Miracle Under the Bridge. IPT Learning Goes Both Ways

What’s Up?

On Friday morning, Sigmon and Sadako joined me for our last session. Again, there were few birds, but again, a tremendous amount of learning took place. As both of them were, for the first time, using their monopods topped by Wimberley MonoGimbal Heads, I reviewed proper monopod handling (and sharpness) techniques with them. They loved my suggestions.

As is usually the case, the learning street ran both ways; I learned a ton about exposure and A with the Z8 and the Z9. With the newest Z telephoto lenses, you can now assign ISO to the Programmable Control Ring on the lens barrel. I suggested that they both adapt this strategy so that they could quickly and easily change the ISO without having to push and hold a button and then turn a dial. Note: with all systems, I advise working in Manual Mode, setting the best shutter speed and aperture for the situation, and then controlling the exposure by changing the ISO.

Then I worked one on one with Sadako (whose knee was feeling my better) on getting consistency good exposures. The trick with Nikon is to keep the histogram active in the viewfinder, judge the brightness through the viewfinder, make a test image, and then check for blinkies and evaluate the histogram. As Sigmon had done the day before, she was nailing the exposures every times.

You can get on the wait list for the Nikon NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Lens (Nikon Z) at B&H but chances are that you can get yours a lot faster from Bedfords — details below. Another note: the Really Wrong Stuff monopods are too heavy, way over-priced, and more difficult to use than the Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65 at half the price.

When the 2 1/2-DAY private DeSoto IPT ended on Friday morning, I headed to Lake Wales for my Florida Dermatology check-up. Then I swung by my family doctors offer to ask Dr. Holmes a few questions and got lucky as he was just finished his last patient. He is retiring. Next was a stop for gas and a quick trip to Junior’s Fish Market. Then home for a quick swim. As I am headed to San Diego (possibly) on Monday, I did two big loads of laundry.

I was early to bed and woke early today, Saturday 13 January, to finish this post and then get to work for my four week CA trip. I was not delighted to find four e-mails from Alaska Airlines informing me that my outbound flight (MCO to SAN) was CANCELLED and that there were no available options. Therefore, I have a bit of extra work to do. Soon.

These just in: when I putting a load of laundry into the dryer, I noticed one of my Delkin Devices 160GB BLACK CFexpress Type A Memory Cards in the bottom of the washer. When I put the card an a1 body, the images displayed perfectly as expected and then I formatted the card. Whatever system you are using, you can find the best memory cards and readers here in the BAA Online Store.

Though I ate only healthy food on the IPT, I was stunned to learn just now that I had gained exactly three pounds since last Monday! Why? I simply ate too much. I will be back on the wagon today.

Wherever you are and whatever you choose to do, I hope that you too have a great day.

Please remember to use the B&H 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!

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.

Who Said It?

A (relatively) famous photographer once said this:

Backgrounds to me are almost the most important part of a picture.

Who said it? (Hint: Not a nature photographer.)

Bruce Dudek remembered that it was a sports photographer. He was correct: Walter Iooss.

Walter Iooss Jr., now 80, is an American photographer noted for his images of athletes including Michael Jordan, Kelly Slater, Tiger Woods, Scottie Pippen, and Muhammad Ali. He has been called the poet laureate of sports. Iooss began his career shooting for Sports Illustrated and contributed to the magazine for more than 50 years.

Save 15%!

If you’d like to try out a new lens, or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.

I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.

Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 codeine the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.

Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com

B&H

To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.

Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.

Bedfords Simplified

Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.

Bedfords Amazing 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, prior purchases.

Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.

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. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often save you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. 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 Thursday 11 January 2024 on a 2 1/2-DAY Fort DeSoto (private) IPT. Standing at full height, I used the handheld Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1250. 1/500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 5:09:47pm on a cloudy-dark afternoon. Tracking: upper center Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the sharper high-res version. Image #1: Great Blue Heron, territorial threat display

Miracle Under the Bridge

On Thursday morning, Sadako’s knee was bothering her so she stayed in. Sigmon and I walked the beach at my morning back-up spot. Though there were far fewer birds than expected, we had a great morning. Sigmon used his Nikon NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens; I went with my Sony 200-600mm G lens so that we would pretty much be on the same page. We worked Forster’s, Sandwich, and Royal Terns, Laughing, Ring-billed, and (immature) Herring Gulls, Osprey, Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, and best of all, small flocks of Red Knots. The gulls and shorebirds were working the low-tide wrath line, feeding on Horse Mussels, a variety of small invertebrates, and what the locals call “sea pork.” The latter looked like large, amorphous, orange, brown, or pink blobs of fat.

We concentrated on the feeding gulls and the running shorebirds and had some decent chances on the knots in flight. I worked closely with Sigmon on his exposure settings and histogram review. Soon he was making mostly excellently exposed to the right images.

Sadako joined us or the afternoon but it was obvious that here knee was still bothering he as she rarely got out of the car. Our first stop was at East Beach. The previous afternoon we sat on the damp sand and were virtually surrounded by about a dozen species of wintering shorebirds. On Thursday, we were stunned as we drove the length of the beach and did not see a single bird. None. Zero. Nada. Not even a full. We headed to North Beach and ran into a photographer who told us that he had walked for hours and not seen a bird. So, giving up hope, we headed back to my morning back-up spot as it was cloudy enough so that the NE wind would not hurt us. There were no birds.

Pretty much defeated, we left the park and drove north. I had made 8:00pm reservations for the thank you dinner at Pia’s Trattoria in Gulfport. I asked Sigmon and Sadako if they wanted to take a short, bumpy, exploratory sight-seeing ride and they both said “Yes.” I added, “Sometimes there is a Great Blue hanging around.” As we drove into the small lot, I spotted a sky-pointing Great Blue Heron and shouted, “There must be another great blue around. When these birds are away from the breeding colony, that behavior is a threat to other GBHs.” I was wrong. There were two other Great Blue Herons in the parking area.

Because it was getting dark and we were under a large bridge, I grabbed my 400mm f/2.8 for the speed. I suggested that Sigmon grab his 70-200mm f/2.8 and add the 1.4X TC, but he opted to go with the 180-600. For the next half-hour we were treated to the three birds threatening each other repeatedly by sky pointing while drooping their wings. They would approach each other and threaten, and then back off. Then they would pose for head and head and neck portraits.

The very few previous (similar) encounters that I had witnessed over the past forty years lasted anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two. One of the images was created on film on the beach at Captiva and was honored in a BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, and runs as a full page (pg. 138) in The Art of Bird Photography.

Though this classic bird photography how-to treatise features only film images, it is still quite relevant today as it covers focal length selection, teleconverters, traveling with your gear, autofocus (in its then primitive form), seeing and understanding the light, shooting silhouettes, electronic flash, making sharp images, designing your photos, getting close to free and wild birds, capturing action and behavior, and a selection of North American hotspots.

The greatest value in the book is the chapter on Making Good Exposures. The section on exposure theory is as relevant today with digital and mirrorless and as valuable as it was when the book was first published in 1998. The book has sold more than 40,000 copies.

The Background

Do the out-of-focus rocks in the background bother you? Or do you like them? One thing is for sure, the f/2.8 aperture softened them quite a bit.

The Secret Spot

Folks who have the Fort DeSoto Site Guide are invited click here and shoot an e-mail with proof of purchase to learn the exact location.

Typos

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