New York City Weekend Nature Photography Seminar December 8-9, 2012

“The Birds and the B’s and the Flowers and the Trees” The B’s: Become a better nature photographer. Best ways to optimize your images. Bone up on lenses and what to do with them. Bring forth your creativity. Brush up on your field techniques.

NYC Weekend Nature Photography Seminar: December 8-9, 2012

Presented by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure and Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Hilton Garden Inn, Staten Island, New York. 9am-4:30pm
Weekend: $169. SAT or SUN: $99. Lodging available for out of town guests.

Osprey cypress-scape. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Registration Incentives

A Free copy of Digital Basics and a discount on a choice of Educational Materials

All weekend Seminar Registrants will receive a copy of Digital Basics (a $20 value) that will include the free updates. In addition, all weekend Seminar Registrants are invited to apply a $20 discount on one of the following items:

The Art of Bird Photography. The original soft-cover How-to classic.
The Art of Bird Photography II. The all-new follow-up: 916 pages on CD only.
The Two-Book Bundle. One of each of the above.
A Guide to Pleasing Blurs. By Arthur Morris & Denise Ippolito. Learn everything that you need to know about creating the eye-catching pleasingly blurred images that are doing so well in all major photography contests.
A Guide to Creative Filters and Effects. By Denise Ippolito. Denise shares dozens of her best creative techniques.
Any of our Camera User’s Guides. Learn to set up and use your Canon or Nikon camera like a pro.

Phone orders only. Folks who have already registered qualify for the benefits above and will hear from us via e-mail.

Note: folks who take advantage of the Sponsoring Club or Small Group discount offers are eligible for the Registration Incentives above.

For Small Groups

Get together with a group of four (or more) friends–five (or more) folks in all and apply a $40 discount to each registration fee. Here’s how: put five checks in an envelope and be sure to include an e-mail address for each registrant. Then mail the envelope to us. Or, send an e-mail to Jim with a list of the names and e-mail addresses for each registrant. Then call Jim at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand and then collect from each of your friends.

Poppy bud popping. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Camera Club Discounts

We are offering a $20 discount to members of camera clubs or natural history organizations that promote the seminar on their websites or via an e-mail blast to their membership list. Have your club president or webmaster e-mail us at e-mail.

Northern Parula singing. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

A Fraction of What You Will Learn at the NYC Seminar:

• 1-How to become a better nature photographer.
• 2-How to create technically perfect, artistically designed images in the field.
• 3-How to make your images look better during the image optimization process: RAW conversions, image clean-up, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, saving the WHITEs, and lots more.
• 4-New ways to photograph flowers and trees.
• 5-How to get the right exposure every time in ten seconds or less.
• 6-How to create the truly pleasing blurs that are so popular today in many prestigious contests.
• 7-Why the longest lens in your bag is often not the best lens for bird photography.
• 8-How to use NIK Color Efex Pro to revamp your digital workflow and dramatically improve the look of your images.
• 9-How to evaluate your images; each registrant will be asked to submit two 1400 X 1050 jpegs via e-mail before December 7; a selection of the submitted images will be chosen for critiquing at the seminar.
• 10-flight photography tips.

Tree with orange leaf. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

To Register

To register for the seminar you can call Jim or Jennifer between 9am and 5pm weekdays or call artie on weekends or evenings at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. You can send a PayPal to us at birdsasart@verizon.net or to birdsasart@att.net. Or you can send a check made out to “Arthur Morris” for the full amount in US dollars to us here: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855; be sure to include a note with your clearly written e-mail address and phone number on it and print the words “NYC Seminar” on your check. You will receive a confirmation letter approximately 3 weeks before the seminar. Please e-mail for lodging options.

Seminar Schedule

Saturday: Image Capture–Doors open: 8am

9:00am: denise/slides: Blooming Ideas/Creating new and different images of flowers and trees
10:00am: artie/slides: Tools of the Trade/Choosing and using lenses for bird and wildlife photography
11:00am: Break
11:15am: artie/slides: Beautiful Image Basics/Learning to create pleasing image designs
12:00noon: Lunch break
1:30pm: artie and denise: Refining your photographic vision. Learning to extract the image from the larger scene
2:15pm: denise & artie: Pro Gear Handling Tips: Live demos/tripod and lens handling in the field. Includes flight photography tips.
2:45pm: artie: It’s easier than you think: How to clean your sensor without fear or trepidation/Live Demo
3:00: Break
3:15: denise & artie/slides: Creating Pleasing Blurs/Using slow shutter speeds, panning, camera movement, and more. More and more prestigious contests are awarding prizes to creatively blurred images. Learn how at the seminar and follow up by getting a copy of “A Guide to Pleasing Blurs.”
4:00: artie/slides or chalkboard? Getting the Right Exposure with Digital: It’s as easy as pie. If you have ten seconds with the subject there is no excuse for not getting the right exposure every time with digital.
4:30: The End

Seductive blue diamond orchid. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Sunday: Image Evaluation & Processing–Doors open: 8am

9:00am: artie’s Digital Workflow: RAW conversion in ACR, recovering and saving the WHITEs, NIK Color Efex Pro basics.
9:45am: artie: Image clean-up with the Clone Stamp Tool, leveling images, the Spot Healing Brush, and Quick Masks.
10:20am: break
10:40am: denise’s Digital Workflow: RAW conversion in Lightroom, Working with Layers and Masks.
11:30am: denise’s Personal NIK favorites: She discusses the less commonly used Color Efex Pro filters and shares tips on creating her modern vintage look. (Yeah, it’s a bit oxymoronic.) Also: an amazing Photoshop Brush Size tip. (Sorry for the pun.)
12:00 noon: Lunch break
1:30pm: denise/slides: Creative Filters and Effects/Working with Photoshop plug-ins and filters
2:30pm: break
2:45: Image Critiques: artie & denise: Only 1400 X 1050 jpegs submitted via e-mail before November 25 will be considered. A selection of the submitted images will be chosen for critiquing.
3:45: Door prizes
4:30: The End

Red-crowned Cranes displaying in snow. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

In-the-Field Seminar Follow-up Workshop

Put your newly-learned skills to use by joining denise and artie in the field at a nearby Queens, NY location on the Monday following the seminar. The subjects will—for the most part—be routine: gulls and Canada Geese. But we will be close to the birds and should have some flight photography opportunities. And we just might have some good chances with Brant and who knows what as well. Most important, the opportunities for learning will be pretty much unlimited.

In-the-Field Seminar Follow-up Workshop: Queens, NY. Monday, December 10th, 2012. Two sessions: 5:45-10:30am and 2:30-4:30pm. Two great leaders: Limit: 16 photographers: $350 per person. Morning only: $250 includes lunch.

Due to the small number of spots for the In-the-Field Workshop payment in full is due at sign-up. To register, please call Jim or Jennifer between 9am and 5pm weekdays or artie on weekends and evenings at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand. Or send a PayPal to us at birdsasart@verizon.net or to birdsasart@att.net. Or send a check made out to “Arthur Morris” for the full amount in US dollars to us here: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Be sure to include a note with your clearly written e-mail address and phone number on it and print the words “In-the-Field Follow-up Workshop” on your check. You will receive a confirmation letter approximately 4 weeks before the workshop.

Which Are Your Favorites and Why?

Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the images presented here are your favorites, and why.

Would you like to learn to make images like those below?

Join artie and denise at this great seminar.

Soft-look daisy on purple. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Greater Roadrunner on road. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Jetty and stormy skies. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Brown Bear blur. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Caladium spread. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Young Corn Snake. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Snail Kite with snail. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Flower bed, vertical pan blur. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Woodsy path. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Great Egret, mega-breeding colors. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Endless sunflowers. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Osprey fledgling head portrait. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Stained glass woodland. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Chinstrap Penguins on blue iceberg. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Great Egret aerial battle sketch-look. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Snow Monkey family portrait. Image Copyright Arthur Morris/click on the image to enjoy a larger version

Purple anenome. Image Copyright Denise Ippolito/click on the image to enjoy a larger version