ILE Baby Crane and Eagle In-the-Field Sessions

Right now, I have five tame baby cranes and two baby eagles here at ILE. Timing for a great learning and photo session has never been better. $300 for two solid hours of detailed photographic instruction from this Saturday onwards. If you are interested in joining me, please get in touch via e-mail.

Stick Marsh In-the-Field Session

I am offering what might be a final Stick Marsh In-the-Field Sessions on Friday: $300 for two solid hours of detailed photographic instruction. I have two folks for Friday morning — still have room for one or two more folks. There are many, many reasons to attend this session. If you are at all interested in learning why or in joining me, please get in touch via e-mail immediately.

Galapagos 2023 Opening

Due to a cancellation, I have an opening for a single male photographer on the Galapagos 2023 Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT, the world’s finest photographic cruise of the famed archipelago. I am offering the spot with a substantial discount. If you are interested in joining a great group, 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 with brisk north wind and an occasional drizzle at 8:30am. I put five ounces of butternut squash in the oven at 375° figuring that I would be back soon. More than two hours later, I made it back to my home. Fortunately, Jim had taken the squash out of the oven. Learn why I was so late for brunch in today’s blog post below.

Today is Thursday 16 March 2023. House guest Mike Gotthelf and I will be leaving early for a Stick Marsh session. We will be meeting up with IPT veteran Nancy Fischer. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes three hundred fifty-one 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. It won’t be long now!

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.

Mike’s Magical ILE Tour

Old friend and multiple IPT veteran Mike Gotthelf arrived at 1:00pm on Wednesday. He is doing the two Stick Marsh mornings with me and staying in my guest room for two nights. As it was still cloudy, I took him down to the lake for a quick tour. We hit a grand slam. The two chick family was where I had left them in the morning. The small colt was foraging in its favorite spot. The brand new, tiny two-chick family was on the edge of the marsh. And amazingly, all four Bald Eagles were at the nest tree, one ripping something apart in the nest, and both adults and the second eaglet were perched above and to the right of the nest. I headed back for a nap and a swim and Mike had a ball.

This image was created on 15 March 2023 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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 2500. 1/1000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide-open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 8:56:48am on cloudy dark morning. Tracking: Spot S 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 #1: Sandhill Crane family foraging

Not Expecting Much

I drove down to the lake with the wind blowing, dark clouds, occasional light rain, and not much hope of taking even a single image. That changed quickly when I found the two week old chicks foraging with their parents on the South Peninsula. As I predicted yesterday, they had come out of the marsh for the first time. I worked them from the car for quite a while. Then I drove north to check on the nearly-a-month old crane colt and stopped along the way to check on the new crane nest that I had found in the reeds. I knew the exact spot but could not find the bird either on the nest or nearby. That meant that either the nest had failed or that the chicks had hatched,

This image was created on 15 March 2023 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Working from the driver’s seat of my SUV, I used the BLUBB-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 2000. 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide-open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be dead-solid perfect (ho hum). AWB at 9:46:36am on cloudy dark morning. Tracking: Spot S 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: Bald Eagle recently fledged and flying juvenile

The Young Eagles Favorite Pine Tree

As soon as I headed north, I came across the lighter of the two eaglets (I call its sibling “Blackie”) sitting the same branch in the very same pine tree that his brother or sister from the previous brood had perched one year ago. Strange how that works. Though I had the 600mm f/4 on the passenger seat to my right, I went wider with the 400mm f/2.8 so as to frame the bird nicely with the pine boughs. And yes, I am quite blessed to own both of these great lenses, not to mention that I am first on the list to get the Sony 300mm f/2.8 lens that Sony had announced.

This image was created on 13 September 2022 down by the lake near my home at ILE. Seated on wet muck, I used the knee-pod technique with the handheld 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 1600. 1/1000 sec. at f/2.8 (wide-open) in Manual mode. When evaluated in RawDigger, the raw file brightness was determined to be perfect (ho hum). AWB at 9:58:30am on cloudy dark morning. Tracking: Spot S 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 #3: Sandhill Crane chick getting fed

The Big Wonderful Surprise

After checking on the small colt at the north end of the North Field, I drove back to check on the 2-chick family. On my way to the eagle nest tree, I searched again for the bird that I had found on the nest last week. No luck. Then I checked The Perch II. Nothing there. Then I drove back to check on the small colt. I had wanted to call Jim to have him check on my squash in the oven but had left my phone on the charger. At about 9:45am I decided to check on the two-chick family one last time. I passed on those as the family was foraging in high grass along the edge of the canal. I decided to head home at last, I was shocked to see two adult cranes and two very tiny chicks, no more than two or three days old, foraging along the edge of the marsh. I spent a wonderful hour with them.

I sat on the muck for an hour watching the two tiny chicks get fed. The relatively tall grasses made things difficult, but it was a ton of fun watching them gobble up big mole crickets. When the mother crane laid down in marsh grasses, I knew that she wanted to brood the two chicks. I was in perfect position. One of the chicks ran toward the adult bird. I was so excited that I could barely stand it. Eye AF performed perfectly, but just as the chick got near its parent I was struck down by the dreaded “battery exhausted.” So home I went.

Your Call?

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

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.

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: five.

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: four.

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: five.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Stick Marsh In-the-Field Sessions

I am offering two Stick Marsh In-the-Field Sessions later this week: $300 for two solid hours of detailed photographic instruction. I have one sign-up for each day. There are many, many reasons to attend one or both of these sessions. If you are at all interested in learning why or in joining me, please get in touch via e-mail immediately.

Galapagos 2023 Opening

Due to a cancellation, I have an opening for a single male photographer on the Galapagos 2023 Photo-Cruise of a Lifetime IPT, the world’s finest photographic cruise of the famed archipelago. I am offering it with a substantial discount. If you are interested in joining a great group, 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.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

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 4.

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.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

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.

What’s Up?

Not much. It was cloudy and stormy in the morning, so I did lots more discovering than photography. I finally found the Crested Caracara nest in a tall Cabbage Palm tree in the North Field. There are two barely visible half-grown chicks. I found a new crane nest in the South Marsh, and a new natural Osprey nest in a dead tree at the end of Palmetto Drive. I did get my swim in between the afternoon thunderstorms.

I was thrilled to learn this morning that Robert “Bear Bob” Sabin loved Homer so much this year that he has signed up for both 2024 Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs.

Please remember that the blog is designed to be interactive. The more you consider the questions, the more your photography will improve. Leaving a comment is the icing on the cake. Please do share any and all blog posts with photography friends.

Thanks to the many who commented yesterday. Like many, my very great preference was for Image #1 for its exquisite colors, the soft light, and the elegant pose. My ranking was 1,2, 3. Note that I find no need at all for the eye to be sharp in every pleasingly blurred image. You can see my responses to the various comments by clicking here. For spoonbills, I like the soft light much better than the sun for many reasons, most especially the lack of any shadows at all.

Today is Tuesday 14 March 2023. I will head down to the lake for a bit no matter the weather. This blog post took three hours to prepare and makes three hundred forty-nine 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.

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.

This image was created by IPT veteran Carolyn Johnson on 23 February on the first 2023 Homer Bald Eagle IPT at Kachemak Bay, AK. She used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 98mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. ISO 500: 1/4000 sec. at f/4.5 (stopped down 1 1/3-stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 10:05am on a cloudy very bright morning. Tracking: Zone AF/C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Bald Eagle bird-scape Photo courtesy of and copyright 2023: Carolyn Johnson Image Optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

CJ: Carolyn Johnson

Carolyn, a shipmate on a Southern Ocean voyage about ten years ago, called me several months before I headed to California last winter. She was seeking advice on photographic systems. I think that she was using a Nikon dSLR and that she has also tried one of the micro four-thirds systems. She was not happy with her images. I explained to her that Sony was the best system by far and that if she purchased a 200-600 and an a1 that I could teach her to make good images in ten minutes after loading my settings on her camera. I remember saying to her, “If you trust me, I will change your photographic life. She did and I did.

She followed my advice and purchased a Sony A1 and the 200-600 from Bedfords (thank her very much). When we met early on a Sunday morning before the San Diego IPT, she had never used the camera. The word on the street is that the a1 is a difficult camera to use with a menu that is nearly impossible to understand. That may very well be true if you do not know how set up the camera. After I loaded my CAMSETA2.DAT setting onto Carolyn’s brand new camera body, I worked with her for ten minutes demonstrating how to set the right exposure using (properly set-up) Zebras, and how to use the AF system. She was astonished as she watched the back of my camera as it tracked the bird’s eye seamlessly with both Tracking: Spot S and Tracking: Zone. When she tried it herself, she was even more astonished.

She worked off the tripod for a bit, but when the light levels increased, she began hand holding her rig and did so with ease. Carolyn is on the petite side and was 78 years young at the time. Not to mention that she learned to use her new camera in ten minutes flat.

After our first morning in La Jolla, she sent me a text that afternoon, and I quote:

Artie, I am sitting here in tears as the photos are so good. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The fact is that set up correctly, the a1 is super-easy to learn to use. With the right instruction, you too can begin making excellent photographs in short order.

Last May, she signed up for the first 2023 Homer IPT. At my suggestion, she purchased the new version of the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8, the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens. She used it quite effectively in Homer to create today’s three featured images. And hundreds more. She drove down from Homer to Anchorage with Bob Eastman and me, and celebrated her 79th birthday on the first day of the IPT.

CJ is a pleasant lady, has a great sense of humor, and laughs easily. She has worked hard to improve her photography. Please take a moment to leave a comment and let her know what you think of her images.

Click on the image to better see the green eye-AF boxes in action. Sony Alpha 1 Flight Photography AF Points!

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group: $150.00 (or Free)

The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. By June 1, 2022, the group was up to an astounding 124 lucky and blessed folks. (More than a few folks own two or more a1 bodies! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. The best news is that everyone in the group receives an e-mail that includes a .DAT file with my a1 settings on it, and explicit directions on how to load my settings onto your a1; talk about convenience! I am now offering a .DAT file compatible with firmware update 1.20. Your entry into the group includes a consolidated Sony a1 CAMSETA2 INFO & GUIDE. New a1 folks will now receive six e-mails instead of the previous 28! You will receive new e-mails as they are published. Simply put, this e-mail guide is an incredible resource for anyone with an a1.

All who purchased their Alpha 1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link — B&H or Bedfords — will receive a free Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up Guide and free entry into the Info Updates group after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.). Others can purchase their guide here in the BAA Online Store.

This image was created by IPT veteran Carolyn Johnson on 23 February on the first 2023 Homer Bald Eagle IPT at Kachemak Bay, AK. She used the handheld 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 with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. ISO 1250: 1/1000 sec. at f/4.5 (stopped down 1 1/3-stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 9:27am in the shade on a cloudy morning. Tracking: Zone AF/C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Bald Eagle chert-scape Photo courtesy of and copyright 2023: Carolyn Johnson Image Optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

CJ Loves Creating Bird-scapes

Carolyn loves working wide to create bird-scapes. With Image #1, she zoomed out 98mm to include a snowbank and the distant Homer bluffs across Kachemak Bay. With Image #2, she stayed well back and included the beautiful chert wall in her image design. Kachemak Bay is rife with gorgeous scenery including interesting geological formations and snow-covered mountains to use as backgrounds for your Bald Eagle images.

Important IPT note: When I do an image optimization for the group, I create a Camtasia screen recording of the entire process that is sent to everyone via Hightail at the conclusion of the IPT.

This image was created by IPT veteran Carolyn Johnson on 21 February on the first 2023 Homer Bald Eagle IPT at Kachemak Bay, AK. She used the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. ISO 1600: 1/2500 sec. at f/2.8 (wide-open) in Manual mode. AWB at 3:02 pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Zone AF/C performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #3: Adult Bald Eagle beginning dive Photo courtesy of and copyright 2023: Carolyn Johnson Image Optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Amazing

That a 79-year old with only one year’s experience using Sony gear could create an image as good as Image #3 is a testament to the ease of using the Sony A1, to how hard Carolyn has worked to improve her photography, and to the quality of the instruction she has received (he said modestly).

This image was created by IPT veteran Carolyn Johnson on 22 February on the first 2023 Homer Bald Eagle IPT at Kachemak Bay, AK. She used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 571mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ) The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 6400. 1/2500 second at f/6.3 (wide-open) in Manual Mode. AWB at 3:14pm on a cloudy afternoon. RawDigger showed the exposure to be perfect. Tracking: Expand Spot AF-C with Bird Face/Eye Detection performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #4: Adult Bald Eagle perched on snag Photo courtesy of and copyright 2023: Carolyn Johnson Image Optimization by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

CJ Gets the Right Exposure

With the Sony A1 I teach folks to work wide open, to set a shutter speed that they know will yield a sharp image, and then to raise the ISO until faint Zebras appear on the highlights, in this case, on the eagle’s white head. Note that Carolyn did not hesitate to raise the ISO to 6400 in order to come up with a perfect exposure. Note also that CJ used the reach of her 200-600 when she needed it!

This image was created by me on 23 February on the first 2023 Homer Bald Eagle IPT at Kachemak Bay, AK. I use the handheld Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens (at 200mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. The exposure was determined via Zebras with Exposure Compensation on the thumb dial. ISO 400: 1/400 sec. at f/4.5 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. AWB at 3:26 pm on a cloudy afternoon. Tracking: Spot AF/C with Human Face-Eye Detection enabled performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #5: Carolyn Johnson on the eagle boat Photo by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Versatile Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II Lens

The Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 GM II lens is incredibly versatile. It makes a great portrait lens, especially when working in close quarters. It kills in low light. I love mine for landscapes, bird-scapes, and quasi-macro applications. On the recently concluded Homer IPTs it was my most valuable lens; I used it alone, with the 1.4X TC, and with the 2X TC.

This emoji was created by Carolyn Johnson. Carolyn Johnson’s Personal Emoji

World’s Best Personal Emoji!

I loved Carolyn’s emoji from the first moment I saw it. Does it not look just like her? In addition, it captures her spirit very well. I thought that her son had created it for her but while preparing this blog post, I learned that she created it — and other, similar ones, using the messaging app on her iPhone.

Typos

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