Cooling Down, Teleconverter Strategies, and Image Colors and Monitor Brightness ...

Stuff

I started working on (and finished) this blog post very early on the way to Orlando Airport on Wednesday morning, 21 NOV. My son-in-law Erik Egensteiner is driving. Jen is up front and I am in the back seat with grand-daughter Maya. We are flying to Islip this morning to spend Thursday and Friday with my daughter Alissa’s family and to see my sister Ilene and her family. I did not bring a camera and am flying with only one checked bag. Amazing!

BIRDS AS ART

BIRDS AS ART is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They went out of business. And e-Bay fees are now up to 13%. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please scroll down here or shoot us an e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly — I offer pricing advice to those who agree to the terms — usually sells in no time flat. Over the past year, we have sold many dozens of items. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 100-400, the old 500mm, the EOS-7D and 7D Mark II and the original 400mm DO lens have been dropping steadily. You can always see the current listings by clicking here or on the Used Photo Gear tab on the orange-yellow menu bar near the top of each blog post page.

Mini Canon Fire Sale

Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

Price Reduced $300 on November 20, 2018.

Multiple IPT veteran, multiple BBC and Nature’s Best honored photographer, and good friend Paul Mckenzie is offering a Canon 600mm F4 IS II lens (purchased in 2012) in very good to excellent condition for the silly low price of $6,199.00 (was $6499.00). There are a few superficial scratches on the paint. The sale includes the lens trunk with all the accessories, caps, straps, etc., and insured shipping via Fed Ex. As Paul lives in Hong Kong, he requires payment via a bank TT (electronic transfer). Contact Paul on the electronic transfer (and shipping) details. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Paul via e-mail.

The 600 II has been the state of the art super-telephoto for birds, nature, wildlife, and sports for many years. When I was using Canon and could get it to my location, it was always my go-to weapon. It is fast and sharp and deadly alone or with either TC. Paul’s copy has created many internationally honored images. He is upgrading his Canon stuff and is not switching to Nikon. You can save a bundle by grabbing Paul’s lens now. artie

Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS Lens with Internal 1.4X Extender (& LensCoat)

Price Reduced $600 on November 20, 2018.

Multiple IPT veteran, multiple BBC and Nature’s Best honored photographer, and good friend Paul Mckenzie is also offering a Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS Lens with Internal 1.4X Extender in near-mint condition for the amazing low price of $5599.00 (was $6199.00). The sale includes the lens trunk, the front lens cover, the rear lens cap, all the original accessories, a LensCoat, and insured shipping via Fed Ex. As Paul lives in Hong Kong, he requires payment via a bank TT (electronic transfer). Contact Paul on the electronic transfer (and shipping) details. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Paul via e-mail.

This is the world’s best lens for a trip to Africa. It kills also in the Galapagos and in South Georgia, the Falklands, and Antarctica. And I used mine a lot at Bosque and other dusty places where the built-in TC helps to keep your sensor clean. And I loved it in the Palouse for its versatility. Last summer, I often found myself wishing that I had taken the 200-400 rather than my 500 II on the Bear Boat Cubs IPT as the bears were often too close! Many nature photographers use it as their workhorse telephoto lens as it offers 784mm at f/8 with an external 1.4X TC added. The lens sells new at B&H for $10,999.00. You can save an amazing $4,800.00 by grabbing Paul’s pretty much like-new lens right now. artie

Money Saving Reminder

If you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H, would enjoy free overnight shipping, and would like a $50 discount on your first purchase, click here to order and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If you are looking to strike a deal on Canon or Nikon gear (including the big telephotos) or on a multiple item order, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell at (479) 381-2592 (Eastern time) and be sure to mention your BIRDSASART coupon code and use it for your online order. Steve currently has several D850s in stock along with a Nikon 600mm f/4 VR. He is taking pre-orders for the new Nikon 500 P and the Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera body.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear 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. Those questions might deal with systems, camera bodies, accessories, and/or lens choices and decisions.

This image was created on October 25, 2018 at Snow Hill Island on the Emperor Penguin expedition with the Induro GIT 204/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens, the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III, and my souped up Nikon D850. ISO 500. Matrix metering at about +1 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/9. NATURAL AUTO WB at 8:02am on a then cloudy morning. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: -2. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. One AF point below the center AF point Single AF Area Mode as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point very slightly below and to the left of the bird’s left eye. Image #1: Emperor Penguin chick cooling down

Cooling Down

By luck of the draw I was on the first helicopter to the Snow Hill Island Base Camp on Day 2. After the one-mile walk over the snow-covered sea ice I was both surprised and delighted to see that they had set up ropes between two colonies that left us only about ten meters from the nearest chicks. Hooray! With the crazy warm weather and no wind at all many of the chicks were lying on the snow with their wings spread to cool down. To completely isolate this chick I added the TC-E14 (1.4X teleconverter) to the tripod-mounted 500 PF (that was kindly loaned to me by multiple IPT participant Michael Goodman).

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Please let us know why you made your choice.

This image (of the same chick) was created on October 25, 2018 at Snow Hill Island on the Emperor Penguin expedition with the Induro GIT 204/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens and my souped up Nikon D850. ISO 400. Matrix metering at about +1 stop: 1/1600 sec. at f/7.1. NATURAL AUTO WB at 8:16am on in almost sunny conditions. Nikon Focus Peaking fine-tune value: +2. See the Nikon AF Fine-tune e-Guide here. Two AF points below and one to the right of the center AF point Single AF Area Mode as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point very on our right of the base of the bird’s open bill. Image #2: Emperor Penguin chick stretching wings

Teleconverter Strategies

While adding the TC gave me enough focal length (700mm) to completely isolate the single chick in Image #1, I clipped a wingtip or two each time that the chick flapped its wings. The next move was obvious: remove the TC and go wider. This is often the best plan when trying to capture behavior or action. In addition, removing the TC allowed for a faster shutter speed as I dropped from f/9 to f/7.1. Note also that it had gotten a lot brighter in only fifteen minutes. Good photographers have a sort of internal light meter on the back of their heads that detect changes in light levels and are thus, they are conscious of the need to constantly be checking their histograms and adjusting their exposures …

Image Colors …

To my eye on my Macbook Pro with Retina Display Image #1 looks quite neutral with perhaps a bit of a YELLOW cast to the snow. In Image #2, the snow looks BLUER and there might be a touch of a MAGENTA cast on the bird.

How are you seeing the colors in Images #1 and #2?

Coming Soon

As I have been completely dedicated to critiquing images in the Avian Forum on BPN — I have not missed commenting on a single image since August 8, 2018 — I have become acutely aware that differences in monitors affect both the color and the brightness of a given image. I have calibrated my laptop monitor several times but the huge problem for me is that even when my laptop brightness is maxed out it is not bright enough so that I can differentiate the three or hour darkest boxes on the calibration strip at the bottom of each BPN page. In other words, at its brightest my monitor is a bit dark.

To rectify that situation I will soon be purchasing a stand-alone monitor that will connect to my laptop with a cable. When I am traveling I and posting I will still be processing images on the laptop. It will be both interesting and educational to note the differences when I get home … Details on which monitor I will be purchasing will follow?

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All of the images on this card were created on the 2018 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The New, Expanded 2019 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT. Thursday June 27 (from EDI) through Tuesday, July 9, 2019 (on the ground; fly home on Wednesday July 10.): $9,999. Limit 10 photographers. Co-leader: Peter Kes.

Join me in the UK in late June and early July 2019 to photograph Atlantic Puffin, Common Murre, Razorbill, Shag, and Northern Gannet, Red Kite, and more both in flight and at close range. We will also have great chances with Arctic and Sandwich Terns, both with chicks of all sizes; Black-headed, Lesser-Black-backed, and Herring Gulls, many of those chasing puffins with fish; Black-legged Kittiwake with chicks; plus Grey Seal. There will be tons of great flight photography. As on all IPTs, if you pay attention, you will learn a ton, especially about sky conditions and the relationship between light angle and wind direction and their effects on flight photography.

Why go all the way to Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine, endure a two-hour boat ride, and have to photograph Atlantic Puffins from a cramped blind usually in bright sun (and well off sun angle) when you can hop a red-eye flight from Newark, NJ and be in Edinburgh, Scotland early the next morning. First we drive down to Bridlington for easy access to Bempton Cliffs where our primary targets will be Northern Gannet in flight. We will also get to photograph Razorbill, Northern Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Black-legged Kittiwake. While in Bridlington we will spend one afternoon visiting a Red Kite feeding station that should provide lots of flight photography action.

While in Bridlington we will staying at the Lobster Pot by Marston’s Inn, just fifteen minutes from Bempton Cliffs. After 3 1/2 days of photography at there, we drive down to Seahouses in Northumberland to the two lodges that will be our home base for a week. After a short boat ride each day we will have hundreds of puffins posing at close range all day, every day — usually in ideal cloudy-bright conditions. While we are in Seahouses we will do six puffin/seabird trips, all weather permitting of course; last year we did not miss a single landing. In five years we have averaged losing less than one half day per year to bad weather. We land at Staple Island in the mornings and then sail over to Inner Farnes for our afternoon sessions. In addition, we may enjoy a session or two photographing nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes at eye level from a rocky beach in Seahouses.

In Seahouses, we stay 7 nights in gorgeous, modern, upscale lodges with Wi-fi. They are beyond lovely with large living areas and lots of open space for the informal image sharing and Photoshop sessions. The bedrooms are decent-sized. Each lodge has one double bedroom and two twin bedrooms. (See the single supplement info below.) At the lodges we cook our own breakfasts each morning and prepare our own lunches to be brought on the six puffin boat trips. For dinners we will alternate cooking in the lodges with fine dining at several excellent local restaurants. We stay two nights at the Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. We will enjoy a fine-dining Thank You dinner at the Dunbar Hotel on the Tuesday evening before we fly home.

On the morning of Monday, July 8, 2019, the plan is to sleep late, pack, and head up to Dunbar Harbor, Scotland for lunch and an afternoon gannet boat chumming trip: flight photography until you cannot lift your camera. The next morning, Tuesday July 9, we will enjoy our second gannet boat chumming trip (both weather permitting). On both trips we will enjoy great views of the huge gannetry at Bass Rock. Included will be two nights lodging at the Pine Martin by Marston’s Inn in Dunbar. Very early on the morning of Wednesday, July 10, we will drive up to Edinburgh Airport so that everyone can make their flights home. No moaning please. You will need a flight that leaves at 8:30am or later. Not too much later is generally best. Note: this trip needs a minimum of four photographers to run.

Images and card design copyright: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. All images were created on the 2017 UK Puffins and Gannets IPT

The Details

This IPT is all-inclusive except for your airfare and alcoholic beverages. All ground transportation, lodging costs, meals, your National Trust membership, and all boat, entry, and landing fees are included. Weather permitting, we will enjoy three and one-half days (at least six sessions in all) at Bempton Cliffs, an afternoon with the Red Kites, six full days on the puffin boats, one amazing afternoon gannet chumming trip, and one spectacular morning gannet chumming trip. The trip cannot be finalized until I have at least six deposits as we will be renting a lovely 15-passenger bus with our private professional driver who happens to be my web-master, Peter Kes, who is also a skilled photographer and my co-leader 🙂

IPT Details

If you are good to go sharing a room–couples of course are more than welcome, heck, we actually need two couples — please send your non-refundable $2,000/person deposit check now to save a spot. Please be sure to check your schedule carefully before committing to the trip and see the travel insurance info below. Your balance will be due on February 28, 2019. Please make your check out to “Arthur Morris” and send it to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855.

Please shoot me an e-mail if you are good to go or if you have any questions.

Single Supplement Info

Single supplement rooms in Bridlington and Dunbar are available for those who register early. The cost of the single supplement for those six nights is $600.00. Single supplement rooms at the lodge may be available on a limited basis but only if the trip does not fill with ten photographers. The single supplement fee for those seven nights is $700. If you would like your own room in Bridlington and Dunbar, please request it when making your deposit and include payment in full for the single supplement with your deposit: $2,600.00. The single supplement deposits are non-refundable as I will need to make the reservations well in advance.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for big international trips is highly recommended as we never know what life has in store for us. I strongly recommend that you purchase quality insurance. Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options you can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. My family and I use and depend on the great policies offered by TIS whenever we travel. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check or running your credit card. Whenever purchasing travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

I truly hope that you can join me on this exciting venture.

Help Support the Blog

Please help support my efforts here on the blog by remembering to click on the logo link above each time that you shop Amazon. That would be greatly appreciated. There is no problem using your Prime account; just click on the link and log into your Prime account. With love, artie

If In Doubt …

If in doubt about using the BAA B&H affiliate link correctly, you can always start your search by clicking here. Please note that the tracking is invisible. Web orders only. Please, however, remember to shoot me your receipt via e-mail.

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.

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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 :).