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The thumbnails in the screen capture above represent the last two decades of what has been an amazing career. Click here to see the BreezeBrowswer-created slide show. But see “Invitation” below for complete details. Click on the image for a better look at the thumbnails. |
Reflections
Whenever I am looking at one of the many large Images for Slide Programs folders I am amazed. What a wonderful life and career I have had. And will continue to have. The places that I have visited. The birds and wildlife that I have seen. Wow! How blessed I have been.
Folks often ask, “Don’t you get tired of waking up in a motel room bed 180 mornings each year?” I chuckle when I hear that. Why? If I did not like all the travel I would simply stay home.
An Invitation…
All are invited to click on the gallery link here. I picked 120 of my all-time favorite images for a Canon project entitled “DreamLabo 5000.” To view the slide program simply click on the first image and then hit Next (above the image). Enjoy. All comments are welcome. If you would like to have some fun and help me out a bit, take the time to pick your five favorite images. You will find the file name as well as all the EXIF date below and to the left of each image. You can learn a lot by checking out the EXIF data for each digital image. There are very few film images in the slide program. Then cut and paste the file name without the number into your comment box. Each file name should look something like this: Northern Gannet male bringing nesting material to mate.
Image Questions?
If you have questions about an image or two feel free to ask them by leaving a comment. Please indicate the image you are referring to with the file name as described above.
BreezeBrowser Slide Program Feature
The HTML for the slide show linked to here was created in BreezeBrowser via Tools/HTML in about 2 minutes. It is a little-known and little used feature that works extraordinarily well. Regular readers know that I use and depend on BreezeBrowser every day of the year. It allows me to sort my keepers and deletes the rejects faster than any other Windows browsing program. We use it on the main computer in the home office to catalog our images file-drawer style. And the companion program, Downloader Pro allows me to download my images quickly and conveniently. It automatically adds my IPTC data and the shooting location. I have it set up to create a folder named by the Month/date/year. The Breezebrowser/Downloader Pro combo saves me many hours each week. To learn earn more or to purchase this great PC only program, click here. As far as the BreezeBrowser/Downloader Pro Combo goes, if you are using a Windows platform and are not using these two great programs you are at best, wasting your valuable time. My understanding is that Photo Mechanic is best for Mac-users.
IPT Info
Many of our great trips are filling up. You will learn more about how to make great images on a BAA IPT than anywhere else on the planet. Click here for info on the Anhinga Trail IPT. Click here for info on the Estero Lagoon IPT. Click here for info on the just announced San Diego Short Notice IPT–only 2 slots left on that one. And click here to learn about the just-announced 2014 Bosque IPTs. You will find additional IPTs and general info here.
Great Buy: Used Canon 800mm f/5/6L IS Lens for Sale
Friend and multiple IPT-veteran Monte Brown is offering his lightly used Canon 800mm f/5.6L IS lens in excellent condition for sale for $9,500. Purchase includes the lens case and hood, the 4th Generation Design Low Foot, the original foot, a LensCoat, the original invoice and the original Canon shipping carton. The lens was purchased new from B&H in April 2009 and was recently underwent a pre-sale clean and check by Canon. The buyer pays insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. The lens will be shipped only after your check clears.
The Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM Autofocus lens sells new for $13,223.00 so you will save a bundle on a great lens. No need to ever use a 2X…
If interested you can contact Monte by phone at 1-765-744-1421 or via e-mail.
Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer
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Time is Running Out!
BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition
The December 31, 2013 closing deadline is fast approaching.
Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.
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Amazon
Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.
Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂
Sally Lightfoot crab Andy Rouse-inspired blur
Coastal-Brown-Bear-jumping-on-salmon
Bald Eagle screaming blue sky
Roseate Sponbill dorsal view flight
Snowy Owl in dunes
(tough choices)
Thanks a stack TIm! artie
Artie, This is a superb collection of images and a great testimony to your skill. Of all your images I have ever seen, NONE has touched me, indeed changed me more, than your SNOW MONKEY FAMILY. Nothing has made more aware that I am indeed a naked ape. The snow monkey family could be my son, daughter-in-law, and wee grandchild; or a family of strangers needing shelter from the cold. At this time of the year I think of Joseph, Mary, and the Christ child.
Thank you for the blessing of this image. My best for your coming year Artie.
🙂
Artie, you started by saying that these are your favorites. Do you also consider them to be your best? I’m not saying that they aren’t all beautiful, they are, but I know that I have photos that while I may not consider them to be one of my best, I still consider the, one of my favorites. I am just curious if you feel the same about some of these. I hope you understand what I am asking.
Thanks.
Everything in the gallery is among my best images. For me less than perfect technically cannot be a favorite image…. Even one degree of the wrong head turn can ruin and image for me. That said I probably have another 1,000 images that would rank right up there or pretty close to those in the gallery. Or maybe more :). Thanks for stopping by. artie
So hard to choose and I think that depending on my mood I would choose different things each time I visited, but right now these five hit me hardest:
Chinstrap Penguins
Coastal Brown Bear Backlit
Dalmatian Pelican and Reflection
Brown Pelican Pink Heaven
Roseate Tern
Cranes Primeval
Oops I guess that’s 6, can’t seem to kick one out right now.
Thanks for sharing and for inspiring me to get into bird/wildlife photography.
Wow! Even though I’ve seen most of these before, they still amaze. Anyone looking to get inspired for nature photography should view this portfolio. Tough to pick favorites but the Bosque blur blast-offs are right up there esp Snow Geese 1-2 sec blast off. Don’t know why I’ve been putting off going there. Time to sign up methinks.
Lots of amazing images Art, and many more to come!! Fun to reminisce, I was at some of those location with you!
Thanks for sharing your talent and expertise over the years. I’ve learned more from you than any other photographer I traveled with!
A treat to view all of these. Mike
Thanks Mike and yes and yes. Mike is a multi/multi IPT veteran. He and wife Barbara will be joining Denise and I on the Holland/Tulip IPT this spring. (Scroll down here for details on the Tulip IPT.)
Mike, thanks again for your kind words. artie
(1) They are all simply stunning!!! I am humbled and inspired. The fact that you included the exif data for all of us to view and learn from just exemplifies that you are the eternal teacher, thank you!!
(2) I have heard of something like this as an exercise that we should all do, every year; the way I heard it — pick out your 100 best photographs and every year see what you have taken that you like better, but always keeping it to 100 and being discriminating. As the years go by the emotional aspect of the capture fades allowing for greater impact as times goes by.
(3) FYI Afrrican Elelphant mother holding baby’s trunk has typos
should be “African Elephant” not “Afrrican Elelphant”
(4) Hard to believe that this image pretty much starter this craze “Great Blue Heron courtship display OPTIMIZED BEST” — that image on your book got us all hooked — and the image still rocks, even after all these years and new gear and post-processing, lol
(5) pick FIVE?!?? you have to be kidding me. I would be honored to have any of them hanging on my wall! I love every one except ONE — Sun at sunrise w tern SILH _MG_0496 Little St. Simons Island GAC. The idea and composition is great, but the that one image just says to me “eek, the ghost of Digital Past” this was a little before digital was really prime with the grain of the 40D at 800 iso.
and (6) My top five favorites (that was hard, I had to list some close runners up):
Sandhill-Crane-chicks-on-mom’s-back
Afrrican Elelphant mother holding baby’s trunk
Black-browed Albatross courting pair Arthur Morris
Geese at Sunrise, Bosque
Long-billed Curlew SILH w sand crab
Honorable mentions
Wood Duck male spectacular fall color YL8X2050 North Chagrin Reservation, Cleveland, OHC
Snow Monkey family
Arthur Morris-Birds-Bald-Eagle-perched-on-snow-bank-in-snow-
Atlantic Puffin w nesting material
Bald Eagle striking Black Water
Chilean Swallows on wire fence during rain
Great Blue Heron courtship display
Sandhill Crane pair landing SILH REDDER
Black Skimmer early morning blur
Red-crowned Cranes displaying in snow
Roseate Sponbill dorsal view flight
Thanks a ton Lisa for your more than kind words. A few notes:
1-I read your comment on Sun at sunrise w tern SILH _MG_0496 Little St. Simons Island. I am gonna have Jim dig up the RAW file and take another crack at it. I amm pretty sure that I can eliminate most of all of the noise. I may try to activate my NIK DeFine. If I am successful I will likely do a blog post on the process. So thanks. BTW, that image is pretty much right out of camera.
2-With regards to “Great Blue Heron courtship display OPTIMIZED BEST” the image tha you are viewing is actually a digitally optimized version of the original scan. I got rid of a few twigs, re-did the white on the top of the males head, and eliminated mos of the horrific grain using Filter/Blur/Surface Blur as taught to me by our mutual friend, the brilliantly creative Denise Ippolito.
Interestingly enough, folks who own a soft cover copy of the reprinted ABP can note the before and after differences by comparing the re-mastered cover image with the chapter-opener on page 149. The digitally improved version on the cover is light years better, yet it still depicts a male great blue passing a sprig to its mate as part of their age-old courtship ritual.
Thanks for noting that the original “The Art of Bird Photography” was pretty much responsible for the great popularity of bird photography today.
Thanks again for sharing your most thoughtful comments. later and love, artie
Hi Arthur, a stunning collection of images…kudos…each and every image is killer and very hard to nail it down to just five…the Paine Towers is BBC worthy for sure.
Here are my picks:
Brown Pelican staring at camera
Northern Gannet male bringing nesting material to mate
Osprey, nest, cyrpess trees Lake Blue Cypress, Indian River County, FL
Paine Towers dramatic sunset
Sally Lightfoot crab Andy Rouse-inspired blur
Thanks a lot Artie. This was awesome. If someone holds a gun to my head and asks me to pick one, it will still be very hard…but I think I will pick the chinstrap penguins on the ice. That is one heck of a composition.
Arthur, These images, Reflections, An Invitation, are between Wow and Boing! Great work and Thank you for posting. Merry Christmas.
Jim Amato
Artie – What a holiday treat to see your album. All of the images are wonderful, so it was a very difficult task to pick five, but here is what I chose:
Magnificent-Frigatebird-male-head-COLOR-V-II-with-pouch-inflate – you have capture and frozen a bird behavior in a moment in time (like a nanosecond) I also like the red/black color combo and the sharpness of the eye and beak (makes me wonder where you aimed your focus)
Mammals-Coastal-Brown-Bear-jumping-on-salmon – I like how the water blurs and streaks really portray movement
Brown Pelican stunning breeding plumage head & shldrs- I happen to really like pelicans and I like this profile view. The colors are very striking.
Geese at Sunrise, Bosque, NM – I like how the fog makes this image surreal and Impressionistic – very artistic. Love the amber tones.
Roseate Tern displaying – Love the white on white. The exposure and white balance are spot on.
Honorable mentions:
Bald-Eagle-perched-on-snow-bank-in-snow
Blizzard in Blue BEST COLOR
Northern Cardinal white version
Snow Monkey family – so incredibly touching
But I love them all!
Hi Art:
A lovely collection (except for the blurs, which aren’t my favorites, as you know)! I’ve listed them in order:
1 Snow Monkey Family
2 African elephant mother holding baby’s trunk
3 Northern Gannet male bringing nesting material to mate
4 King Penquin Flocks by stream
5 Paine Towers dramatic sunset
Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!
Really nice collection. I won’t even attempt to pick favorites. I am half way through your 5D3 camera guide. Have you come to a final conclusion on AF settings or still experimenting with image priority?
I leave them both in the middle. To be honest, i do not think that it makes much of a difference either way…. Thanks for your purchase.
Thanks for the early christmas present, they are all wonderful.
While I expected to chose classic BAA images I find my tastes drifting to more scenic and more recent images. While the bears and puffins are great, I skipped them due to the number of similar images from other photographers.
Bald Eagle on cliff in snow
Wood Duck male spectacular fall color
sunset crane pool
Black-browed Albatross courting pair
Northern Gannet male bringing nesting material to mate
Almost:
Laysan Albatross braking to land
Macaroni-Penguin-preening-mate
Brown Pelican staring at camera
Vulturine Guinea-Fowl breast
Galapagos Tortoise azolla fern background
Coastal-Brown-Bear-jumping-on-salmon
Sandhill-Cranes-20-second-blur
Sally Lightfoot crab Andy Rouse
Snow Geese blast-off
Bald Eagle on cliff in snow MONET W TONAL CONTRAST
You can tell what my bias is!
It seems that you like blurs and artsy…. Are you the super-model, the ET sculptress, or the Margaret Thatcher assistant Cynthia Crawford???
Errr-I’m just lil ole me, humble wanna be photographer, artist, musician…..aka “Creature Kinships”.
I see most folks cannot limit themselves to just 5, nor will I. A totally awesome collection!!!!!
My all-time favorite: Chinstrap penguin group on blue iceberg
Then in no order:
Geese at sunrise
King Penguin flocks
Laysan Albatross head
Snow Monkey family
Snowy Owl in Dunes
Coastal Brown Bear jumping on salmon
In addition to being a thoroughly enjoyable exercise, I learned something about myself with my choices. I hope to keep this in mind as I frame future images. As always, you are a great teacher.
Read the following line in your best pirate voice, it’s borrowed from Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (Davy Jones talking to Jack Sparrow)
You’re a cruel man, Arthur Morris.
Put out 120 of your best images and ask us to pick 5. Just cruel. 😉
My top 5, in no specific order:
Northern Gannet male bringing nesting material to mate
Bald-Ealge-screaming-tongue
Coastal-Brown-Bear-jumping-on-salmon
Chinstrap Penguin group on blue iceberg
Sandhill-Cranes-20-second-blur
Honorable mentions:
Wood Duck male spectacular fall color
Torrent Duck chick
Laysan Albatross head
Sally Lightfoot crab Andy Rouse-inspired blur
Great Blue Heron courtship display
Chilean Swallows on wire fence during rain
Question for you Artie. When picking your favorite images, is it based solely on the qualities of the image or does the story behind the image factor in? Things like how hard was it to get the image, first trip to a location, or maybe meeting a dear friend for the first time on “that” trip.
Awesome photos Artie!! I just returned last month from Torres del Paine National Park, and other parts of Patagonia. It is definitely a photography paradise!!!
Coastal-Brown-Bear-jumping-on-salmon
Great Egret chick wide yawn
Magellanic Woodpecker immature
Snow Geese skeins w dramatic clouds
Bald Eagle beginning dive family jewel
Not necessarily in that order. Hard to choose just 5!
Haven’t been thru them all, gotta go to work, so I looked for one specific that
has always been my all time favorite and found it:
Brown Pelican in pink heaven _Y9C8780 La Jolla, CA
That has always been the one image that I would pick to represent my mom
passing in 2002.
I’ll pick…or try and pick, 4 more. Gonna be tough.
Doug
The remaining four…
Afrrican Elelphant mother holding baby’s trunk 123F0289 – One word…family.
Atlantic Puffin in flowers _MG_0353 Saltee Island Ireland – Next to penguins, I love puffins. I think they’re cute.
Great Blue Heron courtship display OPTIMIZED BEST – simply cause its the first image I’ve ever seen of yours when I bought the book.
Snowy Plover preening tail feathers _Q8R7306 East Gulf Drive, Sanibel, FL – I just think the plover is so cute, especially with the eye closed. I also love these type of images where its pretty much impossible to tell where the water ends and the sky begins.
North Chagrin – Just wanted to comment on what a shame it is on how they let that place go. The Wood Ducks are all but gone. Their bird feeder placement is an eye sore. I’ve suggested every year on what they should do, but nobody wants to listen.
BTW, I think that Wood Duck image was captured when I first met you at the Wood Duck Festival
where you were the speaker. I remember I was soooo scared to meet you. Cause at the time I
had already signed up for Bosque. And I’m thinking, what if I meet him and I hate him? What if he hates me? Luckily it didn’t turn out that way 🙂
Doug
African Elephant mother holding baby’s trunk
Sandhill Cranes-juvenile squabbling with adult
Great Blue Heron courtship display
Black-neck Swan with cygneet
Blue-footed Booby young chicks in nest
(Above in no particular order.)
Honorable mention–Sanhill-Crane-chicks-on-mom’s-back
(The only reason this was not in top 5 is that it wasn’t in water.)
OK, here are my favorites. I figured the only way to do it was to give myself 2 or 3 seconds to make a maybe/no choice. I ended up with the 11 listed below.
Tied for first, all three are lifetime favorites from the first instant I’ve seen them:
Chinstrap Penguin group on blue iceberg
Sally Lightfoot crab Andy Rouse-inspired blur
Northern Gannet male bringing nesting material to mate
Tied for fourth:
Semipalmated Sandpiper juvenile bathing
Bald Eagle on cliff in snow
Too good to not be mentioned (aren’t they all?), in no particular ranking:
Atlantic Puffin in flowers
Laysan Albatross head
Snow Geese 1-2 second blast off
Snowy Owl in dunes
Bald-Eagle-perched-on-snow-bank-in-snow
Black-browed Albatross courting pair
Alan
Thanks Alan. You are most kind. I pretty love all of them but I feel that there is a single image that is just snck in, a cut below all the rest. I am sure that if folks tied to guess that image that most would pick one of my all time favorites….
Simply magnificent work!
Hey Artie,
Quick note, I found two that are in the slideshow twice, full names:
Arthur Morris Baby Animals Sandhill-Crane-chicks-on-mom’s-back-_L8X3031-Indian-Lake-Estates,-FL.jpg
Arthur Morris-Birds-Magnificent-Frigatebird-male-head-COLOR-V-II-with-pouch-inflated-_W3C4368–North-Seymour,-Galapagos,-Ecuador.jpg
I’m working on the neigh-impossible task of picking five favorites …
Alan
Thanks Alan. I will take out the doubles tomorrow and drop in two more. 🙂
I had to list 6:
Geese at Sunrise, Bosque, NM
Snow Monkey family
Wood Duck male spectacular fall color
Red-crowned-Crane-playing-with-leaf-_
Chilean Swallows on wire fence during rain
Atlantic Puffin rule of thirds VERT
NOTE:
Sandhill-Crane-chicks-on-mom’s-back –this appears twice; I would like to see another red-crowned crane image. I didn’t see my favorite dancing cranes in snow.
Thanks. And thanks for catching the double. ps: there are many hundreds of images, perhaps a thousand or more that would have fit in well here.:)
Wonderful body of work! It is impossible to select five as the best, but these struck me:
Bald Eagle Striking Black Water
Black-browed Albatross courting pair
Brown Pelican stunning breeding plumage head..
Geese at Sunrise
Sandhill Crane Chicks on Mom’s back.
Thanks for playing Marvin. Great choices. One film, four digital. artie
Are any of these from film?
Yes as it says in the blog post. 🙂 The film images will have file names but no numbers and no EXIF data. artie