Hard to Understand..../Image Design Principles/Shorebird ID/Time is Running Out

The Streak Continues: 304

I have just about finished with my 2013 tax return; today I need to add the car stuff and go over all of the credit card statements with a fine-toothed comb. It was sunny for the first time in what seemed like a month for yesterday’s 2/3 mile swim. Morning meditation, a late afternoon nap, and an evening ice bath rounded out the day. I was glad to see the Kansas City Chiefs kick the New England Patriots butts on Monday Night Football. I will never understand why so many experts want to award the Super Bowl trophy to Pretty Boy Tom Brady and the Patriots every year before the season starts! This blog post, the 304rd in a row, took me about three hours to prepare. It was published at about 7:00am from my home in Indian Lake Estates, FL.

One of our four perfectly-qualified volunteer reviewers returned his edit of the DPP 4.0 RAW Conversion Guide to me via e-mail yesterday afternoon. I will not get to look at it for a few days….

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we 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 used, tested, and can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know what you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

Hard to Understand

When I planned the first-ever BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meetup Workshop Session (ITF/MWS) at Fort DeSoto and priced the afternoon of instruction at only $50, I was positive that it would sell out instantly. Wow, was I wrong. This session is free for folks attending the complete IPT and all three registrants will be attending the ITF/MWS. Only two other photographers, however, have signed up. Here is what baffles me: whenever I am afield, be it at Fort DeSoto, Nickerson Beach, Bosque del Apache, or the cliffs at La Jolla, I see folks with many thousands of dollars worth of photo gear. And the great percentage of those folks are doing lots of things wrong, things that make it impossible to create even a few good images. Heck, many of these folks easily have more than $20,000 worth of gear. The fact is that when I see someone doing everything right they stick out like the proverbial sore thumb….

I planned the first BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meetup Workshop Session so that I could introduce folks to what goes on at an IPT on a nearly-free basis. There is so, so much to learn when you are in the field with a skilled, experienced instructor. As I have said here before and often, many folks think that buying a big lens and a professional digital camera body will make the a good photographer. Many of them simply do not understand the value of hard work, study, practice, and good instruction.

Why my plan failed is hard to understand….

Scroll down in this blog post for complete details on both the ITF/MWS and the complete IPT.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 14-28, 2015 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $12,499. Limit 14 including the leader:/Openings: 5.

Though my two-week Galapagos Photo-Cruises are without equal there are too many openings on the 2015 cruise. If you are at all interested, please get in touch with me via e-mail and I will shoot you the current itinerary. I would be glad to design a personalized payment plan for you.

Right now we have three couples and a single female seriously interested; I am hoping to fill this trip soon.

My trip has world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with eight Galapagos cruises under his belt. Pre-trip and pre-landing location-specific gear advice. In-the-field photo instruction and guidance. Jeez, I almost forgot: fine dining at sea! See the blog post here for some great images. Scroll down here for complete details and to learn how to request the itinerary.

This image was created on October 29 with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the old Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens now replaced by the Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II lens, the Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the e Canon EOS-1D Mark III now replaced by thCanon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/9 in Av mode. Central Sensor Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF as framed on the spot where the neck meets the upper breast was active at the moment of exposure. Though I was focused just a bit on this side of the plane of the eye, f/9, stopped down 1 1/3 stops from wide open, gave me enough depth-of-field to render the eye sharp. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Image Design Principles

Compare the two images in this blog post. Why did I go with horizontal format for the image above? With the bird near the beach, there was no reflection so I went with a near-rule of thirds composition by keeping the bird well back in the frame.

Why did I go with a vertical for the image below? To include the soft but rather pleasing reflection.

ID

What species is featured in the image above. Do you know if it is an adult or a hatch year (juvenile) bird?

Hand Holding the 500 II

To learn about my experience hand holding the 500 II at Fort DeSoto, click here.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

Selling your used (or like-new) photo gear through the BAA Blog or via a BAA Online Bulletin is a great idea. We charge only a 5% commission. One of the more popular used gear for sale sites charges a minimum of 20% plus assorted fees! Yikes. The minimum item price here is $500 (or less for a $25 fee). If you are interested please e-mail with the words Items for Sale Info Request cut and pasted into the Subject line :). Stuff that is priced fairly–I offer free pricing advice, usually sells in no time flat. In the past few months, we have sold just about everything in sight. Click here to see all the current listings.

The Gear That Was Used to Create Today’s Images

Used Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Michael Zajac is offering a Canon EOS-1D Mark III professional digital camera body in Excellent condition for $1250. The sale includes the battery charger, one battery, the original paperwork, the camera strap, the original box, and shipping to the continental US.

Please contact Michael via e-mail or by phone at 732-979 -6644. Photos are available upon request.

Some EOS-1D Mark III bodies originally had AF problems. Michael’s did not. I have seen his great flight images made with this camera. This body features a 1.3X crop factor sensor and is a great step-up for someone who wants to take a big step up from a 7D. It’s powerful battery drives AF much faster than the pro-sumer bodies especially with either a 1.4X or 2X teleconverter in place.

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

IPT veteran Stuart Hahn is offering a used original owner Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in excellent condition with clean glass for $5250. B&H is offering a virtually identical used “old 500” for $6,299.95; you can save more than $1000 by grabbing Stu’s lens asap. The sale includes the front leather lens hood, the rear dust cap, a used RRS B-91 Flash Bracket, the original case with keys, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Stu via e-mail or by phone (after October 3) at 916-485-1630 (Pacific time). Please note that Stu will be in Brazil beginning 9/22 and returning on October 3. He will try to answer e-mails if possible.

Used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM Lens

Dan Womack is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS (Image Stabilizer) USM lens in excellent condition with clean glass with a few small nicks on the lens hood for $5150. B&H is offering a virtually identical used “old 500” for $6,299.95; you can save more than $1000 by grabbing Dan’s lens asap. The sale includes the front leather hood, the rear dust cap, the original case with keys, and insured shipping to US addresses only. Your lens will be shipped only after your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Dan via e-mail or by phone at 337 412 1898.

This is another October 29 image. It too was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the old Canon 500mm f/4L IS lens now replaced by the Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II lens, the Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the e Canon EOS-1D Mark III now replaced by thCanon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/800 sec. at f/8 in Av mode. Central Sensor Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird’s eye and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version.

Shorebirds; Beautiful Beachcombers

Written for naturalists and birders, the text tells you everything you’ve always wanted to know about North America’s sandpipers, godwits, yellowlegs, phalaropes, plovers, avocets, stilts, and oystercatchers. With 70 of Arthur’s images and 26 more by some of the world’s best nature photgraphers, this book contains the finest collection of shorebird photographs ever published in a single volume. You will learn not only to identify all of North America’s regularly-occurring species, but to age them as juveniles, first-winter birds, breeding adults, faded molting adults, or winter (basic) plumage adults.

To learn more the species featured in today’s blog post get yourself a signed copy of my Shorebirds/Beautiful Beachcombers. The book is out of print and when our last few copies are gone they will be hard to get.

ID

What species is featured in the image above. Do you know if it is an adult or a hatch year (juvenile)?

Fort DeSoto in fall is rich with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or early October. I hope that you can join me there this October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

First-ever BIRDS AS ART In-the-Field/Meetup Workshop Session (ITF/MWS): $50

Join me on the afternoon of October 10, 2014 for 3-hours of photographic instruction at Fort DeSoto Park. Beginners are welcome. Lenses of 300mm or longer are recommended but even those with 70-200s should get to make some nice images. Teleconverters are always a plus.

You will learn the basics of digital exposure and image design, autofocus basics, and how to get close to free and wild birds. We should get to photograph a variety of wading birds, shorebirds, terns, and gulls. This inexpensive afternoon workshop is designed to give folks a taste of the level and the quality of instruction that is provided on BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-tours. I hope to meet you there.

To register please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours with a credit card in hand to pay the nominal registration fee. Your registration fee is non-refundable. You will receive a short e-mail with instructions, gear advice, and meeting place at least two weeks before the event.

Obviously folks attending the IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors. The good news is that the days are relatively short in October. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.

Fort DeSoto Fall IPT/October 11-13, 2014. 3 FULL DAYs: $1099. Limit 8/Openings: 5.

It’s Getting Late!

Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, gulls, and terns who winter on the T-shaped peninsula that serves as their wintering grounds. With any luck, we should get to photograph two of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit and the spectacular Long-billed Curlew. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher likely. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Tricolored Heron are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. We should get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. And Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork would not be unexpected.

Folks who sign up for the IPT are welcome to join us on the ITF/MWS on Friday afternoon as my guest. See above for details on that.

On the IPT you will learn basics and fine points of digital exposure and to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, to, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. And you will learn learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).

At lunch (included) we will review my images–folks learn a ton watching me edit–why keep this one and delete that one. If you opt to bring your laptop, we will take a look at five of your best images from the morning session. We will process a few of my images in Photoshop after converting them in DPP. That followed by Instructor Nap Time.

If you decide to register and are traveling to attend this IPT, please make your reservations at the Beachcomber Beach Resort, 6200 Gulf Blvd, St. Petersburg (St. Pete Beach), FL 33706 (727-367-1902) as soon as possible as rooms for the weekend days are scarce: ARR: 10 OCT/DEP 14 OCT. I stayed there on my last DeSoto visit and was quite happy with it. Lodging is tough in Florida at this season…. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). It is always best if IPT folks stay in the same hotel so if you are interested it would be a good idea to register now and make your hotel reservations as well. We can, however, coordinate easily with local folks who opt to stay at home either by cell phone or e-mail.

Because of the relatively late date, payment is full is due upon registration either by check or credit card. If the former, please e-mail us immediately so that we can save you a spot. If the latter, please call Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand to register . Your registration fee is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with eight so please check your plans carefully before committing. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, gear advice, and first morning meeting place about one month before this IPT.

BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT.

Fort DeSoto Site Guide

Can’t make the IPT? Get yourself a copy of the Fort DeSoto Site Guide. Learn the best spots, where to be when in what season in what weather. Learn the best wind directions for the various locations. BAA Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. You can see all of them here.

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Typos

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