You Could Be Saying These Things ...

What’s Up

I photographed down by the lake for a bit on Monday morning and learned some neat stuff that I will be sharing with y’all here soon. Got a lot done (though I am not sure what) and enjoyed my late afternoon swim — I go so slowly that it is actually more mediation than exercise …

The Used Gear Page (see more below) continues to perform amazingly well especially with high ticket stuff. From yesterday only:

• Tom Phillips sold his Canon EOS-1DX Mark II (Premium Kit) in near-mint condition for $4499 and his Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO II USM lens in like-new condition for $5,798 both within two days of listing them in mid-May.
• Ron Paulk sold his Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II USM zoom lens in excellent condition for $1100 and the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT & Canon ST-E3-RT Transmitter/package for $425 on May 14, 2017, the day after it was listed.
• Larry Peavler sold a Canon EF 100-400 zoom f/4.5 – 5.6 L IS Telephoto Zoom lens, the old 1-4, in excellent condition for $549 soon after it was listed.

And, I learned that the sale of Larry Peavler’s Canon Extender EF 2X III is pending.

More Opinions Needed

Only two folks commented on yesterday’s Black Grouse Hen Mysteries … blog post here. If you have a moment, your thoughts on the two images would be appreciated. With love. artie

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of folks whom I see in the field, and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear (such as nearly all of the ballheads featured in the B&H banner above …) especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

ps: I love my Induro Ballheads; click on the Induro link to the right to see which ones are in stock.

Please Don’t Forget …

As always–and folks have been doing a really great job for a long time now–please remember to use our B&H links for your major and minor gear purchases. For best results, use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. And please remember also that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) we would of course appreciate your business.

This image was created on the 2015 San Diego IPT with the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 400mm with the internal 1.4X TC in place) and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/5.6 was almost a stop too dark. AWB. AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus Zone AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. It activated two AF points above the center AF point. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Breeding plumage Double-crested Cormorant with crest erected

All BIRDS AS ART Images …

All BIRDS AS ART images are available as signed photographic prints. If you see an image that you love and would like to hang in your home or office, please shoot me an e-mail with a link to the photo and the size that you would like and I would be glad to send you a no-obligation quote.

Thanks to Marj Kao (see more below) who ordered a 16 X 16 inch print of the cormorant image above.

You Could Be Saying These Things …

Unsolicited, via e-mail from Char Hulse, a beginning bird photographer who attended her first BAA In-the-Field Meet-up session on Sunday at Gatorland:

Artie, thank you for the great time. It was worth every cent. You are a great teacher. Thanks again, Char

Unsolicited,, via e-mail from Marj Kao, who attended two Gatorland and one Fort DeSoto BAA In-the-Field Meet-up sessions this spring:

Hi Artie and Jim!

I received the PDFs for the two site guides (Central Florida and Merritt Island/Brevard County) and was able to view both of them with no problem. They seem to be well worth the money.

Please let me know when you ship the cormorant print so that I can be on the lookout for the package. We occasionally have a problem with package theft in my neighborhood. A tracking number would be very useful.

On a side note, I compared the pictures that I took at Gatorland in early February with the images from yesterday’s outing. After participating in my third meet-up sessions, I saw that the vast amount of improvement is astounding! The “before” files were in focus with some interesting poses, but the “after” files have far better lighting and cleaner backgrounds. Basically, the old pics were “meh” while the new ones are much more impressive looking with a lot of “pop”.

Thanks, and I’m looking forward to seeing the Cormorant print. Marj

It’s Not Too Late

It is not too late to join us at DeSoto this coming weekend (as below). I have one client for the full program and one for Saturday morning only so there is lots of room for you. I hope that you can join us. Heck, I almost forgot, the dates match up almost perfectly with last year’s amazing Laughing Gull on Brown Pelican heads action.

DeSoto in spring is rife with tame and attractive birds. From upper left clockwise to center: breeding plumage Dunlin, dark morph breeding plumage Reddish Egret displaying, breeding plumage Laughing Gull/front end vertical portrait, breeding plumage Laughing Gull with prey item, Laughing Gull on head of Brown Pelican, screaming Royal Tern in breeding plumage, Royal Terns/pre-copulatory stand, Laughing Gulls copulating, breeding plumage Laughing Gull/tight horizontal portrait, Sandwich Tern with fish, and a really rare one, White-rumped Sandpiper in breeding plumage, photographed at DeSoto in early May.

BIRDS AS ART May 20-21 Fort DeSoto In-the Field Instructional Meet-Up Sessions

Join me in Tierra Verde, FL for all or part of the weekend of May 20-21, 2017. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus. You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. These inexpensive sessions are designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tours. I hope to meet you there.

May 20-21, 2017 Schedule

• Saturday May 20 Meet-up Morning: 6:30 till 10:00am: $99.
• Lunch and Image Review: $99.
• Saturday afternoon: 4pm till sunset: $99.
• Sunday May 21 Meet-up Morning, Meet-up Morning: 6:30 till 10:00am: $99.

Cheap Canon lens rentals available: 600 II, 500 II, 400 DO II, or 200-400.

To pay for one or more sessions in full via credit card, call Jim or Jen in the office weekdays at 863-692-0906. You will be responsible for the cost of your park entry fee. Please shoot me an e-mail with questions.

Please Remember to use my Affiliate Links and to Visit the New BAA Online Store 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod head, Wimberley lens plates, Delkin flash cards and accessories, and LensCoat stuff.

As always, we sell only what I have used, have tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And please remember that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above, and for everything else in the new store, we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and those who will be visiting the New BIRDS AS ART Online Store as well.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use the logo link above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack.

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right :).