Who is Dave Klein and Who Cares?

This calling Sandhill Crane image was created on our snowstorm day with the tripod-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR lens (Black), the Nikon TC-14E II 1.4x Teleconverter for D-AF-S & AF-I Lenses only, and the Nikon D7100 . ISO 400. Matrix metering +1/3 stop in Av mode. AF-C AF mode. Image courtesy of and copyright 2013: David W. Klein.

Who is Dave Klein?

Dave Klein is a dentist and dental educator who lives in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis near where my buddy Jim Neiger (author of the great eGuide, Flight Plan) grew up. In recent years Dave has begun to feel that he is a photographer trapped inside a dentist’s body.

All of the images here are courtesy of and copyright 2013: David W. Klein.

This image was made with the hand held Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8G ED DX Fisheye Nikkor lens and the Nikon D600. ISO 400. Matrix metering -1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/18 in Av mode. AF-C AF Mode. Image courtesy of and copyright 2013: David W. Klein.

Dave’ e-mail to Denise’s Bosque Group

Hi Everyone and Happy Thanksgiving!

I certainly enjoyed meeting all of you as we shared the joys and struggles of Bosque together. I have been there three times before but never experienced a snow event like the one we enjoyed, nor the mega-blastoffs we witnessed, nor those challenging north winds. I hope that everyone got home safely and didn’t forget anything important like a tripod in New Mexico 🙂 Note: Cheryl Slechta, a moderator on the Out-of-the-Box forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net, left her tripod on the tour loop road; it was kindly returned to the Visitor’s Center where she was happily re-united with it. Cheryl, Lynn and I had a nice, albeit cold time at the crane pools on the Monday afternoon after the workshop ended and created some nice color blurs at sunset along with images of silhouetted cranes in flight as they arrived at their evening roost. Note: Lynn is Lynn Fulton (aka McFulton), Denise’s good friend and client from Ontario, Canada.

For me personally it was thrill to be with Artie and Denise as I have tremendous respect for the their skill, knowledge, techniques, and mastery. I always feel a bit chagrined to look at my work and theirs but it keeps me motivated to learn and improve. I hope to be able to photograph with them again one day soon and hope that all of you may, too. Enjoy the holidays, Safe travels wherever you go next and please keep in touch. Attached are my five to share – the small bird is a Say’s Phoebe that Lynn and I worked Monday afternoon as we were leaving the refuge for the crane pools. It very cooperative and posed in really sweet light. Thanks for pointing it out to me, Lynn.

Best, Dave

This Say’s Phoebe image was created with the tripod-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR lens (Black), the Nikon TC-14E II 1.4x Teleconverter for D-AF-S & AF-I Lenses only, and the Nikon D7100 . ISO 2000. Matrix metering at zero: 1/2500 sec. at f/9 in av mode. AF-c AF mode. Image courtesy of and copyright 2013: David W. Klein.

Dave’s Comment

On the November 26, 2013 blog post, “Beyond Spectacular Part I,” Dave kindly wrote:

All of these are wonderful and I feel very fortunate to have been there to witness these spectacular and rare moments at Bosque. I can’t imagine the BBC overlooking image #5 – it is amazing and my favorite of all of them; it has a dream-like quality to it. Thanks so much for your company and instruction this past week and for your frequent reminders about exposure values as light and conditions changed constantly. You and Denise worked hard to get us in the best positions for the best opportunities that presented themselves. I wish you, Denise and your IPT group a very Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow and huge success throughout your time at Bosque. I hope our paths will cross again – you and Denise were very generous with your time and knowledge and that made this trip all the more memorable for me.

This image of a pair of silhouetted Sandhill Cranes was created with the tripod-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR lens (Black), the Nikon TC-14E II 1.4x Teleconverter for D-AF-S & AF-I Lenses only, and the Nikon D3x. ISO 1000. Matrix metering +1/3 stop in Av mode: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1. AF-C AF mode. Image courtesy of and copyright 2013: David W. Klein.

Dave’s Response

After I replied to Dave’s original e-mail he answered as follows:

Thank you for your kind comments on the images. I re-sized them and attached them below. Please let me know if there are any issues with the images. I would be honored if you used them in a blog post. I hope things continue to go well at Bosque for you and Denise and the post-Turkey Day IPT. The blast-off image was made with the Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 DX fisheye lens pointed directly at the flock taking off. In post I used the lens distortion correction slider in NX2 to stretch the image and to flatten the perspective. That’s about the only way I thought I could get the entire flock in one image. Despite the unfavorable winds and the weather challenges we faced we had some amazing opportunities that I’ve never enjoyed during prior visits to Bosque. Your knowledge of where to be when at Bosque is remarkable.

Dave’s Final e-Mail

In Dave’s final e-mail he wrote in part:

What I liked most about the workshop was the blending of styles that the two of you represent: technical, compositional and creative. Your vast experience with Bosque told us when to be patient with a situation and let the photographic opportunity present itself and when to quickly move on to another location when the circumstances weren’t in our favor. Thanks so much Artie for your dedication to your workshop participants and your readership. I feel privileged to say I am part of both.

Mr. Dave

Who Cares about Dave Klein?

Denise surely does. I surely do. And everyone who met him on the IPT does. His wife and family for sure. And I am betting that all of his patients and students do too.

As for me, I love happy campers. And I love skilled photographers who join our workshops to learn more, to learn to become more creative, and to improve their already considerable skills.

Your Favorite

Which of Dave’s images do you like best? Be sure to let us know why.

8 SPECTACULAR PHOTOGRAPHY DEALS

4 GREAT COMPUTER DEALS

AMAZING I-PAD & TABLET DEALS

14 KILLER PORTABLE HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEALS

Last Year’s Grand Prize winning image by Lou Coetzer

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

The December 21, 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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