Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Stuff

I got a lot accomplished on Saturday though I am not sure what. I did swim more than a half mile on Friday and Saturday in a fairly cold pool. On Sunday I will be micro-adjusting my Nikon gear and continue working on the Gatorland and DeSoto IPT announcements. On Friday, I sent out the advance Master Class info to those who requested it. It looks as if three of the eight slots are spoken for. Please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested.

There are two openings on the spoonbill IPT. Click here for complete info. If anyone would like to join me shooting spoonbills for 1 1/2 days, February 19 (full day) and February 20 (morning session only), please get in touch via e-mail.

Thanks to the many who commented on yesterday’s Ethigul Questions blog post. I spent more than an hour responding to comments there. I have decided that I will no longer be feeding bread to ducks or gulls but in the future will bait some photographic subjects with more suitable food choices. You might say that that post opened up a big can of worms, or a big loaf of bread …

The Streak

Today makes one hundred eighty-eight days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 45 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 January 20 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 800. Matrix metering probably +1 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. Cloudy WB at 8:25am on a cloudy morning. Center Group (grp)/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelican, Pacific race landing

Nikon D5 or D-850?

Thanks to Ivan Kuraev for this e-mail:

Hi Artie, It’s been fun reading some of your impressions of your new Nikon gear. Now that you’ve had a week or two with both bodies, how do you feel the AF performance compares between the D5 and D850? Do you find yourself getting as many keepers with the D850, or is the D5 a noticeable cut above? Ivan

I had the D5 first and shot with it until I got my D-850. Those first few days were great fun. I was blown away by the ability of the AF to lock onto subjects flying against backgrounds other than sky and stay locked on effortlessly. And almost all of the images were sharp on the eye no matter where I had the center grp AF points. As with today’s image. How did it get the eyes sharp when the four Group AF points were on the ocean. When I got the D-850 we had fewer pelican flight chances. And though I had the battery grip then, I did not have the hard to find BL-5 battery door to get up to 9 fps. The image files of the D-850 are far superior to those of the D5.

Comparing AF on the two bodies is hard to do because of the difference in frame rate. The 12 fps of the D5 gives me supreme confidence when photographing birds in flight. I was often able to frame the subject and create some 10-15 frame sequences with the birds in the frame and sharp on the eye. With the slower 7 fps of the D-850 I have been unable to do that. Thus, the flight images with the D5 are a bit sharper overall than those made with the D-850. How much of that is because of my somewhat lack of confidence in the D-850, how much is due to the difference in frame rate, and how much might be due to slight differences in the AF systems? I do not know.

Once I got my hands on the D-850 I used it a lot more than I used the D5, captivated by those high quality image files and my desire to learn more about the camera. I was able to get a BL-5 battery door last week so the next time I use my D-850 it will be at 8 fps. I am bringing both bodies on my Cayman Brac trip and should have lots of flight action with the Brown Boobies. I will use both bodies for flight photography and will try to get a better handle on things.

Note: the image of the landing adult gull featured in the Splash Landing blog post here was created with the D-850. It was quite popular and some folks commented on the amazing sharpness. In fact, however, sharp focus on the eye was just a bit off. The Eye Doctor work that I did made the image look super sharp. (I lightened the iris, darkened the pupil, and sharpened the eye and face with a Contrast Mask. See more on that stuff below.

Right now I am leaning towards keeping the D5 though I will have the option to return it as a loaner when I get back from Cayman Brac; time will tell …

The ACR Screen Capture for Today’s Featured Image Do click on the image so that you can read the fine print.

The ACR Screen Capture for Today’s Featured Image

Above is the The ACR screen capture for today’s featured image after I made my adjustments. Note that in most case I am fine going with higher RGB values for the WHITEs with Nikon than I did with Canon. And note that the four center group AF points were nowhere near the bird at the moment of exposure. But that the image is super-sharp on the bird’s eyes.

The bird was a bit dark before the adjustments. I brought the converted image into Photoshop and executed the crop to center the bird in the frame. Then I selected the bird with the Quick Selection Tool, put that on a layer, and applied my NIK Color Efex Pro 30/30 recipe. As usual, I lightened the irises and blackened the pupils using Tim Grey Dodge and Burn and selectively applied a Contrast Mask to the face and the bill.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt. 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 including making ACR conversions (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 and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. Yes, I still have many Canon images to work on. 🙂 And 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

I got a lot accomplished on Friday. And did lots of balloon blowing up exercises. I ordered a new full face mask for snorkeling on my upcoming trip to Cayman Brac to photograph nesting Brown Boobies. I got home yesterday and I will be flying on Wednesday. Thanks to the folks who posted understanding comments on the Splash Landing and Apologies to the many … blog post here. They have restored my faith in humanity 🙂 BTW, my apologies there were intended to be tongue in cheek. 🙂

This coming weekend, I will, in addition to catching up on e-mails, be working on the Gatorland and DeSoto IPT announcements as well. I sent out the advance Master Class info to those who requested it. It looks as if three of the eight slots are spoken for. Please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested.

There are two openings on the spoonbill IPT. Click here for complete info. If anyone would like to join me shooting spoonbills for 1 1/2 days, February 19 (full day) and February 20 (morning session only), please get in touch via e-mail.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred eighty-seven days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 30 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 last morning of the 2nd San Diego IPT 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 : 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was about zero EC as framed. AWB at 7:44am in early morning light. Group (grp)/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Western Gull, first winter landing

Exposure Note

With yesterday’s (very popular) Splash Landing image of an adult Western Gull, I was at 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3. For today’s image of a young Western Gull, I was at 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3. Two of those clicks (from 1/4000 sec. to 1/2500 sec. were because the sun was stronger at 8:22am than it was at 7:44am. Why did I go an additional two clicks lighter (2/3 stop) for the young gull?

Some Ethigull Questions

The landing adult Western Gull in yesterday’s blog post and the landing young bird featured here today were attracted into photographic range with tossed bits of wadded up bread. #1: In places where this is legal, would you consider it an unethical practice?

Note that baiting like this is not in violation of the rules of many major photographic contests.

#2: If you substituted fish as the bait, would that change your opinion?

#3: If there is a gull standing right in front of a gorgeous pelican do you feel that it is OK to toss a scrap of bread into a crevice to get the gull out of the frame?

#4: How about tossing a pebble. (That often works quite well.)

#5: If a bird is looking away from you or has its eye closed, are you OK with making a squeaking sound in hopes of creating a stronger image?

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

Most of the group woke early and by 5:30am we were in place to photograph setting red full moon eclipse. Patrick Sparkman helped everyone including and especially me with the technical stuff. Despite the high tide and the perfect weather it was the worst ever morning for pelicans. By far. Zero pelicans landed on the cliffs despite that fact that everyone stayed well back and gave the birds lots of room to land … Heck, there simply were no pelicans.

I took the group out for the Thank You dinner on Tuesday night; on the way there we witnessed but did not get to photograph a mega-mega sunset …

Lee and I are having dinner with Patrick and Robin Sparkman on Wednesday evening. Lee and I fly to Orlando tomorrow.

There are two openings on the spoonbill IPT. Click here for complete info. If anyone would like to join me shooting spoonbills for 1 1/2 days, February 19 (full day) and February 20 (morning session only), please get in touch via e-mail.

The Streak

Today makes one hundred eighty-five days in a row with a new educational blog post! This one took about 30 minutes to prepare. With all of my upcoming free time (or not …), the plan right now is to break the current record streak of 480 … Good health and good internet connections and my continuing insanity willing.

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 27 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 380mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 400. Matrix metering : 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was about -1/3 stop. AWB at 7:45am in early morning light. One to the right and one down from center Group (grp)/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, scratching

Scratching Perfection?

What did I do right in the field?

What did I do wrong in the field?

What are the good things about this image?

What are the negatives?

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 pelican photography was very good on Tuesday morning for about an hour. Then we did lots of gorgeous Western Gulls. Then we made a wiggle and spent more than an hour with the nesting Brandt’s Cormorants. We abandoned Rubio’s for lunch for a day and tried a Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The burgers were great and all the toppings are free at this chain. We headed to my favorite afternoon low tide beach and did very well with the Marbled Godwits. Lee Sommie went off by himself and spent a lot of time with a tame Whimbrel that I had pointed out. We are headed back to the cliffs in hope of lots of pelicans in flight photography.

There are two openings on the spoonbill IPT. Click here for complete info. If anyone would like to join me shooting spoonbills for 1 1/2 days, February 19 (full day) and February 20 (morning session only), please get in touch via e-mail.

Nikon Part Help Needed

If you can find me one of these in stock anywhere: Nikon BL-5 Battery Chamber Cover for MB-D12 Battery Pack, please contact me via e-mail immediately.

The Streak

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

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 January 28 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 300mm) and the mega mega-pixel Nikon D850 DSLR.. ISO 400. Matrix metering probably -1/3 stop as framed: 1/2500 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode was about a 1/2 stop underexposure. AWB at 7:45am in early morning light. Center Group/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, on final approach

Trying to Explain …

I shared today’s featured image with skilled flight photographer Arash Hazeghi, one of our crack Avian Moderators on BirdPhotographers.Net. He responded, “Looks good but I can’t believe you couldn’t get that with Canon. With all due respect, a pelican is no challenge for yours truly; try an incoming peregrine or kestrel.”

Arash is 100% correct. I could have gotten today’s featured image with Canon gear. Could have. And Arash and Patrick Sparkman and other top bird photographers would have nailed sharp focus on this one with any halfway decent camera body because of their superior skills, strength, hand-eye coordination, and stamina. But for me, I might or might not have gotten this one sharp with my Canon gear. How do I know? Because that is the reality I experienced for the past two decades when my success rate in simple situations like this was from 20-40%. With my new Nikon gear my success rate in these situations has risen to well more than 90%.

Now don’t get too, too excited. As I wrote in response to a comment yesterday, there are more than a few things that I hate about Nikon camera bodies. I will be sharing them with y’all here fairly soon.

This One Works for Me: Nikon D-850/200-500 for Flight

I love this image because the bird is gorgeous, the pose with the fully extended wings is quite nice, and the underwings are evenly lit but for the shadow of the body on the base of the far wing. That was caused by being the light was a bit from my right at the moment the image was captured. This was one of six perfectly sharp on the eye frames.

I am getting more more comfortable using the D-850 for flight with my 200-500 but I still feel a bit more comfortable with the D5 and its blazing 12 fps. Right now I am leaning toward keeping both the D5 and the D-850. Tomorrow I will share a single flight image that explains perfectly why I switched … The good news is that my brain is getting used to zooming the 2-5 in and out. I am not fully there yet, but am improving. I am using my esti-zoom technique more and more with success; I start at 500mm and then zoom out quickly to an approximated focal length as the bird approaches, re-acquire focus, and resume firing.

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 met the second IPT group of seven for the free morning session early on Saturday morning. A half hour after sunrise things were shaping up to be as bad as Friday. Then a gorgeous pelican landed right in front of us but it was down a bit in a crevice. After ten minutes it popped up on a nice rock and posed for a long time. Then a second gorgeous bird landed down below to our right. I got everyone in position and we had another half hour of fun. Then a third gorgeous bird landed on perfect sandstone perch to the left of the first bird. I move everyone to sun angle and we enjoyed another great session. There were only about five birds total, but three of them very quite beautiful in excellent situations.

I am putting the finishing touches on this blog post while waiting for the group to arrive for our introductory program at 7pm on Saturday night.

The Streak

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

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 January 26 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 probably at +2/3 stop off the blue sky: 1/3200 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. AWB at 4:05pm on a clear sunny afternoon. Group/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, face-flight image

The First Nikon D-850 Image

Both Patrick Sparkman and I are head over heels in love with the D-850 image files. The colors, especially the Pacific BLUEs, are stunningly vibrant. The image quality is as good at it was with the Canon 5DS R. With the absence of an anti-aliasing filter, both produce incredibly sharp images with the megapixel edge going to the 5DS R (50 to 45). But the dynamic range of the D-850 is the better of the two as is high ISO noise control. And, as previously noted, when it comes to birds in flight, the AF system of the D-850 (and the D5) blow away anything Canon has ever produced. Note: in some simpler AF situations, both Nikon bodies run into occasional problems. As others have reported, I have not encountered and pixel shake/pixel smear problems with the D-850 that I had with the 5DS R (with birds and wildlife).

I chose to share today’s pelican face-flight shot with you first to illustrate the great crop-ability of the D-850 images. The converted TIF file here was 130 mb. After leveling and cropping, today’s featured image weighed in at 30mb. That works out to a paltry 23% of the original file size yet with 77% of the image cropped away, the optimized file is sharp, shows zero degradation, and features amazingly vibrant colors. I have actually varied my shooting style as a result of the crop-ability of the D-850, often working looser than usual while knowing the IQ will stand up to a healthy crop.

During this morning’s free session I was helping a client with their 5D Mark IV. I zoomed the wrong way and my brain could not remember how to change the ISO. I must be making ergonomic progress with my Nikon gear. 🙂

Nikon D-850 AF and Frame Rate

At this point in time, I have a bit more confidence in the AF system of the Nikon D5 DLSR than I do in the AF system of the D-850 . That even though the AF systems are identical. I hope to get over those feelings because the file size and image quality if the D-850 are stupendous. The frame-rate of the D5 is an impressive 12 fps. With the D-850 out of the box it is 7 fps. But, you can add the Nikon MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack and the Nikon EN-EL18b Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery and BL-5 Cover Kit from B&H and the Nikon MH-21 Quick Charger for Nikon EN-EL4 & EN-EL4a Battery from Bedford Camera to boost that to 9fps.

Alternatively, you can purchase the whole kit and kaboodle: Nikon MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack with EN-EL18b Battery Kit. The latter option is perfect for those who do not own a Nikon D5 and/or those who will wind up with two D-850 bodies (for the price of one Nikon D5).

My immediate problem is that I am not sure if I will keep the D5 or return the loaner body and go with two D-850s. As yet I have not been able to get a BL-5 (battery) Cover for the Nikon MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack so I have not been able to get the D-850 (7 fps) up to 9fps. This has made my decision more difficult … My gut feeling is that I will wind up with two D-850s. Note: Everything D-850 is in huge, huge demand, as in “pre-order only.”

The full frame original capture

The Full Frame Original Capture

I included the full frame image to depict the 77% crop. The image quality of the optimized version speaks for itself.

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 tried out my brand new Nikon D-850 on Thursday morning. It was mostly cloudy and not the greatest of mornings. I was not too excited by the 45 mega-pixel images but when I shared them with Patrick Sparkman and Lee Sommie, they both were. I guess I need to either clean my glasses or get an attitude adjustment. The three of us got together in the afternoon and photographed at La Jolla. We had a ball. I will give it a go with the D-850 in the morning. My plan at present is to keep the D5, use it with the 200-500, and go with the D-850 on the tripod-mounted Nikon 600mm f/4. That will likely be delivered to my home in Florida.

Those interested in learning even more about my recent switch to Nikon might wish to read the many and varied comments along with my responses in the last few blog posts.

I was glad to learn recently of the sale of Walt Anderson’s 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 $9395.00 and that NANPA President Don Carter sold his Canon EOS 7D Mark II in near-mint condition for $849.00 and his Canon EOS-1DX in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $2298.00, both two days after they were listed.

The Streak

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

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 by multiple IPT veteran Jake Levin on the first 2018 San Diego IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 213mm) with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, preening back

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit A

Canon makes a variety of relatively inexpensive intermediate telephoto lenses and lightweight camera bodies. The 100-400II is an amazing lens and I will miss it.

This image was created by Bryan Holliday with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and my former favorite flight photography camera body, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Northern Pintail, drake in fight

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit B

Are you kidding me? Kudos to Bryan for creating this image at 1200mm with hand held Canon gear. I will be borrowing a Nikon TCE 20 from B&H in late spring and try it out with my 600mm f/4 to see if what everyone says is true: “Harry, it sucks!”

If you know who Harry is please leave a comment. 🙂

This image was created by BPN Avian moderator David Salem with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) Cinnamon Teal, drake in fight

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit C

As this and the next two images show, David is right up there with the world’s best ducks in flight photographer; do you know anyone who is better? Cinnamon Teal is one of my favorite ducks. I have seen it only a few times in thirty five years and have zero good images of this small, fast flying duck.

This image was created byBPN Avian moderator David Salem with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) Northern Shoveler, drake in fight

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit D

What you need to make image like this with hand held super-telephoto lenses: good gear, strength, endurance, great hand-eye coordination, and lots of determination.

This image was created by BPN Avian moderator David Salem with the hand held Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) Green-winged Teal, drake in fight

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit E

A fast frame rate helps David capture the dramatic downstroke poses seen here and with the shoveler image above. The downstroke poses reveal the beautiful colors of the speculum feathers.

This image was created by Arash Hazghi with the hand held Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. Short-eared Owl in flight

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit F

Using Canon gear, Arash has made many of my favorite-ever flight images.

This image was created by Arash Hazghi with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens and the EOS-1D X (now replaced by the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II.) Great Grey Owl incoming

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit G

Arash has worked hard developing settings for his Canon cameras that will maximize his chances of getting razor sharp on the eyes images of birds flying right at him.

This image was created by multiple IPT veteran and dear friend Patrick Sparkman at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM lens and the mega megapixel Canon EOS 5DS R. Brandt’s Cormorant, incoming, with seaweed for its nest

Canon Surely Does Not Suck: Part II

Exhibit H

Patrick borrowed my 400 DO II on many occasions and usually did quite well with it.

Your Favorite?

Which of the Exhibits above, all made with Canon gear, is your favorite? Please let us know why you made your choice.

Canon EOS 5DS R

Mansoor Assadi is also offering a used Canon EOS 5DS R digital camera body in like-new condition for only $2649. The sale includes the front body cap, a RRS L-plate, a LensCoat BodyBag, the Canon batter grip (with only one battery), the original box with everything that came in it, and insured ground shipping via major courier. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

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

The 5DS R is one of the premier dSLRs for landscape photography and as Patrick Sparkman and I proved, it is a great body for bird, wildlife, and nature photographers who have good sharpness techniques, especially those who make large prints; it’s image quality is unmatched. artie

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 last two days have been busy, chaotic, and exciting. Even I have been impressed by the reach of the blog — at 3:55am Pacific time on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 I have sold all but a single listed Canon item (with several folks interested in the 70-200mm f/4L IS). Thanks to all who purchased my stuff at the give-away prices. I have a private client this morning and look forward to being joined by my new friend Lee Sommie midday tomorrow. Lee is signed up for San Diego #2.

Coming on Thursday

Coming on Thursday, a blog post entitled “Canon Does Not Suck.” So stay tuned.

Late Registration Discount

Due to a cancellation, there is a single opening on the second San Diego IPT. I am offering a $200 discount on the course fee. It is mandatory that you get in touch via e-mail or call me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Scroll down here for details on San Diego #2.

The Streak

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

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. 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 January 22 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 440mm) and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 400. Matrix metering probably +2/3 stop: 1/200 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 7:52am on a mostly clear sunny morning. Center Group Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, taking flight.

The Dramatic Take-off Image

I tried and failed for decades to create images like this with my Canon gear. Do understand that many others, more skilled than I, have made images like this with their Canon gear. With my new Nikon gear I now feel that I at least have a good chance. That gives me more confidence to at least try in difficult or even near-impossible situations.

It took me a while to realize that when a big wave hit a pelican or two would take flight. I finally figured it out with this image. There is an amazing Content Aware Fill story that goes with this photo. I will share in a future blog post.

Why I Switched From Canon to Nikon

I was one of the original 55 Canon Explorers of Light. After speaking with Dave Metz (who was then with Canon) at some photographic event, I was invited into the program — probably in 1996 or so — by Michael Newler (aka “Captain Explorer.”) It was quite an honor. I served in that role for about eighteen years. Canon was exceedingly generous. Right after I signed up I did a commercial for the EOS-1V film body that aired worldwide. At some point Michael left Canon and Dave Metz took over the EoL program. When Dave moved on, Steven Inglima assumed leadership of the program. Michael, Dave, and Steve were all good to me. Unbelievably good to me. When I submitted no end of speaking gigs for EoL approval, Michael liked to argue, Dave seemed like a tough guy but had a heart of gold beneath that facade, and Steve liked to ask questions. That said, those three wonderful gentlemen approved everything single thing that I proposed. Heck, they often lined up speaking gigs for me and sent me on the next plane. That support included two major exhibits of my work, the first at the Peterson Institute in Jamesburg, NY, and the second at the National Zoo in Washington, part of the Smithsonian. Canon sponsored both of those exhibits to the tune of $30,000.

About three or four years ago, Steven Inglima called me. Steve never called me. He was going on and on about nothing and suddenly it dawned on me: I was being let go as an Explorer. And that’s what happened. As a result of political BS at Canon. Steve fought hard to keep me in the program. In about a year he was fired too. He did get one concession. I, and the other photographers who were let go, were OKed to use the title Canon Explorer of Light Emeritus. And the plan was that while we would not have formal Canon contracts, that EoL would continue to support our speaking endeavors on Canon’s behalf. That worked for a total of two events. But the new team at EoL steadfastly refused to support my exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum. B&H came to the rescue. Canon EoL did support the slide program that opened the exhibit. And one more speaking gig in South Florida. I submitted a request for support for a speaking engagement near Denver but they never responded. When the gentleman trying to arrange the program wrote them, they responded with a simple answer. “No.”

I opted to choose the high road. I continued to support Canon on the blog most every day of the year. I had a great 18 year run with EoL and Canon’s generosity was unparalleled. So thanks again to Michael, Dave, and Steven, to good friends, the technical advisors Rudy Winston and Chuck Westfall, and to Canon USA and Canon Japan.

For years I had seen the great flight and action images of some of the top bird photographers made with Nikon gear. I simply assumed that they were more talented than I. When I heard recently that BPN Avian Moderator Doug Brown of Albuquerque, NM, had switched, that got me thinking; Doug is a quite competent flight photographer. As I was no longer an EoL in any way, shape or form, I decided to borrow some Nikon gear and see if it was any better for flight and action. From the first moment that I acquired focus on a bird in flight three days ago on January 20, I thought “This is different. This is much, much better.” Like Canon, the system acquired focus quickly. The difference, for me at least, was that the system would hold focus perfectly even with bird flying in front of a cliff or just over the ocean. Talk honestly to any top bird photographer who uses Canon gear and they will voice their frustrations. “I was locked on and then had to bump the focus. AF keeps going to the background. More than half of my flight images are not sharp on the eye.” There is none of that with the D5. I probably created 100,000 images of birds flying right at me at 60 mph with my Canon gear. 99.99% of them were sharp. Sharp on the feet. For me, Canon AF simply could not keep up. Some of the very best Canon flight photographers have had success in this area with their cameras set up perfectly for flight. But never me. With Nikon this situation is a piece of cake. I will share a Brandt’s Cormorant image with you here soon.

Before I even saw the images on my laptop I realized that I would almost surely be switching. Once I saw the consistently sharp results on my Macbook Pro with Retina Display, I was convinced: for me, photographing birds in flight with Nikon gear would be a huge improvement, the chance to be the flight photographer I always wanted to be. With the Canon gear I rarely made more than two or three images of a given bird on a flight pass. Several times in the past few days with the Nikon gear I have created 12- and 15-frame flight sequences with all of the images well-framed and sharp on the eye. AF is that sure even when and if the AF Group cluster is nowhere near the bird’s face, head, or neck. There is no way in the world that I could have created today’s featured image with my Canon gear. Others maybe, but not me. I look forward to thousands more quick-grab and take-off images in my Nikon future.

If Canon versus Nikon for flight photography were a championship prize fight, they would be best to stop the bout at the weigh-in …Unless you totally screw-up there is no need at all to bump the focus. The whole Nikon thing has been like a re-birth.

I thought on the dilemma for about a day and then decided to go all-in by selling off my Canon gear, most of it in a single afternoon.

Folks have asked if my decision was vengeful in any way, if it was politically motivated, if I was now under contract with Nikon, or if it had to do with my being let go by Canon as an EoL. The honest answers are no, no, no, and no. In The Work (The Work of Byron Katie) we learn to ask if the thing that we fear the most (being let go as an Explorer) could possibly be the best thing that could have happened … In this tale, that has been exactly the case.

Other factors include Canon’s continued denial of oil spatter on the sensor problems with individual EOS-1DX Mark II bodies (like my first one) and problems with folks using Canon Repair centers. No worries on that though; I have heard that Nikon repair service is much worse. 🙂

What would I have done if I had learned that Nikon was the best system for me while I was still an Explorer of Light? That is a very tough question and I am a very loyal man, but boy, I would have been very tempted to end my relationship with Canon …

I have enjoyed the firestorm on the blog and on my two Facebook pages and have enjoyed the challenge of learning to work with an entirely new system. And most of all, I have been having a ton of fun.

Summing up I can only say that I switched knowing that Nikon was better for me at this point in my life. Please do not be fooled into thinking that the Nikon system is dead solid perfect; there are many things that bug me. I will be sharing those with you in future blog posts.

Many fear that I will quit teaching folks about Canon on the blog. That will not be true. If I never posted a single Nikon image I could do a blog post every day for the rest of my life with as yet unpublished Canon images. That said, the switch will allow me to broaden my horizons and become an even stronger teacher. Wait till I learn my two new camera bodies and learn how to zoom out with the 200-500!

Those who have read this far would likely enjoy reading my replies to various comments in the last three or four Nikon-related blog posts …

Nikon Menu Help Needed

If you know how I can assign Focus Stop to the AF ON button please leave a comment.

The San Diego Site Guide

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

Learn more or purchase your copy here.

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

Despite seemingly perfect conditions it was a relatively slow morning for flight at La Jolla on Monday.

After the Canon Gear Fire Sale announcement post I was a busy boy and wound up selling nearly all of my Canon stuff in four hours. Folks may question the low prices but my plan was to unload everything quickly rather than spend weeks trying to squeeze out a few more dollars. My plan worked well.

The Streak

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

New Used Gear Listing

Canon 500mm f/4L IS USM Lens (the “old five”)

Mark Casola is offering a Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens in excellent plus condition (like new but for a scratch on the lens foot) for the BAA record-low price of $3649.00. The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, the original leather front lens cover, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mark via e-mail

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 $5299.00 by grabbing Greg’s lens (plus the two TCs!) artie

Price Drop

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Professional Digital Camera Body

Price Reduced $50 on August 2, 2017.
Price Reduced another $50 on January 22, 2018.

David R. Gibson (the original owner) is offering a Canon EOS-1D Mark III in near-mint condition but for a few very faint scratches on the rear LCD for only $499 (was $599). The sale includes the front cap, the Canon LP-E4 Rechargeable Lithium Ion and the charger, the Canon camera body manual & pocket guide, a new Canon Pro Neck Strap 1, a Sandisk 8GB Ultra Compact Flash memory card, and insured ground shipping via UPS to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears, unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact David via e-mail or by phone at 1-757-816-2825 (Eastern time).

Two EOS-1D Mark IIIs served as my workhorse camera bodies for more than 2 years. I created thousands of consistently sharp, saleable images with them. B&H currently has a used 1D III in excellent condition (8+) for $799.95; that makes David’s body a superb buy. As with my 1D III bodies, David never had any AF problems. artie

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

This image was created on January 22 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III (at 350mm), and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 400. Matrix metering probably +2/3 stop:: 1/800 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:432am on a clear sunny day. Upper Left Group/Shutter Button AF. Brown Pelican, Pacific race, tight face detail This is the full frame original

This Just In: Internet Experts State That the Nikon 200-500/1.4X TC-14E III/D5 Combo is Not Sharp!

Via blog comment by my Nikon mentor, Krishna Prassad Kotti:

I heard from lots of folks on internet that Nikon 200-500 is not sharp. And that it is not sharp with 1.4X TC.

My response is the unsharpened 100% crop below …

This is an unsharpened 100% crop of Brown Pelican, Pacific race, tight face detail

My Response to the Internet Experts

I am confused. The 100% crop above looks pretty sharp to me. What do you think? In any case, I can’t wait to get my hands on the 45-mega pixel Nikon D850 DSLR … Several friends have confirmed that they have not experienced pixel smear as many did with the Canon 5DS R.

The Nikon D-850

The Nikon D-850 is one hot ticket. It is pretty much impossible to purchase one right now at any price. If you know of one sitting on a shelf somewhere, please shoot me an e-mail.

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 Sunday I spent another morning with the borrowed Nikon gear. With a nice east wind it was a great morning for pelican flight photography: I had 40 pelican flight keepers. What a pleasure it is to edit a series of flight images and simply look for the best poses without having to pray that this one or that one might be sharp …

The afternoon was spent at Patrick and Robin’s house watched the NFL playoffs on the tube and eating too much. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I was asleep at 7:30pm, woke at 2:30am, and edited about 10,000 images from my Phoenix and San Diego trips. I am all caught up.

There are only two slots left on the Spoonbill Boat IPT. The Master Classes will be announced soon.

The Streak

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

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

Used Gear Page New Listings

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

With Extras!

NANPA President Don Carter is offering a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in near-mint condition for $849.00. The sale includes the Canon BG-E16 Battery Grip (a $209 value), a Kirk L bracket, an extra battery, the front lens cap, one battery charger, and insured ground shipping to US addresses via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

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

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

Canon EOS-1DX Professional Digital Camera Body

BAA Record-low Price!

NANPA President Don Carter is also offering a Canon EOS-1DX in near-mint condition for the BAA record-low price of $2298.00, The sale includes the front cap, a Kirk L-bracket, an extra battery, and insured ground shipping via major courier to US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

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

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

This image was created on January 21 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III (at 350mm), and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 400. Matrix metering probably +1/3 stop:: 1/640 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:12am on a clear sunny day. Upper center Group/Shutter Button AF. Image #1: Brown Pelican, Pacific race, two year old, vertical head and bill portrait

The Blue-eyed Chocolate Covered Cherry

We saw the beautiful bird featured in today’s blog post flying around early in the day as many pelicans left and returned to the cliffs after visiting an offshore feeding spree. At one point, it landed close to us in a big crowd of birds. I added the 1.4X TCE, got on the ground, and slowly inched closer. As the pelicans shifted position, the chocolate-covered cherry bird finally came completely clear for a vertical head and bill portrait.

This image was created on January 21 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III (at 600mm), and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 400. Matrix metering probably at zero: 1/800 sec. at f/9 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:09am on a clear sunny day. Left Group/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Brown Pelican, Pacific race, two year old, tight head portrait

Tight Horizontal Head Portrait

I zoomed in tight to create image #2 when the object of my desire was surrounded by several other pelicans. The sharpness of the Nikon 2-5 with the TC-E 14 is astounding.

This image was created on January 21 at La Jolla, CA by Patrick Sparkman with the hand held Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens (at 500mm) and the blazingly fast professional digital camera body, the Nikon D5 DSLR camera body with dual XQD slots). ISO 500. Matrix metering probably +1/3 stop: 1/2500 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB at 8:40am on a clear sunny day. Group/Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3:Brown Pelican, Pacific race, 2nd year, in flight Image courtesy of and copyright 2018: Patrick Sparkman

Potty Break

When I needed to visit the outdoor mens’ room-in-a-crevice, I took two out of focus images of the dirt and handed the rig to Patrick who was anxious to try it out. When I got back I took two more images of dirt so that we could easily locate Patrick’s images. As I was yesterday, he was quite amazed by the AF system of the D5. When I downloaded the shared XQD card, I saw that Patrick had had a good flight chance with our special bird. I was wishing that I could have held it a bit longer … Patrick, a long time Canon shooter, also had big problems with the “wrong direction zoom twist.”

Your Favorite?

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

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 last morning of the first San Diego IPT was our first cloudy one. We went down the hill to work the Brandt’s Cormorants. The original group of seven participants had dwindled to three, numbers reduced by the flu and by family and travel plans. Now that the first IPT is over I should have some free time to edit more than 10,000 images that I created during the 4 1/2 day IPT. Stay tuned for info on next year’s San Diego IPT; there will be only one.

The 2nd San Diego IPT is now a sell-out and there are only two slots left on the Spoonbill Boat IPT. The Master Classes will be announced soon.

This Just In!

After my plea for Nikon help on Friday afternoon, I spent an hour on the phone and on FaceTime with IPT veteran and blog regular Krishna Prasad Kotti. He kindly and generously helped me set up the new Nikon camera. When I first picked it up I felt hopelessly overwhelmed. Right now I am confident that I can head out tomorrow morning and start making great images with the new rig. Huge thanks Krishna! The process was actually much easier than I thought it would be and — thanks to Krishna — I am able to comfortably navigate the menus! I am excited.

The Streak

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

Booking.Com

Booking.Com came through for me twice again recently with both the DeSoto Fall IPT and next July’s UK Puffins, Gannets, and Bempton Pre-trip room reservations. And all the rates were great. If you’d like to give Booking.Com a shot, click here and you will earn a $25 reward. Thanks to the many who have already tried and used this great service.

This image was created on the morning of Thursday, January 18 at La Jolla, CA with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 286mm) and the blazingly fast Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. ISO 1600 (set by ISO Safety Shift). Evaluative metering + 1 1/3 stops: 1/100 sec. at f/5.6 in Tv mode. AWB at 6:5am in predawn light. LensAlign/FocusTune micro-adjustment: extrapolated to -3. One AF point up from the center AF point AI Servo/Surround/Shutter button AF was active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. On-camera fill flash at -1 stop with the fabulous Godox VING V860IIC TTL Li-Ion Flash Kit for Canon Cameras Brown Pelican, Pacific race, pre-dawn flight blur

1/100 second Miracle

Don’t ask me how I wound up at 1/100 sec. I often try flying bird blurs at 1/30 or 1/60 sec. At 1/125 second you can get a nice blur with birds at fairly close range and on rare occasion, get the eye sharp. Remember that in most cases the bird needs to be flapping in order for you to create a pleasing blur. I was using my tried and true pre-dawn Tv mode blur technique: Tv mode and dial in the correct EC (exposure compensation). I set Safety Shift to ISO on all of my Canon camera bodies so that I do not have to waste time setting Auto ISO. Today’s featured image was a one shot wonder. It looked nice enough on the back of the camera to share with several of the folks in the group to show them what I was trying to do. I never bother to check for sharpness in the field; I do not want to miss the next fly-by. I never expected the eye to be razor sharp at 1/100 sec. hoping instead that the eye and the face might be just sharp enough to make the image worth processing.

When I saw the image on my laptop at lunch I was stunned.

The flash here helped to render the eye and face sharp but it is not a classic flash blur. In a classis flash blur the flash is set to a higher power and produces one sharp correctly exposed image of the bird atop the blurred image.

A Guide to Pleasing Blurs

Learn everything there is to know about creating pleasingly blurred images in A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Denise Ippolito and yours truly. This 20,585 word, 271 page PDF is illustrated with 144 different, exciting, and artistic images. The guide covers the basics of creating pleasingly blurred images, the factors that influence the degree of blurring, the use of filters in creating pleasing blurs, and a great variety of both in-the-field and Photoshop techniques that can be used to create pleasingly blurred images.

Artie and Denise will teach you many different ways to move your lens during the exposure to create a variety of pleasingly blurred images of flowers and trees and water and landscapes. They will teach you to recognize situations where subject movement can be used to your advantage to create pan blurs, wind blurs, and moving water blurs. They will teach you to create zoom-blurs both in the field and during post-processing. Artie shares the techniques that he has used and developed for making blurred images of flocks of geese in flight at his beloved Bosque del Apache and Denise shares her flower blur magic as well as a variety of creative Photoshop techniques that she has developed.

With the advent of digital capture creating blurred images has become a great and inexpensive way to go out with your camera and have fun. And while many folks think that making successful blurred images is the result of being a sloppy photographer, nothing could be further from the truth. In “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs” Artie and Denise will help you to unleash your creative self.

The Godox Flash/Save $300!

The Godox VING V860IIC TTL Li-Ion Flash Kit for Canon Cameras is simply amazing. Priced at exactly $300 less than the Canon Speedlite 600EX II-RT, the Godox flash is a virtual replica of the top of the line Canon 600 EX II-RT. I will soon be publishing a simple guide to using the Godox flash for bird photography. In the meantime you can learn everything there is to know about using flash for bird photography in the Flash Simplified section of The Art of Bird Photography II (ABP II: 916 pages, 900+ images on CD only): ETTL flash as fill, flash as main light techniques, high speed synch flash (available on the Godox flash) and manual flash. Plus tons more!

Dealing With Flash Eye

In the Before frame you can see the deleterious effect of flash on a bird’s pupil. To repair the eye I selected it with a Quick Mask, placed the selection on its own layer, hit Command U (Hue-Saturation) on a layer, desaturated the image 100%, and moved the lightness slider all the way to the left to darken the pupil. It was still too light so I went to Tim Grey Dodge and Burn and made it nice and black. While I was there I lightened the iris to white. All that after converting the image in DPP 4 and executing a crop from below and behind the bird.

Almost forgot: I selected the head and the base of the bill with the Quick Selection Tool, placed the selection on it’s own layer, and applied my NIK Color EFEX Pro 30/30 Detail Extractor/Tonal Contrast recipe. Folks with sharp eyes viewing the Before and After animated GIF can note the effects of NeatImage noise reduction on the background especially. I applied 95% NI noise reduction to the background and only 50% NI noise reduction the bird’s head and upper bill using the technique detailed in the The Professional Post Processing Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly.

Note: the posterization on the pelican’s crown is the unavoidable result of the creation of the animated GIF.

The BIRDS AS ART Current Workflow e-Guide (Digital Basics II) will teach you an efficient Mac or PC/Photo Mechanic/Photoshop workflow that will make it easy for you to make your images better in Photoshop (rather than worse). That true whether you convert your images in DPP 4 or ACR. See the blog post here to learn lots more and to read a free excerpt. 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 and other discerning Canon shooters convert nearly all of their Canon digital RAW files in DPP 4 using Canon Digital Photo Professional in the DPP 4 RAW conversion Guide here. And 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 :).