I Smiled the Whole Time/Canon Digital Learning Center Bird Photography with Arthur Morris: Video #1

Important Note

My sam and mayas att e-mail account was suspended on 18 DEC. Those who tried to reach me by e-mail between then and yesterday had their mails bounced back. If you tried to reach me during that period please re-send any important e-mails.

What’s Up?

I was feeling a bit worse last night and did not enjoy the greatest night of sleep but am feeling a lot better as this morning as this blog post is being published from home at about 7:55am. I still have many more exciting new images, tales, and lessons from my recently concluded Southern Oceans trip to share with you here over the course of the next few weeks and am looking forward to doing just that.

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Canon CDLC Video #1: Location Scouting for the Perfect Shot/Understanding the Light and the Wind Direction. Note: you need to follow the link below to view the video. 🙂

Canon Digital Learning Center “Bird Photography with Arthur Morris” Video #1

Location Scouting for the Perfect Shot/Understanding the Light and the Wind Direction

I was thrilled in late October when Elaine Vuong and Rudy Winston wrote asking me to do a 7-part bird photography video for the Canon Digital Learning Center (CDLC). It all came to fruition in mid-November at Bosque del Apache. The crew from C47 Productions included Producer/Director Jem Schofield, camera and sound men Daniel Phakos and James Kwan, and two locally hired grips. Rudy Winston was along as our Technical Advisor and he got me out of a few jams when my memory failed :). They were a fun bunch to work with; we all had a ball even though Jem was a stern taskmaster. He did get the best out of everyone.

The videos went live yesterday. You can access the whole series by clicking here.

Today I will be talking a bit about Video #1, “Location Scouting for the Perfect Shot/Understanding the Light and the Wind Direction.” You can view that one (4 minutes, 31 seconds) by clicking on the first of the seven images (the one of me against a light purple sky) and then hitting play.

You will learn about the qualities and the direction of light and how the wind affects bird photography. My comments on wind direction are quite clear and revealing (he said modestly). There are numerous still photos included in the video and the explanatory diagrams are cleverly conceived and executed. I will be glad to answer any questions on the topics covered in the first video here on the blog; please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question below. Enjoy the video.

Note: Video #4, “Getting the Right Exposure” is currently unavailable. I am of course hoping that that is temporary.

I was quite surprised….

I Smiled the Whole Time

When I learned yesterday that the video series was online on the Canon Digital Learning Center I watched them over the course of the afternoon. I smiled the whole time. In the past, whenever I watched myself in a video or on a TV show (I did something like six or seven episodes of the old Canon Photo Safari programs), I always felt as if I look doofy and sounded even doofier. I am not sure how the folks at C47 did it but I thought that I looked pretty good (if a bit grizzled) and sounded even better (venerable???). Way to go guys.

This image was created at 7:21am on the clear morning of November 22, 2014 at Bosque del Apache NWR with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop off the yellow grasses around the pond: 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6 set manually. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround Rear Focus AF as framed just caught the top of the bird’s extended neck and was active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Understanding the Wind and the Light

Over time you will come to understand that a wind with any western component on a clear morning will make flight photography difficult at best. A wind from the north/northeast as here is ideal as the birds will be angling slightly towards you. For landing birds, a wind from the east will have the birds landing right at you. Northeast, southeast, or south in the mornings can be pretty darned good as well.

First CLDC Video Comments

Kindly, via e-mail this morning from Collier Smyth:

Artie,

Great job with the Canon Digital Learning Center videos. They are Very nicely done.

Collier.

The Bosque Site Guide

All BAA Site Guides are designed so that with a bit of study you can show up at a great place and know exactly where to be at what time on what wind and in what lighting conditions. With a Site Guide on your laptop you will feel like a 20-year veteran even on your first visit. Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. If you plan on visiting the refuge it would be foolish to make the trip without having this guide in hand. Why spend money on gear and travel and then spend days stumbling around in the wrong spots? If you have visited previously, and are still unsure of where you should be at this time of day with that wind, this guide will prove invaluable to you as well.

You can order yours here or check out all of our site guides here.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

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