Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Lots of Interesting Stuff

I saw Dr. Howard early on Wednesday morning and told him about the blowtorch-like pain that had been keeping my up on Monday and Tuesday nights, that pain centered below and to my left of the incision. Good friend Doctor Anita North (retired neurosurgeon) felt that the pain was likely nerve pain from the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous Nerve that might have been irritated during or more likely after the surgery, a condition called Meralgia Parasthetica. Doctor Howard agreed, saying that he had heard of but never run into this complication of hernia repair surgery. He injected a mix of lidocaine and steroid in hopes of alleviating the pain. He and Anita are 99.9% sure that the condition will clear up in one to two weeks.

Otherwise he was quite happy with the hernia repair and gave me permission to do the previously cancelled Gatorland IPT. I connected with multiple IPT veteran John Dupps on Wednesday evening. 2 1/2 day participant James Dolgin arrives on Thursday afternoon.

When I got to the hotel just after 6:45pm on Wednesday, I was able to arrange a 30-minute on-the-spot session with Cliff. He is a huge believer of something called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping). I have tried the tapping before without any great results. I tease him by saying, “I need to tap on why tapping does not work for me.” During the session I tapped on a variety of meridians (acupuncture or energy points) on the head and torso while stating a varying sort of mantra. We began with “I choose to be in pain so I can be a crybaby and have people worry about me.” After several rounds of tapping and lots of tears that evolved — through lots of tears — to “I choose to suffer so that friends will worry about me and love me …” As I continued tapping we discussed the many times over the past five or six decades that I had employed these strategies, most importantly the seven years I had chosen to suffer after losing Elaine to breast cancer in 1994. The strange thing is that the nerve pain in my groin area was a lot better when we got off FaceTime. And though it took me a while to fall asleep, when I did, I slept for 4 1/2 solid hours, the biggest chunks of sleep that I have enjoyed in the past several weeks. I finished updating this blog post at 3:56am on Thursday. I will try to rest a bit more.

The Streak

Today makes two hundred seventy days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one about two hours to prepare including the time spent on creating the composite IPT cards. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

Thanks to the Patient

With the injured shoulder, the recently concluded DeSoto IPT, and the hernia surgery, I have gotten more than a bit behind on e-mails, especially some Used Gear Sales business. Many thanks for your patience. I have had lots of time to rest lately and am almost caught up.

Dark-siders: Please Do Not Take This Personally

I have been saying this for a while: after many years in the business of brokering used gear sales, one pattern that I have seen is that most Nikon folks think that their stuff is worth a lot more than it actually is. That especially with the potential sales of the older 600mm lenses, some of which weigh in the 12-14 pound range. If you can shed any light as to why this might be the case, I’d love to hear from you.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

New Listing

Nikon Gear/Priced to Sell!

Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF ED Lens

Massive Price Drop of $845.00!

Multiple IPT veteran Sam Hogue who was on the last Japan IPT is offering a used Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF ED lens in excellent condition for the BAA record low price by far of $1850 (was $2695). The sale includes a LensCoat, a RRS mounting plate, the front cover, the rear cap, the original felt lined, padded lens bag, and insured shipping via UPS Priority. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Sam via e-mail­­­.

This versatile lens is now priced to sell instantly. artie

Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS Lens (the original version)

Gary Meyer is also offering a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS Lens (the original version) in mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $447.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the soft lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via UPS. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Gary via e-mail.

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

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 2nd San Diego IPT on the morning of January 28 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 400. Matrix metering -1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AUTO0 WB at 8:46am on a clear day. One up from the center, Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was pretty much centered on the sea lion’s chin, right on the same plane as its eye. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: California Sea Lion, pup on mom

The Situation

For the past several years, it has been relatively easy to make good images of the California Sea Lions in La Jolla. But like everything else, the more things seem to stay the same the more things change. By keeping my eyes open while thinking about the tidal levels I decided to try a new spot in 2018. And that move paid off with many excellent images. I kept six images of a subject that is often difficult to photograph.

Varying Your Image Designs

When photographing in the field it is always important to keep your eyes and your mind open and to vary your compositions either by zooming in and out with a zoom lens or by human zooming with a fixed focal length lens, that is moving either closer or farther away from the subject. Getting higher or lower or moving slightly left of right while working at the same focal length can often pay big dividends in terms of varying image designs.

This image was also created on the 2nd San Diego IPT on the morning of January 28 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (this one at 380mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 400. Matrix metering -1/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AUTO0 WB at 8:47am on a clear day. One up from the center, Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was pretty much centered on the sea lion’s eye. just below and forward of the bird’s eye. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version. Image #2: California Sea Lion, pup on mom, much wider view

What I was thinking when creating Images #1 & #2

With Image #1, I went long and wanted to fill the frame with the young sea lion’s face even though it was obvious that the youngster was resting on its mom. With Image #2, I zoomed out so as to include the mother’s flipper in the frame. In addition, I got a bit lower to include a nice chunk of sweet blue water at the top of the frame.

Your Call?

Which of today’s two featured images do you think would be the strongest after the images are optimized? If you would do anything different with the image of your choice (in terms of the image optimization), please let us know that too.

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 slept pretty well for almost ten hours on Sunday night. The hernia repair felt pretty good when I woke but as I got dressed to go to town it began to hurt quite a bit … Dr. Holmes thought that they incision was healing well. So did I. After that appointment I had a red laser treatment on my left shoulder to help with the healing. Or not. 🙂 After my nap the pain was greatly reduced as long as I was staying still.

The Streak

Today makes two hundred sixty-eight days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one about an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

Thanks to the Patient

With the injured shoulder, the recently concluded DeSoto IPT, and the hernia surgery, I have gotten more than a bit behind on e-mails, especially some Used Gear Sales business. Many thanks for your patience. I have had lots of time to rest lately and am almost caught up.

Dark-siders: Please Do Not Take This Personally

I have been saying this for a while: after many years in the business of brokering used gear sales, one pattern that I have seen is that most Nikon folks think that their stuff is worth a lot more than it actually is. That especially with the potential sales of the older 600mm lenses, some of which weigh in the 12-14 pound range. If you can shed any light as to why this might be the case, I’d love to hear from you.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

New Listings

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV dSLR

Sale Pending First Day of Listing

Gary Meyer is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV dSLR in mint condition with only 3115 shutter actuations for the very low price of $2599. The sale includes the front lens cap, all the manuals, the cords, the strap, the original box, and insured ground shipping via UPS. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Gary via e-mail.

What can I say. The 5D IV was my favorite-ever Canon dSLR. I owned and use three of them while my 1DX II sat on the shelf in my garage. If you have been dreaming of a 5D IV, grab Gary’s practically new copy right now and save a cool $700.artie artie

Canon EF 100-400 IS-II USM Zoom Lens

Sale Pending First Day of Listing

Gary Meyer is also offering a Canon EF 100-400 IS-II USM Zoom Lens in mint condition for the very low price of $1699.00. The sale includes a 77mm B&W UV Filter, the tough fabric soft case, and the front and rear lens caps, the lens hood, and insured ground shipping via UPS. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Gary via e-mail.

Y’all know how much I used and loved and miss my 100-400II for its incredible sharpness (even with the 1.4X TC), it’s amazing versatility, and its hard-to-believe close focus. artie

artie

Canon EF 1.4X III Extender (teleconverter)

Sale Pending First Day of Listing

Gary Meyer is also offering a Canon EF 1.4X III Extender (teleconverter) for a very low $299. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the soft lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via UPS. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Gary via e-mail.

The 1.4X teleconverters were so important to what I do in the field that I routinely traveled with three of them! And each had to be micro-adjusted with all lens and body combinations as well as at the long and short ends of zoom lenses … artie

Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS Lens (the original version)

Gary Meyer is also offering a Canon EF 24-105 f/4L IS Lens (the original version) in mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $447.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the soft lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via UPS. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Gary via e-mail.

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 First Day of Listing

Gary Meyer is also offering a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens in mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $349.00. The sale includes the front and rear caps, the soft lens pouch, the original box, and insured ground shipping via UPS.

Please contact Gary via e-mail.

As I was not a very good landscape photographer, the f/4 versions of the 16-35 and the 17-40 were always more attractive to me than the larger, heavier f/2.8 versions. The IS feature with this lens makes it a snap to hand hold. artie

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 1st San Diego IPT on the morning of January 14, 2018 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III — at 299mmm — and the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 1250. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/1600 sec. at f/9. AWB at 8:10am on a foggy, overcast morning at 7:56am. Center Large Zone/Shutter Button/AI Servo (Continuous in Nikon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The system activated an L-shaped array of three points on base of the the distended bill pouch, right on the same plane as the pelican’s eye. Brown Pelican, Pacific race in breeding plumage, head throw

Super San Diego AF Tip for Canon and Nikon

When attempting to create vertical head throw images, the tendency is to select an upper AF point. But, except when working wide for full body vertical head throws, it is far better to select an array of AF points near the center of the frame. Why? It is too easy for AF to lose the (too skinny) bill tip at the peak of the action. By choosing an array near the center of the frame the system it is much easier for the system to acquire and hold AF on the much broader, fully distended bill pouch.

For Canon …

For Canon I would recommend Large Center Zone to get broad AF coverage that will be on the same plane as the bird’s eye.

For Nikon …

For Nikon I would recommend center (or one up from the center) d-25 or d-72 to get broad AF coverage on the distended bill pouch that will be on the same plane as the bird’s eye.

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 Streak

Today makes two hundred sixty-eight days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took several hours to prepare including the time spent on the all-new San Diego IPT card. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

Thanks to the Patient

With the injured shoulder, the recently concluded DeSoto IPT, and the hernia surgery, I have gotten more than a bit behind on e-mails, especially some Used Gear Sales business. Many thanks for your patience. I’ve had lots of time to rest lately and am almost caught up.

Dark-siders: Please Do Not Take This Personally

I have been saying this for a while: after many years in the business of brokering used gear sales, one pattern that I have seen is that most Nikon folks think that their stuff is worth a lot more than it actually is. That especially with the potential sales of the older 600mm lenses, most of which weigh in the 12-14 pound range. If you can shed any light as to why this might be the case, I’d love to hear from you.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

New Listings

Canon EF 500mm f/4 L IS USM Lens (the old five) plus LensCoat

Allen Dale is offering a 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. The sales includes the lens trunk, the front leather cover, the rear lens cap, a Camo LensCoat®, and insured ground shipping via major courier. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Allen via e-mail or by phone at 956.961.4140 (Central time.)

The 500mm f/4 lenses have been the world’s most popular telephoto lenses for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many decades. I owned and used and loved my “old five” for many years. If you don’t have the cash for the 500 II and can handle the additional 1 1/2 pounds, then this is your best super-telephoto option. Most everyone can produce sharp images with this lens and a 1.4X TC. Folks with good to excellent sharpness techniques can do the same with a 2X TC. With the new 500 II selling for $8,999 you can save a neat $5600 by grabbing Allen’s copy of the “old five” right now. artie

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

David Ramirez is offering a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM in excellent plus condition for the BAA record low price of $796.00. The only sign of wear is where the lens hood (included) mounts to the front of the lens. The lens was cleaned and checked by CPS in 2016. The sale includes front and rear lens caps, the lens pouch, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Photos available on request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact David via e-mail or by phone at 1-541-892-3726 (Pacific 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 David’s s lens and save $1204.00 on the cost of a new Series III model. artie

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 1st San Diego IPT on the morning of January 18, 2018 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III — at 437mmm — and the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/8. AWB at at 8:11am on a slightly overcast morning. Center Large Zone/AI Servo AF(Continuous with Nikon)/Shutter Button/ (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the gull’s forehead just above and slightly forward of the bird’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Heermann’s Gull, adult wing stretch/with the ACR defaults settings

Exposing to the Washed Out Right …

Above are the ACR default settings for today’s featured; note the RGB values for the brightest WHITEs on the top of the bird’s head: 252, 252, 253. I usually like to keep my WHITEs in the mid-240s with Nikon but in soft light I am fine going a bit higher. Note also that white feathers in soft light rarely if ever show any detail. Take a look also at the left side of the histogram, the side where the dark tones live. There is no data at all on the left side of the histogram. That tells us that we have done an excellent job of exposing to the right so that the image looks washed out and faded on the back of he camera (as is proper). It is also telling us that our dark tones are too light. Scroll down to see what happens on the left side of the histogram once we set the black point.

This image was created on the 1st San Diego IPT on the morning of January 14, 2018 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III — at 437mmm — and the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 1250. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/8. AWB at 10:20am on a foggy, overcast morning at 7:56am. One AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point/Shutter Button/Continuos (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the gull’s forehead just above and slightly forward of the bird’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Heermann’s Gull, adult wing stretch/with my ACR adjustments

The ACR Settings for Today’s Featured Image

Here I moved the Black slider to left while holding down the Alt key until some splotches began to appear. Then I backed off just a bit (to -43) while still holding down the Alt key. When the splotches disappeared I knew that I had a good value for the Black point. If you click on the screen capture above to enlarge it, you can clearly see that the dark tones go much farther to the left side of the histogram than they did with the default settings. Note that I increased the contrast in the image without touching the Contrast slider …

I no longer move the Clarity slider to +20 by rote. Instead, I move the slider to the right slowly to taste. I usually wind up between +5 and +10. In this screen capture you get a better look at the the distracting streak.

This image was created on the 1st San Diego IPT on the morning of January 14, 2018 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III — at 437mmm — and the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 1250. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/250 sec. at f/8. AWB at 10:20am on a foggy, overcast morning at 7:56am. One AF point up and one to the left of the center AF point/Shutter Button/Continuos (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the gull’s forehead just above and slightly forward of the bird’s eye. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Heermann’s Gull, adult wing stretch/Optimized

The Optimized Image

Most of the important work here was done during the RAW conversion. I did execute a 3X2 crop from the right and above to tighten things up. A flopped Quick Mask refined by a Regular Layer Mask was used to to cover the distracting streak. Then I put the whole thing on a layer, ran a 65-pixel Gaussian Blur on that, added an Inverse (Black or Hide-all) Mask, and painted in the blur where needed to smooth out the background. I reduced the MAGENTA saturation to eliminate the slight color cast in the grey feathers and lightened the iris just a bit to finish things off.

I love the soft light and all the angles in this image. Heermann’s Gulls are quite beautiful and are common in San Diego in January.

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.

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

Thursday, April 19, 2918, 10:15am: I began working on this blog post on the way to Lake Wales Hospital. They called and asked if I could come an hour earlier. Heck, that meant an hour less of not eating 🙂

12:10pm: Chatted with Dr. Howard and the anesthesiologist.

12:25pm: Anesthesia started. Goodbye!

2:00pm: In recovery room; totally looped.

2:40pm: Back in my out-patient room. Was feeling quite groggy when I woke.

3:50pm: I learned that the surgery went well. Doctor Howard said that he did a great job with the inguinal hernia repair. 🙂 I see him in his office on Wednesday morning. Anita North is driving and Jim is warming up some fish curry for me; I am looking forward to chowing down. I continued working on this blog post on the ride home and took my first two pain pills.

4:20pm: Home sweet home. The curry was great.

10:00pm: I absolutely cannot believe how good I feel …

Thanks to All

With the injured shoulder, the recently concluded DeSoto IPT, and the hernia surgery, I have gotten more than a bit behind on e-mails, especially some Used Gear Sales business. Many thanks for your patience. I will have lots of time to rest for the next week and will be catching up.

1DX Mark II

If you are interested in a well-used Canon EOS-1DX Mark II in excellent plus condition please shoot me an e-mail for the details.

The Streak

Today makes two hundred sixty-four days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 90 minutes prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

This image was created on the 2nd San Diego IPT on the morning of January 30 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 800. Matrix metering at zero: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was somewhat of an underexposure. AUTO0 WB at 8:30am in rare cloudy conditions. Center Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuos (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bill of the pelican on our left. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelicans, Pacific race, communicating/this is the original image capture

Another Image Within An Image Lesson

As with the Canon 5DS R and the Canon 5D Mark IV, but to an even greater degree, working with the Nikon D850 allows you to work wider than usual, take liberties with cropping, and still wind up with superb image quality. In the same vein, it is often possible to figure out an aggressive crop that enables you to turn a mess into a nice image. As with today’s featured image.

Before you scroll down to see my optimized version, try to figure out exactly how you would crop the original. And make a plan for the image optimization. Try answering these two questions as you plan:

• What would you do with the upper bird on the right frame-edge?
• What would you do with the adult pelican head in the lower right?

Scroll down to see what I came up with.

Dark-siders: Please Do Not Take This Personally

I have been saying this for a while: after many years in the business of brokering used gear sales, one pattern that I have seen is that most Nikon folks think that there stuff is worth a lot more than it actually is. That especially with regard to the sale of the older 600mm lenses, some of which weigh in the 12-14 pound range. If you can shed any light as to why this might be the case, I’d love to hear from you.

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.

Some Used Gear Comments

#1: I am totally shocked that the items listed below did not sell quickly.

#2: I have been fairly criticized at times for encouraging folks to price their gear too low. That at times when several items sell on the first day of listing …

#3: Many of you may not know that I almost always suggest a range of prices and give folks the final say. What often happens is that when the pick the higher price the stuff does not sell … And most of the time when they go with the lower price the stuff sells very quickly. I have learned that there is a very fine line. That said, there have been rare times when the seller opted for the highest price and the item sold quickly. In those cases I love to apologize for being wrong

Priced to Sell Now Items

Wimberley Sidekick & Wimberley F-6 Sidekick Flash Bracket

Price reduced $50 on April 20, 2018!

Gene Scarborough is also offering a Wimberley Sidekick # SK-100 and a Wimberley F-6 Sidekick Flash Bracket, both in excellent condition, for only $249 (was $299). The sale includes insured ground shipping via a major courier (US addresses only).  If paid by personal check, the items will not ship until the check clears, unless other arrangements are made.  Payment by USPS money order or bank cashier’s check is preferred.  Please contact Gene via e-mail at gas@med.unc.edu or by text message or phone at 919-428-5495 (Eastern time).

Please contact Gene via e-mail or by text message or phone at 1-919 428 5495 (Eastern time).

Folks who are using a short lens on a camera body one minute and a telephoto lens the next often do well with the Sidekick (ballhead required). 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

Canon EOS 40D/EF 28-135mm IS Zoom Lens Kit (with extras)

Price Reduction

David Solis is offering a Canon EOS 40D/EF 28-135 mm IS USM kit with both items in excellent condition for the amazing, ridiculously low price of $249 (was $349.00.) With the camera body the sale includes the original box, the front body cap, LCD screen protectors, and one Delkin 16 GB (60 MB/s, 450x) compact flash card. With the lens the sale includes the front lens cap, the lens hood — EW-78B II — in good condition, a B+W 72mm 010 (UV) filter, a Tiffen 72mm circular polarizer filter, a Tarmac soft pouch 3-filter holder, the user manuals, the EOS Digital Solution Disk, four Canon BP-511A camera batteries, two Canon CG-580 battery chargers, the interface & video cables, a new Canon camera strap, and the BG-E2n battery grip, the 6-AA-battery magazine — BGM-E2 — as an alternative to using two camera batteries, and insured ground shipping via UPS to U.S. addresses only. Photos are available on request. Your purchase will not ship until your check clears the bank.

Please contact David via e-mail or phone at 1-(505) 699-4968 (Mountain time Zone). No text messages please.

The 40D was Denise Ippolito’s favorite camera body. She rued the day that she sold it to get the original 7D. The 40D has an excellent AF system and produces clean 10.1 megapixel files. The 28-135 was the forerunner of the two versions of the 24-105L IS zooms. I used my 28-135 for many years to create a variety of B-roll images, most notably was one of a baby Common Raven in a nest below the roadway of a bridge in Nome, AK. Several folks held my ankles as I hung over the side to get the image. This kit would make a great starter rig for beginning photographers of any age. artie

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 folks 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 2nd San Diego IPT on the morning of January 30 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 800. Matrix metering at zero: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was somewhat of an underexposure. AUTO0 WB at 8:30am in rare cloudy conditions. Center Group (grp)/Shutter Button/Continuos (AI Servo in Canon) AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was centered on the bill of the pelican on our left. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelicans, Pacific race, communicating; this is the cropped, optimized version

Got a Title?

If you can come up with a neat, clever, or humorous title, please leave it in a comment; I have one. 🙂

The Image Optimization

After moving the WHITE slider to the right and making a few other small adjustments, I converted the image in ACR. Next was the obviously vital crop. While I am sure that there are many similar crops that would work well here, I would likely not change a pixel. My 3X2 crop included the bird on the right frame-edge and the head of the adult in the lower right corner. All that while planning to eliminate the young pelican and leave the head of the adult.

To eliminate the upper bird I painted a Quick Mask of the ocean background, covered two birds on the right, and added a Regular Layer Mask. Then — working large — I painted the adult’s head back in and then hit X to paint away the small grey border that remained from the upper bird. Because the head of the bird in the lrc was nicely out of focus, that chore was an easy one. Then I put the whole thing on a layer and applied the White Neutralize in Color EFEX Pro. The result was too funky so I reduced the opacity to 30%. That was much better. Next I carefully selected all three birds and applied my NIK 30/30 + Pro Contrast filter. This was great on the adult bird but overdone on the two young birds so I added a Regular Layer Mask and painted the effect away on the two young birds at 50%. That was looking good. Then I did some large Patch Tool work to eliminate some of the dark areas of the background. As those looked a bit lumpy in spots I put the whole thing on a layer, applied a 75-pixel Gaussian Blur, covered that with a Hide-all (Black or Inverse) Mask, and painted in the effect with a large soft brush being sure to stay well away from the edges of all the birds. Last was some Eye Doctor Work using Tim Grey Dodge and Burn to lighten the pupil of the bird on our left and bring the image to life.

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.

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

On Monday afternoon we almost left the lagoon right after we got there as there was not much around. But we persisted and were rewarded with some great stuff on Marbled Godwit, Laughing Gull, and White Ibis. And Norm Steffen got a really neat image of a Black-bellied Plover tugging on a very long worm. We returned to the same spot early on Tuesday morning and began with a silhouetted dancing reddish Egret. Next was a handsome, fishing Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage and a foraging Black-necked Stilt. Then we made a wiggle and visited Heustis Beach for some flight photography and some point-blank Royal Tern and Laughing Gull head portraits. Anita North made a really neat series of a young Laughing Gull landing with a rather large fresh-caught fish!

I was in some pain most of the day from my inguinal hernia and was able to arrange to see Dr. Howard on Wednesday morning; he removed my gall bladder in emergency surgery in October 2016. Five days later I flew to South America on an eleven week photography journey. I am hoping to have the hernia repaired on Thursday April 19 … Again, lunch at the Neptune Grill was superb. I celebrated my upcoming surgery with a slice of their amazing peanut butter pie! Out of necessity, I cancelled the Gatorland IPT; it is the second time in 25 years that I cancelled an IPT due to health problems. You gotta love it.

The Streak

Today makes two hundred sixty-two days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

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.

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 Gatorland IPT used the Booking.Com link below and 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 folks 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 morning of April 15, 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 +2 stops as framed: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3. AUTO1 WB at 8:00am in a dark, stormy conditions. 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. Image #1: Red Knot, very worn first winter plumage

First Winter Plumage

The Red Knot above is still in first basic (or first winter) plumage. Note that all of the upperparts feathers are plain gray. Note also that the feathers on the bird’s back and the uppermost row of wing coverts are in relatively decent shape but that the lower two rows of coverts are worn and frayed. The decent looking feathers were molted in in fall as part of the bird’s first winter plumage. Th worn, frayed feathers are retained juvenile feathers thus they look like a mess. Some are worn down to the feather shafts. The very few orange feathers on the chin and the sides of the upper breast are the beginnings of the molt to breeding or alternate plumage.

Compare the plumage of the bird above with the more colorful plumage of the bird in the next photo.

Anything Funky Above?

If you can spot any major Photoshop funkiness in Image #1 above, please leave a comment. I will reveal the major changes here soon.

This image was also created on the morning of April 15, 2018. I used the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR lens and the Nikon D850. ISO 640. Matrix metering +1 stop as framed: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3. AUTO1 WB at 8:57am in cloudy, partly bright conditions. One AF point down from the center AF d-9/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The was selected AF point was on the side of the bird’s upper back/rear neck, right on the same plane as the bird’s face. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +6. Red Knot, molting into breeding (alternate) plumage/strong>

Breeding or Alternate Plumage

Shorebirds in alternate (or breeding or summer) plumage feature bright colorful feathers often with distinctive patterning. The knot in Image #2 has begun to molt into its handsome alternate plumage. Many of the gray winter feathers have been replaced by colorful, patterned feathers, some with dark anchor-shapes on a field of orange. The breast feathers are orange. In two two three weeks the molt will be complete, the feathers of the upperparts will become spangled black and brown and silver, and the covert feathers with the anchor-shaped marks will wear and become brighter. Soon thereafter the birds will head north on an evening south wind and fly to their breeding grounds on Banks, Baffin, and Victoria Islands above the arctic circle in the far north of Canada.

Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers

If you are interested in learning to identify and age all of the common North American shorebirds and learn about their amazing migrations, their breeding biology, their feeding habits, and everything else you might have wanted to learn on the way to the nearest mudflats, get yourself a copy of my softcover book, Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers.

The Nikon Autofocus Focus Fine-tune e-Guide

There is lots of mis-information out there on Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune. Working with Patrick Sparkman, we developed a way of using that feature most effectively. Patrick 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 the D-850. Both Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune and D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune require a LensAlign Mark II kit so that you can obtain accurate results. I learned recently that the Nikon D500 DSLR and the older D7500 both offer Automatic AF Fine-tune.

Folks who use one of my links to purchase a Nikon D850, a Nikon D5 DSLR Camera (Body Only, Dual XQD Slots), a Nikon D500 DSLR , or any Nikon gear totaling more than $2,000 will receive the new guide free.

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

On Friday afternoon I met the IPT group and we headed out to Fort DeSoto for a free extra session. Those who crossed the small bay at low tide did well with a dancing Reddish Egret and a nice spoonbill. As my hernia was bothering me I opted to stay back and work with Norm Steffen on exposure and moving the focus points. My shoulder continues to improve just a bit every day.

Wow, Wow, Wow!

Wow, wow, wow! There were five of us in all on the first morning of the DeSoto IPT: friends/clients Anita North and Loren Waxman, newbie and relative beginner Norm Steffen, my friend/assistant Noel Heustis, and yours truly. It was very windy, 25+ mph from the south, and the weather was threatening a bit. We met at my usual favorite spot by 7:00am but I decided to make a wiggle right off the bat so we drove a short way an wound up in bird photography heaven. We started out with some Ruddy Turnstones while teaching Norm about exposure. Then I spotted a flock of Red Knots, some molting into alternate (summer, or breeding) plumage. (Learn more here.) At first we had difficulty getting close but within an hour we had the flock feeding right in front of us with cloudy bright skies. I worked with the 600 alone while Anita went with the Nikon 200-500 with her new D500. Loren used his Canon 600II and his 100-400 II. Norm and Noel used their 100-400 II lenses with their 7D Mark II bodies. After a while, Noel added the 1.4X III TC. There were some fisherman nearby and just when I was about to say, “Five minute warning” Noel called out, “the hybrid is at the bait bucket!” He had told me that the strange bird that we had photographed last year. I had thought then that it was a Great Egret X Reddish Egret hybrid. But after seeing it this year, it almost seems obvious that it is a Great Blue Heron X Reddish Egret hybrid. Or not. You will see the bird and its amazing, sky blue/ultramarine lores in a blog post soon.

I made 484 images for the morning. I kept 76–most of those of Red Knots–and a baker’s dozen of the hybrid heron/egret, most of those head portraits.

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 AF Settings for Birds in Flight

Geoff Coe left a comment yesterday stating that he had tried the settings in the Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight … (free to some) and Don M asked about that. Here is the info for those who may have missed it:

Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight … an illustrated e-mail: $10. Free with proof of purchase for any BAA Camera Users Guide.

If you previously purchased a camera User’s Guide from BIRDS AS ART, you can get your free copy of the new Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight e-mail by following these simple directions: Click here. This will open an e-mail to Jim with the subject line filled in. Now simply cut and paste a copy either the receipt you got when you purchased a camera User’s Guide from BAA or cut and paste the cover or the first page of your User’s Guide. Then hit send.

Those who have never purchased a camera User’s Guide from us (could it be?) can click here to order the new information from the BAA Online store for $10.00. Or, you can call Jim or Jen at 863-692-0906 to order. Or, you can send us a Paypal for $10.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net.

With love, artie

The Streak

Today makes two hundred sixty days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 Gatorland IPT used the Booking.Com link below and 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 folks 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 Saturday, April 14, 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 at about zero: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3. AUTO1 WB at 6:36pm on a slightly overcast afternoon. One AF point down form the center AF point d-9/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was about two inches in front of the flapping bird’s breast. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. The Photo Mechanic Screen Capture for today’s featured image Click on the image for the larger version so that you can see that the RED channel is toasted.

The Red Light District Situation

It was getting close to sunset. As above, I was taking things on the easy side. I noticed a Red-breasted Merganser feeding frantically in the shallows. In the warm, low light I went to ISO 800 and wound up happy at 1/800 sec. at f/6.3. When I saw that the bird was going to flap after a short bath my instinct was to up the shutter speed to 1/1000 sec. to avoid burning the white flanks but I was not fast enough so I fired off three frames. As expected, the flanks were flashing with blinkies. But the RGB histogram in the screen capture showed that the problem was with the RED channel and to a smaller degree, with the specular highlights on the merganser’s flanks. At dinner I explained to the group that the image optimization would be relatively easy. See below for the details.

This image was created on the Saturday, April 14, 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 about -1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/6.3. AUTO1 WB at 6:36pm on a slightly overcast afternoon. One AF point down form the center AF point d-9/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was about two inches in front of the flapping bird’s breast. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. Red-breasted Merganser flapping after bath/the optimized version

Leaving the Red Light District

The best place to deal with the overexposed flanks and the too-RED color balance is in the RAW conversion. The As Shot white balance was a very warm 6250K. Simply lowering that to 5100 by moving the color temperature slider to the left was a huge improvement. Then I moved the White slider to -18, the Black slider to -1, and the Highlight slider to -9. Then I set the Clarity slider to +7 and converted the NEF file.

Once I had the TIF in Photoshop I worked large on the (ugly) specular highlights with the Spot Healing Brush eliminating each of them. I still was not thrilled with the color so I put the whole thing on a layer (Command + J), hit Command + U, went to the YELLOW channel, and desaturated it 80 points. Almost there. I merged that layer and again put the whole image on a new layer this time going Image > Adjustments > Selective Color and adding 50 point of CYAN to tone down the remaining REDs in the plumage and especially in the bill. As I liked the warmer eye I simply added a Regular Layer Mask and painted back in (B + D + X) the warm tones of the iris. Then I applied a layer of my new 30/30 + Pro Contrast NIK Color EFEX Pro recipe and reduced the opacity of that layer to 20% as it looked way overdone. Then I ran NeatImage noise reduction on a new layer with the Y slider at 80%. Lastly I executed a 3X2 crop starting from the lower right.

Voila.

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 (but for the new NIK recipe) 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.

IPT Stuff

All IPTs include an introductory briefing before the IPT begins so you know what to expect, frequent in-the-field instruction and guidance (priceless), image editing and small group Photoshop instruction during and after lunch. Breakfasts are on your own so that we can get in the field early. Lunches are on me. Dinners are on your own as well so that we can get to bed as the days in spring will be long.

Rides with the leader are available on a limited basis for $50/day.

Registering for an IPT

To register for an IPT call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 from Monday morning through Friday lunch with your credit card in hand to leave your $500 non-refundable deposit. Balances may not be paid by credit card so you will be asked to send a check for your balance along with the signed paperwork that you will find here.

Tame birds in breeding plumage and heron and egret chicks are great fun.

Gatorland IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:48am. Sunset: 7:58pm.

3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 26 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 27 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1199.

Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gatorland IPT #2 should have lots of chicks, and lots of birds in breeding plumage. We will get to photograph Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. The Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage will be present in good numbers. Learn my Gatorland strategy, to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.

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

On Friday Jim drove me across the state to Bradenton for the stem cell/PRP/Prolozone injections. Before we left the shoulder was feeling pretty darned good. We left just after Anita and Loren headed down to the lake to photograph. I had injections at four sites and the process was pretty much a piece of cake. Time will tell how much healing will be taking place. 🙂 They have been getting some great stuff including Limpkin portraits and evening crane silhouettes. They are both joining me on the DeSoto IPT along with newbie Norm Steffen who is very excited. Me too 🙂

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 AF Settings for Birds in Flight

Geoff Coe left a comment yesterday stating that he had tried the settings in the Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight … (free to some) and Don M asked about that. Here is the info for those who may have missed it:

Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight … an illustrated e-mail: $10. Free with proof of purchase for any BAA Camera Users Guide.

If you previously purchased a camera User’s Guide from BIRDS AS ART, you can get your free copy of the new Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight e-mail by following these simple directions: Click here. This will open an e-mail to Jim with the subject line filled in. Now simply cut and paste a copy either the receipt you got when you purchased a camera User’s Guide from BAA or cut and paste the cover or the first page of your User’s Guide. Then hit send.

Those who have never purchased a camera User’s Guide from us (could it be?) can click here to order the new information from the BAA Online store for $10.00. Or, you can call Jim or Jen at 863-692-0906 to order. Or, you can send us a Paypal for $10.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net.

With love, artie

The Streak

Today makes two hundred fifty-eight days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 Gatorland IPT used the Booking.Com link below and 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 folks 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 miracle morning of April 9, 2018 at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix, AZ. 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 400. Matrix metering about +2/3 stops as framed: 1/2000 sec. at f/7.1. AUTO1 WB at 7:29am on a sunny morning. Center Group (grp) AF point/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The bird’s head was in the center of the array. Click on the image to see a larger version. Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +4. American Avocet feeding

The Miraculous Monday Morning at the Gilbert Water Ranch, Part II

The water levels were perfect and there was barely a breath of air. There were avocets feeding right in front of me with mirror image reflections. As there were flight photography opportunities, I went with center Group (grp) AF, occasionally moving the array up or to the side or both at times to try and include the whole reflection. I was in a somewhat secluded location and never saw another photographer. If you missed the spectacular Cinnamon Teal flight shot, you can see it in Part I of this series here. I will be sharing another spectacular drake Cinnamon Teal image along with a hen Mallard image and a really nice stilt with a great reflection. All from that same wonderful morning. You gotta make hay when the sun shines!

IPT Stuff

All IPTs include an introductory briefing before the IPT begins so you know what to expect, frequent in-the-field instruction and guidance (priceless), image editing and small group Photoshop instruction during and after lunch. Breakfasts are on your own so that we can get in the field early. Lunches are on me. Dinners are on your own as well so that we can get to bed as the days in spring will be long.

Rides with the leader are available on a limited basis for $50/day.

Registering for an IPT

To register for an IPT call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 from Monday morning through Friday lunch with your credit card in hand to leave your $500 non-refundable deposit. Balances may not be paid by credit card so you will be asked to send a check for your balance along with the signed paperwork that you will find here.

Tame birds in breeding plumage and heron and egret chicks are great fun.

Gatorland IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:48am. Sunset: 7:58pm.

3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 26 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 27 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1199.

Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gatorland IPT #2 should have lots of chicks, and lots of birds in breeding plumage. We will get to photograph Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. The Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage will be present in good numbers. Learn my Gatorland strategy, to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.

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

My long travel day on Tuesday came to an interesting end. With my flight from PHX to MCO delayed 3 hours I called Jim and told him that I would take a limo home. My flight got in at about 11:30am and it took a while for the luggage to come out. My driver met me at baggage claim. On the way I realized that I did not have a gate card with me … When we got to ILE at about 1:45pm I tried calling the house and Jim’s cell phone but nobody picked up so we settled in and hope that someone would be getting home late and we could follow them in. After too long I realized that there was only one way that we were gonna get in. I walked the 2.3 miles to my home, fired up my car, drove back to the gate, transferred the luggage, and sent Milak home with an extra $200 for his troubles. I got in bed at 3am and slept perfectly till 8:10am.

The shoulder is still the shoulder and the inguinal hernia is still the inguinal hernia. I had a 10,000 watt laser treatment on the left shoulder and I continue to feel a bit better each day. On Friday I will be getting a stem cell/PRP/Prolozone injection in the injured wing. Time will tell.

Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight

Geoff Coe left a comment yesterday stating that he had tried the settings in the Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight … (free to some) and Don M asked about that. Here is the info for those who may have missed it:

Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight … an illustrated e-mail: $10. Free with proof of purchase for any BAA Camera Users Guide.

If you previously purchased a camera User’s Guide from BIRDS AS ART, you can get your free copy of the new Canon AF Settings for Birds in Flight e-mail by following these simple directions: Click here. This will open an e-mail to Jim with the subject line filled in. Now simply cut and paste a copy either the receipt you got when you purchased a camera User’s Guide from BAA or cut and paste the cover or the first page of your User’s Guide. Then hit send.

Those who have never purchased a camera User’s Guide from us (could it be?) can click here to order the new information from the BAA Online store for $10.00. Or, you can call Jim or Jen at 863-692-0906 to order. Or, you can send us a Paypal for $10.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net.

With love, artie

The Streak

Today makes two hundred fifty-six days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 Gatorland IPT used the Booking.Com link below and 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 folks 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 an afternoon panga (zodiac) cruise at Punta Albemarle, Isabela, Galapagos, Ecuador. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/60 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: extrapolated to -2. Center Large Zone/AI Servo/Shutter button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. The system activated a cluster of three AF points on the left side of the bird’s breast, right on the bird’s eye. Lava Heron, vertical

My 1/60 sec. shutter speed comments

In the Why did I go with 1/60 second when photographing from a boat? blog post here, I posted, If you think that you know why I stayed with 1/60 sec., please leave a comment. There were actually several reasons; see how many you can figure out …

Eleven folks commented and if you cherry-picked from their answers they covered all the bases. But some of the comments showed that some folks were confused.

Here is what I was thinking.

1- Though 1/60 sec. at f/5.6 was a bit of an underexposure I did not want to go any higher than ISO 1600.

2- The 100-400 has fabulous image stabilization.

3- The zodiac driver was doing a great job of keeping the panga steady by wedging the bow of the boat against the rocky shoreline and using a paddle to further stabilize it.

4- I was particularly comfortable working at the relatively short focal length of 153mm. I posted today’s vertical image (above) to show how effective IS can be even at 400mm.

Some Manual mode basics …

Note that the exposure settings for today’s image are identical to the exposure settings in the original Lava Heron post referred to above. When working in constant lighting conditions once you get a decent histogram with a given shutter speed and aperture combination, you can make a long series of images as long as the light stays the same as it will almost always do for at least five to ten minutes unless clouds are intermittently blocking the sun. You do not have to worry about how large or small in the frame the subject is. You do not have to worry about how the tonality of the background will effect the meter because you have set the right exposure for the subject. If a wave breaks over the bird the exposure for the bird is still correct. In short, one of the great advantages of working in Manual mode is that you can set it and forget it.

If this is a new concept to you and you would like to learn more type “Working in Manual Mode” in the little white search box at the top right of this blog post page and start studying.

IPT Stuff

All IPTs include an introductory briefing before the IPT begins so you know what to expect, frequent in-the-field instruction and guidance (priceless), image editing and small group Photoshop instruction during and after lunch. Breakfasts are on your own so that we can get in the field early. Lunches are on me. Dinners are on your own as well so that we can get to bed as the days in spring will be long.

Rides with the leader are available on a limited basis for $50/day.

Registering for an IPT

To register for an IPT call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 from Monday morning through Friday lunch with your credit card in hand to leave your $500 non-refundable deposit. Balances may not be paid by credit card so you will be asked to send a check for your balance along with the signed paperwork that you will find here.

Spring at DeSoto is often magical

DeSoto IPT #1 Sunrise: 7:07 am. Sunset: 6:22pm.

3 1/2 DAYS: SUN 15 APR thru the morning session on WED 18 APR: $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

You must purchase a season Parking Pass in advance for early entry. Click here and scroll down for info. If you are not a local, the six month pass if fine. Best to order by mail. Join me to photograph a wide variety of birds of the shore including pelicans, gulls, terns, sandpipers, oystercatchers, heron, egrets, and night-herons. Many in full breeding plumage. Most are ridiculously tame. Osprey likely. Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret DeSoto locations, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations. Enjoy some great sunrises and sunsets.

Which will offer better opportunities, Desoto #1 or DeSoto #2? I have no idea. Both have the potential to be great.

Tame birds in breeding plumage and heron and egret chicks are great fun.

Gatorland IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:48am. Sunset: 7:58pm.

3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 26 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 27 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1199.

Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gatorland IPT #2 should have lots of chicks, and lots of birds in breeding plumage. We will get to photograph Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. The Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage will be present in good numbers. Learn my Gatorland strategy, to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.

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 morning of Monday, April 9, 2018 at the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch was magical. I found a great spot with perfect reflections and zero wind, made lots of wonderful avocet and stilt images, and was able to cross a nemesis bird off my list: drake Cinnamon Teal. Got both flight and swimming images of a gorgeous male in sweet early morning light. Images to follow.

Thanks to all who commented on the Why did I go with 1/60 second when photographing from a boat? question in yesterday’s blog post here. I will follow up on that fairly soon.

The shoulder is the shoulder and the inguinal hernia is the inguinal hernia. Both were again feeling fine all day on Monday. I will be headed out briefly on Tuesday morning and then get ready to fly home that afternoon.

The Streak

Today makes two hundred fifty-four days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took less than an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 Gatorland IPT used the Booking.Com link below and 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 folks 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 April 7, 2018 at the Riparian Preserve at the Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix, AZ. 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 1000. Matrix metering +2/3 stops as framed: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3. AUTO1 WB at 6:42am on a partly overcast morning. Center Group (grp) AF point/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The array was on the right side of the flock as originally framed. Click on the image to see a larger version Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +6. Long-billed Dowitchers landing

The Situation

This image was made on the not-so-great Monday morning past. There were lots of flocks of Least Sandpipers flying around. I made about 60 images but kept only one. This is the only frame that I made of the Long-billed Dowitchers and I was quite happy with it. The 600 f/4/TC-E14/D850 combo is quickly becoming an extension of my being, my heart, and my soul.

Anything Funky Here?

Please click on Today’s featured image and if you see anything funky, please leave a comment. Any sloppy Photoshop work? Any mismatches? Anything that does not belong. The more folks take a crack at this one the more fun I will have.

IPT Stuff

All IPTs include an introductory briefing before the IPT begins so you know what to expect, frequent in-the-field instruction and guidance (priceless), image editing and small group Photoshop instruction during and after lunch. Breakfasts are on your own so that we can get in the field early. Lunches are on me. Dinners are on your own as well so that we can get to bed as the days in spring will be long.

Rides with the leader are available on a limited basis for $50/day.

Registering for an IPT

To register for an IPT call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 from Monday morning through Friday lunch with your credit card in hand to leave your $500 non-refundable deposit. Balances may not be paid by credit card so you will be asked to send a check for your balance along with the signed paperwork that you will find here.

Spring at DeSoto is often magical

DeSoto IPT #1 Sunrise: 7:07 am. Sunset: 6:22pm.

3 1/2 DAYS: SUN 15 APR thru the morning session on WED 18 APR: $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

You must purchase a season Parking Pass in advance for early entry. Click here and scroll down for info. If you are not a local, the six month pass if fine. Best to order by mail. Join me to photograph a wide variety of birds of the shore including pelicans, gulls, terns, sandpipers, oystercatchers, heron, egrets, and night-herons. Many in full breeding plumage. Most are ridiculously tame. Osprey likely. Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret DeSoto locations, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations. Enjoy some great sunrises and sunsets.

Which will offer better opportunities, Desoto #1 or DeSoto #2? I have no idea. Both have the potential to be great.

Tame birds in breeding plumage and heron and egret chicks are great fun.

Gatorland IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:48am. Sunset: 7:58pm.

3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 26 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 27 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1199.

Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gatorland IPT #2 should have lots of chicks, and lots of birds in breeding plumage. We will get to photograph Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. The Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage will be present in good numbers. Learn my Gatorland strategy, to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.

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 Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch is great but is a tough place to shoot. With the constantly changing water levels the spot that was fabulous on Monday is no darned good at all on Tuesday and the location that was excellent on Tuesday is a waste of time on Wednesday … None-the-less, if you walk a lot and put on your thinking cap you can usually find something to photograph every morning.

I enjoyed two extra therapy sessions on Saturday, a nice lunch at Cafe Zupas, and an early dinner at The Original Chop Shop. I will be headed out again in the morning for more avocets.

Nikon AF Problems

If you missed the simple solution to my somewhat mystifying D850 AF problems, click here.

The Streak

Today makes two hundred fifty-two days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about an hour to prepare including the time spent on the image optimization. With all of my upcoming free time (or not…), the plan right now is to try to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

New Used Gear Listing

Canon EOS-5D Mark III Digital Camera Body

Carl Albro is offering a well used Canon EOS-5D Mark III and a Canon Battery Grip BG-E11 both in good condition (plus extras) for the mega-bargain price of $499 as there is corrosion on the bottom of the camera body and the top of the battery grip. Photos are available upon request. The camera and the grip are in excellent working condition. There are scratches on the rear LCD. The sale includes the front body cap, the strap, an extra Watson LP-E6N battery, the original product box, the owner’s manual, a 16GB Compact Flash card, a 16GB SD Card, the cords, a Really Right Stuff Long L-Tripod Bracket (BGE11-L), a Kirk Regular L-Tripod Bracket, and insured ground shipping via to continental US addresses only. The package will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact 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. Carl’s body in less than ideal condition would make a great buy for someone on a tight budget who would like to make take advantage of the great 5D III image files for a bargain price. artie

BIRDS AS ART

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

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 Gatorland IPT used the Booking.Com link below and 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 folks 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 First Surprise

The MRI Report

This is a summary of the MRI report on my left shoulder that we received on Friday afternoon:

Large L-shaped full thickness rotator cuff tear. Supraspinatus torn and medially retracted 3.2 cm. Small subscapularis tear and Habermeyer type IV biceps pulley injury.

The rest of the report detailed the various damage I’ve done to my left shoulder over the past six decades including my 35 years of photography. An MRI of my right shoulder would reveal a lot more of the wear and tear damage as my left shoulder was always the good one.

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 400. Matrix metering +2 stops as framed: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3. AUTO1 WB at 8:30am in the shade on a partly overcast morning. Center Group (grp) AF point/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. The upper AF point in the array was just below the bird’s eye. Click on the image to see a larger version Focus peaking AF Fine-tune: +6. American Avocet pair, male calling

The Second Surprise

On average, I create from a hundred to several hundred images during a decent morning or afternoon photography session. Most days, when I head home, I have a pretty good idea as to which one, two, or three images are likely to be my best of the outing. And I am almost always right. After the images are ingested with Photo Mechanic I will often go cherry picking, looking for those few special images that I am pretty sure will be pretty good. When I find them I make sure not to tag them, saving that task for a complete go-through of all of the images in the folder. If I cherry pick one or two and tag them there is always a chance that I will hit “T” again during the full edit and actually untag them and have the best one or two images wind up in the trash.

Today’s featured image came as a big surprise as I neared the end of the 378 image editing task. I rarely try to create images featuring two birds. And when I first saw this one, I did not even remember pushing the shutter button. So why do I like it so much? Both birds were on the exact same plane at the moment of exposure. The male was calling. The coy pose of the female. And the white sky/high key look really worked well with this handsome pair. Note that the bird on our left is the female, the one with more of an upcurve near the end of the bill. It’s easy to remember; the female is curvier.

Autofocus Note

When photographing shorebirds on the ground my first choice AF mode with Nikon is d-9. As the possibility for flight and action with the avocets existed, I switch to Group (grp) and used that for flight and for the foraging birds.

Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers

If you are interested in learning to identify and age all of the common North American shorebirds and learn about their amazing migrations, their breeding biology, their feeding habits, and everything else you might have wanted to learn on the way to the nearest mudflats, get yourself a copy of my softcover book, Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers.

The Nikon Autofocus Focus Fine-tune e-Guide

There is lots of mis-information out there on Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune. Working with Patrick Sparkman, we developed a way of using that feature most effectively. Patrick 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 the D-850. Both Nikon Automatic AF Fine-tune and D850 Focus Peaking AF Fine-tune require a LensAlign Mark II kit so that you can obtain accurate results. I learned recently that the Nikon D500 DSLR and the older D7500 both offer Automatic AF Fine-tune.

Folks who use one of my links to purchase a Nikon D850, a Nikon D5 DSLR Camera (Body Only, Dual XQD Slots), a Nikon D500 DSLR , or any Nikon gear totaling more than $2,000 will receive the new guide free.

IPT Stuff

All IPTs include an introductory briefing before the IPT begins so you know what to expect, frequent in-the-field instruction and guidance (priceless), image editing and small group Photoshop instruction during and after lunch. Breakfasts are on your own so that we can get in the field early. Lunches are on me. Dinners are on your own as well so that we can get to bed as the days in spring will be long.

Rides with the leader are available on a limited basis for $50/day.

Registering for an IPT

To register for an IPT call Jim or Jen in the office at 863-692-0906 from Monday morning through Friday lunch with your credit card in hand to leave your $500 non-refundable deposit. Balances may not be paid by credit card so you will be asked to send a check for your balance along with the signed paperwork that you will find here.

Spring at DeSoto is often magical

DeSoto IPT #1 Sunrise: 7:07 am. Sunset: 6:22pm.

3 1/2 DAYS: SUN 15 APR thru the morning session on WED 18 APR: $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

You must purchase a season Parking Pass in advance for early entry. Click here and scroll down for info. If you are not a local, the six month pass if fine. Best to order by mail. Join me to photograph a wide variety of birds of the shore including pelicans, gulls, terns, sandpipers, oystercatchers, heron, egrets, and night-herons. Many in full breeding plumage. Most are ridiculously tame. Osprey likely. Learn to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret DeSoto locations, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations. Enjoy some great sunrises and sunsets.

Which will offer better opportunities, Desoto #1 or DeSoto #2? I have no idea. Both have the potential to be great.

Tame birds in breeding plumage and heron and egret chicks are great fun.

Gatorland IPT #2. Sunrise: 6:48am. Sunset: 7:58pm.

3 1/2 DAYs: THURS 26 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1599. Limit 5 photographers.

(2 1/2 DAY option) FRI 27 APR through and including the morning of SUN 29 APR. $1199.

Must purchase Gatorland Photographers Pass. Click here for details. All early entry. Late stays Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gatorland IPT #2 should have lots of chicks, and lots of birds in breeding plumage. We will get to photograph Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Stork. The Cattle Egrets in full breeding plumage will be present in good numbers. Learn my Gatorland strategy, to get the right exposure, flight photography techniques, my secret Gatorland spots, how to see the best situations (nobody is better at that than me), and how to make great images in extremely cluttered situations.

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 :).