March 22nd, 2023 ILE Baby Crane and Eagle In-the-Field Sessions
Right now, I have five tame baby cranes and two baby eagles here at ILE and nobody to share them with. The timing for a great learning and photo session here has never been better. $300 for two solid hours of detailed photographic instruction till Sunday. We can fine-tune your date for the best weather. If you are interested in joining me, please get in touch via e-mail.
Iceland
My decades-long dream of spending time on Grimsey Island, Iceland, with the puffins — 13 days in this case!, will be realized this coming July. I am doing back-to-back trips as a participant. If anyone would like information on the world’s greatest Iceland/Atlantic Puffin trip this coming July, please contact me via e-mail.
What’s Up?
I was not feeling it down by the lake yesterday morning. It was cold and sunny. For the most part, the birds were uncooperative and I was being lazy so I made a very few images from my SUV working off the BLUBB at 1200mm. Both two-chick Sandhill Crane families were on the edge of the marsh. Remarkably, the Killdeer that nested in the North Field last spring is on eggs in the exact same spot.
While I loved Clemens’ airborne, worm pulling Piping Plover my very favorite image was #3, the Reddish Egret dark morph dancing. Why? For its absolute perfection.
As surmised by IPT veteran Lance Kreuger, I did screw up on Clemens’ lens yesterday. Clemens does not owner use the Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS lens. He does own and use the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS III USM lens.
Today is Wednesday 22 March 2023. I will surely head down to the lake for a bit once I am done here. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes three hundred fifty-six days in a row with a new educational post written just for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. My plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then begin posting every other day. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon 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!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so, works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
Please remember that 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.
The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service
The Site Guide Subscription Service was a new concept last year. I e-mailed the first issue in late-March 2022. The Basics e-mail includes specific directions to the site, and a map of the rookery area with specific instructions and wind, weather, and where-to-be advice. Sign up now to receive last year’s five e-mails and the latest info in the Stick Marsh Site Guide e-Mail #6: March 20, 2023 Update. To sign up for the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, call Jim in the office weekday afternoons at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand or send a PayPal for the $100.00 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net. Please be sure to include the words Stick Marsh with your PayPal.
I fully understand that you can go to Google Maps, find Stick Marsh, visit, and likely make some good images. You might think, I can do fine just without artie’s advice. But you will do a whole lot better with it. Especially considering the new conditions and the big change coming very soon.
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This image was created on 21 February 2023 in the harbor at Homer, AK on Day Two of the first 2023 Kachemak Bay/Homer, AK Bald Eagle IPT. I used the hand held Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter (at 280mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras. ISO 5000: 1/640 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be dead-solid perfect. AWB at 8:31:04am on a cloudy morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Animal Face/Eye detection nailed the eye of the adult otter. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #1: Sea Otter with pup
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Cloudy Skies for Sea Otters
With their dark, usually wet fur, I greatly prefer cloudy skies to full sun when photographing Sea Otters. Contrast is greatly reduced in the soft light and all shadows are eliminated. IPTs #1 and #2 had many good chances in the aisle where Captain Gabe docks his boat. With five sunny days, I abstained from Sea Otter photography on the last IPT. Not that with next-to-no depth of field that I sharpened the face of the pup with Topaz AI Sharpen. I do not remember the details.
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This image was also created on 21 February 2023 in the harbor at Homer, AK on Day Two of the first 2023 Kachemak Bay/Homer, AK Bald Eagle IPT. I used the Sony FE 400mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). The exposure was determined via Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/1000 sec. at f/4 (wide open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file exposure was determined to be perfect. AWB at 2:38:31pam on a cloudy afternoon.
Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Animal Face/Eye detection enabled performed OK — it grabbed the otter’s nose. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Sea Otter — head portrait of newborn pup; the goo on the top of the pup’s head and nose is from the birthing process
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Your Call?
After clicking on each image to enlarge it, please leave a comment letting us know which of today’s two featured images you like best? And please let us know why you made your choice.
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All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK
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2024 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs
IPT #1: WED 21 FEB 2024 through the full day on SUN 25 FEB 2024. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 4.
IPT #2: MON 26 FEB 2024 through the full day on FRI 1 MAR 2024. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings 3.
Register for both trips to maximize your travel dollars and enjoy a $1000 discount while you are at it.
This trip features non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.
In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require some good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.
If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If the conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.
We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.
Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader and instructor. He is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer. But only if that is what you want.
You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes.
You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode.
Most importantly you will learn to pick your best flight photographs from tens of thousands of images.
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You will enjoy working with the best and most creative boat captain on his sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck watercraft.
Only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.
Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions.
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All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK
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What’s Included
One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.
What’s Not Included
Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.
Please Note
On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $225/hour. The leader will pay for the bait.
Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer. In 2023 those included Moose, Great Grey, and Short-eared Owls.
Deposit Information
A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (the latter made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check (as above).
In Closing
I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of these two trips is to sign up for all of them. Can you keep up with me? If you have any questions, or are good to go for one, or two of these great trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
March 21st, 2023 ILE Baby Crane and Eagle In-the-Field Sessions
Right now, I have five tame baby cranes and two baby eagles here at ILE and nobody to share them with. The timing for a great learning and photo session here has never been better. $300 for two solid hours of detailed photographic instruction from this Sunday through next Sunday. We can fine-tune your date for the best weather. If you are interested in joining me, please get in touch via e-mail.
Galapagos 2023 Opening Filled!
Lake Morton In-the-Field veteran Bob Matyas will be joining the smallest Galapagos 2023 Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT group ever. Why? Two folks signed up for single cabins. This trip is by far the world’s finest photographic cruise of the famed archipelago. I will be returning in August 2024. If you are interested or have questions, please get in touch via e-mail ASAP.
Iceland
My decades-long dream of spending time on Grimsey Island, Iceland, with the puffins — 13 days in this case!, will be realized this coming July. I am doing back-to-back trips as a participant. If anyone would like information on the world’s greatest Iceland/Atlantic Puffin trip this coming July, please contact me via e-mail.
What’s Up?
I stayed in yesterday morning for the first time since I returned from Alaska. I got tons of work done. I finished and distributed Stick Marsh Site Guide e-Mail #6, the March 20, 2023 Update. I contained details on the latest construction project. Similarly, I finished and distributed the SONY Alpha a1 Set-up and Info Notes Group e-Mail F (20 March 2023).
Though I loved the tiny bug, my favorite image from yesterday was #1, the squabbling Black Vultures. Why? Because it is different and shows action.
Today is Tuesday 21 March 2023. I will surely head down to the lake for a bit once I am done here. This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes three hundred fifty-five days in a row with a new educational post written just for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. My plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then begin posting every other day. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon 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!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so, works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
Please remember that 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.
The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service
The Site Guide Subscription Service was a new concept last year. I e-mailed the first issue in late-March 2022. The Basics e-mail includes specific directions to the site, and a map of the rookery area with specific instructions and wind, weather, and where-to-be advice. Sign up now to receive last year’s five e-mails and the latest info in the Stick Marsh Site Guide e-Mail #6: March 20, 2023 Update. To sign up for the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, call Jim in the office weekday afternoons at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand or send a PayPal for the $100.00 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net. Please be sure to include the words Stick Marsh with your PayPal.
I fully understand that you can go to Google Maps, find Stick Marsh, visit, and likely make some good images. You might think, I can do fine just without artie’s advice. But you will do a whole lot better with it. Especially considering the new conditions and the big change coming very soon.
Clemens Van der Werf
As blog regulars know, Clemens is a longtime friend. After attending 13 IPTS in the early 2000-teens, he has been a superb photographer for many years, surely my most accomplished student. Anita North, just back from five months in Africa on her own, is a very close second. I am often envious of Clemens’ (and of Anita’s) work. Clemens’s six images here are all quite excellent. His photos have been featured here on the blog many times. If you would like to see some of those blog posts, type his name into the little white search box at the top right of each blog post and hit Return. That will quickly yield ten pages of links! And, you can see more of his work in his virtual print gallery at Shop.clemensvanderwerf.com. Be especially sure to check out his Bald Eagles Gallery. Equally spectacular are Ice, Penguins, and Yellowstone in Winter. Clemens apparently likes cold weather. He recently moved from West Palm Beach, FL back to The Netherlands. He visited Florida recently.
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This image was created on 9 March 2023 by Clemens Van der Werf at Fort DeSoto Park, FL. Kneeling behind his lowered tripod, he used the Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens with the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R and the Canon EOS R3 Mirrorless camera body.. The exposure was determined via histogram evaluation. ISO 400. 1/3200 sec. at f/5.6 (stopped down one-stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:35:36am on a sunny morning.
Image #2: Reddish Egret white morph dancing
Image courtesy of and Copyright 2023: Clemens Van der Werf
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One Day at Fort DeSoto
Clemens made all of today’s featured images in a single day at Fort DeSoto! Consider them and you will have a good understanding of the endless potential of Fort DeSoto and how great it can be in late winter and spring.
Underwing Shadows
As with photographs of birds with their wings raised, photographs of dancing egrets with absolutely no sign of a shadow on the underwings are the cream of the crop. Images #3 is a perfect example of this principle. In addition to the great wings-raised pose, there is no sign of an underwing shadow anywhere. A camera that offers 30 fps is a huge advantage in action situations.
Have You?
Have you ever before seen an image of a shorebird pulling a worm with both feet off the ground?
On Working Through the Viewfinder versus Working Off the Rear Monitor
It is always easier to follow a moving subject, frame the subject as you wish thus creating pleasing compositions, and to see the AF points in action when working through the viewfinder as compared to working off the rear screen. You can work through the viewfinder when sitting or kneeling behind your lowered tripod. It is easier to get up from a kneeling position than it is to get up when sitting, but some folks, including and especially me, cannot — for a variety of reasons, all physical, simply cannot kneel. In the same vein, there are some who cannot sit because they cannot get up.
As for getting really low, you have four options:
1-Lie flat on the ground and work with your eye to the viewfinder.
2 While seated, work off the tilted rear screen with the lens on a flattened tripod.
3-While seated, work off the tilted rear screen with the lens on a Panning Ground Pod or skimmer.
4-While seated, work off the tilted rear screen using the ankle-pod, toe-pod, or heel-pod technique.
The first option can be tough on the lower back and neck, and will often leave you wet and muddy from head to toe. But it is much easier to consistently create great low perspective images. Options 2-4 leave you only with a dirty or wet butt. Long sessions can be physically demanded for those not as flexible as they used to be. Be sure to bring your reading glasses when using options 2-4 if you need them.
Your Call?
I know that it will be tough, but which of Clemens’ six images do you like best? Please let us know why you made your choice.
Big-time thanks to Clemens for allowing me to share his fine Canon EOS R3 images with you here today.
Unsolicited via e-mail from Pete Myers
I just spent 4 days in the field in a graduate course in bird photography taught by Artie Morris at Fort DeSoto. After almost 50 years of experience pointing cameras at birds from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand and beyond, I thought I was good enough. But what I learned from Artie in just four days has taken me to a whole new level. As he aptly puts it, “birds as art,” not simply bird photography. One of those 4 days was the most satisfying I’d ever experienced, anywhere. The IPT left me euphoric about what I’d learned, and frighteningly committed to recreating my portfolio with the techniques and insights he taught me.
Unsolicited via e-mail from IPT veteran Eugen Dolan
Arthur, Thank you very much for your overwhelming infectious enthusiasm that helped get me up on some mornings. Also, your ability to express yourself- and explain in great detail why you like or may not like an image – was very helpful in allowing me to better analyze my images. Eugen
Via e-mail from Jim Miller
I can’t stop thinking about how much fun the DeSoto IPT was, and how much I learned. There were so many things that suddenly made perfect sense after I had been confused for so long. Thank you very much for the wonderful trip, and for being a great teacher. As I worked through the raw files last week, I realized what a fantastic lens the 600 IS is. Thanks for the rental! Maybe someday I will be able to afford one. Some images for critique are attached. Thank you again, Artie. It was really wonderful to be with you and learn from you.
Via e-mail from Lee Sommie
I want to thank you for making the Fort DeSoto IPT; it was a fun and educational experience for me. I truly did not want the adventure to end. I now look through the viewfinder with an artist’s mindset. And the real bonus was making new friends with fellow students. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife photography. I had a great time with you and look forward to more adventures on future IPTs.
Via e-mail from Muhammad Arif
I had a great time at Fort De Soto. Thank you for all the instruction, for your help and pointers; my photography has already improved tremendously, and I’ve never made such good bird photos before. I wish I could’ve joined you on Monday and Tuesday morning as well, but work got in the way. It was also nice meeting the folks on the IPT. Thanks again for everything and I hope to join you at a future IPT sometime again.
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Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, many in full breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull landing on head of Brown Pelican, Laughing Gull in flight, Reddish Egret sunrise silhouette, Great Blue Heron with needlefish, Yellow-crowned Night Heron with ghost crab, Roseate Spoonbill, Sanderling in breeding plumage, and white morph Reddish Egret in glorious breeding plumage.
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The 2023 Spring Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo Tours (IPTs)
Spring Fort DeSoto IPT #1: Tuesday 28 March through the morning session on 31 March 2023. 3 1/2 Days: $1899.00 includes three working brunches. Limit six photographers/Openings: 5.
Spring Fort DeSoto IPT #2: Tuesday 11 April through the morning session on 14 April 2023. 3 1/2 Days: $1899.00 includes three working brunches. Limit six photographers/Openings: 4.
Spring Fort DeSoto IPT #3: Tuesday 9 May through the morning session on 12 May 2023. 3 1/2 Days: $1899.00 includes three working brunches. Limit six photographers/Openings: 5.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for terns and gulls, wading birds, and shorebirds in spring. Many of the birds will be in full breeding plumage. Simply put, DeSoto is the new Ding Darling. Migrant shorebirds are in abundance, and many are exceedingly tame. We should have great chances on Royal and Sandwich Terns and both white- and dark-morph Reddish Egrets. 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 along with some American Oystercatchers. We will enjoy lots of great flight photography, especially with the Brown Pelicans.
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Again, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: Laughing Gull in flight, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Sandwich Terns copulating, Roseate Spoonbill, Great Egret with reflection, breeding plumage Short-billed Dowitcher, American Oystercatcher, Royal Tern, white morph Reddish Egret, and Snowy Egret in marsh.
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In Addition!
We should also get to photograph a variety of other shorebirds including Black-bellied, Semipalmated, Wilson’s, Snowy, and Piping Plovers, Willet, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Marbled Godwit, and most especially, Red Knot, with many individuals in their handsome breeding plumages. In spring the T-shaped peninsula and the newly formed sandbar, Outback Key, are literally packed with avian treasures.
With just a bit of luck, we may get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable species: Roseate Spoonbill. And we will surely get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. With luck, they will have Laughing Gulls landing on their heads. And though not guaranteed, 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.
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Yes, Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: breeding plumage Dunlin, dark morph Reddish Egret displaying, Laughing Gull vertical front-end portrait, Laughing Gull with prey item, landing on head of Brown Pelican, breeding plumage Royal Tern displaying, Royal Terns — pre-copulatory stance, Laughing Gulls copulating, Laughing Gull head portrait, breeding plumage Sandwich Tern with fish, and a rare treat, a breeding plumage White-rumped Sandpiper.
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What You Will Learn on a DeSoto IPT
- 1- The basics and fine points of digital exposure; how to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure (or before if you are using SONY gear).
- 2- How and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it).
- 3- How to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
- 4- Lots about bird behavior and how to use that knowledge to help you create better images.
- 5- To age and identify many species of shorebirds including various sandpipers, plovers, dowitchers, and possibly yellowlegs.
- 6- To spot good situations and to choose the best perspective.
- 7- To see, evaluate, and understand the light.
- 8- To design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
- 9- And perhaps most importantly, to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography.
- 10- More than you could ever imagine.
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You got it by now! Fort DeSoto in spring is rife with tame birds, most in breeding plumage. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left around to center: Roseate Spoonbill, immature Brown Pelican in flight, the heron/egret hybrid, American Oystercatcher feeding, immature Royal Tern on railing, Great Egret morning silhouette, Black Skimmer in surf, and underside head portrait of Great Blue Heron.
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The Details
Morning sessions will run two and one-half to three hours; afternoon sessions about two. There is never a set schedule on an IPT — we adapt to the conditions. On cloudy mornings with the right wind, we may opt to photograph till noon and skip the afternoon session. That especially when the afternoon weather is looking iffy. We may opt to visit a great North Tampa rookery if conditions warrant that.
There will be a Photoshop/Image Review session before and after brunch (included) each of the three full days. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time. Each of these IPTs will run with only a single registrant as I do not like disappointing anyone. The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with lodging information. Do know that it is always best if IPT folks stay in the same general area (rather than at home or at a friend’s place a good distance away).
Folks attending this IPT will be out in the field as early as possible and stay out late to take advantage of sunrise and sunset colors; this is pretty much a staple on almost all BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tours. Doing so will often present unique photographic opportunities, opportunities that will be missed by those who need their beauty rest and those who need to get home for a proper dinner. I really love it when I am leaving the beach at 9:30am on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving … We will be getting wet.
Your $599 deposit is due now. Credit cards are OK for that. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand. Once you leave a deposit, you will receive an e-mail with your balance statement and instructions for sending your balance check three months before the trip begins. If you wish to pay in full right off the bat, you can make your 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, and clothing and gear advice two months before the trip. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.
IPT veterans and couples or friends signing up together may e-mail for discount information.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
March 20th, 2023 Your Call?
Which of today’s two featured images do you like best? Please leave a comment and let us know why you made your choice.
Thanks to the many who left thoughtful comments on the two very similar Pacific-race Brown Pelican images yesterday. My very great preference was for Image #2 because it was sexier and more dynamic than Image #1. But that does not mean that my choice was the correct one.
ILE Baby Crane and Eagle In-the-Field Sessions
This morning I was wishing that you were with me at ILE. Right now, I have five tame baby cranes and two baby eagles here at ILE. And lots more. The timing for a great learning and photo session here has never been better. $300 for two solid hours of detailed photographic instruction from this Sunday through next Sunday. We can fine-tune your date for the best weather. If you are interested in joining me, please get in touch via e-mail.
Galapagos 2023 Opening Filled!
Lake Morton In-the-Field veteran Bob Matyas will be joining the smallest Galapagos 2023 Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT group ever. Why? Two folks signed up for single cabins. This trip is by far the world’s finest photographic cruise of the famed archipelago. I will be returning in August 2024. If you are interested or have questions, please get in touch via e-mail ASAP.
Iceland
My decades-long dream of spending time on Grimsey Island, Iceland, with the puffins — 13 days in this case!, will be realized this coming July. I am doing back-to-back trips as a participant. If anyone would like information on the world’s greatest Iceland/Atlantic Puffin trip this coming July, please contact me via e-mail.
What’s Up?
It was cold and windy here this morning with a brisk W/NW wind. Despite the conditions, I had a great morning. See why below.
If you are looking for a Canon 100-400 II lens, please shoot me an e-mail as I have one in the pipeline.
I was glad to learn that Bear Bob Sabine will be doing both 2024 Kachemak Bay sessions and that IPT veteran Sanjeev Nagrath has left a deposit for the second 2024 Bald Eagle IPT. Please do not hesitate too long if you are thinking of joining me next year in Homer.
Today is Monday 20 March 2023. I am headed into town early for a blood draw for my regular check-up and if I have any brains, I will skip photography for just one morning to catch up on work.
This blog post took more than 90 minutes to prepare and makes three hundred fifty-four days in a row with a new educational post written just for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. My plan is to continue to post every day until the streak reaches one year and one day and then begin posting every other day. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon 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!
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so, works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
Please remember that 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.
The Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service
The Site Guide Subscription Service was a new concept last year. I e-mailed the first issue in late-March 2022. The Basics e-mail includes specific directions to the site, and a map of the rookery area with specific instructions and wind, weather, and where-to-be advice. Sign up now to receive last year’s five e-mails and tomorrow’s very important update. Unfortunately, things at Stick Marsh are changing very soon.
To sign up for the Stick Marsh Site Guide Subscription Service, call Jim in the office weekday afternoons at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand or send a PayPal for the $100.00 to us at birdsasart@verizon.net. Please be sure to include the words Stick Marsh with your PayPal.
I fully understand that you can go to Google Maps, find Stick Marsh, visit, and likely make some good images. You might think, I can do fine just without artie’s advice. But you will do a whole lot better with it. Especially considering the new conditions and the big change coming very soon.
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This image was created on 19 March 2023 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated in the front seat of my SUV I used the BLUBB-supported Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 640. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/500 sec. at f/4 (wide open). When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 8:27:37 am on a cloudy morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird/Face-eye detection enabled was active at the moment of exposure and performed just fine. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #1: Black Vultures squabbling on The Perch II
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The Same Old Lesson Re-learned
With the stiff wind, there were dozens of vultures (both species) flying around near the base of the pier. There was a Turkey Vulture on The Perch II when I drove by the first time. On the way back it had been replaced by a Black Vulture (BV); it as the first one I had ever seen on the perch that I erected two years ago with lots of help from my neighbor Ralph. A second BV flew in and after a brief squabble, knocked the first one off the perch. I never even pressed the shutter button. But since bird behavior is often repetitive, I vowed to fire away if it happened again. When it did, I did not worry about where the AF point was. I just pressed the shutter button. And came up with two very nice keepers. My favorite is above. A bit of motion blur was cleaned up to some degree with the masking feature in Topaz AI Sharpen.
When unexpected action occurs, do not think. Just push the shutter button.
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This image was also created on 19 March 2023 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated on the grass, I used the lowered Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65/Wimberley MonoGimbal Head-supported 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 1000. 1/1250 sec. at f/3.2 (stopped down 1/3-stop) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 8:52:29am on cloudy morning.
Tracking: Expand Spot/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Sandhill Crane chick eating tiny bug
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The Tiny, Hungry Crane Chick; One of Two
After visiting The Perch II twice and spotting the crane colt is a residential backyard, I went off in search of the two 2-chick families. I found the tiny chicks up out of the marsh and, freezing cold and under-dressed without any gloves, stayed with them for more than an hour. I tried something new by sitting and using the 400 f/2.8 on the shortened monopod in lieu of the knee-pod technique. It worked quite well as it greatly reduced fatigue while providing a fairly steady base of support. I need to do better switching to vertical orientation.
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The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide
You can purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.
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The BAA Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide
126 pages, 87 photographs by Joe Przybyla and Arthur Morris.
The PDF for this e-Guide is an electronic download sent via e-mail.
Purchase your copy here in the BAA Online Store.
I had thought about doing a guide to some of the great but little-known photo hotspots around central Florida for about a decade, but those plans never came to fruition. I met Joe online in the Avian Forum at BirdPhotographer’s.Net about two years ago. Joe’s photography has improved tremendously over the past few years; he credits the BAA blog, my books and PDFs, and his participation on BPN. The one thing that I learned right from the get-go about Joe is that he is a hard and tenacious worker, always striving to improve his skills and to grow his knowledge base. As he knew of more than a few good spots in central Florida, I broached the idea of us doing a photographic site guide that covered many of the little-known photographic hotspots from Brandon to Lakeland to Joe Overstreet Road to Indian Lake Estates (my Florida home for the past 20 years or so). After more than many, many dozens of hours of effort, The BIRDS AS ART Middle of Florida Photographic Site Guide is now a reality. Thanks to Joe’s wife Dottie for her review of our writing. We all learned once again that writing is a process, a back and forth process. All thanks to the white pelicans of Lakeland. Here are the locations that are detailed in this e-Guide:
- Indian Lake Estates: Sandhills Cranes with chicks and colts, lots of vultures, and Ospreys up the kazoo!
- Gatorland, Kissimmee: Learn to make great images of wading birds in a cluttered rookery.
- The Brandon Rookery: Great for nesting Wood Storks, Great Egrets, and more.
- Circle Bar B Reserve, Lakeland: Here you will find a great variety of avian subjects in a great variety of habitats.
- Lake Morton, Lakeland: There are lots of silly tame birds here including and especially American White Pelican during the colder months.
- Lake Mirror, Lakeland: Tame Anhingas, Limpkins, and a zillion White Ibises at times.
- West Lake Parker, Lakeland: Here you will have a chance for two difficult birds, Snail Kite, and Purple Gallinule.
- Joe Overstreet Road, Kenansville: Crested Caracara, meadowlarks, Loggerhead Shrike, and much more on the fenceposts and barbed wire.
Each location includes a map, a detailed description of the best spots, best season, light and time of day instructions, the expected species, and an educational and inspirational gallery that is designed to open your eyes as to the possibilities.
Please note: It seems that Gatorland is not offering a Photographer’s Pass Program this year.
You can purchase a copy here in the BAA Online Store.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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