Alan Murphy. Tuesday September 22 Image Processing Webinar. And three great videos!

What’s Up?

Mornings at DeSoto have been different and phenomenal. Saturday it rained and we did well. Sunday was cloudy with a northeast wind. We did well. And on a sunny Monday with more northeast winds we enjoyed the biggest tern feeding spree I have ever seen: a mixed flock of Sandwich, Forster’s, and Common Terns dove to feed ravenously on huge schools of tiny baitfish. Not to mention that the spoonbill photography has been dependable and the birds are tame. Afternoons have mostly been poor except for Friday when we slaughtered the spoonbills at a7r iv/1200mm. Images soon.

Audubon’s Oriole, Hidalgo Co, TX. Nikon D3 (Replaced by the D4), 600mm lens, ISO 800, f/7 at 1/1250 sec. Image courtesy of and copyright Alan Murphy.

Alan Murphy

If you are seriously into bird photography, the name Alan Murphy will be quite familiar to you. Simply put, his images are spectacular. The Audubon’s Oriole image above is one of my very favorite Alan Murphy images.

The idea for Alan Murphy’s first eBook, “The Guide to Songbird Set-up Photography,” popped into my head not ten minutes into the great program he did for the Nature and Wildlife Photographers of Long Island group way back in 2009! I let him know my thoughts right after the conclusion of that program and thus, the songbird set-up guide was born. When we first teamed up to tackle that project, he shared the following story with me:

“Twenty years ago when I first became interested in bird photography, I purchased a copy of the original ‘The Art of Bird Photography.’ I was confused about several topics, including and especially the use of extension tubes. So I got Arthur Morris on the phone. Though he did not know me from Adam, he generously shared 30 minutes of his time with me and answered all of my questions. That is why, to this day, I go out of my way to be help other photographers.”

As I had zero memory of that phone call; I felt that it was most kind of Alan to share the story with me.

In his first eBook, Alan shared many long-held secrets that were carefully developed over time. It was a spectacular start and has helped thousands of folks—including me—to improve their craft and create stronger images. As you read through or watch all of Alan’s educational materials, the words amazing, simple, brilliant, clever, innovative, and practical will come to mind frequently. You will constantly find yourself saying aloud, “Why didn’t I think of that?” I will be using tips and ideas from all of Alan’s e-Books and videos as I set up my backyard for bird photography.

To register, click here.

I can’t wait for this one! I am always looking to learn something new in Photoshop. In tomorrow’s webinar, Alan shares his favorite Photoshop tricks, processing tips, and demonstrates how he uses Topaz software in his workflow. Multiple IPT veteran Larry Master has been raving about the new Topaz AI stuff for many months and more recently, Anita North has been doing the same. I can’t wait to hear Alan’s take on the Topaz AI stuff. You will be hearing lots on it from me in a week or two.

If you are inspired by Alan’s program to purchase a Topaz product or bundle, please use this link.

Birds Through the Lens Volume 1

Birds Through the Lens Volume 1

Click here to purchase.

The first video in the series will cover topics which include:
How to look for, find and choose the right perch.
What perches do not work and why.
How to match the perch for a particular species.
How to present a perch to the scene
How to trim a perch to look fantastic
How to support the perch
How many perches do you set up
Working with mounds, stumps and elevated perches
How to choose a good background
How to deal with background challenges
How to break up a flat background so it’s mottled
How to find and use gradient backgrounds
How far should the background be from the perch
Should you wear camo
Working from a blind
How to set up your lens and tripod for blind work
The correct tightness of your lens support
Is concealment important
Plus, many tips for being a better bird photographer

This Hi Definition MP4 video can be either downloaded to your dropbox, computer, tablet, mobile device, or can be streamed.

Total run time: 1 hour.

Birds Through the Lens Volume 2

Birds Through the Lens Volume 2

Click here to purchase.

This second video in the series is now available and covers topics that include:

How to prepare your backyard for photography
How to work with backyard feeders
What feeders work best for bird photography
How to get birds from your feeders onto perches
How to set up a water drip
How to work with berry perches
How to make and use home made suet
How to bring in woodpeckers
What food works best for what species
How to set up perches around feeders
Photo blinds for the backyard

The video can be downloaded to your Mac or PC, streamed to your favorite device, or saved to your Dropbox Account.

Total run time: 1 hour: More than 1 hour.

Birds Through the Lens Volume 3

Birds Through the Lens Volume 3

Click here to purchase.

This third video in the series is now available and covers topics that include:

How to do ambient light Hummingbird photography
How to setup for multi-flash Hummingbird photography
How to photograph songbirds in flight using a tiny feeder
How to setup and use a PhotoTrap trigger system
How to make and use a decoy owl for photographing Raptors in flight
What gear and settings work best
Blind construction and camo for flight photography
Flight photography techniques that will help you succeed

The video can be downloaded to your Mac or PC, streamed to your favorite device, or saved to your Dropbox Account.

Total run time: 1 hour: More than 1.5 hours.