{"id":75289,"date":"2021-07-21T09:21:04","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T13:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/?p=75289"},"modified":"2025-03-07T11:35:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T15:35:22","slug":"your-thoughts-be-honest-be-brutal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdsasart-blog.com\/baa\/2021\/07\/21\/your-thoughts-be-honest-be-brutal\/","title":{"rendered":"A Zebra at ILE ??? Your Thoughts? Be Honest. Be Brutal."},"content":{"rendered":"

What’s Up?<\/h3>\n

Most of the time, I know a day or two in advance what the subject of an upcoming blog will be. I woke this morning with no clue. So I decided to look at my ILE July 2020 file. I was surprised to see flowers, flowers, and more flowers. Along with a very few butterflies and cranes. Right now the fields are too soft and too wet to drive on safely, so no cranes. And there are just not many flowers around. <\/p>\n

Anyhoo, I found today’s featured image, processed it, and prepared this blog post. Today is Wednesday 21 July. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.<\/p>\n

Thanks for all the comments on yesterday’s images. I will be sharing my thoughts on those with you here tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Remember that you can find some great photo accessories (and necessities!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange\/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks like me, who spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And it works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account. <\/p>\n

This blog post took about one hour to prepare and makes 206 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember that if an item \u2014 a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head \u2014 for example, that is available from B&H and\/or Bedfords, and is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to save 3% at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides and\/or discounts. And doing so always earns my great appreciation.<\/p>\n

Please Remember<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

With income from IPTs now close to zero, please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times \u2014 I am out at least forty to sixty thousand dollars so far due to COVID 19 (with lots more to come) \u2014 remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here<\/a> to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.<\/p>\n

New and Better Bedfords Discount Policy!<\/h3>\n

You can now save 3% on all of your Bedfords photo gear purchases by entering the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout. Your discount will be applied to your pre-tax total. In addition, by using the code you will get 2nd day air shipping via Fed Ex.<\/p>\n

Grab a Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III and save $14.99. Purchase a Canon EOS R5 and your discount will be $116.97. Purchase a Sony FE 600mm f\/4 GM OSS lens and save a remarkable $389.94! Your Bedford’s purchase no longer needs to be greater than $1,000.00 for you to receive a discount. The more you spend, the more you save. <\/p>\n

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Money Saving Reminder<\/h3>\n

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would enjoy free second-day air shipping, your best bet is to click here<\/a>, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail<\/a> or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order to save 3% and enjoy free 2nd-day air shipping. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The wait lists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard to get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a9 ii, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please. <\/p>\n


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Gear Questions and Advice<\/h3>\n

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs (remember those?) and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN<\/a>, 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<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This image was created on 15 July 2020 a few blocks from my home at ILE. I used the hand held Sony FE 100-400mm f\/4.5-5.6 GM OSS lens<\/a> with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter<\/a> (at 560mm) and the 61-MP Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body.<\/a> ISO 800. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: 1\/1000 sec. at f\/9 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger<\/a> showed this exposure to be dead-solid perfect (as seen in the screen capture below). AWB at 8:44am on a clear, sunny morning. <\/p>\n

I screwed up the focus (by choosing the wrong AF Method) … Click on the image to view a larger version. <\/p>\n

Image #1: Zebra Swallowtail on Carolina Red Root blossom \n