What’s Up?
I enjoyed an amazing session with the two baby cranes down by the lake at ILE on Wednesday morning. The fog lifted quickly to reveal clear skies. With some moisture in the air, the light was gorgeous. I found the chicks right were I had left them two days before. They are more accepting and curious each day. If would like to see a screen capture of the best head portrait that I made with the 100-400 lens, click here to send me an e-mail requesting a screen capture of one of the full images.
Today is Thursday 1 April 2021. The forecast for ILE for this morning is for unsettled weather with rain and scattered thunderstorms. Time will tell.
The weather is looking great for the coming weekend with Friday looking perfect. First-timer Rajat Kapoor will be joining me at Stick Marsh early on Friday. We have room for one or two more folks. — contact me as below if you would like to join us. In addition, I am available to do the crane chicks on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings. In all seriousness, the chick photography is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most folks. If you would like to explore the possibility of joining me for one or more mornings (SAT/SUN), please contact me immediately via e-mail or text or try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Lodging in the guest room gallery is available.
This blog post took less than an hour to prepare and makes an even 100 consecutive days with a new one. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links or to save money at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout. Doing either often earns you free guides or discounts. And doing so often earns my great appreciation.
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The Big Decision!
After much soul-searching, I have decided to return to using Canon gear and only Canon gear full time. Canon’s offer — a renewal of my Explorer of Light contract at $20,000 per annum along with a $50,000 war chest of the latest Canon mirrorless gear, was simply too much to resist. The R5/RF 100-500 combo played a huge role in my decision. After being unceremoniously dumped as an Explorer of Light more than eight years ago, being asked to re-join this great program is a bit of redemption. As one of the original 55 EoLs, I can say for sure that Canon’s generosity was and is hard to match. Though I have remained a Canon Explorer of Light Emeritus and enjoyed Platinum CPS status for all those years, it will be nice to get paid again handsomely for doing what I love to do.
Because of the somewhat sensitive nature of this announcement, comments on this post will be closed until 6pm eastern time today. Feel free to re-visit at that time to share your thoughts on this exciting move. Those who cannot wait can always shoot me an e-mail.
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MELVILLE, N.Y., March 31, 2021 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is proud to announce the addition of avian photographer Arthur Morris to its renowned Explorers of Light program. Artie adds to the already impressive ranks of Canon’s program, expanding its wide range of talented professionals that impact imaging culture and influence the way their audiences see the world.
“It is an honor to re-join so many of my talented peers already in the Canon Explorer of Light program,” said Arthur. “Canon mirrorless gear provides me with the tools that help my visions come to life, and I am looking forward to continuing to educate and inspire photographers to reach their creative potential.”
“We are excited to welcome Arthur Morris back into the ranks of this select family. His expertise, combined with his passion for educating aspiring photographers, makes him a great asset to our program,” said Isoroku Yamamoto, president and Chief Operating Officer of Canon U.S.A., Inc. “It’s a privilege to see how passionate our Explorers of Lights are (and have been) about inspiring eager audiences of photo professionals, hobbyists, and enthusiasts to further inspire them to reach their creative potential.”
Since the creation of the program in 1995, Canon’s Explorers of Light have been leaders in their respective fields, and have garnered awards and accolades for their work. These individuals work with Canon extensively and exclusively as representatives, ambassadors, educators, and role models for aspiring creative artists. They participate in workshops, seminars, gallery showings and personal appearances throughout the United States.
Congrats Artie, you are the best and it’s about time Canon acknowledges this simple fact. You deserve their recognition and much more.
Best,
Charles
Hi Charles, Thanks, but I think that you need to go back, read the fine print, and check the date of the post.
with love, artie
Good morning Guru. Hope you’re doing fine.
Your fooled us once with such gesture. I expected something new this time around!
All the best.
Sorry to disappoint you.
with love, a
Oh Artie…such a jokester! I hope you are doing well.
Hey Noel, God to hear from you. If you can try me on my cell today at about 10:30am.
with love, a
Come On Man!! This is malarkey. I just put a down payment on new Sony gear. Bought a Zebra faux jacket. I feel lost, betrayed, sad & full of laughter!!! The EOL’s don’t know what they are missing. Canon is not as well run as they should be to have let you go with all you were doing for them and their sales. A classy ambassador who speaks the truth and is not just a commercial sellout! Hard to find and must have been hard for them to swallow knowing they made a bad decision and then being too stubborn to right their mistake. What’s with the 2019 just before the comments begin. Was this announcement recycled?
P.S. Is the Kodak Fuji Olympus merger a toir going to bring a new King of Digital??
Thanks for your very kind words. I hope to be publishing some revelatory behind-the-scenes comments from Steven Inglima who ran EoL for about ten years. We are good friends. He was the one who was forced to fire me, and got fired not long after that.
Good thinking: the announcement was recycled from the announcement of a new lady EoL from about eight years ago. I do not remember her name. I thought that dropping in the name of a Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (Isoroku Yamamoto) was a nice touch.
with love, a
ps: I can assure you that Canon never regretted letting me go as an EoL.
I fell for it too! My age is showing….
I try not to discriminate based on age 🙂
with love, a
Good try Artie – and I knew you could not do without your Zebras!
🙂
with love, a
I did not fall for it. Nice try though Artie!
It never hurts to try. Maybe I will catch you napping next year!
with love, artie
I like that a Japanese Admiral from World War II made the announcement Artie!
That is correct. I don’t think that we sank him at Midway!
Good to know that there is at least one other WW II buff out there.
with love, a
I too fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Had I read more closely, I would have picked up on the embedded clue.
You who knew how valuable Zebras with stills are to me, should be ashamed 🙂
with love, a
I have to admit it – I fell for it…. Happy April Fools Day.
Hey Jordan, You were one of more than the two dozen plus I knew about. It is likely that I will get an e-mail or two in several months congratulating me for getting back with Canon 🙂 It happens every time.
with love, a
This is April Fool’s Day, right!
That is correct, sir.
with love, a
No doubt your decision was because Canon added the exposure zebras to the latest R5 firmware update 🙂
100%!
with love, a