What’s Up?
The last two days I did my 1/2-mile swim by the light of a half moon. On Wednesday evening, the moon was bright enough to create caustics. That leads us to the JP Sears video below. Please take it for what it’s worth. I am sure that opinions will vary.
Note: Caustics describes the patterns of light and color that occur when light rays are reflected or refracted from a surface. In bird photography, they are often seen as ripples of light washing across the body of a bird in the water that is photographed in early morning light.
JP Sears
JP Sears is a YouTuber, comedian, emotional healing coach, author, speaker, world traveler, and curious student of life. His work empowers people to live more meaningful lives. He is very active with his online videos where he encourages healing and growth through his humorous and entertainingly informative videos, which have accumulated over 300 million views.
You can learn more about JP and his work here and on his YouTube channel here.
An e-Mail From Multiple IPT veteran Joe Barranco
Thank you, Artie, for the recent DeSoto IPT (#2). It was great while I got a chance to photograph and not miss a whole day due to my car’s mechanical problems. Your method of placing the lens on one ankle and shooting just above ground level with the flip screen up is genius. It is a great technique that I will use many times in the future. Watching some of the bathing birds and hearing your comments letting us know that they will fly up after the bath got me some great shots. I learn something new from you every time I take one of your IPTs. Good luck, great seeing you again. Joe
Note: Joe’s Lexus would not start on the morning of Day 2 🙁 He kept getting cryptic messages about not enough braking power but it turned out that he needed a new battery …
If You Are On The Fence About Joining the Third DeSoto IPT …
Click the play button above.
YouTube Channel Subscription
Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.
|
|
|
Fort DeSoto in fall is rife with tame birds. All of the images in this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or very early October. I hope that you can join me there this fall. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version. Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron. |
The Remaining Fall 2021 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour
Fall 2021 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 19 October through the morning session on Friday 22 October. $1999.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers/Openings 4.
Fort DeSoto in Fall
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And we will get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, 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 might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.
On this IPT, all will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.. Everyone will learn 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, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). The best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever and whenever you photograph.
There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not likely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB information.
A $500 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check after you register. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.
|
|
|
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur. |
Up Early, Stay Out Late!
Obviously folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Important Note
As an Amazon Associate I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases when you purchase from Amazon using any of the links on the blog. Thanks, BTW 🙂
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
It’s clever. It does not make light of the deaths, but of the silliness of the mandates and some of the illogical rules imposed. Up here, restaurant workers do not need to get vaccinated, but patrons do…in other words an unvaccinated employee can work 8 hours in a restaurant without issue but as soon as the shift is over this very same person cannot now simply sit down at a table in the very same establishment and order food for himself under threat of heavy penalties. That is just one of many idiocies going on right now.
Hey Dan, well said. And I agree in spades.
with love, a
Hi Artie. JP inspired me to eat healthier a few years back by demonstrating how to make a healthy pizza. A cucumber pizza.
Artie,
Thanks for the link to Dr. McCullough’s presentation. Superb. I’ve seen a number of his talks and interviews, but this is probably the best.
This video is not clever or humorous, and even worse, it attempts to satirize the public health response to the Covid pandemic.
Maybe. You might view the video here with an open mind.
with love, artie
Clever video. The ad seemed a bit ironic.
Or humorously sarcastic and true?
with love, artie
That might be the dumbest video I’ve ever seen. But thanks for posting it. And I do always wear a lifejacket when I’m on a boat.
Or not?
with love, artie
Not really very funny when over 700,000 people have died from the Covid 19 virus and most could have been saved with the vaccine. 95% of the ones who died were not vaccinated.
Or not. See the video here.
with love, artie
Great video. Reminds me of an older one, “If Bill Gates was a mechanic. Sound Familiar?” about a dangerous new experimental oil.
Loved your recent rainbow image.
Artie, the JP Sears video is hysterical and its humor is spot-on in view of what’s going on in our society today. Thanks!