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This breeding plumage Cattle Egret image was created with the the tripod-mounted Canon 800mm f/5.L IS lens, the 2XIII teleconverter, and the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. ISO 400. Evaluative metering at -1/3 stop: 1/800 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. Fill flash at -1 stop with my brand new Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT and a Better Beamer. Good news there: the FX-3 fits the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT perfectly. Manual focus; gasp! For maximum reach with distant subjects I will continue to go to my EOS-1D Mark IV bodies. When preparing this blog post I had thought that this image was made with the 1.4X III TC…. |
Gatorland In-the-Field Sessions Saturday 27 or Sunday 28 APR, 2019
Join me at Gatorland either day this coming weekend and learn a ton. Right now is prime time for Cattle Egrets in prime breeding plumage. Check out Joe Przybyla’s killer Cattle Egret from last week in his BPN post here. In addition, there will be some good opps with Great Egret chicks. Most folks who visit Gatorland simply have no clue. Join me to learn to photograph at the easily accessible rookeries. An intermediate telephoto lens is all that you will need. Learn to think and see like a pro. Saturday’s weather looks perfect, Sunday’s weather looks very good.
Morning Session — 7-10am: $200.00
Morning Session with a 90-minute working lunch including image review and Photoshop: $300.00.
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The GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience
Galapagos: No Reasonable Offer Will Be Refused!
July 23 to August 6, 2019 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $14,499. Limit: 12 or 13 photographers plus the leader. This trip is a go; I have room for two more folks.
This trip is THE best Galapagos Photo-Cruise in the world. By far. No one else offers a trip that visits the top three world-class landings twice each. What does this trip offer? The world’s best Galapagos guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), a great crew, and me, with ten Galapagos Photo-cruises under my belt. Pre-trip gear suggestions and advice and twice-daily, pre-landing, location-specific briefings. In-the-field photo instruction and guidance. Jeez, I almost forgot: fine dining at sea! Do know that there are one-week Galapagos trips (six full and two half- days on the boat “from $9995”! (If you think I am exaggerating, click here.) Thus, this trip represents a tremendous value; why go all that way and miss half of the great photographic locations? And why not visit the three very best spots twice each?
The great spots that we will visit include Tower Island — including Darwin Bay (almost surely twice!) and Prince Phillips Steps, Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross (almost surely twice!), and Gardner Bay — each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway. We will also visit Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises and Darwin’s Finches, Puerto Egas—James Bay, and North Seymour (almost surely twice) for nesting Blue-footed Boobies and both frigatebird species in most years, South Plaza for Land Iguanas and seabirds, Floreana for Greater Flamingoes, and Urbina Bay, all spectacular in their own right. We visit every great spot on a single trip. Plus lots more.
There will be lots of opportunities to snorkel on sunny middays for those like me who wish to partake. (The park service does not approve our second visits to the same great locations until right before the trip; we have never been turned down. We will be the first boat on each island in the morning and the last boat to leave each island every afternoon. If we are blessed with overcast skies, we will often spend 5+ hours at the best sites. And as noted above, mid-day snorkeling is an option on most sunny days depending on location and conditions. On the 2015 trip most snorkeled with many thousands dolphins. I eased off the zodiac to find hundreds of dolphins swimming just below me.
Note that some of the walks are on the difficult side. Great images are possible on all landings with either a hand held 70-200mm lens and a 1.4X teleconverter or an 80- or 100-400mm lens. In the past, I have taken a longer lens ashore on most landings as they better fit my style. In 2017 I took the then brand-new Canon 400mm DO lens and the Canon 500mm f/4 L IS II lens (with both teleconverters). In 2019 I anticipate taking at least my Nikon 200-500 and my 80-400 VR. Along with the 24-120.
The Logistics
SUN July 21, 2019: Arrive in Guayaquil a day early to ensure that you do not miss the boat.
MON July 22, 2019: Introductory sessions.
TUES July 23, 2019: We fly to the archipelago and board the Samba. Heck, on the 2017 trip some folks made great images at the dock in Baltra while our luggage was being loaded!
TUES: August 6, 2019: We disembark late morning and fly back to Guayaquil midday; most will overnight there.
Most will fly home on the early morning of August 7 unless they are staying on or going elsewhere (or catching a red-eye flight on the evening of the August 6).
$14,499 includes just about everything: all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, transfers and ground transportation, your flights to the archipelago, and three nights (double occupancy) in a top notch hotel in Guayaquil. If you are good to go, a non-refundable deposit of $5,000 per person is due immediately. The second payment of $5,000 is not due until 12/1/18. The final payment of $4,499 per person will be due on 3/1/19. All payments must be made by checks made out to BIRDS AS ART and mailed to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855.
Again, this trip needs ten participants to run so please do not book your flights until you learn that we are good to go. Purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of our cashing your deposit check is strongly recommended. On two fairly recent cruises a total of 5 folks were forced to cancel less than one week prior to the trip. My family and I use Travel Insurance Services and strongly recommend that you do the same.
Not included: your round trip airfare from your home to and from Guayaquil, beverages on the boat, phone calls, your meals in Guayaquil, personal items, and an $800/person cash tip for the crew and the guide to be shared by our guide and the 7 folks who will be waiting on us hand and foot every day for two weeks. The service is so wonderful that many folks choose to tip extra.
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The Itinerary
Sunday, July 21, 2019: Fly to Guayaquil arriving a day early to ensure that you do not miss the boat.
Monday, July 22, 2019: Introductory sessions.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019: We fly to the archipelago and board the Samba. Heck, on the 2017 trip some folks made great images at the dock in Baltra while our luggage was being loaded!
On the Boat
Day 1: Tuesday, July 23, PM North Seymour
Day 2: Wednesday, July 24, Genovesa: AM Darwin Bay, PM Prince Phillips´ Steps
Day 3: Thursday, July 25, Marchena: AM Playa Negra, PM Navigation to Isabela
Day 4: Friday, July 26, Isabela: AM Punta Albemarle, PM Punta Vicente Roca
Day 5: Saturday, July 27, AM Fernandina: Punta Espinoza, PM Isabela: Bahía Urbina
Day 6: Sunday, July 28, Isabela: AM Elizabeth Bay, PM Punta Moreno
Day 7: Monday, July 29, Floreana: AM Post Office Bay, PM Punta Cormorant
Day 8: Tuesday, July 30, Santa Cruz: AM Highlands and Lunch, PM free time in the city with internet access.
Day 9: Wednesday, July 31, Española: AM Gardner Bay, PM Punta Suárez
Day 10: Thursday, August 01, Española: AM Punta Suarez, PM Navigation to San Cristóbal
Day 11: Friday, August 02, San Cristóbal. AM Isa Lobos (only until 9 am), PM Punta Pitt
Day 12: Saturday, August 03, AM Santa Fe, PM South Plaza
Day 13: Sunday, August 04, Genovesa: AM Darwin Bay, Navigation to Santiago
Day 14: Monday, August 05, AM James Bay, PM Rábida
Day 15: Tuesday, August 06, North Seymour from 06 to 09 am. We disembark late morning and fly back to Guayaquil midday; most will overnight there.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019: Fly home.
I hope that you can join us on what will surely be a rich and rewarding photographic experience.
As always, simply the best. I’m honored to get to see it. Tip of the cap, wink of the eye to the Grand Master. Colors around the eye and bill seem to come right from God’s rainbow. Superb! Thanks for sharing and teaching.
Many tanks!
with love, artie
Great image Artie! A great example of new doesn’t mean better (as in gear!!). It’s the photographer;)
Thanks and agree.
with love, artie
Some times I just look and go wow.
This was one of those times.
I can’t define what makes a great image but I know them when I see them.
Top left corner and maybe bottom left have what judges might call distracting elements.
But you don’t see them until after you’ve been pulled into the bird.
Great shot!
Thanks James. I like this on too. It is a very image; today I would have smoothed the lower left with a Gaussian Blur.
with love, artie
Art,
Incredible image of this cattle egret! I am confused about the gear you were using, as I did not think you still had your Canon gear (?) Manual focusing at f 5.6 with a doubler bringing you to f 11 must have indeed been a challenge!!! Happy shooting,
Rick Alvarnaz
Thanks Richard. It is an old (recycled) Canon image, circa 2014 or so. I do not remember focusing manually with the 2X much but it looks as if it worked.
with love, artie