Jim or Jennifer at the office at 863-692-0906 and leaving the $500 deposit on credit card or sending your check for payment in full to us as follows with the check made out to:

BIRDS AS ART and sent here via US mail:

BIRDS AS ART
PO BOX 7245
Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855

If you call to leave your deposit you will be asked to mail your check for the balance no later than December 15, 2018.

Images courtesy of our guide; copyright 2017 Captain James Shadle (aka Froggie). All of the images here were created at Alafia Banks. Card creation and design by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.

Everybody Loves Spoonbills!

Roseate Spoonbill is one of if not the most sought after avian photographic subjects in Florida. They are generally hard to find and somewhat difficult to approach. They are relatively easy to find at Alafia Banks—heck, you can’t miss seeing them, but even there they can on some days be somewhat difficult to approach. On some days we may be able to get ridiculously close to them. The huge incentive to get out to Alafia Banks in mid-February is the chance to photograph this species at the height of its spectacular breeding plumage…. with long telephoto lenses. A 500 or 600 with a 1.4X TC is perfect for this trip.

Mornings to Alafia Banks for spoonbills and Brown Pelicans (with lots of flight photography often with the birds likely carrying nesting material), Double-crested Cormorants, ibises (both Glossy and White) in breeding plumage. Some of the White Ibises may be sporting their spectacular, distended, red, naked (un-feathered) throat pouches—typically larger in the females. In addition we may get to photograph egrets including Great and Reddish, both in full breeding plumage, shorebirds, and more. There will be lots of flight photography opportunities. Afternoon trips will most likely be back to Alafia Banks for the spoonbills with an option to visit a more sheltered inland rookery location for a variety of nesting birds. In the event of horrific weather artie will either take the group to Fort DeSoto or will conduct an extensive image review/Photoshop session. This IPT includes lunches on the full days with small group image sharing and review and some over-the-shoulder Photoshop instruction.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

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

Typos

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

This Just In!

Berger Brothers on Long Island, NY has a Nikon 500 PF in stock right now. As they are pretty much impossible to get, give Brad Berger a call if you would like to own this lens: Brad Berger President, Berger Bros Camera, P 516-496-1000.

Stuff

As I am traveling in the Southern Ocean, I will be without internet access from the afternoon of October 19 until November 1.

Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime/Limit 12/Openings: 3

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for a couple or for two same-sex roommates, and for a male single. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Airbnb

For the past few months, I have been hearing folks use the word Airbnb, most notably, Amy Novotny. Out of curiosity I asked a few questions. What I learned amazed me. Join Airbnb and become part of a community that connects global travelers with local hosts across the world. Find a place to stay and discover things to do. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, our secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. Last night I made a reservation for an Airbnb apartment for my upcoming January San Diego visit: 13 nights with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link below to save $25.00.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for their Edinburgh hotels, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Emperor Penguin Logistics Possibilities

We board the Kapitan Khlebnikov, one of four Kapitan Sorokin class icebreakers, on Friday afternoon, October 19, 2018. The plan is to sail south through the Drake Passage and then navigate through the ice in order to get close enough to the Snow Hill Island Emperor Penguin colony to access the colony via helicopter. If that works, then there is a roughly one mile plus walk to the colony. And back. In a perfect world we might get visit the birds six times before heading back to Ushuaia and home. It was made perfectly clear from the get-go that there would be a chance — depending on the ice conditions and the weather, that might not see a single Emperor Penguin or Emperor Penguin chick. Wish us luck.

For an excellent overview of our trip, see Amy’s blog post here.

Emperor Penguin Gear Bag

I left the house with the smaller of my two Think Tank Rolling Bags, the AIRPORT SECURITY™ V3.0. It tipped the scales at only 34 pounds, a record-low by far for me. More typical would be 44 to 46 pounds …

Here is what I am taking:

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens

The 500 PF will be my primary long telephoto lens, often with the TC-E14, rarely, I am assuming, with the TC-E17.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens

The 80-400 VR will serve as a wider angle intermediate telephoto and in the event of a 500 PF disaster, as a back-up.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens

The 24-120 is my never-leave-home-without-it/all purpose do-everything lens for bird-scapes, ship-shots, scenics, and some close-ups. It replaces the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II.

Two of these: Nikon D850 DSLR Camera (Body Only)

I love my two D-850s as much as I loved my Canon 5D Mark IV bodies. I will take both bodies to the colony so that I can have the 500 PF and the 80-400 at hand, or in case one of the bodies fails.

Two of these: Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III

I cannot afford to lose a 1.4X (as I have done several times in the past) or have a malfunction so I bring a back-up.

Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II

I Focus Fine-tuned this with the 500 PF just in case …

The 20mm Extension Tube from this set: Kenko Auto Extension Tube Set DG (12, 20 & 36mm Tubes) for Nikon cameras.

I took this along in case the penguins get friendly.

In my checked bag I have the Induro GIT 204 and my Mongoose M3.6. I went with the lighter tripod to lessen the load on the mile long walk to the colony (perhaps) and because it is more than sturdy enough for the 500 PF. As noted here previously, I made sharp images off the GIT 204 with the 600 VR and the TC-E14 … I have been using the Mongoose for all of my super- and intermediate telephoto lens photography for forever, for everything from 70-200mm to 100-400 II to 500 to 600 to 800mm. It is simply the best. I did not bring a ballhead on this trip; everything done with the 24-105 will be hand held.

Here is what I am leaving at home:

I opted to leave my Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens, and the Nikon D5 DSLR at home. The 600 VR is simply too heavy to carry on the trek to the colony (should we be lucky enough to do that at least once). The 2-5 is trumped by the 500 PF. And the D5 because there will be only a limited amount of flight photography from the ship.

I will comment on boots and clothing when I get back. If I forget, please remind me.

The Southern Ocean Photography Guide

Yes, at $100 this guide is pricey. But considering that your trip is costing you in excess of $10,000, and often close to three or more times that — depending on your choice of cabin and class of flight service, the stuff you will learn will pay for itself many times over. Not to mention that it will help you make better images. I wrote the guide after my first seven trips to the penguins. Learn more or purchase here.

Your Call?

If you were making a trip to Antarctica, what gear would you bring?

Fort DeSoto in early winter is rife with tame birds. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The 2018 Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT/Thursday December 7 through the morning session on Monday December 10, 2018: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1549. Limit 8/Openings: 7.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in early winter. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We may very well get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three year. And we should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

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

There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

As with the fall IPT, this one will run with only a single registrant. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place at 7:30 on the evening of Sunday, September 23. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in late September. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers arrive.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

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

Typos

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

Stuff

We are all packed and headed for the airport as I type. I fly MCO to MIA and then red-eye to EZE (Buenos Aires). Then we take a bus to AEP, the in-country Buenos Aires airport. From there we fly to Ushuaia arriving — if all goes well — at about 7:30 pm on Tuesday. A svelte 27 hours door to door. We are scheduled to board the ship on Friday afternoon. Again — if all goes well — I will be back in my home-office on the afternoon of November 2.

Just a single participant on the DeSoto winter IPT. And I do go with one. 🙂

Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime/Limit 12/Openings: 3

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for a couple or for two same-sex roommates, and for a male single. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Airbnb

For the past few months, I have been hearing folks use the word Airbnb, most notably, Amy Novotny. Out of curiosity I asked a few questions. What I learned amazed me. Join Airbnb and become part of a community that connects global travelers with local hosts across the world. Find a place to stay and discover things to do. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, our secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. Last night I made a reservation for an Airbnb apartment for my upcoming January San Diego visit: 13 nights with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link below to save $25.00.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for their Edinburgh hotels, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

Last Minute Miracle

In the Desperate to Give Away a Free IPT/Urgent Help Needed blog post here, I offered $500 in cash or a free DeSoto in Winter or San Diego IPT in to the first person who would loan me a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens. In no time at all my cell rang. It was multiple IPT veteran Michael Goodman. He was both a good man and good to go on my offer.

Soon after Michael called I got this e-mail from Jemini Joseph:

Arthur, Are u in Tampa/St. Petersburg area? I live in Lutz and own the lens. Do u consider meeting somewhere in the middle and taking the lens yourself? I’m busy with work and a little baby. I won’t be able to shoot much for few weeks anyway. I can rent you the lens for your offer of $500. I won’t be able to join the tour. I’m sure you won’t abuse the lens. Please let me know.

A very kind offer and I could have had Jim drive over and meet him halfway. But as Micheal had been on two IPTs, he had been the first to respond, and there was no reason in the world to think that I would not have the lens by Thursday so I politely declined.

Jim prepared an United Parcel overnight airbill and printed and scanned it. We e-mailed the scan to Michael who packed the lens up safely in an old B&H box. Have you spotted the danger yet? It was the shipping box for a camera … Spotted it yet? He kindly took the box to a local Staples in New Hampshire on Wednesday afternoon and we were good to go for a Thursday delivery. With plenty of time to micro-adjust the new lens with two camera bodies, one of my two TC-E14 IIIs, and my TC-E17 II. Or not?

As you have likely figured out by now, the lens did not arrive on Thursday. I went online to track the shipment and saw the words you do not want to see:

A hazardous materials irregularity occurred with this package. We’ll contact the sender with additional information.

With us preparing the label, we were both the sender and the receiver. We did receive an e-mail on the office computer from the HazMat team on Thursday afternoon:

Violation
Acct# W99F52
Tracking#: 1ZW99F520146778090

Violation: Air package with a partially covered UN3481 caution label. That label must be completely visible or completely covered up, or completely visible to travel through the UPS system.

Shipper Address: BIRDS AS ART

Consignee: JIM
BIRDS AS ART
4041 GRANADA DR
INDIAN LAKE ESTATES FL 33855
UNITED STATES

Status: Held

If held, address of pick-up location: 92 INDUSTRIAL PK DR, DOVER, NH, 03820-4332

Shippers may contact the Hazardous Material Support Center at 1-800-554-9964, 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday if they have any questions about their Hazardous Materials Regulations.

Due to your recent hazardous materials shipment violation I want to re-emphasize the importance of proper and thorough hazardous materials training with you. The DOT regulations require training every 3 years. Failure to ensure your company’s hazardous materials employees have been properly trained in areas of General Awareness, Function-Specific, Safety and Security Awareness can result in fines of up to $600 per employee in each of the four areas. At UPS we offer both on-site and public hazardous materials training. For more information please go here.

Ted K.
UPS Hazardous Material Associate

So, I called Mr. K. He explained that there was a partially exposed Hazardous Materials label on the box. Ugh. Micheal had re-used an old B&H box with the label still partially visible. You would think that the folks at Staples might have picked up on that …

He told me no problema and sent a follow-up e-mail with instructions for preparing a letter to get the parcel released. Jim did a great job writing the letter that stated that there were no hazardous materials in the package and that we gave permission to UPS to re-box the parcel. We scanned the letter and sent it to Ted K. via e-mail.

I called him an hour later to see if he received it. He said that he had and that he had been in touch with his auditors who would be in 6:30pm central time and that the lens “would be on it’s way that evening for Friday delivery.” Or not 🙂

By midday Friday UPS tracking still showed that the lens was being held in Dover, NH for a HazMat violation. So I started calling UPS. “It made it to Philadelphia.” Each time the message was the same but with a different time. 8pm on Thursday, 9:08 on Thursday, and 12:38m on Friday. YOu will get the package on Friday.” So I thought that I still had hopes of getting it that Friday. But the tracking remained the same; the package was not moving. So on Friday afternoon I called Ted K. He told me that he did not know what happened but that the would contact the auditors to find out. He called back in an hour and said, “They were very busy last night and your package did not go out.” It will do out tonight for Monday delivery.

Now, when I was sitting next to Jim who was filling out the label, we considered checking the box for “Saturday Delivery”. “What could go wrong? we asked each other. I think that at one point we have the box checked and then un-checked it … I spent several more hours on the phone with UPS that afternoon trying to get the shipment upgraded to Saturday delivery. Sorry, no can do …

When I tracked the package late on Friday night it showed this:

Louisville, KY, United States 10/13/2018 4:37 A.M. Departure Scan
10/13/2018 1:34 A.M. Arrival Scan

And that is what it showed all day on Saturday. So early on Sunday morning, I e-mailed Jemini to explore the possibility of renting his lens and picking it up as early as possible by meeting him half way. I had of course, lost faith in UPS as my continued phone calls continued only to raise my blood pressure (not my hopes). Then my ATT e-mail went down. When service was finally restored I got this e-mail from Jemini.

Arthur, Sorry to hear that the other lens didn’t work out. Hey thanks for the comment on my pictures. It means a lot since it came from you.

I’m down with flu since Friday and whole family got infected; I’m not in a shape to drive any distance. 🙁 I live close by Veterans (Suncoast Parkway or 589) and 54. I cannot leave the baby at this stage as my wife is down too. I don’t want you to get infected either. Do you want it today? If I feel better I can try this afternoon or tomorrow. Where are you coming from? I don’t want to make someone like Arthur Morris to drive all the way here! Please let me know if afternoon or tomorrow will work for you.

By the time I got back to him it was too late on Sunday to grab the lens as that involved a four-hour round trip. I told him to get well fast along with the rest of the family.

I kept tracking the lens all day on Sunday but it kept saying the same thing:

Louisville, KY, United States 10/13/2018 4:37 A.M. Departure Scan
10/13/2018 1:34 A.M. Arrival Scan

So I hit the sack on Sunday night still hoping to get the lens early enough on Monday to have time to micro-adjust it. At 6am on Sunday I refreshed the tracking window:

Lake Wales, FL, United States 10/15/2018 4:45 A.M. Arrival Scan
Jacksonville, FL, United States 10/15/2018 1:08 A.M. Departure Scan
Jacksonville, FL, United States 10/14/2018 5:18 P.M. Arrival Scan

I was too, too happy. The lens was at our Lake Wales UPS center. I had called our regular UPS driver on his cell on Sunday afternoon and he said that if the package arrived that I could have Jim drive into town and meet him at his first drop-off location. And, after a few Monday morning phone calls that is exactly what happened.

When Jim called me at 8:35am my heart sank. What can it be now? “This can’t be the 500mm lens. The package is too small and too light.”

He did not know that that was exactly why I so badly wanted to get it for the Emperor Penguin trip.

He was home before nine and I spent the rest of the morning micro-adjusting. Hooray! More on the micro-adjusting here soon.

If you had written the above in a book or a movie nobody would have believed it …

Your Story?

If you have had a Catch-22/Murphy’s Law shipping nightmare, feel free to share by leaving a comment below.

Fort DeSoto in early winter is rife with tame birds. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The 2018 Fort DeSoto Early Winter IPT/Thursday December 7 through the morning session on Monday December 10, 2018: 3 1/2 DAYS: $1549. Limit 8/Openings: 7.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in early winter. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With luck, we may get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher almost guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We may very well get to see and photograph the amazing heron/egret hybrid that has been present for three year. And we should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

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

There will be a Photoshop/image review session after lunch (included) each day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

As with the fall IPT, this one will run with only a single registrant. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with the hotel information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel (rather than at home or at a friend’s place).

A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight folks so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please remember that the meet and greet will take place at 7:30 on the evening of Sunday, September 23. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in late September. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Early and Late

Getting up early and staying out late is pretty much a staple on all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours; on this particular trip we will get lots of sleep as the days are short. Being in the field well before the sun comes up and staying out until sunset will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers arrive.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Facebook

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

Typos

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

Stuff

Well, the hoped for miracle occurred yesterday; Multiple IPT veteran Michal Goodman Fed-Exed his Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens to me. As soon as it arrives I will begin micro-adjusting it. I was so excited when he called that I could barely stand it.

Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity

Not sure how the conversation began, but when Micheal was with me at Nickerson last summer we wound up talking about college and discovered that we had both been AE Pi. I was AE Pi Beta Pi (at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, where I pledged) and Phi Theta (at Brooklyn College). If there are any other brothers out there, please leave a comment or get in touch. On a related note, if you missed the part I of the Savior Labs podcast yesterday, click here to access it.

News on the Galapagos Front/Limit 12/Openings: 3

Right now I have nine folks committed to the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise. A friend who had committed to the trip learned that he and his wife might not be able to attend. Thus, I have room for a couple or for two same-sex roommates, and for a male single. If the archipelago is on your bucket list, please get in touch via e-mail asap with questions. If you might be registering with a friend or a spouse do ask about the two at a time discount. See the complete details here.

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

New Listings

Canon EOS 1DX dSLR

Multiple IPT veteran Mike Gotthelf is offering a Canon EOS 1DX in near-mint condition for $2299.00. The sale includes the instruction manual, the front cap, the strap, the charger and cord, one battery, the original box and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mike via e-mail or by phone at 1-978-407-0679 –Will be in Hawaii until 10/26, then Eastern Time Zone; will be able to arrange shipment while away).

Two 1DX bodies severed admirably as my workhorse digital camera bodies for several years. The original 1DX has a superb AF system and produces high quality image files. It is fabulous for photographing birds in flight and in action. Some folks wish that they had kept their 1DX bodies and not upgraded to the 1DX Mark II … artie

Canon EOS 7D Mark II dSLR

Multiple IPT veteran Mike Gotthelf is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in near-mint condition for $799.00. The sale includes the instruction manual, the front cap, the strap, the charger and cord, one battery, the original box and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mike via e-mail or by phone at 1-978-407-0679 –Will be in Hawaii until 10/26, then Eastern Time Zone; will be able to arrange shipment while away).

Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about two years ago when we both committed to using full frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. BPN’s Dan Cadieux (try a blog search) uses a 7D II with great success. And 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. Mike’s camera body is priced to sell. artie

Canon EOS 1D Mark III dSLR

Multiple IPT veteran Mike Gotthelf is offering a Canon EOS 1D Mark III in excellent condition (with a very few tiny scratches on the corner of the viewfinder housing) for the amazingly low, might-as-well-be-giving-it-away price of $449.00. The sale includes the instruction manual, the front cap, the strap, the charger and cord, one battery, the original box, the AC adapter, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mike via e-mail or by phone at 1-978-407-0679 –Will be in Hawaii until 10/26, then Eastern Time Zone; will be able to arrange shipment while away).

Two EOS-1D Mark IIIs served as my workhorse camera bodies for more than 2 years. I created thousands of consistently sharp, saleable images with them. As with my two 1D III bodies, Mike never experienced any AF problems with his 1D III. This is a great price for a rugged professional digital camera body. artie

Airbnb

For the past few months, I have been hearing folks use the word Airbnb, most notably, Amy Novotny. Out of curiosity I asked a few questions. What I learned amazed me. Join Airbnb and become part of a community that connects global travelers with local hosts across the world. Find a place to stay and discover things to do. Airbnb lists more than 4.5 million homes across 200 countries; you’ll find spacious, affordable options for every occasion. With Airbnb you will travel with confidence as reviews from past guests help you find the right fit. Once you do, our secure messaging makes it easy to coordinate with your host. And Airbnb support teams are available 24/7. Last night I made a reservation for an Airbnb apartment for my upcoming January San Diego visit: 13 nights with a full kitchen and two bedrooms.

Yikes. I almost forgot the best part: Airbnb rates average less than half of even the least expensive chain hotels and motels. If you would like to save $40 on your first booking sign up by using this link: Airbnb. Airbnb does charge clean-up and service fees that make short stays less attractive bargains than long stays.

Those who prefer to stay in a motel or hotel are invited to use the Booking.com link below to save $25.00.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for their Edinburgh hotels, got great rates, and saved a handsome $25.00 in the process. If you too would like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and to earn a $25 reward on your first booking. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on Staple Island on July 8 on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III (at 550mm) and the blazingly fast professional dSLR, the Nikon D5 (with Dual XQD slots). ISO 800. Matrix metering +2 stops off the grey sky: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AUTO1 WB at 11:25am on completely cloudy morning. Center Group (grp) Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure as originally framed (above). Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. The original for today’s featured image/Capture NX-D screen capture Image copyright 2018: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Your Plan?

I liked the head of the second bird in the bottom of the frame but did not like that the subject was angling away from it. Before you scroll down, consider what you would do with this image …

EXIF Question

If you check the image caption carefully and compare it with the EXIF data in the screen capture above, you should be confused by something. If one person lets us know the source of their confusion, I will provide an explanation.

Limited Time …

On our puffin boat trip landings we enjoy about two and one half to three hours on each of the two islands, depending on the weather and the sea conditions. Knowing where to be on what wind with a given sky condition is instrumental to the photographic success of each landing. On every IPT, you will learn to analyze the wind direction and sky conditions and learn the principles involved so that when you get back home or to another travel destination, you will be able to maximize your time in the field by being in the right place at the right time.

Alex Becker’s Guillemot Image

The moment that I saw the thumbnail of Alex Becker’s very fine guillemot image here in the Avian Forum on BPN, I knew exactly where the image had been created.

Note: this species is called Common Murre in North America, Common Guillemot in Europe.

This image was created on Staple Island on July 8 on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III (at 550mm) and the blazingly fast professional dSLR, the Nikon D5 (with Dual XQD slots). AUTO ISO 800. Matrix metering +2 stops off the grey sky: 1/1250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AUTO1 WB at 11:25am on completely cloudy morning. Center Group (grp) Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure as originally framed (above). Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +3. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Common Murre landing with fish for chick Image copyright 2018: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Image Optimization

I knew from the get-go that I wanted to move the head at the bottom of the frame to the opposite side of the frame so that the bird landing with the fish would be flying toward the second bird rather than away from it. And I knew that I would crop to a vertical. The very sharp D5 image held up nicely to the substantial crop. The NEF file was converted in ACR.

To move the head, I painted a Quick Mask of the head along with some surrounding water. Then I placed the selection on its own layer, flopped it using the Transform Tool, and moved it into place using the Move Tool (V). There was a tonality mismatch with the water so I added a Regular Layer Mask and — working very large — painted away the water and then hit X to paint back in the edges that had been slightly smudged.

Though the RGB values from the fish were OK, there was little detail in the brightest areas so I selected the highlights with the Quick Selection Tool (W), applied a Linear Burn, reduced the Opacity to 15%, and then fine-tuned the selection with a Regular Layer Mask painting away the edges that had gotten a bit too dark.

Then I selected the head and the fish, again with the Quick Selection Tool (W), and applied a layer of my NIK Color EFEX Pro 40/40 Detail Extractor/Tonal Contrast recipe. Even though the RGB numbers looked fine the white breast looked too dingy. Working on a new layer I made a Selective Color adjustment by removing 20 points of WHITE from the BLACK channel. That really brighten up the image. Last was a slightly boxy vertical crop.

Everything above is of course detailed in the Current Workflow e-Guide, aka Digital Basics II. Learn more or purchase here.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All of the images on this card were created on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 10 photographers. Co-leader: Peter Kes.

Join me in the UK in late June and early July 2019 to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet, Red Kite, and more both in flight and at close range. We will also have great chances with Arctic and Sandwich Terns, both with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many of those chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks; plus Grey Seal. There will be tons of great flight photography. As on all IPTs, if you pay attention, you will learn a ton, especially about sky conditions and the relationship between light angle and wind direction and their effects on flight photography.

Why go all the way to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine, endure a two-hour boat ride, and have to photograph Atlantic Puffins from a cramped blind usually in bright sun (and well off sun angle) when you can hop a red-eye flight from Newark, NJ and be in Edinburgh, Scotland early the next morning. First we drive down to Bridlington for easy access to Bempton Cliffs where our primary targets will be Northern Gannet in flight. We will also get to photograph Razorbill, Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. While in Bridlington we will spend one afternoon visiting a Red Kite feeding station that should provide lots of flight photography action.

While in Bridlington we will staying at the Lobster Pot by Marston’s Inn, just fifteen minutes from Bempton Cliffs. After 3 1/2 days of photography at there, we drive down to Seahouses in Northumberland to the two lodges that will be our home base for a week. After a short boat ride each day we will have hundreds of puffins posing at close range all day, every day — usually in ideal cloudy-bright conditions. While we are in Seahouses we will do six puffin/seabird trips, all weather permitting of course; last year we did not miss a single landing. In five years we have averaged losing less than one half day per year to bad weather. We land at Staple Island in the mornings and then sail over to Inner Farnes for our afternoon sessions. In addition, we may enjoy a session or two photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level from a rocky beach in Seahouses.

In Seahouses, we stay 7 nights in gorgeous, modern, upscale lodges with Wi-fi. They are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The bedrooms are decent-sized. Each lodge has one double bedroom and two twin bedrooms. (See the single supplement info below.) At the lodges we cook our own breakfasts each morning and prepare our own lunches to be brought on the six puffin boat trips. For dinners we will alternate cooking in the lodges with fine dining at several excellent local restaurants. We stay two nights at the Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. We will enjoy a fine-dining Thank You dinner at the Dunbar Hotel on the Tuesday evening before we fly home.

On the morning of Monday, July 8, 2019, the plan is to sleep late, pack, and head up to Dunbar Harbor, Scotland for lunch and an afternoon gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. The next morning, Tuesday July 9, we will enjoy our second gannet boat chumming trip (both weather permitting). On both trips we will enjoy great views of the huge gannetry at Bass Rock. Included will be two nights lodging at the Pine Martin by Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. Very early on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, we will drive up to Edinburgh Airport so that everyone can make their flights home. No moaning please. You will need a flight that leaves at 8:30am or later. Not too much later is generally best. Note: this trip needs a minimum of four photographers to run.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All images were created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The Details

This IPT is all-inclusive except for your airfare and alcoholic beverages. All ground transportation, lodging costs, meals, your National Trust membership, and all boat, entry, and landing fees are included. Weather permitting, we will enjoy three and one-half days (at least six sessions in all) at Bempton Cliffs, an afternoon with the Red Kites, six full days on the puffin boats, one amazing afternoon gannet chumming trip, and one spectacular morning gannet chumming trip. The trip cannot be finalized until I have at least six deposits as we will be renting a lovely 15-passenger bus with our private professional driver who happens to be my web-master, Peter Kes, who is also a skilled photographer and my co-leader 🙂

IPT Details

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples of course are more than welcome, heck, we actually need two couples — please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on February 28, 2019. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Single Supplement Info

Single supplement rooms in Bridlington and Dunbar are available for those who register early. The cost of the single supplement for those six nights is $600.00. Single supplement rooms at the lodge may be available on a limited basis but only if the trip does not fill with ten photographers. The single supplement fee for those seven nights is $700. If you would like your own room in Bridlington and Dunbar, please request it when making your deposit and include payment in full for the single supplement with your deposit: $2,600.00. The single supplement deposits are non-refundable as I will need to make the reservations well in advance.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

I truly hope that you can join me on this exciting venture.

Help Support the Blog

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If In Doubt …

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

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

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Typos

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

This Just In!

IPT veteran Michael Goodman is a saint and shall be forever blessed. At least by me. He is sending me his 500 PF today to arrive on Thursday!

Desperate to Give Away a Free IPT/Help Needed

If you are one of the very few lucky enough to own the just released Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens please consider the following offer:

1-You ship your lens to me today, Wednesday, October 10, 2018 via Fed-Ex or UPS overnight at my expense. I will provide my account number for either courier to cover the insured shipping.

2- I will return your lens via major courier via second day air on November 2, 2018.

3- If you are in any way unhappy with the condition of the lens when I return it, I will replace your lens with the lens I have on order and will pay all shipping.

4-In exchange for the considerations above, in effect, a 2+ week rental, I offer either:

a-a check for $500.00

b-a free San Diego or Fort DeSoto Early Winter Instructional Photo-Tour, respectively priced at $2,099 and $1549. You will pay for your own air transportation, rental car, and lodging.

Please get in touch immediately via e-mail if you would like to proceed. Or call my cell at 863-221-2372.

thanks with love, artie