Rob DeBartolo, a heart pacemaker\/ablation specialist from Stamford, CT, got in touch less than two weeks ago about photo lessons. Before we even met, I explained to him that if he switched to Sony, I could flatten his learning curve and teach him to become a good photographer in about ten minutes. He and used my links to purchase the fabulous and versatile Sony FE 100-400mm f\/4.5 GM OSS lens<\/a>, a Sony a1 II Mirrorless Camera, and both teleconverters. He is thrilled with what he learned from Anke and me in just two short sessions and is planning on joining me in San Diego this coming January. You can learn what Rob learned by reading the rest of today’s blog post. <\/p>\n There were only a few comments in the last blog post. Most folks were impressed by one of the predation series images and the cute skimmer chick photo garnered no love at all. My three favorites were the flock blur, the skimmer flight trio, and the young skimmer seemingly begging for its life. Though pretty darned good, the most ordinary image for me was the young Common Tern portrait, Image #2. I also liked the young oystercatcher in the white water a lot. <\/p>\n Which of Rob’s five featured photos is your favorite? Why did you make your choice? <\/p>\n After having photographed on about 435 of the last 450 mornings, I slept in on last four of the last six mornings and have not created a single image since I was out with Rob DeBartolo on the afternoon of 5 September. I had the aforementioned sick stomach on Sunday and spent all of Sunday and Monday and most of Tuesday resting and recovering. On Tuesday evening we went to the US Open Tennis tournament to see two quarterfinals matches. As I had Nassau County Small Claims Court on Wednesday morning, I was hoping for a quick evening — an over-in-two-sets women’s match and an easy three set win for Carlos Alacaraz over Ben Shelton, both 23 years old. I got the opposite. The afternoon Tiafoe match went five sets so the women were delayed for 1 1\/2 hours. Then Jessica Pegula won in three sets (not the two I had hoped for). The night ended at 3:35am when underdog but up-and-coming Ben Shelton served an ace at 3:35am to beat Alacaraz in a five-set thriller. It was Shelton’s greatest moment to date and may very well prove to be a life-changing win. Anyhoo, we did not get back to our AirBnB until 4:26am and I was in bed soon after. The alarm rang at 8:00am and we were off to Nassau County District arriving ten minutes late. <\/p>\n The case was settled in mediation and I was happy with both the result and the guidance I received from Gemini AI. <\/p>\n Today is Thursday 10 September 2026 and I am pretty much back to normal. We are headed to the beach for a morning photo session with the diminishing flocks of skimmers and terns and whatever else we can find. Whatever you opt to do, I hope that you choose to have fun and enjoy life. Please remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie – The Work.Com<\/a> <\/p>\n If an item \u2014 a Delkin flash card or reader<\/a>, a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro<\/a>, or a Wimberley lens plate <\/a> or low foot<\/a> — for example, that is available from B&H and\/or Bedfords, 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 or beat any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedford by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and\/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation. <\/p>\n Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BirdPhotographer’s.Net<\/a>, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.<\/a> If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.<\/p>\n This image was created on 5 September 2026 new BAA friend Rob DeBartolo during a BAA In-the-Field session at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, NY. Seated on damp sand, he used the handheld Sony FE 100-400mm f\/4.5 GM OSS lens<\/a> with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter<\/a> (at 560mm) and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a-1 II Mirrorless Camera<\/a> (in APS-C crop mode — effective focal length 840mm). The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250: 1\/4000 second at f\/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 6:43:39pm on a sunny afternoon. <\/p>\n Tracking: Zone\/AF-C with Bird-Eye\/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a larger high-res version.<\/p>\nIn the Last Blog Post<\/h3>\n
Your Call?<\/h3>\n
What’s Up?<\/h3>\n
Gear Questions and Advice<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n \n \n \n Image #1: Lesser Black-backed Gull adult on the edge of the surf
\nImage courtesy of and copyright 2026 Robert DeBartolo
\nImage optimization by Arthur Morris\/BIRDS AS ART