Morris to Sump Video! And From Wes Welker to the Flying Duckman ...

What’s Up?

As I got to know BPN-friend Brian Sump, it quickly became evident that this was a guy who was good at everything he chose to do: all-state band in clarinet, a football star in college and in the pros, a family man with high values, a force in his church, a very successful businessman, and most recently, a world-class bird photographer.

I would think that most would be astonished that Brian began photographing birds only one year ago in December. I will state that Brian’s active participation in the Avian Gallery at Bird Photographer’s.Net is responsible — at least in part — for his meteoric rise with a long lens. The education you can get for $40.00 a year is surely the best nature photography value ever.

Today is Monday 4 January 2020. This blog post took about eight hours in all to prepare, not to mention the long drive from Central Florida to Denver and back 🙂 You cannot put a price on a good friend.

Be sure to click on each of Brian’s images to see a larger, inexplicably sharper version. Everyone is invited to leave a comment; I’d love to hear which of Brian’s images are your favorites. And why.

Morris to Sump!

So how did I wind up in Denver throwing a pass to Brian Sump? I noticed some of Brian’s work in the Avian Forum at Bird Photographers.net (BPN). We wound up chatting by phone and he mentioned that he played professional football for five years. I was intrigued … I did a search online and found the next image …

Image courtesy of Brian Sump. Arena League receiver Brian Sump

Drew Brees!

The next time that we spoke I learned that he made two NFL pre-season rosters — first with the San Diego Chargers in 2003 and then with the St. Louis Rams. When I found out that he had caught passes from NFL great, now-New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees (who was drafted by the Chargers), I thought, “It would be neat to throw a pass to him one of these day.” So I worked that out. When I was thirteen years old, I could throw a football 65 yards. Those days are obviously long gone. Thanks to Anita North for the cell phone video.

When I saw the football card above, I said to Brian, “You look a lot like Wes Welker.” Welker was an all-star NFL receiver best known for the time he spent with the New England Patriots (and with Tom Brady). I began calling Brian “Wes” when I commented on his posted images. Brian starred for several years for the Los Angeles Avengers in the Arena Football League and was a member of the Chicago Rush when they won the Arena Bowl championship in 2006 by defeating the Orlando Predators 69-61.

Prior to that, he enjoyed an outstanding collegiate career at the Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colo.), playing in 39 games and setting 23 school records, including career marks for receptions (146), receiving yards (2,464), receiving touchdowns (24), all-purpose yards (5,529), punt return yardage (717), kickoff return yardage (2,384) and kick return touchdowns (five).

Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. The Sump Family

The Sump Story

Brian grew up in Denver, Colorado to a Lebanese mom and a German dad. He lost his Mom on Christmas Eve 2005. He is still great friends with is Dad. He had diverse interests as a kid. He played baseball growing up in Denver and made the high school all-state band — playing the clarinet. He decided to go out for football his senior year, and after just a few months in the sport, he was offered a scholarship to play at the Colorado School of Mines. Four years later, after two All-American seasons in football, he earned a degree in civil engineering.

He meet his wife, Jill, through a mutual friend. They have three children. Brian and Jill are very involved with their church; Brian ends every e-mail with “Blessings.” After his football career ended in 2007, Brian bought a rundown car repair shop and in short order Avalon Motorsports was flourishing. He has added several repair shops in the Denver area. His first foray with cars was in high school when a friend bought a 1991 Volkswagen GTI. When he saw that car, he thought it was the coolest thing ever, A few months later, he had saved up some money working and bought his own GTI. He put some lowering springs on it and some wheels and tires and a new exhaust. That was his first taste of owning a German vehicle and falling in love with performance upgrades.

Brian always liked raptors. When he saw an Eastern Bluebird in his backyard last December and wondered what it was, he grabbed the Nikon D3200 that is wife used for family photos and grabbed a couple shots. After viewing them on the computer, he could barely make out what it was, so he began researching lenses for bird photography. Jill got him a Tamron 100-500 for Christmas in 2019 and he got started with bird photography. As you will see below, his progress has been astounding.

Getting decent gear has helped:

Nikon D3200 + Sigma 500mm f/4 Sport Lens
Nikon D500 + Sigma 500mm f/4 Sport Lens
Nikon D850 + Sigma 500mm f/4 Sport Lens
Nikon D850 + Nikon 600mm f/4 VR Lens & the TC-E14
Canon R5 + 600mm f/4L IS III Lens & the 1.4X and 2X III TCs.

Brian does almost all of his bird photography handheld.

With the handheld Sigma 500mm f/4 Sport Lens and the Nikon D850. ISO 2800: 1/2500 sec. at f/4. ~35% crop Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Burrowing Owl in flight

Burrowing Owl in Flight

Brian posted this image on BPN on 4 May 2020. It might have been the first time that I saw his work and commented. It was obvious from the start that he was serious about learning and improving. You can see the learning process in action at the BPN post here. It looks as if I was not the only one who wanted to help …

With the handheld Nikon 600mm f/4 VR Lens with the TC-E14 and the Nikon D850. ISO 1600: 1/1250 sec. at f5/6. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Gnatcatcher

Brian switched to Nikon for a while and made some great images. He learned quickly that the background often makes the image. He quickly became proficient with Photoshop and learned some of the tricks of the trade; he used audio to attract this tiny bird to a great perch. You can learn more in his BPN post here.

With the handheld Nikon 600mm f/4 VR Lens, the TC-E14, and the Nikon D850. ISO 1600: 1/1000 sec. at f5/6. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Blue Grosbeak

Blue Grosbeak

I really started noticing that Brian’s work was improving when he posted some great Blue Grosbeak and Lazuli Bunting images. In the thread here, Brian asks lots of questions and his people skill shine as he responds kindly to each and every posted comment.

With the handheld Nikon 600mm f/4 VR Lens, the TC-E14, and the Nikon D850. ISO 1000: 1/4000 sec. at f/6.3. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Cinnamon Teal pair in flight

Cinnamon Teal

Two spectacular and sharp ducks in the same frame both banking for great dorsal views? You gotta be kidding me. Some folks had a problem with the wing position of the female. You can read about that here. With this post, I got the first inkling that Brian was serious about becoming a great flight photographer with ducks as his favorite subjects.

With the handheld Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS R5. ISO 1000: 1/800 sec. at f/7.1. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Mallard drake preening

Mallard Drake Preening

With this one Brian has taken a common bird that many disregard, chose a low perspective, and with perfect AF technique and superb processing skills, created a work of art. You can see what others had to say here.

With the handheld Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens and the EOS R5. ISO 1600: 1/6400 sec. at f/7.1. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Common Goldeneye hen in flight

Common Goldeneye Hen in Flight

Brian’s flying ducks kept getting better and better. With the fast frame-rate (and large servings of skill and perseverance), he began coming away with perfect wing position after perfect wing position. The full downstroke here is simply perfect. Note also his strict attention to sun angle. You can meet and learn about Amanda in the BPN post here.

With the handheld Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS R5. ISO 1600: 1/2500 sec. at f/7.1. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Northern Harrier eating vole

Northern Harrier Eating Vole

Here Brian expands his horizons a bit, returning to his first avian-love: raptors. Note that this bird is on the ground! The post here is a really interesting one with lots of lessons. And Brian learns a lot about the structure of eyes from Avian Moderator Randy Stout, an ophthalmologist (retired) by trade.

With the handheld Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens and the EOS R5. ISO 1600: 1/6400 sec. at f/6.3. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Common Goldeneye drake in flight

Brian Becomes the “The Flying Duckman”

To this image here, I posted: Are you familiar with Johan Johan Cruijff, the Dutch footballer (aka soccer player) who was known as the “Flying Dutchman?” My new nickname for you Wesley, is “The Flying Duckman.” Ditto all the positives above times ten. How anyone could find fault with this image is far beyond me. In this thread, Brian’s almost obsessive attention to post processing is quite evident.

I should have mentioned the exquisite wing position, the heavenly background and the fact that the near-underwing is pretty much glowing.

With the handheld Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens and the EOS R5. ISO 1600: 1/5000 sec. at f/5.6. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. American Wigeon drake in flight

American Wigeon Drake in Flight

Are you getting bored? Here we have another super-sharp image, a killer wings-fully-up flight pose, and another sublime background. You can see what folks on BPN had to say about this image here.

With the handheld Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens and the EOS R5. ISO 1600: 1/6400 sec. at f/5.6. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Gadwall drake in flight

Gadwall Drake in Flight

I’ve been remiss not to mention that Brian’s incredible Canon imagery is a testament to how well the EF lenses work with the EOS R5. With one of the three EF adapters. He uses the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, the simplest and least expensive option. You can learn about all three adapters in the blog post here.

In Pane 15 here, I actually offered a suggestion for improving this already spectacular image. The rich chestnut wing coverts with the white speculum as an accent, the incredible near-upperwing detail, the open bill, and yet another classic downstroke wing position put this one in the beyond-the-beyond category.

With the handheld Canon 600mm f/4L IS III lens, the 1.4X III TC, and the EOS R5. ISO 1600: 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6. Image courtesy of and copyright 2019: Brian Sump Photography. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Northern Harrier in flight

Just Another Harrier Flight Shot …

I am sure that there are some who are thinking, “If I had the Canon 600 III and an R5, I could go out and make images just like Brian’s. That is a combination of pipe-dreaming and mis-guided thinking. If I could make a single duck in flight image that would compare favorably to Brian’s best images, I’d be beyond thrilled. You can see what the boys and girls on BPN had to say about this one in Brian’s post here.

As I write often when speaking of the incredible handheld flight photography of BPN Avian Moderator Arash Hazeghi, handholding any 600mm f/4 lens requires strength, stamina, great hand-eye coordination, and superb fine motor skills. Not to mention the drive and the patience needed to produce incredible flight images on a consistent basis. While I have some of the latter, I am sorely missing all of the former.

Brian Sump and the Automotive Industry

I am sure that you will not be shocked to learn that Wes Welker/The Flying Duckman is a superstar in the Automotive Industry. You can learn a lot about Brian, his incredible success as a business owner, and the principles that have guided him to success, in the articles linked to below. And you will probably learn a few things that might improve your business as well.

Twice cover-boy for the trade journal, Ratchet+Wrench

Driven to Be the Best

A Look Back, A Leap Forward

Aftermarket Matters

Denver-area shop owner among Virtual AAPEX Experience recipients of new service and repair awards

Denver Business Journal/Urban Autocare

Small Biz Backer: Award-winning auto repair shops continue accelerated growth

Typos

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