Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Stuff

After a great Thursday, Friday was a bust until late in the day. We went out behind the hotel at about 7pm. Amy and Anita found the black Ruff that has been regular at the pond along with the Red-necked Phalaropes and a few pairs of Tufted Ducks. I walked to the eastern end of the island and concentrated on Common Gulls n flight with the 600 alone and one of my two D850s. I got a few killers …

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.

Seven D850s Available Right Now!

Contact Steve below to get yours.

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 DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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 also created on June 7 at Vardo, Norway. I rested my rig on the lowered window of the van: the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 1000. Matrix metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/250 sec. at f/6.3. CLOUDY WB at 5:36PM on a cloudy afternoon. One below the center, Group (grp)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the right flank of the Ruff in the middle. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. Image #1: Six Ruffs: The Ruffians

Amy Runs to the Ruffs!

Amy Novotny runs pretty much every day. I do not know her complete running history but I do know that she has run in and completed four Boston Marathons. So she is not just running around the block. She set out on a run from our hotel in Vadso on Thursday and returned with news: she had found lots of Ruffs.

An Exception to the Rule …

When photographing groups of birds, I have long advised that folks focus on the closest bird. Here, I chose to focus on the second closest bird and it worked out perfectly. I thought of switching to a lower left AF point, but when the arrangement presented itself momentarily, I had no choice but to push the shutter button. I guess that all rules are made to be broken when the opportunity presents itself.

This image was created on June 7 at Vardo, Norway. I rested my rig on the lowered window of the van: the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering plus 1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3. CLOUDY WB at 4:06pam on a cloudy afternoon. Center Group (grp) AF point/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s front end. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. Image #2: Victorian Royalty Ruff

Brushane

Brushane is the Norwegian name for Ruff. The correct pronunciation is quite baffling to Americans: say “bruce-HON-uh.

This image also was created on June 7 at Vardo, Norway. I rested my rig on the lowered window of the van: the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-17E II, and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering minus about 1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/7.1. CLOUDY WB at 5:00PM on a cloudy afternoon. One to the right of the center Group (grp)/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s face. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +1. Image #3: Rusty-headed, black-chested Ruff feeding

When to Be Wary of Group AF …

While Group (grp) AF is superb for flight photography, it can hurt you when using it for photographing single birds. If the bird is large in the frame as with Image #3, you are OK if you can place the array on the bird’s face. But with subject that are not so large in the frame, the array is often confused (for lack of a better term), and may focus on the bird’s breast (or somewhere else) that is in front of the plane of the face and the eye. It is much, much better to go with single point or d-9 (at most) with birds that are filling about half the frame. For me, lesson learned.

I made many unsharp images on Thursday, in part due to using Group AF when I shouldn’t have, in part because long effective focal lengths and relatively slow shutter speeds are not a good mix, and in part because I do not have a BLUBB with me. Resting the 600 on the lowered van window is a problematic strategy at best. And using pillow or a rolled up sweatshirt simply does not offer the stability of a BLUBB with its concave top that allows the bag to solidly cradle your long lens.

This image was also created on June 7 at Vardo, Norway. I rested my rig on the lowered window of the van: the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 1000. Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop: as framed: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3. CLOUDY WB at 5:20pm on a cloudy afternoon. Center Group (grp) AF point/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s ruff; this image is cropped from the horizontal original. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. Image #4: Queen Victoria Ruff

Ruffs and Reeves

The male of the species bears the English name, Ruff. The females are called reeves. In breeding plumage, the males feature spectacular ear tufts and ruffs or boas of shaggy, colorful feathers. Color-wise there is so much variation — as you can see with today’s images — that it is difficult to find two that are even pretty much the same. The females are quite plain and resemble a stock Pectoral Sandpiper. I have yet to make a good image of a reeve. Thanks to Amy, we had a banner days with Ruffs (and also with Eurasian Golden Plover).

This image was also created on June 7 at Vardo, Norway. I rested my rig on the lowered window of the van: the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering +1 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/6.3. CLOUDY WB at 5:20Pm on a cloudy afternoon. Center Group (grp) AF point/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s chest. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. Image #5: Rough and Ready Ruff

The Image Optimizations

Because I was fighting to keep a relatively low ISO while maintaining a halfway decent shutter speed, most of Thursday’s images were about one-third stop underexposed. I began each conversion in ACR by increasing moving the Exposure slider to the right. Once I finished working all the sliders and got the TIFF into Photoshop a healthy dose of one of my NIK Color Efex Pro Detail Extractor/Tonal Contrast recipes was applied. Having use CLOUDY WB I moved the color temperature slider to the left a few hundred degrees with each RAW conversion. But the GREENs of the grass were still too intense so I put the whole thing on a layer, hit Command + U (Hue/Saturation), picked the YELLOW channel from the dropdown menu, and reduced the Saturation about 15-20 points to tone down the color of the grass. Then I applied a Regular Layer Mask, hit B, D, X, and erased the effect from the bird.

If anything above does not make sense to you, consider getting a copy of my BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II), an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. Click on the link to learn more about this comprehensive e-Guide.

Your Favorite Ruff?

Which Ruff do you like best? Do 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 :).

Oops!

While preparing the blog post with the Ruff image (the converted TIFF and the optimized version that you see below), I accidentally replaced the kittiwake blog post with the Ruff text and photos. First time ever. If anyone has a browser window open with the kittiwake blog post (do not refresh the page!), please copy and paste the whole thing and send it to me via e-mail. Please do not send a screen capture … With a cut and paste, I can pretty easily restore the kittiwake post … If not, it will have fallen by the wayside never to be seen again. Your help would be appreciated.

To avoid duplication, the only thing that I could do was delete the old kittiwake post with the ruff images and text … I did publish the ruff blog post (the one you are looking at if you are reading this), a half day early on the evening of Tuesday June 5, 2018. It should not have been published until the early morning of Wednesday, June 6.

Stuff

Monday was pretty much of a disaster with a stormy, rainy morning (that sent me back to bed at 2:15am) followed by a Ruff-less session in the throw-over blinds on the lek south of Komagvaer. On Tuesday we decided to head up north in search of Temminck’s Stint. We left at 5:30am for the two-hour drive to Sandefjord. We were less than 10 kilometers away when we realized that we were almost out of gas … We found a place to turn around and headed to the nearest gas station in Vardo. I got out of the car to help with our u-turn and was greeted by icy blasts of wind. We gassed up in Vardo and found a museum right outside of the undersea tunnel with some Black-legged Kittiwakes nesting on the window frames. It was a great situation for practicing exposure and fine-tuning your image design skills.

When we were finished, we headed to the local market for a great brunch and coffee for Anita. With the cloudy conditions and the wind from the northwest we headed to the west side of the harbor to look for gulls. I short order we found some large flocks of Herring Gulls and Black-legged Kittiwakes feeding at various fish processing outflows. The flight action was fabulous but we froze as the winds increased. Then it rained and the wind increased some more. Then it snowed and the wind increased even more — to gale force! We kept the van running and took turns resting and getting warm. When we could not take it any longer we headed back to our hotel in Vadso. Amy and I headed to dinner, Anita went out in the freezing cold to try for Ruffs and Red-necked Phalaropes in the big pond. The woman is either committed or needs to be committed 🙂 But give her credit for trying and for here amazing endurance and determination.

For me, the jet lag continues 🙂

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.

Canon EOS 5DS R mega mega-pixel dSLR

Pierre Williot is offering a Canon EOS 5DS R in like-new condition for a very fair $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

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Pierre Williot is also offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in like-new condition for a very fair $848.00. A screen protector was applied to the rear LCD when the camera came out of the box. The sale includes the front cap, the camera strap, 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).

Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about two years ago when we both committed to using full frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. One thing is for sure: the 7D Mark II is the greatest value ever in a digital camera body. With a new one going for $1499 you can save a cool $651 by grabbing Pierre’s camera body now.. artie

This image was created at Komagvaer, Norway on June 3, 2018. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 1600. Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3. CLOUDY WB at 7:10pm on a very cloudy afternoon. Center Group (grp) AF/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s secondaries as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here.

Ruff

Ruffs are medium-sized shorebirds that nest in northern Europe. They have been on my photo bucket list since I first saw them in early spring at Pedricktown Marsh near Philadelphia where 4-6 males stopped by regularly in the late 1970s and the early 1980s headed for who-knows-where? In spring, the males grow in incredible boas of colorful feathers about their heads, necks, and breasts. No two are identical. They gather in small groups on relatively tiny patches of tundra to display for the females (reeves). When a reeve lands on the lek lots of fighting ensues. The bird in the image above raised its wings to threaten a white Ruff that landed nearby. Photographing the ruffs (or better yet trying to photograph the ruffs) while covered up by a heavy throw-over blind is a huge challenge as the birds are beyond extremely skittish. We had out best luck (and lots of action) on the day that today’s featured image was created.

Learn lots more about Ruffs and the regularly occurring shorebirds of North American in Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers here (by yours truly).

This image was created at Komagvaer, Norway on June 3, 2018. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 1600. Matrix metering plus about 2/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3. CLOUDY WB at 7:10pm on a very cloudy afternoon. Center Group (grp) AF/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s secondaries as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. Ruff, with wings raised; this is the optimized image

Tundra Clean-up

Though I liked the original version above, there was some distracting background stuff that bugged me. I used the Patch Tool, the Spot Healing Brush (for the very small distracting elements), and a series of small Quick Masks (refined with a Regular Layer Mask) to eliminate most of those. For others I went with Content Aware Fill. The latter often leaves somewhat ugly and somewhat noticeable irregularities and blotches. To eliminate those in areas with otherwise even-toned backgrounds, I apply a 65-pixel Gaussian Blur, add a Hide-all (Black or Inverse) Layer Mask, and paint in the effect incrementally where needed while making sure to stay well away from the bird. I usually start with a 50% Opacity brush and drop down to 33% opacity brush where additional softening and smoothing is needed.

For this ISO 1600 image I made a careful selection of the bird, feathered it 0.7 pixels, and saved the selection. First I ran my NIK Color EFEX Pro 30-30 recipe on the bird only. Then I re-loaded the selection and used the high level Neat Image techniques detailed in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly. That involves applying less noise reduction to the bird only and more noise reduction to the background after using Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection to protect the bird. In addition, I moved the bird down in the frame just a bit using one of the APTATS tutorials.

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.

You can learn how and why I converted nearly all of my Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And, yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 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.

Your Favorite?

Do you like Image #1 with all it flaws or the clean-ed up version, Image #2? Do 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

By the time this is published on Thursday, May 31, we should be on our way to the Verlanger Peninsula. My understanding is that even though we will be in the wilderness of arctic Norway with 24 hour daylight that we will have internet. If not, I will see you when I see you 🙂

Check Out the Travel Insanity!

Check out the travel insanity here.

These Just In: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens and Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens Available!

Both the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens an the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR are difficult items to find. Most folks have to wait months to purchase. If you would like to save a few bucks, please contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) immediately and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order.

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.

Corrected Listing

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

Jim Keener is also offering 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. The sale includes a RRS Arca-Swiss plate, the soft lens case, the front and rear lens caps, the tripod collar, the hood, the original box, and 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).Carl via e-mail.

The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II is an amazingly versatile lens; I made a zillion great images with it when I was using Canon. It works well with both the 1.4X III and the 2X III TCs, even with the 7D II! It is easily hand holdable. It is great for tame birds, landscapes, urbex, indoor stuff likes concerts and recitals, and just about anything you want to photograph. A new 70-200 II currently sells for $1,949 so you can save a cool $850 by buying Jim’s lens at a great low price. artie

Price Reduction

Canon 24-105mm L IS Lens

Charlie Curry is offering a Canon 24-105mm L IS lens in near-mint condition for the great low price of $399.00 (was $424.00). The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens hood, and insured ground shipping via major courier to continental US addresses only. Your lens will not ship until your check clears.

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

When I shot Canon, I rarely made a trip or headed out to the beach without my 24-105 in my Xtra-hand vest. Whenever I’d leave this amazingly versatile B-roll lens behind, I’d wind up regretting it. I use it for bird-scapes, photographer-scapes, landscapes, mini-macro scenes that included bird feathers, dead birds, and nests with eggs (the latter only when and if the nest can be photographed without jeopardizing it), and just about anything else that catches my eye. While I am nowhere near as good as Denise Ippolito is with this lens, I have made lots of good and saleable images with mine, the old version. artie

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Lens

Sale pending

Jim Brennan is offering a used Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens in good condition for $249.00; there is a small dent on the aperture ring, there are some nicks on the lens barrel, and the aperture ring is a bit tight but it does not effect sharpness or operation. Thus the ridiculous low price. The sale includes the lens Case (LP1219), the lens hood (EW-83E), the manual, the front & rear lens caps, the original box, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only. Signature required upon delivery. Personal or certified checks only unless other arrangements are made. The gear will not ship until the check clears the bank. Photos and additional information available upon request.

Please contact jim via e-mail or by cellphone 1-(609) 432-9210 (Eastern time).

This fine landscape lens goes for $749. Though Jim’s lens is on the well used side it function just fine and thus represents an excellent value. 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!

Booking.Com

Several folks on the DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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.

ACR Screen Capture for Brown Pelican, immature cleaning bill pouch

What’s Your Plan?

Before you scroll down, make a plan in your head for optimizing today’s featured image. What sort of crop would you execute? How would you deal with the high contrast? How wold you deal with the need for more room above the bird? Which slider setting does not make any sense at all?

You can learn about the bird’s behavior and how I optimized this image by scrolling down. But be sure to make your plan first.

ACR Stuff

You can always learn a lot by studying the RGB values (R=240, G=239, B=245) and the adjustments made to the various sliders. What made it necessary here to move the Shadow Slider to +100?

The San Diego Site Guide

Whether you are visiting San Diego for photography for the first time or live in the area and have done the pelicans many dozens of times, you will learn a ton by studying the San Diego Site Guide. Why spend days stumbling around when you can know exactly where and when to be depending on the wind direction and sky conditions? In addition to the pelican primer, there is great info on the best beaches for the gorgeous gulls and Marbled Godwits, on the lower cliffs and the Green Patch, Lesser Scaup, and Wood and Ring-necked Ducks as well.

Learn more or purchase your copy here.

This image was created on January 27, 2018 on the second San Diego IPT with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) with the Nikon D5 with Dual XQD Slots. ISO 400. Matrix metering -2/3 stop: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AUTO0 WB at 4:38pm on a clear afternoon. (Note: afternoon pelicans on sun angle are hard to find in La Jolla … Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the pelican’s breast. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +2. Brown Pelican, immature cleaning bill pouch

The Behavior: Bill Pouch Cleaning

When a pelican opens its bill and pulls its lower mandible down over its distended neck, it is cleaning its bill pouch (even though that does not make much sense to us humans). It is often a clue that the bird will be doing a head throw. One of the problems is that most bill pouch cleaning images are best in horizontal format while most head throw images work best as vertical captures. You need to be really quick …

The Image Optimization

After converting the RAW file in Adobe Camera Raw I brought the image into Photoshop and expanded canvas top and left using the Crop Tool love handles with the proportions set to 3:3. (Note: you need to be in the unframed view to do this.) Then I filled in the added canvas with the always dependable John Haedo Content Aware Fill. Next was a 65 pixel Gaussian Blur applied to the whole image. I added a Hide-all (Inverse or Black) Layer Mask and painted the effect in (B, D) on the background with brushes of varying opacities (50% near the top of the frame and 33% below that). I carefully selected the bird and the rock using the Quick Selection Tool (W) along with the plus and minus Lasso Tools for fine-tuning the selection. Then I applied my NIK 40/40 recipe; it did wonders to the image by opening up the dark tones and toning down the bright white rock.

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 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: 9.)

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 Grebe 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

Amy and I were down at the lake on Friday and Saturday mornings. Both days, one of the crane parents was sitting peacefully on the shored up nest so we went off in search of some Osprey flight photography and did quite well. The 200-500 is great for the flying and landing Ospreys. While it is easier for me to hand hold the 80-400mm VR Lens than it is to hand hold the 200-500, I enjoy the extra 100mm of reach with the 2-5. Amy uses her 2-5 with her D-500. I use my D850 and on occasion, my D5. You can see some of Amy’s fine Osprey images here.

Though things are not 100% perfect yet, most folks should be able to access the blog today …

These Just In: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens and Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens Available!

Both the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR Lens an the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR are difficult items to find. Most folks have to wait months to purchase. If you would like to save a few bucks, please contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) immediately and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order.

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.

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 DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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.

The San Diego Site Guide

Whether you are visiting San Diego for photography for the first time or live in the area and have done the pelicans many dozens of times, you will learn a ton by studying the San Diego Site Guide. Why spend days stumbling around when you can know exactly where and when to be depending on the wind direction and sky conditions? In addition to the pelican primer, there is great info on the best beaches for the gorgeous gulls and Marbled Godwits, on the lower cliffs and the Green Patch, Lesser Scaup, and Wood and Ring-necked Ducks as well.

Learn more or purchase your copy here.

This image was created on January 29, 2018 on the second San Diego IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering +1/3 stop; 1/400 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AUTO0 WB at 4:26pm on what turned out to be a clear afternoon. One down and one to the right Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the Godwit’s body. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: -8. Marbled Godwit on wet sand

Wet Sand — A Bird Photographer’s Best Friend

Whenever you are at the beach with a telephoto lens, be on the lookout for patches of wet sand left by receding waves. These areas can be quite clean and free of shells and other debris and will often reflect colorful backgrounds. One of my favorite San Diego locations offers gorgeous sandstone cliffs that are reflected by the wet sand on sunny afternoons. Along with a bit of blue sky on occasion. Then all you need is a handsome gull, tern, or shorebird and you are good to go.

Working Wide with the Nikon 200-500 & the AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III

While I am usually at the beach with a 600mm lens on a tripod with a fanny pack full of teleconverters, I do on occasion like to head out with a shorter telephoto lens like the Nikon 200-500VR or the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens or in my past life, with the or the Canon EF 400mm DO IS II, almost always with a 1.4X teleconverter in my pocket or attached to the lens. In any case, when I am lacking my favorite ultra-long effective focal lengths it offers an opportunity to work wider and include more attractive habitat.

The 2-5 with the TC-E14 is surprisingly sharp. The one drawback with this combination is that AF performance suffers as you move the selected AF point toward the edges of the array. I have even made a few good flight images with the1.4X TC and the 2-5.

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: 9.)

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 Grebe 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

Here is the blog problem short story. Thanks to Rick Tuley and his son we learned the some large DNS servers were no longer routing traffic to three of my websites, most importantly the blog. Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) and Quad9 (9.9.9.9) had dropped my sites and sent return messages stating that the server could no longer be found. Best of all they knew why: the domain for the name servers had lapsed. Once we investigated that things got strange. The domain was bird-photographers.net. While I do own birdphotographers.net I had no idea where the extra hyphen had come from. After many hours on the phone with Network Solutions and many hours of online chatting with URL Jet on Saturday, we were assigned two new name servers. But when we tried to change from the old name servers to the new name servers it stated that the new ones were not valid. After another few hours chatting with URL Jet on Sunday the guy who had been helping us on Saturday asked, “Did you register the two new name servers with Network Solutions? I said, “Huh?” Then I gave him my Network Solutions log-in info and password and he registered them. At 8:30pm on Sunday was I successfully able to load the two new name servers. I would be remiss in not mentioning that James Shadle’s son Blake worked hand in hand with us all weekend long and was finally able to load the new name servers onto the Bird Photographers.Net domain dashboard at Domain/Dotster.com which hosts BPN.

From whatsmyDNS.Net

We were told from the get-go that once the new name servers were in place it would take two to 72 hours for them to propagate, to be recognized by the large DNS servers. The screen capture above is from From whatsmyDNS.Net at 6:53am on Wednesday. The strange thing to me is that both the locations and the green checks and the red X-s change every few minutes. A location that shows a green check mark one minute might show a red-X the next. I was told that this is normal due to fluctuation in the propagation. But that does not make sense to me. How can a DNS server recognize a new name server and then un-recognize it? The proof will be in the pudding tonight (Wednesday, May 23, 2018) at 8:40pm, the 72 hour mark. In an ideal world all locations should show green check marks at that time …

The good news is that nearly all the folks who had not been able to access the blog are now able to.

Please remember that you can help support my efforts here on the blog simply by clicking on the Amazon logo-link on the right for even the smallest purchases; make it a habit! And do understand that it works just fine with your Amazon Prime account.

This Just In: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens Available!

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR is a difficult lens to find. Most folks have to wait months to purchase. If you would like to save a few bucks, please contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) immediately and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order.

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.

Nikon 600mm f/4 G IF-ED VR & TC-E14II

Todd Meyer is offering a used Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR lens in excellent condition for the BAA record low price of $5595. The sale includes a LensCoat, a Wimberley low foot, the rear lens caps, the travel case, both hoods, a TC-E14 II, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Todd via e-mail.

The 600 f/4 lenses are ideal for those who do birds and wildlife. The newer lighter version, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens (designated by “E” rather than “G” after the f/4) weighs 8.4 pounds but costs $12,296.95. Thus, Todd’s lens is a great buy for someone young and relatively strong who would like to save either a large chunk of money. artie

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Jim Keener is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the great low price of $1149.00. The sale includes the front body cap, the charger, the original battery, and 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).Carl via e-mail.

I owned and used this superb, full frame, 22mp digital body for several years. It was always my first choice for scenic, Urbex (urban exploration), and flower photography until I fell in love for a while with the 5DS R (for a lot more money!). Then I switched to the 5D IV body. In addition, I loved my 5D III body for birds with my big lenses and both TCs. I used mine to create many dozens of high quality images. Then I switched to Nikon. Jim’s body can be yours for a bargain price. artie

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

Jim Keener is also offering 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. The sale includes a RRS Arca-Swiss plate, the soft lens case, the front and rear lens caps, the tripod collar, the hood, the original box, and 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).Carl via e-mail.

The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II is an amazingly versatile lens; I made a zillion great images with it when I was using Canon. It works well with both the 1.4X III and the 2X III TCs, even with the 7D II! It is easily hand holdable. It is great for tame birds, landscapes, urbex, indoor stuff likes concerts and recitals, and just about anything you want to photograph. A new 70-200 II currently sells for $1,949 so you can save a cool $850 by buying Jim’s lens at a great low price. artie

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Larry Padgett is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark III body in excellent condition for the $1224.00 The sale includes the front body cap, the charger, the strap, original battery, everything else that came in the box, and insured ground shipping via to continental US addresses only. The package will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Larry via e-mail or by phone at 1-520.444.9818 Pacific time).

I owned and used this superb, full frame, 22mp digital body for several years. It was always my first choice for scenic, Urbex (urban exploration), and flower photography until I fell in love for a while with the 5DS R (for a lot more money!). Then I switched to the 5D IV body. In addition, I loved my 5D III body for birds with my big lenses and both TCs. I used mine to create many dozens of high quality images. Then I switched to Nikon. Jim’s body can be yours for a bargain price. artie

Canon 24-105mm L IS Lens

Charlie Curry is offering a Canon 24-105mm L IS lens in near-mint condition for the great low price of $424.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the lens hood, and insured ground shipping via major courier to continental US addresses only. Your lens will not ship until your check clears.

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

When I shot Canon, I rarely made a trip or headed out to the beach without my 24-105 in my Xtra-hand vest. Whenever I’d leave this amazingly versatile B-roll lens behind, I’d wind up regretting it. I use it for bird-scapes, photographer-scapes, landscapes, mini-macro scenes that included bird feathers, dead birds, and nests with eggs (the latter only when and if the nest can be photographed without jeopardizing it), and just about anything else that catches my eye. While I am nowhere near as good as Denise Ippolito is with this lens, I have made lots of good and saleable images with mine, the old version. artie

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM Lens

Charlie Curry is also offering a Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens in mint condition for a BAA record-low $795.00. The sale includes the front and back lens covers, the soft case, the EW-88 lens hood, and insured ground shipping via major courier to continental US addresses only.

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

The 16-35 II is a superb landscape lens that can be used on occasion to create some stunning bird-scapes as well. The practically identical version III of this lens sells for $1999 new; purchase Charlie’s s lens and save $1205.00 on the cost of a new Series III model. 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!

Booking.Com

Several folks on the DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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 May 18, 2018 down by the lake near my home with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 90mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering at about -1 2/3 stops as framed: 1/200 sec. at f/10. AUTO1 WB at 7:50am on a cloudy morning. A single AF point about one up and three to the right of the center AF point was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was right on the two eggs. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. Image #1: Two eggs in new Sandhill Crane nest

The Discovery

I discovered this nest on my first walk down by the lake in several weeks. I was walking out on the pier with the 200-500 and the D5. The pier is the longest fresh water pier in the state of Florida. Anyhoo, when I saw a crane sitting on a nest on a tiny grassy peninsula right along the shore I realized instantly that it was the same pair that had lost a floating nest right offshore of the same location during the big storm on the Sunday of the DeSoto IPT. It is likely that when I found the nest it was only a few days old as it was flimsy at best.

This image was created on May 19, 2018 down by the lake near my home with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 800. Matrix metering +2/3 stop; 1/640 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. SUNNY WB at 10:23am on a cloudy day. 3D tracking//Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The system selected and AF point on the back of the crane’s head roughly on the same plane as its eye. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +4. Image #2: Sandhill Crane gathering nesting material

Hard at Work

For the next two mornings the two adults worked furiously at shoring up the nest with reeds, roots, mud, and rotting grasses. As their motions were relatively fast when I was working tight I went with 3D tracking AF in hopes of getting a few sharp ones in a very difficult situation. With Canon I would have likely gone to Center Large Zone.

This image was created on May 21, 2018 down by the lake near my home with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens (at 125mm) and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering +1 2/3 stops as framed: 1/400 sec. at f/5.6. AUTO1 WB at 8:30am on a rainy morning. A single AF point two up from the center AF point was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was right on the crane’s face. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +5. Image #3: Sandhill Crane on the shored up nest

Army Corps of Engineers Cranes

Compare the size and bulk of the nest in Image 3 with the size and bulk of the nest in image #1. Those cranes were very busy. I am hoping against hope that the nest hatches before I head to Toronto and Finland and Norway on the 28th.

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 am still feeling great and still thinking about packing for my big 7-week trip to Europe at the end of the month. I went down to the lake and was thrilled to find a gorgeous Sandhill Crane nest with two eggs right next to the shore. I am hoping against hope that it will hatch before I head out of town on the 28th. Please remember that you can help support my efforts here on the blog simply by clicking on the Amazon logo-link on the right for even the smallest purchases; make it a habit! And do understand that it works just fine with your Amazon Prime account.

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.

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 DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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 DeSoto IPT on April 18, 2018. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the Nikon D850. ISO 800. Matrix metering minus about 1 2/3 stops as framed: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3. AUTO1 WB at 7:20am on a clear morning. Center Group (grp) AF point/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bird’s face. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. Great Egret, sidelit flight

Blacked Sidelight!

The morning began with silhouettes of the dancing Reddish Egret (see the Always in a Hurry blog post here). After I trekked back through the mud to the spit there was not a whole lot going on. As we were deciding whether or not to make a wiggle I spotted a Great Egret flying right at us. Even though it was 90 degrees off sun angle I figgered what the hay, acquired focus easily, and ripped off 12 frames. Once they made it to my Macbook Pro, I was glad to see that every frame was razor sharp on the eye. I wound up keeping five from the series. You gotta love Group AF.

Nikon AF Fine-tune Excel Spreadsheet

Keep an Excel Spreadsheet!

Whether you are shooting Canon or Nikon it is imperative that you keep a record of your hard-earned results (as above). Here are a few words of explanation on the spreadsheet above:

• Five dots indicate that I have opted not to test a combination because it is unlikely that I will be using it.
• Blank boxes indicate tests that I need to get completed before the big trip.
• AFT indicates that I went with the results of the Automatic Fine-tune test.
• AFC indicates that I ran an Automatic Fine-tune test and then fine-tune those results with a FocusTune AFC test.
• All D850 tests were done using the Focus Peaking Fine-tune techniques.
• The two highlighted boxed marked r-chk indicate that I want to re-run the Focus Peaking test as I did them outdoors (with the lights) and it was a bit breezy. I am fully confident that I am within a point or two from the perfect value at most.

Nikon users can learn to do Automatic Fine-tuning and D850 Focus Peaking Fine-tuning in the The Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide. Canon Users and Nikon folks who want to learn to run FocusTune AutoFocus Consistency (AFC) tests will need The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide. Everyone will need the LensAlign Mark II hardware. Those who wish to purchase only the LensAlign Mark II unit can do so by clicking here. I strongly recommend that almost everyone purchase the LensAlign MK II with FocusTune so that they can learn to run the FocusTune AutoFocus Consistency (AFC) tests. Folks who own and use only D850 bodies do not need to purchase FocusTune as the results with Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune are quite accurate.

Micro-adjusting and AF Fine-Tune Tips and Tidbits

Recently I had one of my two Nikon D850 bodies replaced due to the recurrence of the AF problem that I wrote about a few weeks ago where the AF point that I set with d-9 or d-25 kept moving up and down when I tried to focus (when working in vertical format). So I have been doing lots of AF Fine-tuning and still have lots more to do to get ready for the arctic Norway trip.

With Canon zoom lenses you micro-adjust at the long end <em>and at the short end and the system interpolates with in-between focal lengths. With Nikon zoom lenses you can only AF Fine-tune at a single focal length. Since I do bird photography I always Fine-tune at the long end, 500mm for the 200-500 VR and 400mm for the 80-400 VR. Advantage Canon. Note however the when working at the shorter focal lengths you generally gain some depth-of-field.

Canon camera bodies recognize each individual lens and more importantly, each individual teleconverter, by serial number. For serious photographers who regularly travel with a backup 1.4X teleconverter, for example, this is a Godsend. The Nikon bodies cannot identify individual teleconverters. This creates a real problem if you main 1.4X TC fails on a trip … Advantage Canon.

The Nikon D-5 along with the D-850 and the D-500 offer an Automatic AF Fine-tune feature. It is much faster than doing a micro-adjustments with Canon gear. As I was doing lots of AF Fine-tuning when I first got my Nikon stuff, I quickly learned to do the Automatic AF Fine-tuning. Out of curiosity I began doing AFC (Auto-focus Consistency) tests (see two of those below) in FocusTune. And while the Automatic Fine-tuning is fast I discovered that the AFC testing was more accurate. Today I run a complete Automatic Fine-Tune test on a new combination and then — using my results as a starting point — run an AFC test or two to fine-tune the results. I have found in nearly all cases that the Nikon Automatic Fine-tune value is 2-4 units off. This workflow is still much faster than having to do a complete micro-adjustment from scratch. Advantage: Nikon.

Though the D850 offers the Automatic AF Fine-tune feature I strongly advise folks against using it. Why? The D850 has an amazing Focus Peaking feature. Patrick Sparkman devised a way to use Focus Peaking to quickly come up with an accurate Fine-tune value. One I have set up the LensAlign Mark II and my gear set up correctly, it generally takes only a minute or two to come up with an accurate Fine-tune value. And best of all, when I run an AFC test to confirm, the results are almost always identical and never more than a single unit apart, in other words, negligible. The huge advantage here goes to Nikon.

FocusTune AFC Test

Confirming Fine-tune Values with an AFC Test

I have — though not very often — had instances where the Automatic Fine-tune feature yielded totally erratic results. I started the a test with the D5 and the 200-500 VR at 500mm; the first seven values were -6, -2, +11, +13, -7, +13, and +11. So I made a wild assed guess and tried an AFC test at +7 and noted that I needed to bring the focus forward a bit more. I ran the next one at +3 and as you can see above, the results above were dead-solid perfect.

Note that the relatively tiny grey circles (shot deviation) at the bottom of the AFC graph indicate tight AF clusters, consistently accurate autofocus. The poorer your technique the larger these circles will be. Note also that the circles will generally be larger as you go to longer effective focal lengths.

Another FocusTune AFC Test

Confirming Fine-tune Values with an AFC Test

The results with an Automatic Fine-tune run with the 200-500 and my “second” TC-E14 came up with a fairly consistent +13. I ran an AFC test at +13 and as noted above, I was not surprised when the graph showed some back focus. So I ran a second AFC test at +9 and again was thrilled with the near-perfect results.

Again, Nikon users can learn to do Automatic Fine-tuning and D850 Focus Peaking Fine-tuning in the The Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide. Canon Users and Nikon folks who want to learn to run FocusTune AutoFocus Consistency (AFC) tests will need The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide. Everyone will need the LensAlign Mark II hardware. Those who wish to purchase only the LensAlign Mark II unit can do so by clicking here. I strongly recommend that almost everyone purchase the LensAlign MK II with FocusTune so that they can learn to run the FocusTune AutoFocus Consistency (AFC) tests. Folks who own and use only D850 bodies do not need to purchase FocusTune as the results with Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune are quite accurate.

Questions Welcome

Any and all questions dealing with micro-adjusting and AF fine-tuning are of course more than welcome.

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 was thrilled to learn that Greg Morris sold his Canon 600 II for $8,999.99 this week. In addition, Allen Dale sold his Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens (the original version) in very good to excellent condition for the BAA record-low price of $3399.00 in early May and Gary Meyer sold his Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS Lens (the original version) in mint condition privately in early May for the BAA record-low price of $447.00; he kindly sent me a check for 2 1/2% as per the Items for Sale agreement..

Please remember that you can help support my efforts here on the blog simply by clicking on the Amazon logo-link on the right for even the smallest purchases; make it a habit!

All is good; no sympathy needed please

Ten days ago I felt some mild back pain on my left side as I got into bed early. I woke in three hours and realized that I was passing a kidney stone. The pain woke me at times that night and the next three as well. I arranged for a stone protocol CT scan. That showed a 5mm stone stuck in the ureter just outside the left kidney. Then, strangely, I had no pain for three days. I was fine when I fell asleep last Friday evening. I woke with severe pain at 1:30am and stuck it out for 2 hours. It got worse so I called 911 and wound up in an ambulance (as a patient) for the first time in my life. Treatment in the ER at Lake Wales hospital was quick and effective as I had my first ever shot of morphine. They sent me home at 8:30am with some muscle relaxants and pain meds. I used them only for 24 hours as I felt zero pain. I was scheduled to have the stone blasted at ORMC on Tuesday afternoon. On Monday Jim drove me up to Clermont for an X-ray and a visit to the surgeon. He looked at the x-ray and said, “I think that I see the stone in the same spot.” I said, “I’d much rather be sure. Please have your staff call the radiology lab and arrange for a second (far more accurate) CT scan. The tentative plan was for me to have the surgery on Tuesday afternoon unless the scan showed that I had passed the stone.

Jim and I stopped in Lake Wales for a nice dinner at L’Incontro. When I got home I got I checked my e-mail. There was one from the surgeon:

You passed your stone! It’s in your bladder. You will likely “spit” it out soon so the ureteral stone surgery is not necessary.

Apparently the morphine and the other drugs allowed the ureter to relax and the stone to pass (as had been suggested by Patrick Sparkman who has been there and done that).

I passed the stone on Tuesday morning and caught it in the strainer.

Important Request

As happens over time, folks become complacent. The blog is designed to be interactive, a place where you can learn rather than just look at pretty pictures. The more folks participate, the more everyone learns. In the Another Picture Within the Picture Quiz. An Exposure Question. And a Great New Workflow Tip blog post here, I asked,

In view of the fact that the histogram is not too, too bad — there is some data in the right-most (fifth) box — why are the chicks so badly underexposed?

Only Steve Wampler took a crack at it …

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.

Nikon D850s Right Now!

D850s are at least 3 weeks back-ordered at B&H. I have helped several folks get a D850 in the past few days. Steve Elkins — see item next — has several on hand right now waiting for your phone call. From blog regular Gloria Matyszyk: My camera has shipped! Thanks for this great photography company connection!

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 DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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 a San Diego IPT on January 16, 2016. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 286mm) and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) ISO 800. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 10:27am on a rare cloudy day. Two up from the center AF point/AI Servo/Expand AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the neck about two inches below and on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Brown Pelican dark individual molting into breeding plumage

Pelican Variety: The Spice of La Jolla

For the past three decades year I have photographed the Pacific race of Brown Pelican at La Jolla, California. I have not gotten bored yet. First, because of the various of plumages: adult non-breeding, molting adult, full breeding adult, fresh juvenile, juvenile, and a variety of first and second year plumages. Even then there is tremendous variety in the different plumages caused in part by the timing of molt and in part by individual variation. In any case, learning about all the different plumages and photographing them is great fun. As for me, I cannot wait to get back.

As far as photography goes, you can throw in a practical kaleidoscope of backgrounds from pure, distant Pacific blue to green to CYAN water on cloudy days to shaded cliff BLACKS to pink/purple/blue pre-dawn skies and various shades of grays and browns.

Bugged?

If there is anything about this image that bugs you, please leave a comment. There is one thing that bugs me.

The San Diego Site Guide

Whether you are visiting San Diego for photography for the first time or live in the area and have done the pelicans many dozens of times, you will learn a ton by studying the San Diego Site Guide. Why spend days stumbling around when you can know exactly where and when to be depending on the wind direction and sky conditions? In addition to the pelican primer, there is great info on the best beaches for the gorgeous gulls, on Marbled Godwit, on the lower cliffs, Lesser Scaup, and Wood and Ring-necked Ducks as well.

Learn more or purchase your copy here.

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: 9)

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 Grebe 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 (stupendous) 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 finished this blog post very early on the morning of Friday, May 11, 2018. It took about two hours to prepare. I was glad to learn that Charlie Curry’s Canon EOS 7D Mark II in near-mint condition sold for only $849 on the first day it was listed.

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.

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

BAA Record-Low, Shock-the-world Price Reduced $395!

Greg Morris is offering a barely used EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens in mint to like-new condition with extras for the BAA record low price of $8,999.00 (was $9394.00). The sale includes the LensCoat that has protected this lens since day one, a RRS stuff foot (installed), the original foot, the lens trunk, the original box and everything that came in it: front cover, rear cap, manuals, & the rest, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your personal of certified check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Greg via e-mail or by phone at 1-580-678-5929 (Central time).

WMD: Weapon of Mass Destruction!

The 600 II is the state of the art super-telephoto for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports. When I could get it to my location, it was my go-to weapon. It is fast and sharp and deadly alone or with either TC. With a new one going for $11,499, you can save a cool $2,500.00 by grabbing Greg’s might-as-well-be-new lens right now. artie

Nikon D850s Right Now!

D850s are at least 3 weeks back-ordered at B&H. I have helped several folks get a D850 in the past few days. Steve Elkins — see item next — has several on hand right now waiting for your phone call. From blog regular Gloria Matyszyk: My camera has shipped! Thanks for this great photography company connection!

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 DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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 by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens and the EOS-iD Mark IV (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) Image #1: Great Egret in early morning light, Alafia Banks, FL Image courtesy of and copyright 2010: Clemens Van Der Werf Click on the image to enjoy a lager version.

The Success of the Student Often Puts a Proud and Envious Smile on the Face of the Teacher

Arthur Morris — May 11, 2018. Indian Lake Estates, FL

When Clemens began taking IPTs, he had no interest in photographing birds or wildlife; he only wanted to learn to photograph his beloved Golden Retrievers and American’s Cup class sailing yachts. How’d that work out?

This image was created by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the EOS-1DX (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) Image #2: Bison grazing in snow, Yellowstone National Park Image courtesy of and copyright 2016: Clemens Van Der Werf Click on the image to enjoy a lager version.

Exposure Control

Learning to get the right exposure in difficult situations is key to becoming a skilled photographer. In all of today’s featured images, especially with the bison above and the two whale shots below, Clemens shows that he has mastered that skill. Getting detail in the dark almost black face and the eye in bright sun with snow is a combination of three factors: working on sun angle, getting a great exposure, and skill with the RAW (CR.2) conversion and in Photoshop.

This image was created by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens (at 400mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. Image #3: Humpback Whale Fluke with rainbow spray, Gribbell Island, British Columbia, Canada. Image courtesy of and copyright 2016: Clemens Van Der Werf

Vision Plus Execution Equals Success

In the image above, Clemens showed wonderful imagination and skillful use of his gear to create a very special image.

This image was created by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x lens (at 442mm) and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) Image #4: Humpback Whale feeding on fish, Gribbell Island, British Columbia, Canada. Image courtesy of and copyright 2016: Clemens Van Der Werf Click on the image to enjoy a lager version.

Travel

Traveling to great places can make it a bit easier to create breath-taking natural history images. Clemens travels a lot and works hard at his craft.

This image was created by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. Image #5: Burrowing Owl, large chick, Boca Raton Airport. Image courtesy of and copyright 2017: Clemens Van Der Werf Click on the image to enjoy a lager version.

Go Local

Finding great places near your home to photograph birds and wildlife can be wonderfully rewarding and is a lot less expensive than long-distance travel.

This image was created by Clemens Van der Werf. He used the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. Image #6: Swallow-tailed Kite drinking/composite, Lake Woodruff, Deland, FL Image courtesy of and copyright 2017: Clemens Van Der Werf Click on the image to enjoy a lager version.

Getting Good at Photoshop

Clemens has worked hard at becoming quite proficient with Photoshop. It does not make much sense to learn to create great images only to ruin them during post-processing …

Thanks to Clemens

Thanks to Clemens for allowing me to share his images with you here today, for his continuing decade-long friendship, and his skill with a chain saw.

Your Favorite?

I know that it is a difficult request, but please do your best to pick as single favorite image and let us know why you made your choice.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my (stupendous) 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 hernia repair is healing nicely and the shoulder is doing quite well. But … Your get well wishes have been appreciated. I have been resting and napping a lot and continue to watch lots of NBA and NHL playoff games.

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.

Canon Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Charlie Curry is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in near-mint condition for only $849; shutter count only 11,386. The sale includes a RRS L plate (B7D2-L) in like-new condition, the original box and everything that came in it: the front lens cap, the strap, the original battery, the manual, USB cable, DVD’s, and insured ground shipping to US addresses only by UPS.

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

Both Patrick Sparkman and I used and loved the 7D Mark II until about two years ago when we both committed to using full frame Canon bodies. We both made some truly great images with it. Two of my three 2016 Nature’s Best honored entries were created with the 7D II, one still, and one video. One thing is for sure: the 7D Mark II is the greatest value ever in a digital camera body. With a new one going for $1349 you can save a cool $500 by grabbing Charlie’s body (not to mention the RRS L-plate). artie

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

BAA Record-Low, Shock-the-world Price Reduced $395!

Greg Morris is offering a barely used EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens in mint to like-new condition with extras for the BAA record low price of $8,999.00 (was $9394.00). The sale includes the LensCoat that has protected this lens since day one, a RRS stuff foot (installed), the original foot, the lens trunk, the original box and everything that came in it: front cover, rear cap, manuals, & the rest, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your personal of certified check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Greg via e-mail or by phone at 1-580-678-5929 (Central time).

WMD: Weapon of Mass Destruction!

The 600 II is the state of the art super-telephoto for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports. When I could get it to my location, it was my go-to weapon. It is fast and sharp and deadly alone or with either TC. With a new one going for $11,499, you can save a cool $2,500.00 by grabbing Greg’s might-as-well-be-new lens right now. artie

Nikon D850s Right Now!

D850s are at least 3 weeks back-ordered at B&H. I have helped several folks get a D850 in the past few days. Steve Elkins — see item next — has several on hand right now waiting for your phone call. From blog regular Gloria Matyszyk: My camera has shipped! Thanks for this great photography company connection!

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 DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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 3rd afternoon the 2018 Gatorland IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 400. Matrix metering at zero: 1/60 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. SUNNY WB at 4:56pm in the shade on a clear day. One to the right and three rows up from the center AF point d-25//Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was right on the stork’s eye. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +4. Image #1: Wood Stork head portrait vertical

Vary Your Image Designs

As mentioned here previously, this handsome bird stood on the railing at Gatorland while dozens of folks (aka: gator tourists) walked by it on the boardwalk within a yard. I had lots of chances to create both horizontal and vertical tight head portraits. Note that I went with different AF modes for each orientation. I tried doing some verticals of the back of the bird’s head when it faced away from me but none of those worked. I made about 40 horizontals and 25 verticals and wound up keeping only one of each. Head angle was the decisive factor in deciding keep or delete.

Auto Tone and Auto Color Tips

The RAW conversions were straightforward and both images are full frame. Working on separate layers I added one each of Image > Auto Tone and Image Auto Color. I reduced the former to about 40% opacity and the latter to about 80% opacity; in combination they really improved the color and contrast of the images. Thanks to Denise Ippolito for opening my eyes to Auto Tone and Auto Color.

This image was created on the 3rd afternoon the 2018 Gatorland IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 400. Matrix metering at zero: 1/60 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. SUNNY WB at 4:54pm in the shade on a clear day. One up and one to the right of the center AF point/Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the base of the bird’s bill right on the same plane as the bird’s eye. Phase detection AF Fine-tune value: +4. Image #2: Wood Stork head portrait horizontal

Any Reason for H over V?

Which of today’s super-tight Wood Stork head portraits do you prefer? Why? If you have any reasons for preferring a horizontal here as opposed to vertical, do speak up. What might you have done during post-processing to improve image #2 just a bit compositionally?

The Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide Please click here to purchase.

The Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide: $30.00 (or free — see below for details on that).

by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART and Patrick Sparkman

There is lots of misinformation out there on the Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune feature. Much of that involves vast over-simplifications. Patrick Sparkman and I developed a way of using the Automatic Fine-tune feature effectively with the D5, D500, the D7500, and the D850. Patrick, however, was on a roll and perfected a method for using the Focus Peaking feature available only on the D850 to quickly and accurately micro-adjust all lenses and TC-Es with your D-850. If you own a D850 you should be using D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune rather than Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune. It is faster and easier and more accurate. While there is some halfway decent info online with regards to Nikon Automatic Fine-tune feature, I have never seen a word about using the amazing D850 Focus Peaking capabilities to determine an accurate AF Fine-tune value. You can thank Patrick Sparkman for rectifying that situation.

With both Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune and D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune, the use of a LensAlign Mark II unit is recommended as best by far for accurate results and thus, this guide is written reflecting that. Taping a sheet of newsprint on a wall or using the FoCal kit does not assure you of the True Parallel Alignment (TPA) that is guaranteed when you set up your LensAlign properly. Without TPA your results will be off anywhere from a little to a lot. You can purchase the LensAlign Mark II alone here. Or you can purchase the LensAlign/FocusTune combo here. If you do not own either of those we suggest that you decide which to purchase after reading this guide through once. That said, we recommend the LensAlign/FocusTune combo for reasons that will become obvious as you make your way though the guide.

Do understand that much of the set-up information included in the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide is by necessity a duplication of information included in The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide.

Please click here to purchase.

If you have spent $2,000+ on Nikon gear (correctly) using my affiliate links, shoot me a copy of your receipt via e-mail so that I can send you your free PDF.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my (stupendous) 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 am feeling and sleeping well. The hernia repair is healing nicely and the shoulder is doing as well as can be expected: pretty darned good. All of your get well wishes are helping. So thanks. 🙂

The Tale of the Scale

For the past few years my weight has fluctuated between 183 and 189 1/2 pounds; when I get close to 190, I get serious about tightening up my diet. Having weighed 264 as a senior in high school and in the 230s as a young adult, I know that once I let myself go 225 would not be far behind. My diabetes is of course a wonderful deterrent that keeps me on the straight and narrow. About a month ago, working with physical therapist Amy Novotny I decided to change my diet to vegan plus fish (no dairy). I have not missed a steak or a burger and I have not missed a nice juicy chicken thigh prepared on the backyard grill. But I have missed two things, two of my major food groups: all kinds of cheeses and either Hellman’s or Duke’s mayonnaise … I am feeling great and I am positive that my digestive system is really liking my new diet, especially the absence of cheese and other dairy products. On Friday morning I was down to 180 1/2 without trying and without ever being hungry. I am looking forward to getting slowly down to or below 175. Can you say quinoa?

Nikon D850s Right NowI

D850s are at least 3 weeks back-ordered at B&H. I have helped several folks get a D850 in the past few days. Steve Elkins — see item next — has several on hand right now waiting for your phone call. From blog regular Gloria Matyszyk: My camera has shipped! Thanks for this great photography company connection!

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 DeSoto IPT used the Booking.Com link below, 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.

Why It’s So Hard to Give Up Cheese

From the Forks Over Knives website here
By Neal Barnard, MD.

An excerpt from The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy.

Which foods do you find most addictive? That’s the question University of Michigan researchers asked. The idea was, which foods lead you to lose control over how much you eat? Which ones are hard to limit? Which ones do you eat despite negative consequences? The researchers surveyed 384 people and here is what they found:

Pizza is also greasy, and that greasy-salty combination seems to get us hooked, too, just as it does for chips, fries, and onion rings. But pizza has one more thing. It has cheese, and cheese not only contributes its own load of salt and grease. It also contains traces of a very special kind of opiate.

Casomorphins

In an earlier chapter of The Cheese Trap, I briefly mentioned casein, the protein that is concentrated in cheese. And casein has some secrets to tell.

Opiates have a calming effect, and they also cause the brain to release dopamine, leading to a sense of reward and pleasure. A cup of milk contains about 7.7 grams of protein, 80 percent of which is casein, more or less. Turning it into Cheddar cheese multiplies the protein content seven-fold, to 56 grams. It is the most concentrated form of casein in any food in the grocery store. Call it dairy crack. Just as cocaine manufacturers have found ways to turn an addictive drug (cocaine) into an extremely addictive one (crack), dairy producers have found their own ways to keep you coming back. In the Middle Ages, cheese makers had no idea that cheese might concentrate milk’s addictive qualities. But today’s cheese industry knows all about cheese craving and is eager to exploit it. It is doing its level best to trigger cheese craving in vulnerable people.

That pretty much explains it.

Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20Es Suck! Or do they?

For many decades Nikon-users (and many of the internet experts who have never used them) have maligned the various iterations of the Nikon TC-20Es, the 2X teleconverters. With the introduction of the latest version — the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III — I heard from a few folks that it Nikon Series III 2X TC was “okay.” But when I first began using the new 2X I did so with an open mind. And I expected the results to be excellent. I can firmly state that in competent hands, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III when Focus Fine-tuned and used with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens is more than sharp enough for me.

As mentioned here before, initial AF acquisition at 1200mm with my Nikon stuff is slower and more difficult than it is with my Canon gear. That is especially true as you work with AF points away from the center AF point; by the times you get to the edges with Nikon AF at 1200mm you are often helpless and hopeless unless you are trying to focus on something with high contrast. The AF performance in these situations sometimes improves when you pre-focus manually.

Learn more about Nikon and Canon at 1200mm in the blog posts here and here.

This image was created at the Gilbert Water Ranch Riparian Preserve in Gilbert Arizona on the morning of March 1, 2018. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III, and the 9fps mega mega-pixel Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering -1 1/3 stops: 1/1600 sec. at f/11. AUOT2 WB at 11:09am on a pretty much sunny morning. Two AF points up from the center AF point/d-9 Shutter Button AF. The selected AF point was on the duck’s neck right and on the same plane as its eye. AF Focus Peaking Fine-tune -5. Drake Hooded Merganser Click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Behavior Quiz

Hooded Merganser has been somewhat of a nemesis bird for me but only for about 3 1/2 decades. I was glad to find this one at Pond 5 at Gilbert and even happier when it swam within range. If you have a clue as to what this bird is doing please leave a comment.

Exposure Question

Why did I need to go down to 1 1/3 stops of EC?

The Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide Please click here to purchase.

The Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide: $30.00 (or free — see below for details on that).

by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART and Patrick Sparkman

There is lots of misinformation out there on the Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune feature. Much of that involves vast over-simplifications. Patrick Sparkman and I developed a way of using the Automatic Fine-tune feature effectively with the D5, D500, the D7500, and the D850. Patrick, however, was on a roll and perfected a method for using the Focus Peaking feature available only on the D850 to quickly and accurately micro-adjust all lenses and TC-Es with your D-850. If you own a D850 you should be using D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune rather than Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune. It is faster and easier and more accurate. While there is some halfway decent info online with regards to Nikon Automatic Fine-tune feature, I have never seen a word about using the amazing D850 Focus Peaking capabilities to determine an accurate AF Fine-tune value. You can thank Patrick Sparkman for rectifying that situation.

With both Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune and D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune, the use of a LensAlign Mark II unit is recommended as best by far for accurate results and thus, this guide is written reflecting that. Taping a sheet of newsprint on a wall or using the FoCal kit does not assure you of the True Parallel Alignment (TPA) that is guaranteed when you set up your LensAlign properly. Without TPA your results will be off anywhere from a little to a lot. You can purchase the LensAlign Mark II alone here. Or you can purchase the LensAlign/FocusTune combo here. If you do not own either of those we suggest that you decide which to purchase after reading this guide through once. That said, we recommend the LensAlign/FocusTune combo for reasons that will become obvious as you make your way though the guide.

Do understand that much of the set-up information included in the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide is by necessity a duplication of information included in The LensAlign/FocusTune Micro-Adjusting Tutorial e-Guide.

Please click here to purchase.

If you have spent $2,000+ on Nikon gear (correctly) using my affiliate links, shoot me a copy of your receipt via e-mail so that I can send you your free PDF.

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)

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 Grebe 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 (stupendous) 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 :).