Your Call?

Which of today’s six featured images floats your boat? Let us know why you made your choices.

As you enlarge each photo, consider the amazing versatility and sharpness of the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens. Pair it with a Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera) and earn free entry into the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Group.

What’s Up?

With a south wind and cloudy skies on Monday morning I enjoyed another epic session at Nickerson Beach. I made lots more skimmer behavioral images including a few nice mating shots. There was lots of flight photography with both the skimmers and the terns. Oystercatcher families are taking over the beaches. I discovered a new family with three, yes, count ’em, three, week-old chicks. The cherry on top was working several flocks of Common Terns on tide-scoured clean sand beaches. I’d get close, and along would come a beach walker or a cyclist and off they would go. When they re-landed, I got right back on them. Many were preening, ruffling, and stretching. Photos at some point.

I stayed in on Tuesday morning as I had a ton of work to do., and got a lot done.

The forecast for Tuesday morning was calling for NW winds at 15mph and clouds But when I peeked out the door at 4:30am and saw a dead-clear sky, I opted to stay in and get some work done. I accomplished a lot doing third edits of many image folders to clear some space on my laptop’s 8TB Solid State hard drive (SSHD). I know that sounds like a lot, but I need to stay well under 4TBs as that is the size of my back-up external SSHDs.

BAA friend Bruce Dudek signed up for Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning In-the-Field sessions and drove down from Albany. Conditions were perfect — mostly sunny with a 15mph southwest wind. Right off the bat, I spotted three very accessible Common Tern chicks. After spending an hour with them, we did the skimmers and did not get off the beach till well after 8:45pm!

Nickerson Beach June 2023 Common Tern/American Oystercatcher/Black Skimmer In-the-Field Sessions

I am offering both morning and afternoon sessions from now through the end of this month. If you would like to become a better bird photographer, shoot me an e-mail to learn the details. Scheduling for these sessions can be arranged on short notice by checking the weather. A better option is to join me on the IPT. As I have nobody signed up, I can tailor the dates for the first one who does.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together are invited to e-mail for discount information.

Canon EOS-1DX Mark III dSLR

Price Reduced: $500.00 on 18 May 2023!
Price Reduced: $500.00 on 11 June 2023!
BAA Record-low Price!

Tom Torget is offering a Canon EOS-1DX Mark III body in like new condition for $3749.00 (was $4,749.00). The sale includes three Canon batteries, the battery charger, the strap, the front lens cover, the manual, the original product box, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 addresses only.

Please contact Tom via email at e-mail or by phone at 1-830-377-5483 (Central time).

The 1DX III is Canon’s top-of-the-line professional digital camera body. It feature’s Canon’s best-ever dSLR AF system. It is fast and rugged. BAA friend and many multiple IPT veteran Clemens Van der Werf absolutely loves his and killed with it in Homer even during blizzards! The camera sells new right now at B&H for $5,999.00; grab Tom’s camera today and save a very handsome $2250.00 on his as-good-as-new body! artie

This image was created on 11 June 2023 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY. Seated on damp sand, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 6:19:57pm on a sunny afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Piping Plover, female in worn alternate plumage just about to grab a fly

Against All Odds! Success in Near-Impossible Conditions

On Sunday afternoon I was greeted by a strong east wind and bright sun, the perfect recipe for a disastrous bird photography session. So I grabbed the 200-600, stuck a 1.4X TC in my fanny pack, and headed to the beach. With the sun at my back, the terns and skimmers inside the colony ropes (and everywhere else, as well), would be flying and landing away from me. And away from the light. I decided to walk along the beach and head east toward Point Lookout to see what I could see.

Suggestion #1 in Seemingly Hopeless Situations

Try to find some feeding shorebirds. The smaller sandpipers and plovers are not as effected by the wind directions as the terns and gulls. When they are foraging, they will often scurry this way and that without bothering to face into the wind. I found this lovely lady just inside the first rock jetty and worked her for a while. I’d see which way the bird was headed and position myself by sitting on the beach in front of it so that when the tiny plover passed me, it would be close to being right on sun angle. When she flew off, I continued walking east to the second jetty. But I would get to spend more quality time with her on the way back. It is possible that it was the same individual that I photographed in the same spot a year or two ago.

This image was also created on 11 June 2023 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY. Standing on a rock jetty to get the sun behind the water, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 452mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 320. 1/4000 second at f/14 (stopped down 2 1/3 stops) in Manual Mode. AWB at 6:42:11pm on a sunny afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead-solid perfect plus a bit more due to the specular highlights on the water. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Backlit golden surf and beach

Suggestion #2 in Seemingly Hopeless Situations

Once the sun gets down a bit, look for strongly backlit subjects. Including the ocean. Getting the exposure right on what I call “11am silhouettes” is tricky as they are super-bright. I could have gone to an even smaller aperture and should have focused manually with Focus Peeking. Coulda’ shoulda’.

This image was also created on 11 June 2023 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY. Still seated on damp sand, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (again at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 2000. 1/2000 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:03:36pm on a sunny afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection amazingly yielded a sharp on the face photo. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Common Tern just missing Sand (Mole) Crab

Suggestion #3 in Seemingly Hopeless Situations

Try the impossible. Why? Because miracles are possible. Press the button and say a prayer. Remember what Forrest Gump’s mother always said, “Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are gonna get.” BTW, just how great an actor is Tom Hanks?

Anyway, with the wind having swung to the southeast, I was trying for the rear dorsal view flight shot showing the fanned tail. I took about 100 images and kept just one. I am not sure if this bird got the tiny crab or not. From the photo, it sure looks like a swing and a miss.

This image was also created on 11 June 2023 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY. Seated on dry sand using the heel pod technique, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (again at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/400 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 7:21:16pm on a then mostly sunny afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: American Oystercatcher on eggs in scrape nest

Suggestion #4 in Seemingly Hopeless Situations

Look for the one bird that does not care what direction the wind is from. If the wind is not howling, shorebirds or terns on the nest may sit in the “wrong” direction, i.e, not facing into the wind. When I passed this nest on the way east, this bird was facing right into the strong east wind, directly away from the light. Two hours later, the wind had come down a bit and she was facing the sun as it made its way down to the horizon. Lucky me!

This image was also created on 11 June 2023 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (again at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation on the Thumb Dial. Multi metering +2.3 stops. Shutter priority at 1/3200 second (f/6.3). AUTO ISO set ISO 1000. AWB at 7:33:30pm on a then barely sunny afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be beyond dead-solid perfect as a small portion of the sun was in the original frame. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #5: Common Tern on bombing run at sunset

Suggestion #5 in Seemingly Hopeless Situations

For traditional front-lit flight photography, you want the wind right behind you and the sun from somewhere behind you so that the birds are flying toward you and toward the light. So, wind against sun conditions as I had on Sunday evening are terrible for general flight photography, but are perfect for silhouetting flying birds against sky color. There was not a whole lot of color in the western sky, but I got luck when this tern flew at me from just the right spot. I could have processed this one as a silhouette.

This image was also created on 11 June 2023 at Nickerson Beach, Long Island, NY. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 485mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with Exposure Compensation (C) on the Thumb Dial. Multi metering +2.7 stops. Shutter priority at 1/2500 second (f/6.3). AUTO ISO set ISO 64000. AWB at 7:33:30pm when the sun disappeared behind the clouds in the western sky. RawDigger showed the exposure to be dead-solid perfect. Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #6: Common Tern kiting above the colony

Image #6: Common Tern kiting above the colony

Wait till the sun disappears and then crank up the ISO. As the world becomes a giant soft box sun angle is no longer a factor. Just put the wind behind you and fire away.

I had switched to shutter priority with AUTO ISO when trying for backlit shots like Image #5. So when the sun moved behind the clouds in the western sky, I upped EC to +2.7 and wound up with a perfect exposure but a relatively high ISO.

Common Terns are among the stars of the Nickerson show in June

Summer 2023 Nickerson Beach Terns, Skimmers, & Oystercatchers Instructional Photo Tour (IPT): 3 1/2 (or 4 1/2) DAYS. Monday afternoon, June 19, thru the full day on Thursday June 22 (or Friday June 23), 2023. 3 1/2 Days: $1899.00 includes three working brunches. (4 1/2 Days: $2199.00 includes four working brunches). Limit six photographers

The Summer 2023 Nickerson Beach Terns, Skimmers, & Oystercatchers IPT

I am offering two options for this IPT. Locals might prefer the 3 1/2 day IPT. Folks traveling from out of town will almost surely want to maximize their travel dollars by staying the extra day. The stars of the show will likely be the nesting Common Terns. As many have been on eggs for a week or more, we should get to photograph some small chicks and lots of birds in flight with fish. We should have lots of American Oystercatcher families with chicks of varying sizes. Photographing them at dawn along as they forage along the edge of the surf is an exciting experience. We will get to photograph early morning skimmer flock blast offs, lots of afternoon midair battles, and will likely have some skimmers on eggs. Flight photography for all three species will abound.

Many folks head home feeling that while our time in the field was fabulous and productive, that the working brunch sessions were even more valuable. During image review you will learn to select the best images from several thousand made with your 20- and 30 fps camera bodies. And we will process a few images and distribute the screen capture videos for you to learn from after the trip. And all IPTs offer follow-up image critiques.

Change your life: sign up for this IPT today. Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to explore the possibility of renting some Sony gear (including an a1) from me.

Some of What You Will Learn on a Nickerson Beach IPT

• 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
• 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
• 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
• 6- To spot the good and great situations and to choose the best perspective.
• 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
• 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. You will learn where and when to be (and why).
• 10- More than you could ever imagine.

The Details

We will be on the beach very early to enjoy sunrise. The morning sessions will run at least 3 1/2 hours. Afternoon sessions will begin at 6:00pm and run till sunset. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till 11:30am or so and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy.

There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airports are JFK or Slip (if you have lots of Southwest points. Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).

Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field ridiculously early and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:00am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We may be getting our feet wet on occasion, especially in the mornings, but those who wish to keep their feet 100% dry can do so.

Your $599 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check ASAP for this short-notice IPT. Those who wish to pay for the trip in one fell swoop via check may do so by making the check out to BIRDS AS ART and then mailing it to BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, and clothing and gear advice right after you register. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.

IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.

Typos

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