Carlotta Grenier Skimmer Flight Photography. And SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable Solid State V2 External Drives

Image Back-up e-Mail Conversation with Doug Smith

AM: Hi Doug,

re:

DS: Hope all is well!

AM: Is thanks. Great in fact, and ditto.

DS: I have had some storage problems when it comes to saving my photographs. Could you suggest a device that would be good to store photographs while in the field.

AM: I would advise against any device designed to store photos in the field. That’s what flash cards are for. High capacity Delkin flash cards are safe and reliable. I have been using them for 21 years and have never lost an image due to a Delkin card failure.

Find them here for whatever camera you are using.

AM: Why do you want to store photos in the field?

DS: … and then a larger devise that would be my main system at home? I am using a Dell laptop for travel and an ASUS laptop at home.

AM: Safest and best are high capacity Solid State (external) drives. They are virtually failure proof. That said, multiple back-ups are mandatory. I learn ed that lesson several months ago to the tune of $4,500.00.

I use three SanDisk 4TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD V2 externals for my Time Machine back-ups.

The smaller size, the SanDisk 2TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD V2 externals might suit you best.

If you purchase any new cards or externals drives, please be sure to use the links above.

Thanks and love and best of luck,

artie

What’s Up?

I enjoyed a good morning at Nickerson with some sunrise red light, some fledgling Common Terns, and lots of flying and skimming skimmers. As I type, I am hoping to find my flashcard in the parking lot when I return this afternoon; it disappeared from my left-hand pocket on a shopping trip 🙁 I made an hour round trip drive back to Whole Foods (AKA Whole Paycheck) in hopes of finding it on the floor near the register where I checked out. (I’ve pulled that one off before!) Or perhaps it will mysteriously turn up in the car or in my room. You gotta love it.

Today is Monday 15 August. I will be heading back to Nickerson early; the forecast is looking excellent: sunny early with a NE breeze turning cloudy with the wind shifting to the east. 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 forty-four days in a row with a new one.

So far, nine folks have been in touch about joining me at either Nickerson or JBWR in the coming weeks for an In-the-Field session or two. The first window for doing shorebirds at the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is closing now, the second window is from 24-26 August. See the additional details below.

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!

Clockwise from the upper left corner back around to the center: Wilson’s Phalarope, JBWR; just fledged Common Tern, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, adult skimming, Nickerson; Black Skimmer killing tiny skimmer chick, Nickerson; American Oystercatcher foraging at sunrise, Nickerson; Common Tern chick swallowing baby bluefish, Nickerson; Short-billed Dowitcher, juvenile, double overhead wing stretch, JBWR; Black Skimmers, predawn flock blur, Nickerson; Black Skimmer, 10-day old chick, Nickerson. Click on the card to view a larger version. Nickerson Beach/East Pond JBWR composite

Nickerson Beach/East Pond at Jamaica Bay (JBWR) In-the Field Workshops

Both Nickerson Beach and the East Pond at JBWR offer some of the best midsummer bird photography on the planet. Hundreds of pairs or Black Skimmers and Common Terns along with more than a dozen pairs of American Oystercatchers breed at Nickerson each season so there are lots of chicks of all sizes and handsome fledged young to photograph. Provided that the water levels are low, hundreds of young shorebirds in their handsome fresh juvenile plumages stop by the pond each August on their way south.

Nickerson often reveals nature at it rawest, most basic level. Most days we get to photograph all sorts of dramatic behaviors ranging from skimmers and terns fishing and feeding (and tending) their you. There are often chances to shoot a variety of predatory encounters — gulls eating large skimmer chicks, skimmers eating skimmer babies, and Peregrine Falcons hunting. And rarely, if we are lucky, Peregrine Falcons catching! Consider joining me to learn a ton both about bird photography and the birds.

I am taking the Auto Train north on 31 July and will happily spend all of August on Long Island. I head south on 31 August and should be back home on 1 September (barring anything unforeseen). I am 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 would like to fly in for several days of instruction — a sort of private, or small group. — at worst, IPT, LMK via e-mail so that we can work on a schedule that could possibly include both Nickerson and Jamaica Bay.

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. Order yours here while they last.

Please Remember

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords BAA Discount Policy

Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, or to any prior purchases.

Money Saving Reminder

Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.

Important Note

As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂

If You Enjoy the Blog …

Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.

Gear Questions and Advice

Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are–out of ignorance–using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads… Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.

This image was created on 9 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach by Carlotta Grenier on a BAA In-the-Field session. While seated on dry sand, she used the no-longer available except from BIRDS AS ART Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/5 (stopped down 2/3 stop). AWB at 6:50:04pm on a clear afternoon. Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Photo courtesy of and copyright 2022: Carlotta Grenier Image #1: Black Skimmer in flight Image Optimization by BIRDS AS ART

Via e-mail from Carlotta

I would like an afternoon session at Nickerson first and then see where we stand. I will bring the 600mm f./4 lens and both my a1 bodies so that you can load your settings on them. I am not your fastest learner as I am now 80 years of age and really slowing down. I am almost as passionate about photography as you are; it is keeping me alive and interested in living.

Phone Conversation with Carlotta

For my next session, I would like you to teach me to photograph birds in flight.

Via e-mail from Carlotta

Thank you for helping me with my flight photography. It is better, but I have a lot to think about, and my timing is not there yet. But with more practice, I will get better. Anyway, I never got so many sharp flight shots in my life!

This image was created on 9 August 2022 at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach by Carlotta Grenier on a BAA In-the-Field session. While seated on dry sand, she used the no-longer available except from BIRDS AS ART Induro GIT 304L tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1000. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/3200 sec. at f/5 (stopped down 2/3 stop). AWB at 6:47:19pm on a clear afternoon. Tracking: Zone/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version. Photo courtesy of and copyright 2022: Carlotta Grenier Image #1: Black Skimmer in flight Image Optimization by BIRDS AS ART

Carlotta Grenier

As mentioned here previously:

Carlotta is a very young 80 years old. She knew me when my floppy sun hat was new, close to 25 years ago. She loves to photograph horses and birds. Her images continue to do well in her local Connecticut photo club contests.

She inspires me to get out every day and to strive to continue to improve. If there is an older person in your life who has or continues to inspire you, please do share.

Your Fave?

Which of Carlotta’s two featured images do you like best? Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.