Ten Good Reasons...

Leopard, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson. Todd has an uncanny knack for spotting the big cats.

Ten Good Reasons…

Here are a dozen good reasons to join Todd Gustafson, Denise Ippolito, and me on our African Safari to Tanzania is August 2013. All of the images are Todd’s. For more info and a complete itinerary, please contact Jim at BAA via e-mail.

African Elephants, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 70-200mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

Todd (and the other leaders as well) will teach you to develop your creative vision.

Impalas battling, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will put you on the action with the van in the best spot for a given lighting condition.

Hippos battling, Ngorongoro Crater. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

Crater is like a zoo, only the animals are wild and they are not fooling around…. Note the perfect timing and the two perfect head angles. I taught Todd well.

Zebra braying, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will teach you how to isolate using your longest focal length lenses.

Yellow-billed Storks courting, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will teach you when and why to hold the hammer down.

Baobab sunset, Tarangire. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), Nikon 200-400 lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

You will learn that Todd always knows where to be when….

African Elephants, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 70-200mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

You will learn when to go for more depth-of-field.

Serengeti Lioness yawning. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 1.7X TCE, 600mm lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

You will learn to create small in the frame wildlife-scapes.

Lion snarling, Serengeti. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), Nikon 200-400 lens. Image courtesy of and copyright Todd Gustafson.

We will teach you to anticipate the peak of action.

Africa Photo Safari: August 2013

Serengeti Summer Migration Safari: 12 full and two half-days of photography: $12,999/person double occupancy. Limit: 12/Openings: 7.

Leaders: Todd Gustafson, Denise Ippolito, and Arthur Morris.

Leave the US AUG 3, 2013. Fly home from Arusha, Tanzania on the evening of August 18. Day 1 of the safari is August 5. Our last morning of photography is August 18. We will be visiting Taranagire National Park, Seronera Lodge–aka Leopard City!–twice, an exclusive mobile tented camp in the Serengeti, and at the end, the spectacular wildlife spectacle that is Ngorongoro Crater.

A deposit of $4,000 is due now. We will not cash your check until we have 7 deposits in hand. If the trip does not run, we will return or tear up your check. As there has been great interest already, we fully expect that the trip will run.

Happy Campers only please.

Once we cash your check you will be strongly advised to purchase travel insurance. While we all assume that we will be fine, health and family emergencies do arrive unexpectedly. You may wish to consider using Travel Insurance Services. Do understand that most policies must be purchased within two weeks of our cashing your deposit check.

The 2nd payment of $4000 is due NOV 30, 2012. The final payment/balance is due MAR 30, 2013.

Sign up with a friend or a spouse and apply a $300 per person discount.

Minimum to run as noted above: 7 photographers. Guaranteed maximum no more than 12 photographers plus the three great leaders. 3 persons/van. You get a row of seats for yourself and your gear. In addition to rotating in-the-field instruction with each of the co-leaders, artie, Todd, and denise will be available for image sharing and review and informal Photoshop instruction during breaks and after meals. And–with apologies to Miss Manners–even during meals!

The lodging is all first class. Please e-mail for a PDF with additional details, the complete itinerary, and a description of the unparalleled photographic opportunities that we will enjoy.

Please e-mail to request the complete itinerary. Any questions? Please e-mail Todd. As always, we will work with the first 12 deposits that we receive. I hope that you can join us.

Bosque/Albuquerque Thanksgiving Buffet Invite

For the past ten years or so I have hosted a midday Thanksgiving Day meal, in part to honor the memory of my late-wife, Elaine Belsky Morris, and in part because I love meeting others who love Bosque as I do. At first it was held at the wonderful and relatively elegant Val Verde Steak House in Socorro, now defunct. Then it was held at the lovely and historic Luna Mansion. Luna Mansion closed a few years ago and recently re-opened but will no longer serves Thanksgiving Day. In 2009 we had fun and a fine meal at the Stage Door Grill but that wonderful little joint recently bit the dust also. Socorro is a tough place for businesses to survive. In 2010 we went a bit upscale and dined in the New Mexico Ballroom at the Hilton Albuquerque hotel. There was tons of food and it was all delicious.

The Hilton is now a Crowne Plaza and the good news is that they are having the buffet again this year as they did in 2011. I will be picking up the tab for the IPT group, but as always, all visiting birders and photographers are invited to join us. If you would like to take part in the fun and camaraderie this year please send a check for $45.00 per person made out to “”Arthur Morris”” to cover the cost of the buffet that will include all the traditional items plus lots more as well as tax and tip. Drinks are on you. Please mark ““Thanksgiving Buffet” on your check and mail it to; BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 4041, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Be sure to include your e-mail address on your check and in a short note. Sorry, no PayPals or credit cards for this. I do hope that you can join us.

I have group reservations for Thanksgiving Day (of course). Those joining us will need to be at the hotel at 11:30 am sharp. It is located at 1901 University Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, about an hour up I-25 from the Super 8 Motel in Socorro where I have stayed happily with my groups for well more than a decade. I do hope that you can join us.

Are IPTs expensive? Of course they are. For good reason. The most experienced, knowledgeable, and hardest working leaders. Great Photoshop instruction. Great folks. And great food. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

Bosque del Apache IPT Late Registration Discount Announcement

With four openings on this IPT and me headed out of town till 11/11 we are glad to announce a healthy late registration discount for this great IPT. Please call Jim weekdays from 9-5 eastern time at 863-692-0906 for details and leave a message if he is at the post office. Or call me today, at the same number.

BOSQUE del APACHE 2012 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 21-27, 2012. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399.

Co-leaders: Denise Ippolito, landscape photography expert Jim Heupel, and Photoshop expert Mike Hannisian. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/20. Limit: 12/Openings 4.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 18 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the light and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable.

Nobody alive or dead knows Bosque better than I do. Do consider joining us for the educational experience of a lifetime. For a greater appreciation of the composite image, click on the photo. Click on the enlarged version to close it.

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