Do Not Try This at Home Without Supervision

Something New

Today, and in the future, BIRDS AS ART will be offering free short tutorials to folks who have attended a 3-day or longer BAA IPT in the last four calendar years (that is, after January 2019), and to folks who have placed a deposit for an upcoming IPT. In addition, we will be offering 50% discounts on longer educational offerings to those same folks. The first such free offer is for the Mega-Bright Highlights Tutorial as detailed below.

What’s Up?

Me, late. Knackered from the action at Huguenot Memorial Park and the drive home, I slept in. I am getting ready to head to Long Island on 31 July. I head back south on 31 August and should be back home on 1 September barring anything unforeseen. I will be offering In-the-Field sessions at both Nickerson Beach and the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. If you are interested, please get in touch via e-mail or text me at 863-221-2372.

Whether you are a local or like to fly in for several days of instruction — a sort of private or small group IPT, LMK via e-mail and we can work on a schedule that could possibly include both Nickerson and Jamaica Bay.

With nine deposit checks in hand, and with good friend Ed Dow grabbing a single cabin, there are only three openings left on the 2023 Galapagos Photo-cruise of a Lifetime. The trip is now a go. If you have any interest in joining us, it would be best to get in touch via e-mail ASAP.

Speaking of IPTs, I am still looking for someone to do all three Homer Bald Eagle trips and driving the round trip from Anchorage to Homer and back with me. Toward that end, I am offering a ridiculously high discount of $4500.00, $1500 off each trip. The offer may not last long because there are only two slots left on the second IPT. If you are interested, or would like additional details, please contact me via e-mail

Today is 20 July 2022. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes one hundred twenty-two days in a row with a new one.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

The First DeSoto IPT

If you are interested in the first DeSoto IPT, 3 1/2 Days, Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022, know that I just reserved a three-bedroom AirBnB in Gulfport. Share it for four nights with many multiple IPT veteran Monte Brown and me and save a ton on lodging: $83.69/night/person for a whole home. AirBnB photos available upon request. If interested, shoot me an e-mail.

Instagram

Follow me on Instagram here. I am trying to feature both new and old images, especially images that have not appeared recently on the blog. Or search for birds_as_art.

BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)

Send a PayPal for $62.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 and put $62.00 on your credit card. Pick one of your best images and upload the raw file using a large file sending service like Hightail or DropBox and then send me the link via e-mail. I will download and save your raw file, evaluate the exposure and sharpness, and optimize the image as if it were my own after converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw. Best of all, I will make a screen recording of the entire process and send you a link to the video to download, save and study.

Induro GIT 304L Price Drop

Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $699.00 each (were $799.00) and the price now includes the insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.

Used Gear Price Drops

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens with extras!

Price reduced $200.00 on 19 July 2022

Mike Ederegger is offering a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition (with great extras!) for only $1299.00 (was $1499.00). The sale includes a Really Right Stuff LCF-54 replacement foot (a $110 value), a RRS B91-QR flash bracket (a $300 value), the original box, the rear lens cap, the front lens cap, the lens hood, the tough fabric lens case, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mike via e-mail.

This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98-meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an EOS R, R5, or R6! This package sells new for $2809.00 so you can save an amazing $1510.00 by grabbing Mike’s lens with the great extras now. artie

Canon EOS R with extras!

Price reduced $200.00 on 19 July 2022

Mike Ederegger is offering a Canon EOS R mirrorless camera body in excellent condition with extras for a very low $1199.00 (was $1399.00). The sale includes the original box with everything that came in it, two extra batteries (three in all), the Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R (a $200 value), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Mike via e-mail.

The EOS R was the first step in Canon’s mirrorless evolution. It pairs a redeveloped lens mount and an updated full-frame sensor in a unique and sophisticated multimedia camera system. The EOS R is poised to be the means from which to make the most of a new series of lenses and optical technologies, and performs superbly with EF lens with one of the three Canon EF-EOS R Adapters. The EOS R features a high-resolution 30.3MP full-frame CMOS sensor, a DIGIC 8 image processor, and Dual Pixel CMOS AF that offers smooth and fast focusing performance that operates in a manner similar to a quality camcorder. Canon & B&H

If you are looking to get into Canon mirrorless without investing thousands of dollars in an EOS R5 or an R3, Mike’s package is just what you have been looking for. With the two extra batteries and the Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, this package sells new for $1917.00. artie

Canon 800mm f/5.6L ISUSM Lens/with extras!

BAA Record-low Price!
Price Reduced $400 on 18 July 2022!

Galapagos IPT veteran (with wife Sandy), Don Selesky, is offering a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM lens in like-new condition the BAA record-low price of $6397.00 (was $6,797.00). The sale includes the rear lens cap, the lens trunk and key, the original tough front lens cover, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Don via e-mail.

I used this lens, often with a 1.4X TC, as my main super-telephoto lens for five years. It is a superb lens that offers lots of reach for those working with birds that are skittish. It is great from the car. I was astounded that 15 of the 67 images in the San Diego exhibit were created with the 800. I missed it terribly for years. It will seriously kill with an R5 or an R6 and an RF-EF Adapter! This lens sells new at B&H for $12,999 but is back-ordered everywhere. Don’s lens is a superb buy; grab it now and save a very sweet $6602.00! artie

This image was created on 18 July 2022 on the IPT at Huguenot Memorial Park in Jacksonville. I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). Working in shutter Priority mode minus one stop, the exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. AUTO ISO set ISO 100. 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect (with all 22,000 OvExp pixels in a single specular highlight). AWB at 6:49:05am as the sun broke through some clouds. Manual focus. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Laughing Gull flapping after bath — full frame version

Do Not Try This at Home Without Supervision

Shooting into the blasting highlights of the sun reflected off the water has long been a challenge. After more than three decades of trying, I have developed a technique for getting them right most of the time. The truth be told, the reflections were bright when I created this image, but not mega-bright. Five minutes after I created today’s two featured images, the reflections were much brighter: 1/16,000 sec. at f/16 with ISO 100.

Mega-Bright Highlights Tutorial

While you can learn a lot by studying the EFIX here, there is lots more to know when shooting into blasting highlights. I am offering a short e-mail tutorial that includes everything that I do to create unique and spectacular images like this one. If you have been on a 3-day or longer BAA IPT in the last four calendar years, that is after January 2019, or if you have placed a deposit for an upcoming IPT, you qualify for a free tutorial. Shoot me an e-mail by clicking here and please let me know which IPT you attended or will be attending.

Others my purchase the tutorial for $19 by sending a PayPal for that amount to birdsasart@verizon.net. Please include the words Mega-Bright Highlights Tutorial in your PayPal.

This image was created on 18 July 2022 on the IPT at Huguenot Memorial Park in Jacksonville. I used the no-longer available Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). Working in shutter Priority mode minus one stop, the exposure was determined via Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. AUTO ISO set ISO 100. 1/2000 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect (with all 22,000 OvExp pixels in a single specular highlight). AWB at 6:49:05am as the sun broke through some clouds. Manual focus. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Laughing Gull flapping after bath. — slightly cropped version

Image Questions

Image #1 is the full frame original capture. As I clipped the wingtips, I created a tighter crop by substantially cutting (rather than clipping) the ends
of the wings.

#1: Would the image have been better if I had switched the 2X TC for the 1.4X TC thus getting the whole bird in the frame? Why or why not?

#2: Which image do you like better, Image #1, the original, or Image #2, the slightly cropped version. Why?

Unsolicited via e-mail from Pete Myers

I just spent 4 days in the field in a graduate course in bird photography taught by Artie Morris at Fort DeSoto. After almost 50 years of experience pointing cameras at birds from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand and beyond, I thought I was good enough. But what I learned from Artie in just four days has taken me to a whole new level. As he aptly puts it, “birds as art,” not simply bird photography. One of those 4 days was the most satisfying I’d ever experienced, anywhere. The IPT left me euphoric about what I’d learned, and frighteningly committed to recreating my portfolio with the techniques and insights he taught me.

Via e-mail from Jim Miller

I can’t stop thinking about how much fun the DeSoto Fall IPT was, and how much I learned. There were so many things that suddenly made perfect sense after I had been confused for so long. Thank you very much for the wonderful trip, and for being a great teacher. As I worked through the raw files last week, I realized what a fantastic lens the 600 GM is. Thanks for the rental! Maybe someday I will be able to afford one. Some images for critique are attached.

By the way, the plant we were looking at along the sidewalk in Gulfport is Blue Porterweed. It is worth a few minutes on the internet to read about it: native of Florida and the Caribbean, used for medicine in The Bahamas, etc. We have it in a large pot in the front yard and it takes a lot of water, but it blooms Spring through Fall. Thank you again, Artie. It was really wonderful to be with you and learn from you.

Via e-mail from Lee Sommie

I want to thank you for making the Fall 2017 Ft. DeSoto IPT such a fun and educational experience for me. I truly did not want the adventure to end. I now look through the viewfinder with an artist’s mindset. And the real bonus was making new friends with fellow students. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife photography. I had a great time with you and look forward to more adventures on future IPTs.

Followed by this one

BTW. I downloaded Photo Mechanic and started using it in my workflow. Since I like using Lightroom for my adjustments, I found a way to incorporate Photo Mechanic and Lightroom together. Lightroom was driving me crazy with how slow it is to import and preview photos. I was impressed with how fast you could preview photos and start editing your photos on the DeSoto Fall IPT. Life is too short to wait for applications to import and preview photos and Photo Mechanic solves that problem.

Via e-mail from Muhammad Arif

I had a great time at Fort DeSoto. Thank you for all the instruction, for your help and pointers; my photography has already improved tremendously, and I’ve never made such good bird photos before. I wish I could’ve joined you on Monday and Tuesday morning as well, but work got in the way. It was also nice meeting the folks on the IPT. Thanks again for everything and I hope to join you at a future IPT sometime again.

Fort DeSoto in fall is rife with tame birds. All the images on this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or very early October. I hope that you can join me there this fall. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.

The Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #1

3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers/Openings five.

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #2

3 1/2 Days: 7 October through the morning session on Monday 10 October 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.

Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3

3 1/2 Days: Monday 31 October through the morning session on Thursday 3 November 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And we will get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.

On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever and whenever you photograph.

There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.

These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB information. If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me an e-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.

A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check two months before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.

Up Early, Stay Out Late!

Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Typos

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