The Streak Continues: 207
It is now just before 8:45am here on yet another sunny morning here at Indian Lake Estates. The afternoon thunderstorms will be coming for sure. This post took abut 3 hours to prepare. Enjoy and learn.
This post marks 207 consecutive days with a new blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links why quit now? April, May and June have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.
You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.
I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.
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Image courtesy of and copyright Bobby V (Robert van Mierop): 2014. Created with the hand held Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens, the Nikon TC-14E II 1.4x Teleconverter for D-AF-S & AF-I Lenses ONLY, and the Nikon D300 (now replaced by the Nikon D300s SLR Digital Camera (Body Only). That’s me with my Beach Rolly at Matanzas Inlet, FL, about 30 minutes south of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. |
The One Thing That I Don’t Like About My Beach Rolly
The one thing that I really do not like about the Beach Rolly is that it is too big and bulky to travel with. It fits easily into the back of my SUV, and will fit pretty easily into the back seat of most passenger vehicles. But there is no way to get it onto an airplane.
The Beach Rolly is ideal when you need to carry a ton of gear at locations with boardwalks or paved pathway. It would be wonderful to have the Beach Rolly at the Albuquerque Zoo. We visit there each year on the Bosque IPT to photograph Wood Ducks and other free and wild duck species that come in for the free lunches and dinners that are provided to the captive species on display there. As you can see above, theBeach Rolly can also be useful on beaches with fairly hard-packed sand. I would be reluctant to use it on a soft sand beach unless I was going with just a single telephoto lens.
If I look hot there is a reason for that…. But I would have been a lot hotter without my Beach Rolly.
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This image was created on the boardwalk at Gatorland with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens (hand held at 35mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/6.3 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. |
The Beach Rolly at the Gator Rookeries
With my shoulder bugging me significantly, I used my Beach Rolly this spring on each and every visit to Gatorland and St. Augustine. In the image above I am actually traveling light with only the
The bags are prototypes of the new 3Xpandable and 4Xpandable Long Lens Bags from LensCoat. Learn more about these two great new bags, the Universal Harness for either Expandable Long Lens Bag, and the The Lenscoat Waistbelt
by scrolling down here.
Note that when I am working in Florida I travel with my Canon 580Ex II Flash with a Better Beamer and a Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord 3 attached, all mounted to the Mongoose Integrated Flash Arm. This reduces flash set-up time by more than 90%.
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This image was created outside of the early morning entrance to Gatorland with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens (hand held at 35mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 800. Evaluative metering -1/3 stop: 1/40 sec. at f/5 in Manual mode. Two sensors to the left of the Central sensor/AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF as framed active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. |
Loaded for Bear
Here I am carrying just about everything I own packed into the Beach Rolly and my workhorse Think Tank Airport Security™ V 2.0 Rolling Camera Bag. I never leave home without my Think Tank bag.
In addition to the 600II and the 200-400 I have the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, the 24-70, a load of Series III teleconverters, and even the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. Though I never got to photograph them there were some neat flowers in bloom right next to the Gatorland boardwalk.
The white box had a few of my books and a few bottles of LensClens that I leave on a bench for potential buyers.
Imagine trying to carry all of that gear myelf?
Xtrahand Vest
Please e-mail with the words Xtrahand Vest cut and pasted into the Subject line for info on my one and only photography vest.
Image Exposure Question
Why -1/3 stop in the 3rd image?
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Join Denise Ippolito and me for four great days of photography and learning at one of our soul places. Please click on the card to enjoy a larger version.
Bosque del Apache 2014 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). NOV 29 (afternoon photo session)-DEC 3 (morning session), 2014. Totaling 4 FULL-DAYS: $1449. Leaders: Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 7:00pm on Saturday 11/29.
Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 6th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.
This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/29 through 12/2), 4 morning (11/30 to 12/3) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/29, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.
There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.
A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2014. If the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.
Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
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Join Denise Ippolito and me for two great days of photography, fun, and learning at one of our soul places. We will surely be taking you out of the box on this workshop. Please click on the card to enjoy a larger version.
Bosque del Apache 2014 A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART “Creative Photography Instructional Photo-Tour.” (IPT). NOV 24-25, 2014. 2-FULL DAYS: $729. Leaders: Denise Ippolito & Arthur Morris. Introductory Slide program: 7:00pm on Sunday 11/23.
Get Out of Your Box!
The Creative Bosque IPT is perfect for folks who want to learn to think outside the box, to create new and different images. This workshop is the perfect add-on for folks who are planning on attending the Festival of the Cranes. Learn to unleash your creative juices at the wondrous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, New Mexico with two great leaders including the amazingly talented and creative Denise Ippolito. In-the-field instruction will include tips on gear set-up, on creating a variety of pleasing blurs, on getting the right exposure, and on designing pleasing images. And lots more. From vertical pan blurs to subject motion blurs to zoom blurs to multiple exposures we will cover it all. If conditions are perfect, we will not hesitate to take advantage of them to do some traditional bird photography. This workshop will include an inspirational introductory slide program on Sunday evening, 11/23, after dinner on your own, two morning and two afternoon photography sessions, all lunches, a digital workflow and Photoshop session after lunch on Monday, and an image critiquing session after lunch on Tuesday.
A $329 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2014. If the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.
Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.
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Antarctica/The Extended Expedition Voyage
Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Falkland Islands: December 13, 2014 to January 10, 2015
Breathe deeply, bite the bullet, and live life to its fullest; we all get only one ride on the merry-go-round… Join me on this great trip. Click here for additional details.
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Amazon Canada
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Typos
In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂
/Where can you buy the BeachRolly??
By clicking on any of the active Beach Rolly links above. Let me know if you have any problems. artie
Wow, you were reading my mind yesterday. I was humping up to Hermaness on Unst in the Shetlands carrying the 600, 300,3 bodies, tripod and the 24-105. Major 1 mile, uphill climb on trail and boardwalk to the gannet and puffin colonies. As a seasoned citizen I was thinking this was too much. However, I was remembering your post from a few years ago on how you liked Denise’s Beach Rolly. I was ready to write the check a hundred times on the way up! The next day I went up light. Just the 300, 1DX, and converters. Perfect setup for Great Skuas as they dive bomb you. Gannets, Skuas and Puffins all with young. Skua chicks about 1 week old, still with egg teeth.
From their I headed fron Hermaness (the most north point on the Shetlands) to Sunburgh Head, (the most southerly point on the Shetlands) to shoot the puffin colony. No need for the beech rolly there. the 300 and 1DX with and without the 1.4 & 2x was perfect.
Weather’s been outstanding and looks to be the case for the Puffin IPT. Have a great flight.
Dave
An addition to my comment about the second version with the seat – For my leg length I really need a cushion on the seat as the canvas allows the seat to go below the tubing.
Artie, from a distance some folks might think you’re a bumb with his trolley scavenging on the beach. 🙂
That is the plan….
Hi Artie
For once I can offer you a tip! Leaving your Betta Beamer assembled can be very dangerous. I left mine on the back seat of my car whilst driving and the sunlight went thru the fresnel lens and burnt a hole in another lens lying along side it. Another time I sat down holding my lens and the sun went thru the fresnel again and nearly burnt a hole in my jeans! luckily I was wearing long pants or I would have suffered a severe burn. I have also noticed that the front of my Speedlite has lots of burn marks on it Just from walking around. Now I make sure I throw a towel over it when it is in the car or cover it with my hat when sitting in the sun.
Cheers Tom
Good reminder Tom. Been there done that. In the 2nd image, the fresnel screen is in place. But is was a totally cloudy day. In the third image, the fresnel screen is in my Think Tank bag :). I leaned my lesson many times.
I like the idea of carrying the better beamer rig preassembled. It’s a pain in the neck and time consuming to put all the components together. I carry the fresnel lens in its plastic holder so it won’t get bent and affix it to the beamer onsite.
I would not pack it assembled for air travel but once you get to a location set it up once and leave it that way till you head home. artie
That’s a good idea, something I do now as well. In the sun that fresnel lens can torch your flash in seconds.
This looks like a handy gadget. I’ve been thinking about a foldable camping wagon (Google will turn up several very similar models). But the Beach Rolly looks lighter and smaller.
A little gadget bag would be handy, and there must be an easy way to attach one. A hex key could just be taped to one of the uprights — gaffer’s tape or Gorilla tape should be strong enough to withstand rough handling.
Ooops spelling should be Beach Rolly. I tried to add a picture of the axle problem but couldn’t figure out a way.
-!/3 because of the white USPS boxes.
In case others have the same problem—My BeachRoly came apart on one side of the axle recently after going over some rough ground. Outdoor Photogear kindly told me how to fix it. “Try tightening the bolt with the frame pushed in over the white part, then the white tube will expand, holding the frame on. Tighten that little hex bolt” that is under the axle.
Now I want to take a hex key along all the time in case the axle comes loose again. But there is no good way to attach it to the cart without danger of losing it. It would be great if a zipper pocket was added to the back of the cloth carrying bag close to the name tag. If you have any clout with the company maybe they would consider adding a zipper pocket?
Wondering if you have (or any reader has) tried the Beach Rolly version with the seat and, if so, what did you think of it? Thanks.
Have not but see Eleanor’s comment below.
Artie, there is a way to travel with it but it does cost money. Save and reinforce the box it came in and pay for it just like golf clubs or have a special box made for it with straps and reinforcing.
I have tried the other version with the seat as that is one of my requirements. The problem with it is that there are no canvas sides on the luggage side and it is even more bulky than the Beach Rolly.
Eleanor