Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Understanding Photography Podcast Today, Friday August 9, 2018! from Naples, FL

From the lovely and irrepressible Peggy Farren’s Understanding Photography FaceBook page:

This Friday, August 10 at 4 pm EDT – the fabulous Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART will be the guest on our 100th episode of The Understand Photography Show! Get your questions ready as this will be a live question and answer show! With prizes! Be sure to comment or ask questions over on the Understand Photography page while watching the show to enter!

Also, we are selecting a very small studio audience. If you’d like to attend the live show, shoot me an email asap to peggy@understandphotography.com.

From Me

On the podcast we will be talking in depth about my switch from Canon and Nikon, the pros and cons of each system for bird photographers, the best tripod head for bird photography, and the most common mistakes made by bird photographers. And lots more.

ps: you can scroll down on the FB page to see the first episode that I did with Peggy.

Long Island Small Group Instruction

I will be returning to my old haunts on Long Island from 15-27 August, prime time for bird photography. If you would like to learn how to photograph the skimmers at Nickerson Beach, do consider joining me.

Skimmer Sessions

Join me at Nickerson Beach to photograph Black Skimmers and lots more. Gull predation of young skimmers is likely. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm OK with crop factor bodies.

Skimmer Morning: Thursday, AUG 16, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Morning: Friday AUG, 17, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Morning: Wednesday, AUG, 22, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4.

Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Friday, AUG 17, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Tuesday AUG 21, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Wednesday AUG 22, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.

Please inquire e-mail for multiple session discounts.

To register, please call Jim or Jen with your credit card in hand: 863-692-0906. I hope that you can join me.

Please inquire via e-mail for multiple session discounts.

To register, please call Jim or Jen with your credit card in hand: 863-692-0906. I hope that you can join me.

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.

Recent Sales

IPT veteran Bill Wingfield sold a Wimberley V-2 WH-200 Gimbal Head in very good condition for a ridiculously low $299.00 and a Gitzo GT3532LS Carbon Fiber tripod in good condition for only $249.00, both in early August.
IPT veteran Bill Wingfield sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for $1049.00 in late July 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 5DS R in like-new condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $1999.00 (was $2399.00).
Carolyn Peterson sold a Canon GPS receiver GP-E2 for EOS camera bodies in near-mint condition for $149 in mid-July.
BAA-friend “Bug” Bob Allen sold a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Zoom lens in excellent condition for the a BAA record low price of $527.00 in mid-July.
NANPA President Don Carter sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $525 the first day it was listed. Yours truly sold his like-new Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens for $699 in late June.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in near-mint condition for the BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $2349.000 and a Canon 2X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for $285.00 both in mid-July.

Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Lens (for Canon EF mount)

Ron Gates is offering a Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS (optical stabilization) HSM Lens (for Canon EF mount) in excellent plus condition (with a smudge on the lens hood) and a Wimberley P-20 plate for the bargain price of $449. The sale includes the front and back lens covers, the Wimberley P-20 plate (a $58 value), the carrying case, and insured ground shipping via major courier. Your lens will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Ron via e-mail or by phone at 972-890-4105 (Central time.)

I have seen lots of sharp images made with a variety of Sigma telephoto zoom lenses; Ron’s lens would be great for someone looking for an inexpensive quality telephoto zoom. artie

Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens

Price dropped $749 on 8 AUG 2018!

Mansoor Assadi is offering a barely used Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in mint condition for the astounding BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $6999.00 (was $7748.00). The sale includes the original box and everything that came in it including the lens trunk along with insured ground shipping via major courier. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mansoor via e-mail or by phone at 415-559-8027 (Pacific time).

This fast, super-sharp, relatively lightweight (8.49 pounds) super-telephoto lens is a versatile lens for wildlife photographers, especially for those who live in the west and do large mammals in low light. And it is a hugely popular lens with sports photographers. For bird photographers working at close range at feeder set-ups will really love the 3m (9.8 feet) close focus. And best of all, it creates super-sharp images with both the 1.4X III and the 2X III Extenders. It currently sells new at B&H for $9,999. You can save some a very significant 3000 bucks by grabbing Mansoor’s lens right now. artie

Price Drop!

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Price Reduced $200 on August 10, 2018.

Todd Koudelka is also offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV in near-mint condition (but for a few tiny, barely visible scratches) for the BAA record-low-by-far of $2249.00 (was $2449.00). The body has less than 7,000 shutter actuations. The sale includes the front body cap, the lens strap, the original battery and charger, the USB cord, the two CDs, the manual, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Todd e-mail or by phone at 1-608-577-5375 (Central time)

What can I say. The 5D IV was my favorite-ever Canon dSLR. Fabulous image files and an excellent AF system. I owned and use three of them while my 1DX II sat on the shelf in my garage for two years. If you have been dreaming of a 5D IV, grab Todd’s practically new copy asap. The 5D IV currently sells new for $3099.00 so you will be saving a cool $650. artie

Great Buy!

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Todd Koudelka is offering a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (“the “old five”) in very good plus condition for the BAA record-low price of $3199.00. The lens which -functions perfectly — would be excellent but for the fact that Todd used camo tape rather than a LensCoat and when he removed the tape he pulled off some paint. He did paint over the area with the correct Canon paint. The sale includes the lens trunk with key, the rear cap, the front lens cover, the lens strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Todd e-mail or by phone at 1-608-577-5375 (Central time).

The 500mm f/4 lenses have been the world’s most popular telephoto lenses for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. I owned and used and loved my “old five” for many years. If you don’t have the cash for a 500 II and can handle the additional 1 1/2 pounds, then this is your best super-telephoto option. Most everyone can produce sharp images with this lens and a 1.4X TC. Folks with good to excellent sharpness techniques can do the same with a 2X TC. With the new 500 II selling for $8,999 you can save a bundle by grabbing Todd’s lens at this record-low BAA price. 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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Hard to Find Nikon Stuff Available Now

Steve Elkins has several Nikon D850s in stock right now. In addition, he has a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and an AF-S 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens in stock! E-mail Steve about a special deal on either big Nikon lens. The 180-400, like its Canon counterpart, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with Internal Extender 1.4x lens — is especially great for trips to Africa, the Southern Ocean, or the Galapagos.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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 Juy 20, 2016 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the mega-mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 400. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/3200 sec. at f/4.5 in Manual mode. AWB at 6:44pm on a sunny afternoon. Center AF point/AI Servo (C in Nikon)/Shutter button/Expand AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s lower mandible. AF micro-adjustment: fine-tune: -2. See the The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide here. Image #1: Great Black-backed Gull, worn juvenile snacking on skimmer wing

Sun Angle, Sun Angle, Sun Angle

Notice that with both of todays featured images I was working almost exactly right down sun angle; do as I say and do as I preach. I will be talking about the most common mistakes made by bird photographers on the podcast; working well of sun angle is #1 by far …. By working on sun angle your subject will be evenly lit and you will minimize the shadows cast by the subject on itself.

The Canon EOS 5DS R

Two Canon EOS 5DS R bodies served admirably as my workhorse camera bodies for more than a year. Sharp image files from a 5DS R body produced almost incomparable fine feather detail …

This image was created on August 20, 2016 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the mega-mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.5 in Manual mode (should have been +1 stop). AWB at 5:21pm on a partly sunny afternoon. One row down and two to the right of the center AF point/AI Servo (C in Nikon)/Shutter button/Expand AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the gull’s neck. AF micro-adjustment: fine-tune: +2. See the The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide here. Image #2: Great Black-backed Gull (2nd yr? or 1st summer?) trying to swallow large Common Tern chick

I Root For the Predators

Gulls gotta eat too. And falcons and shrikes. I have no problem at all photographing successful predators devouring their prey. In late July the young of the year Great Black-backed Gulls prey on tern chicks and adult skimmers. At the West Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge I once saw an adult black-backed walk up to a sleeping skimmer, grab it, and break its neck with one hard shake. And at Montauk, Long Island I saw a single adult Great Black-backed Gull grab a Surf Scoter and hold it underwater. It drowned after 15 minutes and several other gulls joined in to rip the hapless and now dead duck apart.

In mid- to late August it is not uncommon to see either the black-backs or the Herring Gulls chowing down on both fledged and unfledged Black Skimmers. I hope that you can join me for a day at Nickerson. (See the schedule above.)

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s featured images do you find most interesting? Why?

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

On Tuesday I tied up a lot of loose ends having to do with my Norwegian adventure and the UK Gannets and Puffins pre-trip. I will be announcing the dates for the 2019 UK Gannets and Puffins and Red Kites IPT very soon.

Long Island Small Group Instruction

I will be returning to my old haunts on Long Island from 15-27 August, prime time for bird photography. If you would like to learn to get close to shorebirds in the mud, do consider joining me.

Shorebird Sessions

Join me at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay WR (JBWR) on the ideal tides to photograph southbound migrant juvenile shorebirds. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm is OK with crop factor bodies and a 1.4X TC.

Important note: The Shorebird Mornings are dependent on suitable water levels at the East Pond. If the pond is flooded, the sessions will be conducted at Nickerson Beach where we will likely encounter some shorebirds as well as the skimmer and terns.

JBWR Shorebird Morning: Friday, AUG 24, 2018. 6:00 – 9:30am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.

JBWR Shorebird Morning: Saturday, AUG 25, 2018. 6:00 – 9:30am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.

Please inquire via e-mail for multiple session discounts.

To register, please call Jim or Jen with your credit card in hand: 863-692-0906. I hope that you can join me.

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.

Recent Sales

IPT veteran Bill Wingfield sold a Wimberley V-2 WH-200 Gimbal Head in very good condition for a ridiculously low $299.00 and a Gitzo GT3532LS Carbon Fiber tripod in good condition for only $249.00, both in early August.
IPT veteran Bill Wingfield sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for $1049.00 in late July 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 5DS R in like-new condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $1999.00 (was $2399.00).
Carolyn Peterson sold a Canon GPS receiver GP-E2 for EOS camera bodies in near-mint condition for $149 in mid-July.
BAA-friend “Bug” Bob Allen sold a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Zoom lens in excellent condition for the a BAA record low price of $527.00 in mid-July.
NANPA President Don Carter sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $525 the first day it was listed. Yours truly sold his like-new Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens for $699 in late June.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in near-mint condition for the BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $2349.000 and a Canon 2X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for $285.00 both in mid-July.

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Pierre Williot

I would encourage anyone who wants to sell some of their photographic equipment to contact Art. High-end photographic equipment can be difficult to sell. Art, with is widely read daily posts, will allow you to sell your equipment fairly easily for a reasonable price and commission. Please, seriously consider the price that he suggests as <em>it can be hard to face the reality of the actual value of well loved equipment! Art is well aware of the current market for second-hand photographic equipment.

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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Hard to Find Nikon Stuff Available Now

Steve Elkins has several Nikon D850s in stock right now. In addition, he has a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and an AF-S 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens in stock! E-mail Steve about a special deal on either big Nikon lens. The 180-400, like its Canon counterpart, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with Internal Extender 1.4x lens — is especially great for trips to Africa, the Southern Ocean, or the Galapagos.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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 at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on August 17, 2017 with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 2000. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/250 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:18am on a cloudy dark morning. One row down and two to the left of the center AF point/AI Servo (C in Nikon)/Shutter button/Expand AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the bird’s back. AF micro-adjustment: fine-tune: +5. See the The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide here. Image #1: Photo Mechanic screen capture: original Short-billed Dowitcher juvenile, underexposed original

The Under-exposed Original

At times, it might be the best strategy to intentionally under-expose an image while maintaining a fast-enough shutter speed and opting not to set a higher ISO. As I likely did with the image above. Images created from the last several generations of digital camera bodies allow us to open up too-dark RAW files with success and without too, too much noise. The 5D IV is the best of the lot with Canon, and the Nikon D850 is even better.

Image #2: DPP 4 screen capture: original Short-billed Dowitcher juvenile, showing the selected AF point

A Big AF-with-TCs Edge to Canon …

As noted here before, my personal experience is that the Nikon 600 with both the TC-E14 and the TC-E17 (the 1.4X and 1.7 X TCs) as well as the 80-400 VR and the 200-500 f/5.6, both with the TC-E14, have lots of problems focusing in low light with any AF point away from the center. With the 600 and the 2X you are practically limited to the center AF point and perhaps one beyond that. With the other combinations mentioned the farther from the center AF point you venture the more problems you may run into. The Nikon reps at the Memphis EXPO explained that these problems have to do with the number and position of cross-type AF points. With the Nikon 300 an 400mm f/2.8s such problems would likely not be a problem at all. Most importantly, note that with the Canon 500s and 600s, with the 400 DO lenses, and with both 100-400 IIs, similar problems occur only rarely and then only in extreme low light/low contrast situations.

On my upcoming Long Island Visit my plan is to stick with the 600/1.4X TC with the D850 and rely on cropping while taking advantage of the superb image quality of sharp D850 files. I will bring the 1.7X and 2X TCs along and plan to further experiment with those with the 600.

Lastly, note that the use of the 1.7X or the 2X TCs with either the Nikon 80-400 or 200-500 is not recommended as you lose AF. And the same goes for using a 2XTC with the Canon 100-400s. If you are working on a tripod with a totally still subject you can get decent results with any of those combinations either by focusing manually or using Live View and focusing via contrast off the sensor.

Image #3: The optimized image: original Short-billed Dowitcher in fresh juvenal plumage

The Optimized Image

I lightened this image considerably during the RAW conversion without moving the Shadow slider at all. Contrast was increased just a bit; this is something that I do with less then one out of 100 images. In Photoshop I did a bit of mud clean-up using the Patch Tool, the Spot Healing Brush, and Content Aware Fill. For the most part I eliminated some dark or black spots or areas. Lastly I applied a 65 pixel Gaussian Blur and added a Hide-all (Inverse or Black) Mask. I painted the effect in at 100% across the top of the frame to soften the BKGR especially the too-well defined reeds in the upper right. Then I painting in the effect with a 33% Opacity brush across the middle of the image. I finished by raising the Opacity to 66% and painting the effect in on the out-of-focus ridge at the very bottom of the frame. With the latter two I made absolutely sure that I stayed away from the bird … Then a relatively small crop.

No NeatImage noise reduction was needed.

The Lesson

With the latest generations of digital camera bodies it is possible to open up (lighten) under-exposed images considerably while maintaining decent image quality. It is however, almost always best to expose to the right.

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

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

Your guessed it, everything mentioned above and tons more is covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):

• The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
• The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.

Though I have become more proficient converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw, I continue to optimize my Canon image in DPP 4. You can learn how and why I converted (and still convert) nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. And, yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 The RAW conversions for all three of today’s featured images was straightforward once I entered my camera/ISO specific recipes (as detailed in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide). You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.

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

The first day of the Memphis EXPO was great. I particularly enjoyed two presentations. The first was by Patrick Murphy-Racey, an eclectic, independent digital journalist who loves to photograph sports and weddings and travel and people, ad lots more. The second was by the super-hip, super-creative fashion photographer Lindsay Adler. Though neither of them photographs nature let alone birds, I found their programs enlightening, entertaining, and informative. Each of them blew me away with their creativity and passion. I had a great time connecting with Patrick after his program and it was wonderful seeing Lindsay again. I had not seen her for seventeen years when she was a NANPA high school scholarship student and I was an instructor. In addition, it was great seeing old Anchorage, AK-friend Steve Freno and his two adopted daughters.

My afternoon Photoshop program went well. On Friday evening a small group of us went to Beale Street for dinner and some street photography; we had a blast. My EXPO-closing keynote is at 5pm on Saturday. Huge thanks to the folks at Bedford’s Camera — John Rose, Steve Elkins, Jeff Beauchamp, and Jason Beford — for sponsoring my appearance here in Memphis.

Long Island Small Group Instruction

I will be returning to my old haunts on Long Island from 15-27 August, prime time for bird photography. The schedules below may be expanded based on demand.

Skimmer Sessions/New Expanded Scehdule

Join me at Nickerson Beach to photograph Black Skimmers and lots more. Gull predation of young skimmers is likely. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm OK with crop factor bodies.

Skimmer Morning: Thursday, AUG 16, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Morning: Friday AUG, 17, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Morning: Wednesday, AUG, 22, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4.

Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Thursday, AUG 16, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4.
Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Friday, AUG 17, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Tuesday AUG 21, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.
Skimmer Afternoon (usually best for flight): Wednesday AUG 22, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.

Please inquire e-mail for multiple session discounts.

To register, please call Jim or Jen with your credit card in hand: 863-692-0906. I hope that you can join me.

Shorebird Sessions

Join me at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay WR on the ideal tides to photograph southbound migrant juvenile shorebirds. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm OK with crop factor bodies.

Important note: The Shorebird Mornings are dependent on suitable water levels at the East Pond. If the pond is flooded, the sessions will be conducted at Nickerson Beach.

JBWR Shorebird Morning: Friday, AUG 24, 2018. 6:00 – 9:30am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.

JBWR Shorebird Morning: Saturday, AUG 25, 2018. 6:00 – 9:30am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4/Openings 3.

Please inquire via e-mail for multiple session discounts.

To register, please call Jim or Jen with your credit card in hand: 863-692-0906. I hope that you can join me.

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.

Recent Sales

IPT veteran Bill Wingfield sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for $1049.00 in late July 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 5DS R in like-new condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $1999.00 (was $2399.00).
Carolyn Peterson sold a Canon GPS receiver GP-E2 for EOS camera bodies in near-mint condition for $149 in mid-July.
BAA-friend “Bug” Bob Allen sold a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Zoom lens in excellent condition for the a BAA record low price of $527.00 in mid-July.
NANPA President Don Carter sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $525 the first day it was listed. Yours truly sold his like-new Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens for $699 in late June.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in near-mint condition for the BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $2349.000 and a Canon 2X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for $285.00 both in mid-July.

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Pierre Williot

I would encourage anyone who wants to sell some of their photographic equipment to contact Art. High-end photographic equipment can be difficult to sell. Art, with is widely read daily posts, will allow you to sell your equipment fairly easily for a reasonable price and commission. Please, seriously consider the price that he suggests as <em>it can be hard to face the reality of the actual value of well loved equipment! Art is well aware of the current market for second-hand photographic equipment.

This image was created on January 21, 2018 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 800. Matrix metering probably -1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AUOT0 WB at 8:01am on sunny San Diego morning. Group/Shutter Button AF. The array was on the bird’s breast just to our right of center, pretty much on the same plane as the pelican’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, incoming — this JPEG represents the RAW (NEF) file

What’s Your Plan?

The JPEG above represents the RAW (NEF) file as it came out of the camera. The image is (only a bit) under-exposed as I did not want to burn the WHITEs on the bird’s neck. The inclusion of just the right part of the pelican on the lower right was — to me — serendipitous. Would you leave it or lose it?

Before you scroll down to see the optimized version, think about what your goals would be during post processing.

This image was created on January 21, 2018 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 800. Matrix metering probably -1/3 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AUOT0 WB at 8:01am on sunny San Diego morning. Group/Shutter Button AF. The array was on the bird’s breast just to our right of center, pretty much on the same plane as the pelican’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, incoming — this JPEG represents the optimized master file

The Image Optimization

I lightened the image during the RAW conversion in ACR. These were the settings: Exposure: +0.4; Contrast: -5; Highlights: 0; Shadows: +64; Whites: +22, Blacks; -21, Clarity -5; Vibrance: +9;and Saturation: 0. Once I brought the image into Photoshop the key to success of the image was adding canvas above and left where it was too tight. I using John Haedo Content Aware Fill to fill in the new canvas.

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

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

Your guessed it, everything mentioned above and tons more is covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):

• The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
• The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.

Though I have become more proficient converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw, I continue to optimize my Canon image in DPP 4. You can learn how and why I converted (and still convert) nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. And, yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 The RAW conversions for all three of today’s featured images was straightforward once I entered my camera/ISO specific recipes (as detailed in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide). You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects, including and especially the Pacific race of California Brown Pelican. With annual visits spanning more than four decades, I have lots of photographic experience there … Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

2019 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) SUN JAN 20, 2019 thru and including the morning session on THURS JAN 24: 4 1/2 days: $2099.

(Limit: 10/Openings: 7)

Introductory Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins; SAT JAN 19, 2019.

Please see the Dancing Grebe Morning Add-On Info below

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s (nesting with eggs and possibly chicks) and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heermann’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others are possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the IPT cards, there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well. Not to mention a ton of excellent flight photography opportunities and instruction.

Please note: where permitted and on occasion, ducks and gulls will be attracted (or re-located) with offerings of grains and healthy breads.

Learning Exposure, Whether You Like It Or Not

Whether you like it or not, we will be beating the subject of exposure like a dead horse. In every new situation you will hear my thoughts on the exposure situation along with my thoughts on both Nikon and Canon histograms and the subject of blinkies. Whether you like it or not, you will learn to work in manual mode and to get the right exposure every time as long as a bird gives you ten seconds with the light constant.And you will learn what to do when the light is changing constantly. What you learn about exposure will be one of the great take-aways on every IPT.

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT, there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

It Ain’t Just Pelicans

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography as well. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication. You will be guided as to how to make the best of all of those opportunities. And depending on the weather and local conditions and tides, there are a variety of fabulous photo chances available in and around San Diego.

The San Diego Details

This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility. An so that we can get some sleep, dinners will be on your own.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 3385, or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 10/11//2018. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Getting Up Early and Staying Out Late

On all BIRDS AS ART IPTS including and especially the San Diego IPT, we get into the field early to take advantage of unique and often spectacular lighting conditions and we stay out late to maximize the chances of killer light and glorious sunset silhouette situations. We often arrive at the cliffs a full hour before anyone else shows up to check out the land/sea scape opportunities.

The Dancing Grebes Add-On. FRI JAN 25, 2019: $399.

Those registering for the 2019 San Diego IPT might wish to join me for the Dancing Grebe Add-On Morning as above. Please read the details carefully. You will need to wade at least mid-thigh deep with your tripod over an uneven bottom. Lightweight chest waders are advised. Long lenses are needed; a 100-400 will not cut it at this spot, even with a TC. Chances at this location (easily accessible from the IPT hotel), vary from day to day so there will be no guarantees. But when those grebes dance, it can be an amazing rush. We may also enjoy chances to photograph both species, Western and Clarke’s Grebes, at fairly close range.

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

The left knee continues to feel a bit better each day. The daily rains and thunderstorms continue. I am thisclose to finishing the A Bird Photographer’s Story Memphis keynote program.

Three folks have sent deposit checks for the 2019 Galapagos Photo Cruise of a Lifetime. We need seven more folks in the next few months for the trip to go. Click here and scroll down a bit for the details.

It is rare that a blog post goes two days without a single comment, especially when a question is posed. I am wondering if folks received notice of and/or saw Friday’s Tenacity. Simplicity. blog post here.

Long Island Small Group Instruction

I will be returning to my old haunts on Long Island from 15-27 August, prime time for bird photography. The schedules below may be expanded based on demand.

Skimmer Sessions

Join me at Nickerson Beach to photograph Black Skimmers and lots more. Gull predation of young skimmers is likely. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm OK with crop factor bodies.

Skimmer Mornings: AUG 16 & 17, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4.

Skimmer Afternoons (usually best for flight): AUG 16 & 17, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4.

Please inquire e-mail for multiple session discounts.

Shorebird Sessions

Join me at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay WR on the ideal tides to photograph southbound migrant juvenile shorebirds. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm OK with crop factor bodies.

Important note: The Shorebird Mornings are dependent on suitable water levels at the East Pond. If the pond is flooded, the sessions will be conducted at Nickerson Beach.

Shorebird Mornings: AUG 24 & 25, 2018. 6:00 – 9:30am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4.

Please inquire via e-mail for multiple session discounts.

To register, please call Jim or Jen with your credit card in hand: 863-692-0906. I hope that you can join me.

PHOTOEXPO 2018

If you missed the PHOTOEXPO 2018 announcement and live anywhere within driving or flying distance of Memphis, TN, click here for the info. I have rides to Beale Street for both nights. If you are attending, please stop by the BAA table for a handshake and a hug.

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.

Recent Sales

Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 5DS R in like-new condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $1999.00 (was $2399.00).
Carolyn Peterson sold a Canon GPS receiver GP-E2 for EOS camera bodies in near-mint condition for $149 in mid-July.
BAA-friend “Bug” Bob Allen sold a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Zoom lens in excellent condition for the a BAA record low price of $527.00 in mid-July.
NANPA President Don Carter sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $525 the first day it was listed. Yours truly sold his like-new Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens for $699 in late June.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in near-mint condition for the BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $2349.000 and a Canon 2X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for $285.00 both in mid-July.
Bill Ketterer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the lowest ever BAA price of $3399.00 in early June.
Jim Keener sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in near-mint condition for $3,999.00 the first day it was listed.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 1.4X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for the low price of $299.00 in late June, 2018.
Randall Ennis sold his Canon EOS-1D Mark IV in excellent condition for $849.00 in late June.
Joel Williams sold his Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35 f/4 ZA OSS lens in like-new condition for $629 (was $749) in late June, 2018.
Joel Williams also sold his Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens in like-new condition for $749 (was $949) in April 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00 in late June, 2018.
Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1349.00 the first day it was listed in late June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $999.00 (was $1149.00) in mid-June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1099.00 in early June.

Unsolicited, via e-mail, from Pierre Williot

I would encourage anyone who wants to sell some of their photographic equipment to contact Art. High-end photographic equipment can be difficult to sell. Art, with is widely read daily posts, will allow you to sell your equipment fairly easily for a reasonable price and commission. Please, seriously consider the price that he suggests as <em>it can be hard to face the reality of the actual value of well loved equipment! Art is well aware of the current market for second-hand photographic equipment.

New Listings

Canon EOS-1DX Mark II Professional Digital Camera body (with extras!)

Pierre Williot is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in mint condition with less than 75,000 actuations (rated to 400,000) for $4199.00. The sale includes an extra Canon battery, a 256gb cFast card, the cFast card reader, the front cap, the strap, the cables, the battery charger, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses.

Please get in touch with Pierre via e-mail.

The 1DX Mark II is Canon’s rugged, blazingly fast professional digital camera body. It features a great AF system and high quality image files with great dynamic range. I owned and used two of these for several years. As a new 1DX II currently sells for $5,699.00 you can save $1703 on a practically new body with less than 2,000 shutter actuations. artie

Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III

Jamie Baker is offering a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III in near-mint condition for $299.00. The sale includes the front and rear lens caps, the cloth carry pouch, the original product 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 Jamie via e-mail or by phone (502)403-9845 (Eastern Time Zone).

As regular readers know, I have made some sharp, very nice images with the Nikon 2X. This, the newest Nikon 2X, does great with the 300 f/2.8 or with any of the f/4 super-telephotos. See the sweet 1200mm Hooded Merganser image here. Prior versions were alleged to be crap … Learn more about the TC-20E in the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20Es Suck! Or do they? blog post here. artie

Price Reduction

Nikon D750 DSLR Camera

Price Reduced $200 on July 30, 2018.

Top Used Gear seller Gary Meyer is offering a Nikon D750 DSLR Camera in like-new condition (less than 100 shutter actuations!) for the low price of $1175.00 (was $1,375.00). The sale includes the body cap and everything else that came in the box including one battery, the charger, the cables and manuals, 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 Gary via e-mail or by phone or text at 1-612-221-0150 (Central time).

The D750 is the predecessor to my beloved D850 with a lot lower price tag: $1,696.95 as compared to $3,296.95. Both bodies are full frame just as I like them. Grab Gary’s practically new D750 today and save a cool #521.95. artie

Championing a multimedia approach to photography, Nikon’s D750 DSLR is an FX-format camera well-suited to both still imaging and video recording. Featuring a 24.3MP CMOS sensor, along with the EXPEED 4 image processor, this camera is capable of producing high-resolution imagery with smooth color gradations, low noise, and sensitivity to an expandable ISO 51200, at a continuous shooting rate of up to 6.5 fps. In regard to video recording, Full HD 1080p/60 is supported, along with the ability to record uncompressed video to an optional external recorder. Working from high and low angles is possible due to the tilting 3.2″ 1,229k-dot LCD monitor or, for remote shooting, the D750 also features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. Designed for the contemporary image-maker, this DSLR is poised to benefit still photographers and videographers alike with the versatility and performance to match any working situation.

Benefitting the imaging capabilities of the D750, an equally apt 51-point AF system, with 15 cross-type points, is available and can be configured to utilize five AF points as a single focusing point in the Group Area AF setting for heightened initial subject recognition. The 3D Color Matrix Metering III system, along with the 91,000-pixel RGB sensor, also benefits the focusing abilities as well as provides accurate exposure metering to suit a vast array of subjects and lighting conditions. Furthermore, benefitting creative applications, the D750 supports in-camera creation of time-lapse movies with automated exposure smoothing, and a range of Picture Control profiles can be applied to refine the color and tonal handling of imagery. B&H

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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Hard to Find Nikon Stuff Available Now

Steve Elkins has several Nikon D850s in stock right now. In addition, he just received a Nikkor AF-S 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens! E-mail Steve about a special deal on the big Nikon zoom lens that — like its Canon counterpart, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with Internal Extender 1.4x lens — is especially great for trips to Africa, the Southern Ocean, or the Galapagos.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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.

Image #1: the ILE pier on a stormy morning i-Phone 8+ image

The Situation

Though it was a dark, rainy afternoon I asked Amy if she wanted to head down to the pier and try some photography between the raindrops. So we did. As we learned in the recent Duck Soup From a Storm: Part I. Duck Eating Bicycle Tire? blog post here, you will not make any photos at all if you opt to sit in your living room or in the hotel when you are traveling …

This image was created on July 23 at Indian Lake Estates with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 1600. Matrix metering +1 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 in S mode( Shutter priority in Canon). NATURAL AUTO WB at 6:09pm late on a cloudy, drizzly afternoon. Single AF point one below and two to the left of the center AF point (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the face of the grackle right below and on the same plane as the eye. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: Boat-tailed Grackle, immature with immature Anhinga on railing

Thinking Creatively

Good photos are often a result of putting your lens in a less-than-typical spot. When trying to photograph birds on the railing of the pier the usual strategy is to get close enough and high enough so that the T of the pier does not appear at the top of the frame. Instead, noting that the two birds were somewhat lined up, I decided to put the back of my left hand on the railing of the pier and see how things looked. In retrospect, I think that the idea and the resulting juxtaposition worked out very nicely. This image would not have succeeded on a sunny morning even with the sun right behind me; if you look beyond the tail of the Anhinga you will see a big yellow sign. With the soft barely existent light the sign was nicely muted. Sun on that sign would be an image wrecker.

Careful Choice of Perspective

Once I had the concept in mind, why was it vitally important that I choose my perspective precisely?

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’ve cut back a bit on my long walks to give my knee a chance to calm down. On Thursday, I finally got some solid work done on my A Bird Photographer’s Story Memphis keynote program.

Long Island Small Group Instruction

I will be returning to my old haunts on Long Island from 15-27 August, prime time for bird photography. The schedules below may be expanded based on demand.

Skimmer Sessions

Join me at Nickerson Beach to photograph Black Skimmers and lots more. Gull predation of young skimmers is likely. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm OK with crop factor bodies.

Skimmer Mornings: AUG 16 & 17, 2018. 5:30 – 9:00am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4.

Skimmer Afternoons (usually best for flight): AUG 16 & 17, 2018. 5:00pm till sunset: $250/session. Limit 4.

Please inquire e-mail for multiple session discounts.

Shorebird Sessions

Join me at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay WR on the ideal tides to photograph southbound migrant juvenile shorebirds. With full frame bodies, a minimum of a 500mm lens with TCs is recommended. 400mm OK with crop factor bodies.

Important note: The Shorebird Mornings are dependent on suitable water levels at the East Pond. If the pond is flooded, the sessions will be conducted at Nickerson Beach.

Shorebird Mornings: AUG 24 & 25, 2018. 6:00 – 9:30am plus a working brunch: $375/session. Limit 4.

Please inquire via e-mail for multiple session discounts.

To register, please call Jim or Jen with your credit card in hand: 863-692-0906. I hope that you can join me.

PHOTOEXPO 2018

If you missed the PHOTOEXPO 2018 announcement and live anywhere within driving or flying distance of Memphis, TN, click here for the info. I have rides to Beale Street for both nights. If you are attending, please stop by the BAA table for a handshake and a hug.

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.

Recent Sales

NANPA President Don Carter sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $525 the first day it was listed. Yours truly sold his like-new Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens for $699 in late June.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in near-mint condition for the BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $2349.000 and a Canon 2X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for $285.00 both in mid-July.
Bill Ketterer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the lowest ever BAA price of $3399.00 in early June.
Jim Keener sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in near-mint condition for $3,999.00 the first day it was listed.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 1.4X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for the low price of $299.00 in late June, 2018.
Randall Ennis sold his Canon EOS-1D Mark IV in excellent condition for $849.00 in late June.
Joel Williams sold his Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35 f/4 ZA OSS lens in like-new condition for $629 (was $749) in late June, 2018.
Joel Williams also sold his Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens in like-new condition for $749 (was $949) in April 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00 in late June, 2018.
Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1349.00 the first day it was listed in late June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $999.00 (was $1149.00) in mid-June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1099.00 in early June.

Not-So-New Listing

Canon EF Canon 100-400 L IS II USM Lens

I am offering a used Canon 100-400 L IS II in very good plus (almost excellent) condition and in perfect working order — I had to send it to Canon twice to restore smooth zooming — for $1399.00. The sale includes the original product box, the front and rear lens caps, the carrying case and strap, the manual, and insured ground shipping via UPS to US addresses. Your new lens will not ship until your check clears.

Please get in touch with artie via e-mail or on his cell phone at 863-221-2372 (Eastern time). Please leave a message if no answer.

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

Price Drops

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Price Reduced $200 on July 27, 2018.

Pierre Williot is offering a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens (the original 600 IS) in very good to excellent condition in perfect working order with just a few blemishes for the BAA record-low-by-$1000 price of $$3999.00 (was $4199.00). The sale includes a LensCoat, the lens trunk, a low foot, the Canon 52mm Drop-In Circular Polarizer Filter (PL-C 52), the leather front lens cover, the rear cap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses.

Please get in touch with Pierre via e-mail.

The 600 f/4 lenses are ideal for those who do birds and wildlife. This lens is the original (heavier) version of the Canon 600 IS. The lighter 600mm f/4L IS sells new at B&H for $11,499.00. Pierre’s lens is a great buy for a young, eager, relatively strong nature photographer who would like to save $7,300.00. The original 600 IS served as my workhorse super-telephoto lens for more than a decade. artie

Canon EOS 5DS R mega mega-pixel dSLR

Price Reduced $200 on July 8, 2018 and another $200 on July 27.

Pierre Williot is offering a Canon EOS 5DS R in like-new condition for a BAA record-low by far $1999.00 (was $2399.00). A screen protector was applied to the rear LCD as it came out of the box. The sale includes the front cap, the camera strap, a Vello Battery Grip, the battery charger, USB cable,the Instruction Manual, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only is included. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Pierre via e-mail or by text message to 1-716-481-7158 (Eastern Time Zone).

Without an anti-aliasing filter, the 5DS R will–for those with good sharpness techniques–produce large high-quality image files that feature hard to believe detail. You have seen the amazing 100% crops showing fine-feather detail in many older blog posts. And it is not bad for flight photography either! 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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Hard to Find Nikon Stuff Available Now

Steve Elkins has several Nikon D850s in stock right now. In addition, he just received a Nikkor AF-S 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens! E-mail Steve about a special deal on the big Nikon zoom lens that — like its Canon counterpart, the EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM with Internal Extender 1.4x lens — is especially great for trips to Africa, the Southern Ocean, or the Galapagos.

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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 July 25 at Indian Lake Estates with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 155mm) and my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 6400. Matrix metering at zero: 1/160 sec. at f/8. NATURAL AUTO WB at 7:50pm. D-25/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the leaf that intersected with the top of the piling. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #1: Plant growing on pier piling with sky reflections

Tenacity. Simplicity.

I first noticed this plant about two weeks ago on one of my many health walks. I like walking on and near the pier as there are lots of birds around. I thought that it was neat that the plant had taken root on a piling that was left over from the old pier that was destroyed by a hurricane several years ago. I photographed the scene on several occasions experimenting with both horizontal and vertical motifs but the whitish sky reflections ruined all of the images. While walking right at sunset on Wednesday past (there was some heavy clouds on the western horizon) I noticed that the water was mostly black with just a smattering of sky reflections. So I made a few images. Image #1, with the red base of the stem and the single red leaf showing well was my favorite.

This image was created on July 25 at Indian Lake Estates with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 155mm) and my back-up Nikon D850. ISO 6400. Matrix metering at zero: 1/160 sec. at f/8. NATURAL AUTO WB at 7:50pm just after sunset (I believe). D-25/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the leaf that intersected with the top of the piling. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: Plant growing on pier piling with sky reflections removed and the water darkened

Plant ID?

If you can identify the plant, please do leave a comment.

Image #2

The NEF (RAW) file for Image #1 was converted in ACR. I cleaned-up a bit of bird poop and a dead insect on the piling and then ran Neat Image Noise Reduction on the whole image. After I saved the master file, I decided to create a second version. For Image #2 I cleaned up all but one of the sky reflections in the water using the Patch Tool, the Spot Healing Brush, Content Aware Fill, and finally the Clone Stamp Tool. Then I darkened the water with a Curves adjustment on a Layer first being sure to pin the Curve for the mid-tones and the highlights and pulling the dark tones down. I left the single reflection so that folks would know for sure that the background was still water and not black velvet. 🙂

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

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

Your guessed it, everything mentioned above and tons more is covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Learn more and check out the free excerpt in the blog post here. While the new e-Guide reflects my Macbook Pro/Photo Mechanic/DPP 4/Photoshop workflow, folks using a PC and/or BreezeBrowser will also benefit greatly by studying the material on DB II. Do note that you will find the RGB Curves Adjustment Color Balancing tutorial only in the new e-guide. Note: folks working on a PC and/or those who do not want to miss anything Photoshop may wish to purchase the original Digital Basics along with DB II while saving $15 by clicking here to buy the DB Bundle.

The two most recent and many of the older MP4 Photoshop Tutorial videos releases go hand and hand with the information in DB II):

• The Wingtip Repairs MP4 Video here.
• The MP4 Crow Cleanup Video here.

Folks who learn well by following along rather than by reading can check out the complete collection of MP 4 Photoshop Tutorial Videos by clicking here.

Though I have become more proficient converting my Nikon RAW (NEF) files in Adobe Camera Raw, I continue to optimize my Canon image in DPP 4. You can learn how and why I converted (and still convert) nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide here. And, yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 The RAW conversions for all three of today’s featured images was straightforward once I entered my camera/ISO specific recipes (as detailed in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide). You can learn advanced Quick Masking and advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS I & II. You can save $15 by purchasing the pair. Folks can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.

Neat Image Noise Reduction

Next I duplicated the Background layer and ran a quick and dirty Neat Image noise reduction on the whole image. I still use the original version not V8.

D850 High ISO Noise

As with my 5D Mark IV bodies, the high ISO noise with the D805s is not bad at all and quite manageable as you can see by taking a close look at the animated GIF above. You can learn sophisticated sharpening and (NeatImage) Noise Reduction techniques in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best, Image # 1 or Image #2? Be sure to let us know why.

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 spent four hours on the phone yesterday getting our three ATT e-mail addresses to work … I have been averaging walking about 5 1/2 miles a day for the past few days.

PHOTOEXPO 2018

If you missed the PHOTOEXPO 2018 announcement and live anywhere within driving or flying distance of Memphis, TN, click here for the info. I have rides to Beale Street for both nights. If you are attending, please stop by the BAA table for a handshake and a hug.

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.

Recent Sales

NANPA President Don Carter sold his Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $525 the first day it was listed. Yours truly sold his like-new Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens for $699 in late June.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS lens (the original version) in near-mint condition for the BIRDS AS ART record-low price of $2349.000 and a Canon 2X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for $285.00 both in mid-July.
Bill Ketterer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the lowest ever BAA price of $3399.00 in early June.
Jim Keener sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in near-mint condition for $3,999.00 the first day it was listed.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 1.4X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for the low price of $299.00 in late June, 2018.
Randall Ennis sold his Canon EOS-1D Mark IV in excellent condition for $849.00 in late June.
Joel Williams sold his Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35 f/4 ZA OSS lens in like-new condition for $629 (was $749) in late June, 2018.
Joel Williams also sold his Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens in like-new condition for $749 (was $949) in April 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00 in late June, 2018.
Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1349.00 the first day it was listed in late June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $999.00 (was $1149.00) in mid-June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1099.00 in early June.

New Listing

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM

Julie Brown is offering a Canon 300mm f/2.8 L IS (the original version) in excellent condition for $2099. The sale includes the lens trunk, the front leather cover, the rear lens cap, the lens strap, and insured shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your lens will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Julie via e-mail or by phone at 1-317-294-3040 (before 10pm Eastern Time).

The older version of the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS is a super-sharp lens that is great for hand held flight and action photography and great as well with both teleconverters for portraits and for flight. It has long been the favorite focal length of the world’s best hawk photographers. Julie’s excellent lens is priced to sell. artie

Great Buy!

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

IPT veteran Bill Wingfield is offering a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for $1049.00. The sale includes the zippered lens case, the front and rear lens caps, 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 Bill via e-mail or by phone at 1-843-729-6670 (Eastern time zone).

I owned and used this incredibly versatile lens for birds and wildlife and landscapes and Urbex for many years with both the 1.4X and the 2X teleconverters. It was great indoors for events like granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals. And I used the original version to create several of the images featured in today’s blog post. 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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Via e-mail from Gary Meyer

Thanks for posting instructions on where to get the Nikon D850 quickly. Bedford shipped mine the same day. Wow, you sure got good connections!

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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 2011 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT with the hand held Canon 100-400mm L IS lens (the much-maligned original version) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 in Av mode on a sunny morning. Image #1: Blue-footed Booby dancing

Blue-Footed Booby

There are several great bird species to photograph in the Galapagos. Those include Waved Albatross — we visit them twice — Nazca Booby –they occur on several islands, Red-billed Tropicbird — photographable on three of our landings, and the elegant Swallow-tailed Gull. But my favorite species by far is Blue-footed Booby. A glance at today’s featured images will give you a good idea why.

Consider the EXIF …

As you read the image captions, note the great range of focal lengths used to create images of the same subject. Note the range of the exposure compensations (ECs). And note that some of the images were made in Av mode, most in Manual mode, and one in Tv mode. Along the way, for each, be sure to ask yourself “Why?” Note also the fomrats — horizontal or vertical, the image designs and the backgrounds. There is a lot to take in a a lot to learn.

This image was created on the 2005 (yes, 2005!) Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens (the original IS version) at 145mm and the EOS-1D Mark II. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/100 sec. at f/8 in Av mode late on a very cloudy morning. Image #2: Blue-footed Booby eggs in nest

My First!

This, the first image of Blue-footed Booby that I ever made, has long had a special place in my heart.

This image was created on the 2017 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime with the hand held Canon 400mm f/4L IS II DO lens and the EOS-5D Mark IV. ISO 2500. Evaluative metering +1 stop off the gray sky: 1/3200 sec. at f/4.5 in Manual mode. Image #3: Blue-footed Booby diving

Diving Blue-footed Boobies

Blue-footed Boobies have the unfortunate habit of turing their heads slightly away from the line of their bodies as they dive. I was fortunate to get this one diving at an angle right toward me and fortunate to get a sharp image with the nice mangrove background.

This image was created on the 2011 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the hand held Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens with the 1.4X II TC (at 165mm) and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/4. AWB on a cloudy-bright mid-morning. Image #4: Blue-footed Booby perched on rock

Zodiac Cruising

We do several sessions from zodiacs with hand held gear. The skilled panga drivers consistently get us in great position to make good photographs. At times the folks on one side of the zodiac can kneel while the rest of the gang photographs over their heads. At times, the zodiac driver turns the boat around to give everyone good chances.

This image was created on the 2013 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the tripod/Mongoose mounted Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS with Internal TC (at 274mm) and the EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/125 sec. at f/6.3. AWB on a cloudy morning. Image #5: Blue-footed Booby adult brooding two chicks

Isla Lobos

We make an early morning landing at Isla Lobos on each trip. There are always lots of frigatebirds and sea lions and Sally Lightfoot Crabs to photograph. Depending on the availability of fish and other local factors, some years are nesting Blue-footed Booby bonanzas. Others are not. The beauty of my itinerary is that we get to photograph nesting Blue-footed Boobies on many landings.

This image was created on the 2013 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the tripod/Mongoose mounted Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS with Internal TC (at 540mm) and the EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/320 sec. at f/8 as it got a lot brighter. Image #6: Blue-footed Booby/two chicks in a different nest!

Going Long

Though you can make a zillion great images with only an 80-400, a 100-400 or, even a 70-200 with TCs, I like to have the capability to go to a longer focal length when needed. That is why I will be taking my Nikon 200-500 on this trip. It does well with the TC-E 14. When I used Canon I always brought something long with me: the 800mm f/5.6, the 500 F/4, or at the least, either the 300 f/2.8L IS II or the 400mm f/4IS DO. Always with both teleconverters. I am not even thinking of bring my Nikon 600 on this trip …

This image was created on the 2013 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the tripod/Mongoose mounted Canon 200-400mm f/4L IS with Internal TC and an external 1.4X TC (at 737mm) and the EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/9 on a cloudy bright morning. Image #7: Blue-footed Booby on rock with large chick begging

North Seymour

We visit North Seymour twice. There are always nesting Blue-footed Boobies along lots of nesting frigatebirds. And there is almost always lots of excellent flight photography.

This image was created on the 2008 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the hand held Canon 100-400mm L IS lens (the much maligned original version) with the 1.4XII TC (at 560mm) and the EOS-40D. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/125 sec. at f/8 on a cloudy morning. Image #8: Blue-footed Booby feet

Foot Fetish

The birds are so, so tame that thinking “tight feet shots” is an excellent choice. The shade of the blue feet varies tremendously. The feet of the bird in Image #8 are surely at the top end of the range as far as hue and luminosity. They glowed!

This image was created on the 2010 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime. I used the hand held Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens (at 70mm) with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/30 sec. at f/20 in Tv mode. AWB on a cloudy morning. Image #9: Blue-footed Boobies diving during feeding spree/blur

Blue-footed Booby Feeding Sprees

Most years we encounter several Blue-footed Booby feeding sprees while Zodiac cruising in the mouths of lagoons. We get to photograph single birds diving with the longer focal lengths. Going wider allows you to include larger groups of diving birds. I have never made a wide photograph that captures the frenetic scene with hundreds of birds circling and diving. Video with a short zoom lens like the Canon 24-105 II or the Nikon 24-120 might be the way to go …

What was my big error with Image #9?

Study the EXIF and let us know what you think was the big error in my choice of settings with Image #9.

This image was created on the 2017 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime with the hand held Canon 100-400mm L IS II zoom lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS-5D Mark IV. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode on a sunny morning. Image #10: Blue-footed Booby chick/head portrait

Getting Down on the Ground

At age 72, I do not get down on the ground as often as I used to. Older folks will understand fully. But I made an exception for this image to come up with a pleasing background.

TC Question

Why did I have the TC mounted on the 100-400 II if I wound up at only 358mm?

Bokeh Question

Bokeh refers to the quality of an out-of-focus background. Which of today’s images has the worst Bokeh?

Image Clean-up Question

In which image did I do the most background clean-up? Why did you make your choice?

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s ten featured images do you like best? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

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

Walked eleven plus miles on Thursday, 8+ on Friday. And a bit of easy swimming. I have been getting some work done and continue playing a bit of golf and getting some work done.

PHOTOEXPO 2018

If you missed the PHOTOEXPO 2018 announcement and live anywhere within driving or flying distance of Memphis, TN, click here for the info. I have rides to Beale Street for both nights. If you are attending, please stop by the BAA table for a handshake and a hug.

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.

Recent Sales

Bill Ketterer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the lowest ever BAA price of $3399.00 in early June.
Jim Keener sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in near-mint condition for $3,999.00 the first day it was listed.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 1.4X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for the low price of $299.00 in late June, 2018.
Randall Ennis sold his Canon EOS-1D Mark IV in excellent condition for $849.00 in late June.
Joel Williams sold his Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35 f/4 ZA OSS lens in like-new condition for $629 (was $749) in late June, 2018.
Joel Williams also sold his Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens in like-new condition for $749 (was $949) in April 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00 in late June, 2018.
Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1349.00 the first day it was listed in late June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $999.00 (was $1149.00) in mid-June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1099.00 in Early June.
Steve Traudt sold an Xtrahand Vest, the Khumbu model, size XL, in very good condition for the BAA record-low price of $179.

New Listing

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM Lens + circular polarizer

NANPA President Don Carter is offering a Canon Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the BAA record-low-by-far price of $525. The sale includes the original box, the lens carrying case, the front lens cap, a B&W 67mm circular polarizer, and insured ground shipping to US addresses via major courier. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Don via e-mail or by phone at (630) 390-0909 (Mountain time).

I owned and used this lens hand held for birds in flight at close range and for Urbex photography. You do not need the f/2.8 version when you are on a tripod! (Note: the tripod collar for this lens requires a separate purchase.) I used mine on the last Palouse IPT with great success. And I loved it so much on the gannet boat (where everything else is too heavy because the action is non-stop!) that I purchased the Nikon version, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR just for the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. If you shoot Canon and are planning on signing up for the 2019 Puffins and Gannets and Red Kites IPT you will want to grab this lens right now. . artie

Re-run

Canon EF Canon 100-400 L IS II USM Lens

I am offering a used Canon 100-400 L IS II in very good plus (almost excellent) condition and in perfect working order — I had to send it to Canon twice to restore smooth zooming — for $1399.00. The sale includes the original product box, the front and rear lens caps, the carrying case and strap, the manual, and insured ground shipping via UPS to US addresses. Your new lens will not ship until your check clears.

Please get in touch with artie via e-mail or on his cell phone at 863-221-2372 (Eastern time). Please leave a message if no answer.

Y’all know how much I loved and now miss this amazingly versatile lens. I expect it to sell very quickly. 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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Via e-mail from Gary Meyer

Thanks for posting instructions on where to get the Nikon D850 quickly. Bedford shipped mine the same day. Wow, you sure got good connections!

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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.

Image #1: The Pinnacles, Staple Island, Northumberland, UK i-phone 8+ image

A Not-so-Secret and Very Effective Wide Angle Weapon for Telephoto Photographers…

While I loved my Canon 24-105mm short zoom lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II) and used it often, it was a pain having to carry it in my vest (or elsewhere) and then change lenses, mounting it on the body that had been on my big lens. When I switched to Nikon it was the same story with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR. It too is a sharp versatile lens that needs to be carried into the field separately from your telephoto or super-telephoto rig. And thus, can be challenging to use.

I owned an Android phone for forever but inspired by my good friend, Dr. Cliff Oliver of La Jolla, CA, I purchased an i-phone 8+ two years ago. But I tarried in getting started using my i-phone for photography. When I was in San Diego last January Cliff taught me the basics of i-phone photography while we were having dinner at the sit-down Promiscuous Fork in La Jolla. But the lessons did not stick. On the Norway trip I was again cell phone photography inspired by Amy Novotny. Both Amy and Anita North helped me to actually begin making images. By the time we got to the UK, I had the basics down. Thanks to Amy and Anita. Amy uses tons of cell phone images on her blog, Amy’s Impressions.

When I made the image above, we were on Glad Tidings IV on the sight-seeing portion of the trip. As there was no way to make a decent image of the Pinnacles I simply reached into my pocket, grabbed my i-phone 8+, and made a few images. The one above is my favorite of the series. The clear blue skies and bright sun were great for the tourists but not what the serious photographers had been hoping for; we had too, too many sunny days and the unprecedented warm, sunny weather in eastern Europe continues. See Day One of the British Open for another example …

Image #2: The Nesting Ledge by the Shed, The Pinnacles, Staple Island, Northumberland, UK i-phone 8+ image

This is More Like It!

We had very few cloudy days on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. This was the best of them. I made Image #2 while actually on Staple Island, on the opposite side of the Pinnacles. The clouds of course make the image. With the wind from the west northwest we had great chances all morning long with landing Common Murres (Common Guillemots on that side of the pond) and with the puffins in flight. If the skies had been blue we would have been looking right into the sun … The big nesting ledge is topped by many hundreds of pairs of nesting murres while the cliff walls are home to hundreds of kittiwakes and dozens of Razorbill pairs.

The originals from my i-phone 8 are of a rather boxy format, as seen with Image #2. I often crop towards 3X2 as I did with Image #1. The i-phones do a remarkably good job with the exposures and the image quality is surprisingly good. And the ease of making images and the convenience are off the charts.

Coming Soon

Dr. Cliff Oliver owns the old Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens and was a more than respectable nature photographer with film. But a long time ago, he transitioned completely to cell phone photography. He attended a course in Hawaii (I think …) taught by Dewitt Jones. Over the past few years Cliff himself has taught i-phonography courses in a variety of prestigious settings. He is current finishing up work on an yet-to-be-titled e-Guide to cell phone photography that will be available only from BIRDS AS ART.

That brings up an interesting point: if you are a lousy photographer who is unable to design pleasing images getting and learning to use a cell phone for photography will not make you a better photographer. These is not magic. But if you have a good eye and are interested in learning then you just might find using your cell phone for photography to be both great fun and highly rewarding. My i-phone 8= serves me well as a wide angle scenic lens and creates images that are more than suitable for my two main purposes: sharing beauty and education. And I look forward to learning to be much more versatile with my i-phone once I get my hands on Cliff’s new guide.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s featured images do you feel is the strongest? Why?

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

Lots of walking. Lots of putting. And on Monday afternoon, I actually played a few holes. Thanks to Amy. Speaking of Amy, she visited a friend in Sarasota recently and shared some really nice sunrise/sunset land-/sea-scape images in her most recent blog post here.

I started this post from scratch early on Tuesday morning. It took a shade under two hours to create. In my last blog post, everyone who commented on what bugged me about the Western Gull in flight image was correct: it was that the bill lined up with the bird’s right leg. Marvin T. Smith was the first to answer correctly. Had the bill been centered between the bird’s legs, the image would have been a lot stronger for me. I hate merges of any kind …

PHOTOEXPO 2018

If you missed the PHOTOEXPO 2018 announcement and live anywhere within driving or flying distance of Memphis, TN, click here for the info. I have rides to Beale Street for both nights. If you are attending, please stop by the BAA table for a handshake and a hug.

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.

Recent Sales

Bill Ketterer sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent condition for the lowest ever BAA price of $3399.00 in early June.
Jim Keener sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in near-mint condition for $3,999.00 the first day it was listed.
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 1.4X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for the low price of $299.00 in late June, 2018.
Randall Ennis sold his Canon EOS-1D Mark IV in excellent condition for $849.00 in late June.
Joel Williams sold his Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35 f/4 ZA OSS lens in like-new condition for $629 (was $749) in late June, 2018.
Joel Williams also sold his Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens in like-new condition for $749 (was $949) in April 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00 in late June, 2018.
Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1349.00 the first day it was listed in late June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $999.00 (was $1149.00) in mid-June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1099.00 in Early June.
Steve Traudt sold an Xtrahand Vest, the Khumbu model, size XL, in very good condition for the BAA record-low price of $179.
Jim Brennan sold a used Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens in good condition for $249.00 in late May.
Larry Padgett sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for $1160 soon after it was listed in late May.
Charlie Curry sold his Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens in mint condition for a BAA record-low price of $750.00 on the first day of listing in late May, 2018.

New Listings

Be sure to check out the two new listings in the main text of today’s blog post.

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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Via e-mail from Gary Meyer

Thanks for posting instructions on where to get the Nikon D850 quickly. Bedford shipped mine the same day. Wow, you sure got good connections!

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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 2015 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT with the tripod/Mongoose-mounted Canon 200-400mm f/L IS with Internal 1.4X teleconverter and and external 1.4X teleconverter as well (at 784mm) with the EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering minus 2/3 stop: 1/60 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Image #1: Sally Lightfoot portrait

Sally Lightfoot Crabs

With their bright colors, especially those brilliant sky blues, Sally Lightfoot Crabs are among my very favorite subjects in the Galapagos. I need a minimum of ten folks to run what may very well be my last trip to the bucket list of all archipelagos; two folks are already on board. If you are interested in joining me on the world’s best Galapagos photographic cruise, please shoot me an e-mail. Details here soon.

To learn more about Sally Lightfoot Crabs, click here.

Consider the EXIF …

As you read the image captions, do note the great range of focal lengths used to create images of the same subject. Note that the exposure compensations range from +1 to -2/3. And note that some of the images were made in Av mode and some in Manual mode. Along the way, be sure to ask yourself “Why?”

This image was created on the 2015 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II lens (at 230mm) and the EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering plus one stop: 1/80 sec. at f/16 in Av mode. Image #2: Sally Lightfoot Crab/part of a carcass with legs on sand

Image Questions

Why +1 EC? Why f/16?

Missing the Canon 100-400 II

The thing that I miss the most about leaving the Canon system behind is the remarkable close focus (.98 meters or 3.2 feet) of the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens. I took advantage of this feature almost every day that I took the lens into the field, that being almost every day that I was in the field.

Canon EF Canon 100-400 L IS II USM Lens

I am offering a used Canon 100-400 L IS II in very good plus (almost excellent) condition and in perfect working order — I had to send it to Canon twice to restore smooth zooming — for $1399.00. The sale includes the original product box, the front and rear lens caps, the carrying case and strap, the manual, and insured ground shipping via UPS to US addresses. Your new lens will not ship until your check clears.

Please get in touch with artie via e-mail or on his cell phone at 863-221-2372 (Eastern time). Please leave a message if no answer.

Y’all know how much I loved and now miss this amazingly versatile lens. I expect it to sell very quickly. artie

This image was also created on the 2015 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II lens (at 312mm) and the EOS-7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering minus 2/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. Image #3: Sally Lightfoot Crab, juvenile

Nikon Extension Tubes …

If you know of any off-brand extension tubes that work with the Nikon system while retaining Autofocus (AF) and metering (AE), please leave a comment below. The crab in the image above was only about 1 1/2 inches across the shell (at most). The magnification of the Canon 100-400 II is an amazing 0.31X. With the Nikon 80-400 VR the magnification is 0.2X; the minimum focusing distance is 5.74 feet, nearly double that of the Canon 100-400 II. Adding a Nikon-compatible 25mm extension tube to my 80-400 would allow me to focus a lot closer.

This image was also created on the 2010 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT. I used the tripod/Mongoose-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.6 L IS II lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 50. The exposure was set to yield just a very few blinkies on a breaking wave: 1/30 sec. at f/9 in Av mode. Image #4: Sally Lightfoot Crab, wave blur

The Canon 800mm

Checking out the EXIF for this image put a smile on my face as it brought back memories of the EF 800mm f/5.6L IS. I used this great lens as my workhorse telephoto for about five years, most often with the 1.4X teleconverter. A great number of images in The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100 were created with the EF 800. This e-book is available either on CD or via download.

Image Question

Why ISO 50?

This image was created on the 2010 Galapagos Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens and the 2X II teleconverter (at 280mm) with the EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. Image #5: Sally Lightfoot crab on seaweed

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s featured images do you like best? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

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

Bill Wingfield is offering a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in excellent to near-mint condition for $1049.00. The sale includes the zippered lens case, the front and rear lens caps, 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 Bill via e-mail or by phone at 1-843-729-6670 (Eastern time zone).

I owned and used this incredibly versatile lens for birds and wildlife and landscapes and Urbex for many years with both the 1.4X and the 2X teleconverters. It was great indoors for events like granddaughter Maya’s dance recitals. artie

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

Amy and I flew from Edinburgh to Orlando on Wednesday with a 4 1/2 hour layover in Toronto. Everything went smoothly. MCO was a zoo; Jim picked us up just before 7pm. We were home at 8:30pm (1:30am Scotland time the next day …) I slept in my own bed for the first time since June 27th.

Lots of jet lag on Thursday but it was good to be home. Aside from walking 6.3 miles in all (and getting on the StairMaster for a bit for the first time in forever), I did not get much accomplished. On the UK portion of our trip WiFi problems led to recent portions of my Inbox disappearing. I will be catching up on e-mails in the next few days. If you sent something important and you do not hear from me on Friday (the 13th!), please re-send.

PHOTOEXPO 2018

If you missed the PHOTOEXPO 2018 announcement and live anywhere within driving or flying distance of Memphis, TN, click here for the info. I have rides to Beale Street for both nights. If you are attending, please stop by the BAA table for a handshake and a hug.

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.

Recent Sales

Jim Keener sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in near-mint condition for $3,999.00 the first day it was listed
Ray Maynard sold his Canon 1.4X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for the low price of $299.00 in late June, 2018.
Randall Ennis sold his Canon EOS-1D Mark IV in excellent condition for $849.00 in late June.
Joel Williams sold his Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35 f/4 ZA OSS lens in like-new condition for $629 (was $749) in late June, 2018.
Joel Williams also sold his Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens in like-new condition for $749 (was $949) in April 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00 in late June, 2018.
Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1349.00 the first day it was listed in late June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $999.00 (was $1149.00) in mid-June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1099.00 in Early June.
Steve Traudt sold an Xtrahand Vest, the Khumbu model, size XL, in very good condition for the BAA record-low price of $179.
Jim Brennan sold a used Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens in good condition for $249.00 in late May.
Larry Padgett sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for $1160 soon after it was listed in late May.
Charlie Curry sold his Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens in mint condition for a BAA record-low price of $750.00 on the first day of listing in late May, 2018.

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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Via e-mail from Gary Meyer

Thanks for posting instructions on where to get the Nikon D850 quickly. Bedford shipped mine the same day. Wow, you sure got good connections!

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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 Fisher Lassie with Captain Gordon near Bass Rock, Scotland on the morning of July 10,, 2018. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens (at 105mm) with the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus 1/3 stop as framed: 1/6400 sec. at f/6.3. NATURAL AUTO WB at 9:03am on a mostly sunny day. Center Group (grp)/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s wings. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #1: Northern Gannet braking in flight

Short Mid-range Zoom Lenses for Gannets in Flight and Diving?

I think that it was IPT veteran Billie Snell, a pediatrician from L.A. (lower Alabama as here husband Brian says), who first began using her Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II not for wide angles showing lots of birds but to create images of single gannets diving. At first I thought that it was foolish — who ever heard of using a short mid-range zoom lens to photograph single birds in flight? But I and several others followed her lead and it turned out to be a great technique. The short zooms are lighter and smaller even than the 70-200 f/4s that I love for the gannet boat and are thus easier to handle, the birds are often so close that even 120mm is too long (as with the image above), and using a short mid-range zoom makes it far easier to track the birds that dive close to the boat. Thanks Bille for opening my eyes.

Oil Tanker

The smudge on the horizon on the right side of the frame was a distant oil tanker. I decided to leave it. What would you have done? Why?

This image was created on the Fisher Lassie with Captain Gordon near Bass Rock, Scotland on the morning of July 10,, 2018. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens (at 120mm) with the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus 1/3 stop as framed: 1/6400 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. NATURAL AUTO WB at 9:03am on a mostly sunny day. Center Group (grp)/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s wings. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2: the Photo Mechanic screen capture for Image #3/the original

A Small-in-the-frame Underexposure

With the wind against sun conditions and the sun going in and out almost constantly, getting the right exposure exposure was a nightmare. Once I switched to the 24-120mm I decided to shoot everything in Av mode at plus one or two thirds and live with some underexposures and some over-exposures. As you can see above, the original image on this diving shot was well under-exposed (as was the RAW file for Image #1). But …

This image was created on the Fisher Lassie with Captain Gordon near Bass Rock, Scotland on the morning of July 10,, 2018. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens (at 120mm) with the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus 1/3 stop as framed: 1/6400 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. NATURAL AUTO WB at 9:03am on a mostly sunny day. Center Group (grp)/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s wings. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Northern Gannet hitting the water/optimized

D850 Image Quality

The superb quality and dynamic range of D850 image files made opening up this image and executing a relatively large (for me) crop a breeze. I ran Neat Image noise reduction on Image #1 to eliminate the small pixel noise but did not need to do so with Image #3.

A Great ACR Tip for Converting Under-exposed RAW Files

With properly exposed RAW files I advise starting with the White slider when converting images in Adobe Camera RAW. ACR in Photoshop is nearly identical to the RAW converter in Lightroom. But with underexposed RAW files, a much better approach is to begin by moving the Exposure slider to the right to taste. Try it; you will find your results far superior by opening up the image first and then setting the White and Black points as detailed in BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II).

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

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

The tip above and dozens more are covered in detail in the BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. This e-Guide details my complete digital workflow and is written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style. Consider it a cookbook for your images.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s featured images is your favorite? Why?

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

At 3am on Sunday, the sky was clear. At 4am on Sunday, the sky was clear. At 5am on Sunday, the sky was clear. At 6am on Sunday, the sky was clear. At 7am on Sunday the sky was clear. Here we go again I thought. Then some heavy cloud cover moved in over Seahouses and the Farnes from the north. Hooray! Sunday morning on Staple was the best morning of the trip by far with flying puffins and flying guillemots (murres to us in the US).

We head to Dunbar early on Monday morning to do the first of our two gannet boat trips. Everyone is excited. Including and especially me.

PHOTOEXPO 2018

If you missed the PHOTOEXPO 2018 announcement and live anywhere within driving or flying distance of Memphis, TN, click here for the info. I have a ride to Beale Street for one night, but am still looking for a ride on the other night.

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.

Recent Sales

Ray Maynard sold his Canon 1.4X III teleconverter in near-mint condition for the low price of $299.00 in late June, 2018.
Randall Ennis sold his Canon EOS-1D Mark IV in excellent condition for $849.00 in late June.
Joel Williams sold his Sony Vario-Tessar T FE 16-35 f/4 ZA OSS lens in like-new condition for $629 (was $749) in late June, 2018.
Joel Williams also sold his Fujifilm XF 50-140mm f/2.8 R LM OIS WR lens in like-new condition for $749 (was $949) in April 2018.
Pierre Williot sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00 in late June, 2018.
Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener sold his Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1349.00 the first day it was listed in late June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $999.00 (was $1149.00) in mid-June.
Jim Keener sold a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for the BAA record low price of $1099.00 in Early June.
Steve Traudt sold an Xtrahand Vest, the Khumbu model, size XL, in very good condition for the BAA record-low price of $179.
Jim Brennan sold a used Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens in good condition for $249.00 in late May.
Larry Padgett sold his Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for $1160 soon after it was listed in late May.
Charlie Curry sold his Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens in mint condition for a BAA record-low price of $750.00 on the first day of listing in late May, 2018.

New Listing

Canon EOS-1DX Mark II

Top BAA used gear seller Jim Keener is offering a Canon Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in near-mint condition for the great price of $3999.00. The sale includes everything in the original box including the front lens cover and the cables and the manual and the rest. But not the box. Also included is insured ground shipping via to continental US addresses only. The package will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Jim via e-mail or by phone at 310-741-7435 (9am-9pm Mountain time).

The 1DX Mark II is Canon’s rugged, blazingly fast professional digital camera body. It features a great AF system and high quality image files with great dynamic range. I owned and used two of these for several years. As a new 1DX II currently sells for $5,699.00 you can save $1700 on a practically new body. artie

Price Drop

Canon EOS 5DS R mega mega-pixel dSLR

Price Reduced $200 on July 8, 2018.e-mail or by text message to 1-716-481-7158 (Eastern Time Zone).

Without an anti-aliasing filter, the 5DS R will–for those with good sharpness techniques–produce large high-quality image files that feature hard to believe detail. You have seen the amazing 100% crops showing fine-feather detail in many older blog posts. And it is not bad for flight photography either! artie

Re-run/Great Buy!

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Pierre Williot is offering a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens (the original 600 IS) in very good to excellent condition in perfect working order with just a few blemishes for the BAA record-low-by-$800 price of $4199.00. The sale includes a LensCoat, the lens trunk, a low foot, the Canon 52mm Drop-In Circular Polarizer Filter (PL-C 52), the leather front lens cover, the rear cap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses.

Please get in touch with Pierre via e-mail.

The 600 f/4 lenses are ideal for those who do birds and wildlife. This lens is the original (heavier) version of the Canon 600 IS. The lighter 600mm f/4L IS sells new at B&H for $11,499.00. Pierre’s lens is a great buy for a young, eager, relatively strong nature photographer who would like to save $7,300.00. The original 600 IS served as my workhorse super-telephoto lens for more than a decade. artie

Nikon D850s Sold Out! Next shipment in about 10 days. A Nikkor AF-S 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens! Available Right Now!

E-mail Steve about a special deal on the big Nikon zoom lens that is especially great for a trip to Africa, the Southern Ocean, or the Galapagos.

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. Patrick Sparkman saved $350 on a recent purchase!

Booking.Com

Several folks on the UK IPT used the Booking.Com link below for there 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.

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 July 6, 2018 on Staple Island, one of the Farnes Islands. I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 155mm) and the Nikon D5 (with Dual XQD slots). ISO 500. Matrix metering at zero: 1/3200 sec. at f/8. NATURAL AUTO WB at 11:54am on a sunny day. One array diagonally up from the center array/Group (grp)/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array right on the chick as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #1: Herring Gull, large chick with Induro/Mongoose-mounted Nikon 600mm f/4 VR lens

The Situation

Clear blue skies. North wind. The chances of making a good image of a flying puffin were about zero. The same was true for making a good image of a flying guillemot (murres to us) or a flying Razorbill. The seabirds and gulls perched on the rocks were facing directly away from us when you had the sun behind you. For a change. There were three pretty large Herring Gull chicks on the rocks. They did not care which way the wind was blowing. I spent three hours with them as they were the best available subject … And I made sure that everyone in the group got on them as well.

And oh, by the way, they were pretty tame. 🙂

Working the Subject

As we have seen here several times recently, it pays to work a subject using different lenses and focal lengths, choosing different perspectives, getting closer or moving back, and simply looking for either a neat behavior or some variety.

This image was also created on July 6, 2018 on Staple Island, one of the Farnes Islands. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and the Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering + 1/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3. NATURAL AUTO WB at 11:13am on a sunny day. 🙂 Three up from the center AF point/d-9/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the base of the bird’s upper mandible right on the same beyond the plane of the bird’s eye. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #2:Herring Gull, large, downy chick begging

Beggar!

After creating many dozen vertical head and neck images an adult Herring Gull flew by and my little friend began to beg nonstop. I made lots of images and share my favorite with you immediately above.

One of my tenets: if you point your lens at a gull it usually does not take long for it to do something special.

This image was also created on July 6, 2018 at the Staple Island, one of the Farnes Islands. Again, I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and the Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering + 1/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3. NATURAL AUTO WB at 11:13am on a sunny day. 🙂 Three up from the center AF point/d-9/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the base of the bird’s upper mandible right on the same beyond the plane of the bird’s eye. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #3: Herring Gull, large, downy chick — head portrait

Head Hunter

I love creating tight horizontal head portraits when I can do so without disturbing the subject. With the young gulls, it was easy to get close if you moved slowly and stayed low.

This image was also created on July 6, 2018 on Staple Island, one of the Farnes Islands. For this one I used the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III (at 410mm), and the Nikon D5 (with Dual XQD slots). ISO 400. Matrix metering +1/3 stop as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/9. NATURAL AUTO WB at 11:29am on a sunny day. One up and two to the right of the center AF point/Single Point/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was placed on the bird’s right eye. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Image #4: An older large Herring Gull chick

One of the Two Older Birds

Images 2 & 3 are of the same bird, a large chick with lots of downy feathers. Image #4 is one of two obvious siblings that were more advanced than the fuzzy chick. Note that the scapulars, coverts, and tertials are all grown in, each with a dark center and buff edgings. It is possible that the fuzzy bird is the runt of a 3-chick litter. Or, it might be a bird from a different nest. I asked the rangers but none of them had been paying attention to the gull chicks. The more developed birds were fast friends, rarely getting too far from each other. I was thrilled to get a classic field guide portrait of one of the twins.

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s featured images is your favorite? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice.

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 :).