Would You Believe This Fish Story?

Stuff

I am just about ready to meet the accountant on Thursday for our pre-audit meeting. I skipped my swim as my shoulder ached a bit but enjoyed my ice bath a ton. I will be back in the pool tomorrow for sure.

This blog post took about 1 1/2 hours to prepare, most of that time for the writing. It should be published automatically at 6am on Wednesday, September 23, 2015. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links for your major gear purchases; online orders only; no phone orders. Won’t cost you a penny! And helps me out tremendously. Many thanks for considering this important request.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see what is for sale and what has sold along with the prices on the Used Gear Page by clicking here.

New Listing

Used Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L Lens

Roger Windemuth is offering a used Canon 400mm f/5.6L lens in excellent condition for lowest ever BAA price of $840. The sale includes the tripod collar, the front and rear lens caps, the case in new condition, the original box, and the Canon CD. Once your check clears–PayPal is also an option–your lens will be sent insured by either USPS or FedEx Ground–your choice. Please contact Roger by e-mail or phone at 360-904-2726 (Pacific time).

I put my then beloved “toy lens” on the map more than 20 years ago by pioneering its use for photographing birds in flight. Wow, did I love that lens along with the Canon A2 camera body and Fuji Velvia pushed one stop to ISO 100! Though I sold mine a few years back it is still a great lens for flight for those who do not depend on IS and it makes a great starter lens as well. Put it on a tripod with the 1.4X III TC, a 7D II, and the Mongoose M3.6 and you will enjoy 896mm of effective reach. Again, this lens is priced to sell. artie

Would You Believe This Fish Story?

2015 was a bad year for catching halibut in Alaskan waters. On our Inside Passage cruise, Captain Ben said that they had caught only a handful all season. We fished for a few hours twice. I love using a diamond jig–a shiny four-sided metal lure–for halibut, rather than bait; it is way more fun. I landed two “chicken halibut” on the Discovery, perfect eating sized halibut that weigh 10-15 pounds. One was more than enough for dinner for everyone on board including the crew. I also lost a big Silver Salmon, about 20 pounds, at the net.

On the bear boat, I would often grab a rod at dusk while we were anchored up in a protected bay. I tied on a jig at Geographic Harbor after a great day of photographing bears eating salmon. Fish on, but not a big one. It was a small pollock of about two pounds. Next cast, another fish. Chuck told me that it was the first year that he had ever seen the young pollock in the bays. “They are eating every baitfish in sight,” he said. After catching and releasing several between a pound and a half and two pounds, I suggested to Chuck that they might make a nice dinner. Donna and Bev, who had also gotten their fishing licenses, joined in the fun. We caught as many as we wanted and then Chuck and I went to work filleting what would become another great dinner.

On the bear boat, the halibut story was the same. Chuck said, “There just have been no halibut. We’ve caught only above five all season.” The first time that we fished, I got skunked. Along with the rest of the fisher-gals. The next day I got two decent keeper halibut–one about 20 pounds, both on the diamond jig. (High tides are usually not very good for bear photography.)

The group decided that we had done so well for four days with the bears catching salmon photography that we should navigate back to Kodiak to try for Sea Otters. So we did, crossing the Shelikof Strait in time for a late afternoon of otter photograph from the skiff. Everyone had a ball as we had a big group of otters in the kelp at Whale Pass. Once the tide quickened the little sea mammals scattered and we headed back to the boat.

I grabbed my jig rod to try for halibut but caught only a few small bottom fish. I cut some up and the group joined as I chummed up a few Black-legged Kittiwakes for flight photography. I put my teaching hat back on and we all had more great fun. Before heading in for dinner, I put two large fish baits on heavy rod with two big circle hooks for halibut and forgot about it.

I was climbing into my very comfortable bunk when I remembered that I needed to check the baited halibut rod. At about 9:30pm I went to check on the rod. I had left the drag loose to prevent a big halibut from breaking the line or the rod. I noticed that a lot of line had been pulled off the reel. I figured that I had hooked some kelp and that the tide had taken it out with the strong current. It took quite a while just to reel in the slack. After that it was just hard work reeling in a dead weight. As nothing was pulling I was sure that there was a big load of kelp on the line.

Whatever I had on the line it did not feel like a fish. I reeled and reeled and soon the presumed kelp was near the surface. Then a funny thing happened, a big halibut saw the boat and started taking out line again. I realized that I would need the captain to help me land what felt like a pretty good fish. Chuck was already in bed and it was pitch dark. I called out, “Chuck, Chuck” and miraculously he heard me and said “Is that you causing trouble again artie?” Yeah. I have a big halibut on. Can you help. When he first got on deck he thought that I had hooked kelp but just as he said that the fish made another run.

Once the fish was at the surface he saw a nice halibut of about 20 pounds and said, “We can swing it into the skiff.” He tried but could not lift the fish into the skiff. Then he shouted, “You’ve got two, a doubleheader!” He climbed down into the skiff and pulled the first halibut into the engine well. The second fish was a lot bigger. He loaded the harpoon one into the well and then we saw that the second one was about a 40 pounder. He got tied them up by their tails with heavy rope and put them in the water. And then we both hit the sack.

The next day I organized a photo contest. Whomever took the best image of me and my halibut would have their photo appear in a blog post. Thanks again to Elston for sharing his excellent image with me. I especially liked that he went vertical and not only did he avoid cutting my feet off he included the rope on the floor of the skiff with a nice border below.

This image was created on the recently concluded Bear Boat IPT by Elston Hill wit the hand held Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens (at 60mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/60 sec. at f/7.1. Chuck, artie and halibuts. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Elston Hill.

I Love Fishing, and Eating Fish!

How do you like the smile on my face?

That afternoon I shipped home 37 pounds of halibut fillets from Kodiak via Fed-Ex.

IPT Updates

Assorted IPTs

There is still time to join Denise Ippolito and me for an inexpensive Creative Adventure workshop/HDR seminar at Old Car City in White, Georgia. You can learn more here. The first (3-DAY) Bosque IPT is a near-sellout but there is still a bit of room on the second (4-DAY) trip. See below for details. Like pelicans? There are still a few spots open on the San Diego and Lake Kerkini, Greece IPTs. Same with both Palouse workshops. Finally there is still a single spot left on the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Click here and scroll down for complete info on all of those.

The Namibia and Galapagos IPTs

Both of the above mentioned trips are off to great starts with 5 or 6 spots spoken for on the April 2016 Namibia trip and 4 or 5 deposits on the way for the 2017 Galapagos Photo-Cruise IPT. Learn more about the Namibia IPT here. And learn more about our next great Galapagos trip here. Denise Ippolito will be co-leading both of these great workshops. Lots of Happy Campers are on board already. And Bill Lloyd who recently joined us on the 2015 UK Puffins trip is signing up for both Namibia and Galapagos!

The 2017 Bear Boat IPT(s)

Mid-July offers folks the very best chance to photograph football sized Brown Bear cubs at famed locations like Hallo Bay in Katmai National Park, AK. The sows almost never bring their tiny spring cubs out in the open in June or even early July; they are so small then that predation by other bears is likely. But by mid-month, these little cuties are often seen nursing and frolicking with each other. Though little in nature photography is guaranteed, mid-July offers the absolute best chance to photograph the small cubs with their moms. In order to get our mid-July dates we had to reserve out dates four years in advance. We can guarantee that you will see and photograph a great variety of Brown Bears, the coastal from of Grizzly Bear, at close range. They will be of different age classes and and come in a great variety of colors–the blondes are my favorites. They will be clamming and grazing on the luxuriant meadow grasses. In addition, we will get to photograph both Horned and Tufted Puffins and several species of shorebirds. Common Mergansers with chicks are possible. Wolf is a remote possibility.

If you would like to be put on the Interested List and receive early notice of the two great trips that we are planning, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “2017 Bear Boat Spring Cubs IPT” cut and pasted into the Subject line. Denise and I hope that you can join us. Dates and rates TBA very soon.

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. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, 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. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Just 2 spots left.

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. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. 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 after July 29.

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