A Very Unusual Morning Photo Session

Your Call?

Which of today’s two featured AWPE images do you like best? Why?

In the Last Blog Post

In the last blog post, Three Very Good Days at Stick Marsh & A Big Editing Tip, here, my favorite image was Image #1, Incoming Roseate Spoonbill in early morning light, because of the sweet soft light and the perfectly illuminated underwings. Tied for second were Image #2, Roseate Spoonbill flat incoming flight because of the down the barrel stare, the 747 flight pose, and the background of suffused green, and Image #7, Roseate Spoonbill preening, as I was able to make a lovely image despite being about 30° off sun angle and come up with a perfect background with the square crop and the perfect preening head angle.

For me the two weakest images were #2, Roseate Spoonbill in flight (tight vertical) as I wish that the bird’s spatulate bill was centered between its legs, and Image #4, Roseate Spoonbill with stick for nest, as I was unable to preserve the small patch of delicate feathers on the upper breast. Otherwise, I find #4 to be spectacular.

Thanks to those who left a comment, especially Anthony Ardito who appreciated the creative crops by comparing the original images in the video to the optimized images that accompanied the blog post and to Monte Brown who like them all :-).

Used Induro Tripod Bargains at Give-away Prices

Your truly, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, is offering the following used Induru tripods for sale as below. Each includes only the legs and insured ground shipping to your lower 48 address. Please contact artie via e-mail.

Induro Stealth GIT 304L in excellent plus condition: a steal at $325.00. The 304L was my go-to tripod for more than eight years. It is perfect for big lenses for folks as tall as 6 feet or so. B&H is offering one in the same condition here for $441.95 (plus tax).

Induro Stealth GIT 304L in very good to excellent condition: a steal at $275.00 as this one is also in perfect working condition. The 304L was my go-to tripod for more than eight years. It is perfect for big lenses for folks as tall as 6 feet or so.

Induro Stealth GIT 505XXL (used only very rarely) in like new condition: an absolute steal at $525.00. This is the monster of all tripods. It offers maximum strength and rigidity and can support 88.2 pounds of gear with ease. It stands 81.3″ tall with the legs fully extended. It is perfect for folks desiring maximum stability in windy conditions, those working from a fixed position with very slow shutter speeds, and in situations where you need to ge very tall such as when working a tree nest possibly while standing on a ladder. This is not a tripod that you want to be carrying around in the field unless you are Superman.

I could not find a single one for sale anywhere in the world. It sold new for $809.95 when it was in production. I paid B&H $802.50 for it when purchased new in 2021.

What’s Up?

The forecast for Monday morning was for a strong NW wind with clear skies and bright sun. Wherever you live, this is usually a death forecast for bird photography. When Anita and I got down to the lake, however, clouds were beginning to build and soon it was totally cloudy. So, we were able to shoot flight with our lenses pointed to the east; we killed on Cattle Egrets taking off into the northwest wind. When things brightened up a bit, we did the same with the addition of some nice backlight. We both used the hand held 300mm f/2.8 GM lens with the 1.4x TC and the Sony a-1 ii.

On Tuesday morning, conditions were a bit better with the wind from the north and some nice light. We had an Osprey on The Perch II. We started working on BLUBBs at 840mm as the bird finished chowing down on a small crappie. Then we went wider by removing the TCs in hopes of getting some nice take-off shots thanks to planning and a-1 ii Pre-Capture. We sat on the bird and concentrated hard for nearly an hour but when it finally took flight, it headed away from us so all we got were butt shots. After trying for some grackle take-off shots at another perch off the South Peninsula, we returned to find that the Osprey had returned to its original perch. After thirty more minutes of laser focus the bird again took flight to the northwest resulting in more take-off butt shots.

If you are seriously interested in exploring the possibility, of joining me next fall to do the Ospreys at Sebastian Inlet, please get in touch via e-mail.

Today is Wednesday 19 March 2025. Happy Birthday to my older daughter Jennifer. Anita and I will be heading down to the lake early this morning to see what’s up and about. This afternoon we are headed over to Fort DeSoto for four days of photography as I have not been since the park re-opened after the last big hurricane. Whatever you plan on doing, I hope that you too opt to have a wonderful day. Do remember that happiness is a choice — Byron Katie, The Work.Com.

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.

Supporting My Efforts Here

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If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.

In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear from the wrong shop.

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Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company

Ever since my two daughters sent me a big box of salmon filets and sea scallops from Wild Alaska Salmon and Seafood Company for my birthday a few years ago, I have been ordering salmon and scallops from them. Now that Junior’s Fish Market in Lake Wales is closing, I will be depending on Wild Alaska every month. I always order Sockeye filets and the Sea Scallops. The stuff comes frozen solid, is easy to prepare, and tastes pretty much as good as the fresh stuff would.

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Note

Nutritionally, if you are eating farm-raised salmon, you might as well be eating pop tarts. Sockeye salmon has the highest amount of Omega 3 of any fish with approximately 2.7 grams per 100-gram portion. Therefore, just one serving of Alaska salmon per week can help to lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Scallops are widely considered one of the healthiest seafoods. Made up of 80% protein and sporting a low fat content, they can help you feel fuller longer and are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are also a great source of antioxidants. Dr. Morris 🙂

This image was created on 12 March 2025 at Lakeland, FL. Standing at full height, I used the hand held Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM OSS Lens (Sony E) and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. ISO 800: 1/500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 7:54:49am before the got onto the birds. Tracking: Spot XS/AF-C with Bird Eye/Face Detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger, inexplicably sharper high res version. Image #1: American White Pelican and Cypress Tree trunk Image courtesy of and copyright 2025 Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Seeing the Shot I

As I mentioned in a previous post, when we arrived well before the sun got on the birds at Lakeland on March 12, I wanted to stay in the vehicle to finish a blog post. When I glanced out, however, I saw the bird in the image above sitting next to a Cypress Tree. I grabbed the 300 f/2.8 with the a-1 ii, got where I wanted, and made perhaps thirty quick images. Once I got the head turn that I needed, I knew that I had the shot so I got back in the car and finished posting the day’s offering.

When I exited my SUV to go to work, I learned from Anita that the two Canon ladies had scared most of the pelicans off the bulkhead so we drove to a nearby lake to look for some tame Anhingas or Limpkins.

Take a Wild Stab

What, if anything, bothers me about Image #1?

This image was created on 12 March 2025 at Lakeland, FL. Standing at full height, I used the Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The Latest Greatest Sony Flagship Body, the a1 II Mirrorless Camera. The exposure was determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear wheel: ISO 800; 1/200 second at f/8 (stopped down 1 stop) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:23:36am (barely) in the shade on a mostly sunny morning. Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the larger, inexplicably sharper high-res version. Image #2: American White Pelican resting Image copyright 2025: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Seeing the Shot II

After striking out at the nearby lake, we headed back to our first location where I spotted the same or another pelican resting next to the Cypress trunk. Again when I saw the image I wanted I grabbed the 600 with the 1.4X TC. I started looking at a horizontal but the back of the bird was in the sun so I went vertical. You can see a sliver of backlight on the right frame-edge where the upper mandible disappears into the feathers of the bird’s back. During this short session I made only about twenty images before I knew that I had one that was perfect.

A Very Unusual Morning Photo Session

Since Bob Eastman arrived at my home in late October 2024, I have been photographing pretty much every morning. During most every one of those am sessions, I have created between 1700 and 7000 images averaging about 4,000 images per morning photo session. I am quite proud of the fact that on the morning of 12 March I created about fifty images and came up with two very sweet images.

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Typos

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