What’s Up?

I was discharged from Thornton Hospital a bit before noon on Friday March 25. I saw Dr. Parsons who said that everything went perfectly and that I looked great. But for the expected discomfort I am feeling pretty good. I am back at Robin and Patrick’s home resting. The trick now is to avoid developing an internal infection. Many thanks for all the prayers and good wishes.

I was pleased to learn on Thursday that Barry and Marilyn Barfield of Brisbane, Australia signed up for the Japan IPT. Three slots are now filled.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 141 days in a row with a new educational blog post. Assuming that I will be making the trip to Namibia on April 11, this streak will come to an end soon. As always–and folks have been doing a really great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) that we would appreciate your business.

This image was created at La Jolla, CA with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 188mm) and the amazing mega mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 50. Exposure determined trial and error via histogram check: 30 seconds at f/16. Daylight WB. Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo/Rear Focus AF on the closest part of the large rock on the left and re-composed (as is almost always best when creating tripod-mounted land- or sea-scapes). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Offshore rocks and high surf

What do you do when nothing’s happening?

Another Option

What can you do when nothing’s happening? You can reach into your gadget bag and grab something that you have been meaning to try for quite some time…

With wind against sun conditions and bright blue skies, things were not looking too good. First I reached for my Singh-Ray Mor-Slow 10-stop Neutral Density (ND) filter. Then I screwed the Canon foot/Wimberley P-20 plate assembly onto the 100-400 II, mounted one of my two 5DS R bodies on the lens, and placed the rig on my Induro GIT 304 tripod. When I am hand holding the 1-4 as I usually do, I almost always remove the foot. In fact, it is usually not on the lens. I put it on only when I need to put the lens on a tripod as with today’s image.

More 100-400 II Versatility

Today we see the new 1-4 as a seascape lens with a wonderful focal length range for extracting a variety of elements from a wider scene.

Canon Foot/Wimberley P-20 Plate Notes

When I am hand holding, I generally remove the Canon foot/Wimberley P-20 plate assembly and place it in my vest, in my fanny pack, or in my Think Tank rolling bag, depending on whatever. Note that for best balance the P-20 plate should be mounted backwards on the 100-400 II with the flange at the front of the foot. The flange stops the plate from twisting. By mounting it backwards it is easy to balance the 100-400 II perfectly whether it is zoomed all the way in or all the way out. With this unorthodox configuration, the rear end of the P-20 plate sometimes prevents you from un-mounting the lens as it hits into the viewfinder box on the top front of the camera body; it is best to get into the habit of loosening the tripod collar before un-mounting the lens.

Singh-Ray 10-Stop ND Tutorial: making 30 second exposures in bright sun

When I tried the 10-Stop ND in Alaska on the last Bear Boat IPT, I learned that it is mandatory to have an absolutely stationary subject to go along with the moving water. If the subject is sloshing around in the current, it will not be sharp and the image will be ruined. The nice rock formation off the coast of La Jolla fit the bill perfectly. And the strong west wind was slamming big waves into the rocks.

Here is the technique that I developed for using the 10-stop ND painlessly and effectively.

• With the rig on the Mongoose, frame the image as desired and tighten both the horizontal and vertical locking knobs. Turn the zoom ring a bit toward Tight to prevent an unwanted focal length change.
• Level the image by rotating the lens in the tripod collar by using the electronic level. I prefer the in-viewfinder level to the one on the rear LCD. Then tighten the tripod collar snugly.
• Set the ISO to 100 (or to 50 if possible).
• You will need to focus accurately before you put the 10-Stop ND otherwise neither you nor the AF system will be able to see anything as the viewfinder will be too dark. Set up for rear focus and focus from 1/3 to halfway into the frame. Alternatively you could use One-Shot Shutter button AF and then turn AF off by moving the AF switch to M (for Manual focus).
• Once you have set the focus, mount the 10-Stop ND; it is imperative that you use the Xume system with the magnetized rings otherwise you will likely screw up the framing and possibly the focus as well if you need to thread the filter onto the lens. See more on the amazing Xume system below.
• Work in manual mode.
• Set the exposure to 30 seconds and start with an aperture of f/16.
• Make an image. There is no need to use the two-second timer, mirror lockup, or the 2-second self timer.
• If it is windy, be sure to remove or tuck in your Black Rapid RS-7 Strap to prevent possible sharpness problems with the rocks; you want them razor sharp.
• Check for blinkies and evaluate the histogram. As always, you want lots of data in the rightmost (highlight) histogram box, the fifth box for Canon, the fourth box for Nikon. Push the exposure just to the point of blinkies and then back off 1/3 stop. This will keep the WHITEs white despite the blend-blur effect. When you get the right exposure, you can mentally note the exposure compensation on the analogue scale; though the viewfinder will be close to black you will be able to see the analog exposure scale. Once you do that, you might wish to experiment with somewhat faster shutter speeds like 15 or 8 seconds. You will of course need to set a correspondingly wider aperture.
• Once you have fine-tuned the exposure, make lots of images. Make some when the waves are really breaking, and make some when there is a lull between sets.

Questions Welcome

If you are confused by anything above, please leave a comment with your question.

Technique Question

Why is it unnecessary to use Live View, Mirror Lock-up, or the 2-second timer when doing 15- or 30-second exposures?

Singh-Ray 77mm Filters

I regularly travel with my Singh-Ray 77mm Warming Circular Polarizer and both the Singh-Ray 5-stop and 10-stop Mor-Slo glass Neutral Density filters. I can use each of them on the 16-35mm f/4L IS, the 24-105mm f/4L IS, the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, and the 100-400mmL IS II. With the intermediate telephotos I always use the Xume magnetized mounting system; this system makes it easy to mount the filters in just a second rather than having to struggle to get them properly threaded. (See more on the Xume system below). Do not use the Xume system with your wide angle lenses as it will cause serious vignetting at the wider settings.

Click on the logo link above to purchase and use the code artie10 at checkout to receive a healthy 10$ discount.

Singh-Ray Filters

Singh-Ray filters have been used by the world’s top photographers for many decades. Singh-Ray is and has been the name in quality filters. I own several of the 77mm filters so that I can attain slow shutter speeds in bright conditions. No other filter manufacturer comes close to matching the quality of Singh-Ray’s optical glass that is comparable to that used by NASA. And they continue to pioneer the most innovative products on the market like their ColorCombo polarizer, Vari-ND variable and Mor-Slo 15-stop neutral density filters. When you use their filters, you’ll create better, more dramatic images and, unlike other filters, with absolutely no sacrifice in image quality. All Singh-Ray filters are handcrafted in the USA.

Best News: 10% Discount/Code at checkout: artie10

To shop for Singh-Ray’s most popular solid ND filter, the 10-Stop Mor-Slo Glass Filter liter (for example), click on the logo link above, click on “Neutral and color Solid Neutral Density Filters (glass), then click on “Mor-Slo™ 5, 10, 15 and 20-Stop Solid Neutral Density Filters (glass),” choose the size and model, add to cart, and then checkout. At checkout, type artie10 into the “Have a coupon? Click here to enter your code” box and a healthy 10% discount will be applied to your total. In addition to enjoying the world’s best filter at 10% off you will be supporting my efforts here on the blog.

The 10- and 15-stop Mor Slo filters are great for landscapes with water and moving clouds. With the 10-stop, 1/125th becomes 8 seconds and with the 15-stop, 4 minutes. Next, I need to get my hands on a 15-stop Mor-Slo ND…

Xume Stuff!

Here is how I use the magnetized Xume system with my intermediate telephoto lenses:

First I screw one XUME 77mm Lens Adapter onto the front of my 100-400 II and another onto the front of the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II.

Next I screw my Singh-Ray 77mm 3-Stop Resin Mor-Slo Neutral Density Filter, my Singh-Ray 77mm 5-Stop Glass Mor-Slo Neutral Density Filter, and my Singh-Ray 77mm LB Warming Circular Polarizer into their own individual XUME 77mm Filter Holders. Be sure not to screw the filters on too tightly to the Filter Holders. If you do, it can be a real challenge to remove the filter when you need it for a wide angle lens. Light pressure is fine.

The lens adapters stay on the lenses. The ND filters and the polarizer stay screwed into their own filter holders as noted above. The filter/filter holder combos are stored in the lovely labeled leather pouches that come with each Singh-Ray filter purchase. The three of them fit perfectly into the small upper left zippered pocket of my Xtrahand vest. When I wish to mount a filter onto the front of one of my intermediate telephoto lenses I simply remove the lens hood, grab the filter that I need, and pop it securely into place in less than an instant. Ah, it’s the magnetic thing!

Be sure to replace the lens hood so that you do not accidentally dislodge the filter by whacking it against some shrubbery when you are walking about. To remove the filter simply remove the lens hood, pop the filter off instantly, place it back in its leather case, and stow it. With the Xume system there are no more tears. You do not have to screw and unscrew the filters onto the front of the lens. There are no more jammed threads. The Xume lens adapters and the filter holders are precision-machined to guarantee fast and secure filter attachment every time.

It is an elegant system but I can recommend it only for intermediate telephoto lenses: when used with short lenses and short zoom lenses some serious vignetting will occur at the wider focal lengths. As noted above, you must use the Xume system when working with the 10-stop ND so that you can snap the filter in place after setting the focus without messing up either the framing or focus as you might if you needed to screw the filter on.

If you own only one lens and two filters I would recommend the XUME 77mm Lens Adapter and Filter Holder Starter Kit. It contains one lens adapter and two filter holders.

The next step up is the XUME 77mm Lens Adapter and Filter Holder Pro Kit. It offers two lens adapters and four filter holders. That one was perfect for me.

If you need Xume stuff for front element sizes other than 77mm please use this link; you will find two pages of good stuff!

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

Robin Sparkman drove me to Thornton Hospital early on Thursday morning. Check-in went smoothly, the staff here is great, and my green light laser surgery went well. I was feeling very good right after I woke up (but understandably a bit drowsy at first) with none of the horribly ill effects of anesthesia that I experienced when I had major spinal surgery for a ruptured disk in 1990. Kudos to Dr. Chen for that. The always smiling Dr. Parson reported that all went well. I have zero pain and just a bit of the expected discomfort that will magically be abated tomorrow morning. I expect to check out on Friday morning. Robin will be picking me up and we will head back to the Sparkman’s home.

Patrick and Robin have been amazingly wonderful to me. They were in the recovery room right after I awoke “just because” even though I had not had a chance to text anyone. They brought my insulin and my food along with my beloved laptop. Once I was in my room both Robin and Pat were beyond helpful. Robin is like a second mother to everyone, even those are are not recuperating from surgery. 🙂 Patrick kindly helped me with several laps of walk-the-hallways. They stayed for several hours until I booted them out at about 7pm. I will be forever appreciative of the kindnesses they have proffered; thank you guys!

Elegant Tern Blog Post Answer

In the blog post here, I asked folks to try and figure out the two things that bugged me about the image, an image that I loved very much. As mentioned yesterday, several folks hit on one of the things that bothered me: the bird should have been placed just a bit more forward in the frame as the tail is a bit too tight to the right frame edge.

Here is the second thing that bugged me, the one that nobody came up with. The tern’s lesser (wing) coverts were slightly disheveled, blown out of place by the wind. This caused what for me is a distracting shadow. My great preference would have been that all of the bird’s feathers had been neatly and smoothly in place.

Do understand that it is possible to love an image yet wish that it were still better.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 140 days in a row with a new educational blog post. Assuming that I will be making the trip to Namibia on April 11, this streak will come to an end soon. As always–and folks have been doing a really great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) that we would appreciate your business 🙂

This image was created at La Jolla at 7:37am on the morning of March 22, the same morning that I created the three very different images in yesterday’s blog post here. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and the amazing mega mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering at about zero: 1/1250 sec. at f/5.6. Daylight WB. Center AF point (Manual selection)/AI Servo Shutter button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Image #1: Backlit Brown Pelican with bill pouch distended

What do you do when nothing’s happening?

Important Point #1

Take a walk. Get out of your box; for me, that meant shooting against the light. In quickly changing light, take risks with the exposure when something unexpected happens. For the image above, the bird distended its bill pouch only for a second; I raised the lens and fired hoping that the exposure would be good. It was not bad. Had I taken the time to check the exposure, I would have missed the action (however subtle).

Saving Both Images

With strongly backlit pelican images you will almost always toast the white or yellow on the top of the bird’s head as I did in the RAW files for both of today’s images. Unless you are using lots of flash, you will have to live with more than a few over-exposed pixels and attempt to fix them in post. For the top image I simply used a 10% opacity Clone Stamp Tool to tame the brightest whites. The over-exposure in Image #2 was more problematic so I painted a crescent-shaped Quick Mask of the properly exposed yellow feathers, put it on its own layer, moved it into place, reduced the opacity a bit, re-shaped it via Tranform > Warp, and then refined the mask by adding a Regular Layer Mask.

Everything above is detailed in Digital Basics and in APTATS I & II. You can check out all of our educational offerings by clicking here.

This image was created at La Jolla at 9:19am (!) on the morning of March 22, the same morning that I created the three very different images in yesterday’s blog post here. I used the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens with the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 504mm) and the amazing mega mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering at about -2/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/9. Daylight WB. Center AF point (by necessity)/AI Servo Expand/Shutter button AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Image #2: Backlit Brown Pelican in daisies

Get into your creative zone!

A backlit bird in daisies at a quarter after nine on a sunny day? You gotta be kidding me. But when conditions are poor as they were that morning with wind against sun, you’ve got to try to create something different.

Important Point #2

With wind against sun conditions, traditional front-lit bird photography opportunities (including and especially flight photography) will be few and far between. Backlit opportunities, however, will abound.

100-400 II Versatility

The new 1-4 continues to amaze me; I have used it probably 70% of the time on my San Diego trip. And I do not hesitate to add the 1.4X III TC when I need the additional reach. This makes the lens even more versatile.

Here We Go Again

Everyone has been great with the image comparisons and the questions; all is greatly appreciated. So here we go again: which do you feel is the stronger image? Please let us know why you made your choice.

IPT Updates

Learn to improve your bird and nature photography with the best instructor on the planet; join a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour. Learn more and see the schedule here.
immediately below) has lots of room.

From upper left clockwise to center: Black Skimmer head portrait, American Oystercatcher dining on surf clam flesh, Common Tern at sunset, Common Tern adult swallowing flatfish, Black Skimmer in flight, newborn Common Tern chick, American Oystercatcher with chick, fresh juvenile Common Tern (with fill flash), and Common Terns copulating.

Nickerson Beach Terns/Skimmers/Oystercatchers Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT): July 18-22, 2016. 4 1/2 DAYS: $1899

Meet and greet at 3pm on the afternoon of Monday, July 18. Limit 10/Openings: 8.

The primary subject species of this IPT will be the nesting Common Terns. The trip is timed so that we will get to photograph tiny chicks as well as fledglings. There will be lots of flight photography including adults flying with baitfish. Creating great images of the chicks being fed is a huge challenge. In addition to the terns we will get to photograph lots of Black Skimmers courting, setting up their nesting territories, and in flight (both singles and large pre-dawn flocks blasting off). Midair battles are guaranteed on sunny afternoons. And with luck, we might even see a few tiny chicks toward the end of the trip. We will also get to photograph the life cycle of American Oystercatcher. This will likely include nests with eggs and tiny chicks, young being fed, and possibly a few fledglings.

Nesting Piping Plover is also possibly. There will be lots of gulls to photograph; most years I am able to find a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls of varying ages in addition to the Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. You will learn to identify and age the various gull species. There will likely be some Willets feeding along the surf and with luck we might get to photograph a handsome juvenile or two. In addition to the locally breeding shorebirds, we will likely get to see some southbound migrant arctic-and sub-arctic breeding shorebird species such as Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and maybe even Red Knot.

From upper left clockwise to center: Black Skimmers with tiny chick, Common Tern landing with baitfish for young, fledged Common Tern chick in dunes, American Oystercatchers/display flight, adult Common Tern with pipefish for chick, Common Tern fledgling in soft light, American Oystercatcher on nest with eggs, American Oystercatcher 3-egg clutch, battling Black Skimmers.

The IPT Logistics

The tour will begin with a meet and greet on the afternoon of Monday, July 18, 2016. That will be followed by our first shooting session at the beach. From Tuesday through and including all of Friday we will have two photography sessions daily. Our morning sessions will start very early so that we are on the beach well before sunrise. We usually photograph for about four hours. Then we will enjoy a group brunch. We will always have a midday break that will include a nap for me. That followed by our daily afternoon classroom sessions that will include image review, workflow and Photoshop, and a review/critique of five of your trip images. Folks are always invited to bring their laptops to brunch for image sharing. I always have mine with me but heck, I am a big show-off. Afternoon in-the-field sessions generally run from 5pm through sunset.

Breakfasts are grab what you can. Four brunches are included. Dinners (if at all) will be on your own as we will often get back to the hotel at about 9pm. There is a fridge in every room and a supermarket within walking distance of the hotel so nobody should starve. You will learn a ton during the nine shooting sessions, the four in-classroom sessions, and even at lunch. Early morning and late afternoon parking is free. If we want to head back to the beach early we will need to arrange tight carpools and share the $30/vehicle parking fee. Non-photographer spouses, friends, or companions are welcome for $100/day, $450 for the whole IPT.

Save a space by calling Jim or Jen at the office at 863-692-0906 and arranging to leave your deposit of $599–credit cards are accepted for deposits only. Your balance will be due on April 18, 2016. I hope that you can join me for what will be an exciting and educational IPT.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

Conditions were really lousy in La Jolla on Tuesday morning but I persisted and made a slew of really wonderful images. I will present three of those in tomorrow’s blog post: What to do when nothing’s happening? Get into the creative zone! Part one of many.

The BAA Online Store

The current BAA Online Store was back online on Tuesday morning after being down for several days. If it should fail again folks always can place their orders via telephone by calling Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906. The best news is that we will soon be unveiling a brand new store that should be pretty much problem-free.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 138 days in a row with a new educational blog post. As always–and folks have been doing a great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) that we would appreciate your business 🙂

IPT Updates

Learn to improve your bird and nature photography with the best instructor on the planet; join a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour. Learn more and see the schedule here.

This image was created at La Jolla, CA with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 400. Evaluative metering -2/3 stop: 1/3200 sec. at f/7.1. AWB. Upper Left Zone/AI Servo/Shutter Button AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. The AF system selected a single point that fell on the base of the bird’s bill just forward of (and below) the eye. Click on the image to see a larger version. Elegant Tern in breeding plumage

Elegance Personified

I photographed Elegant Tern about a zillion years ago in San Diego on film with the birds sitting on ugly black mud at the mouth of the San Diego River. When I was hanging with Bryan Holliday last week we were hoping to find a few on the low cliffs in La Jolla. The day after he headed back to Arizona, bingo: three flew in and landed right in front of me at the Green Patch! I love the blue Pacific background. I love that I perfectly paralleled the subject and I love the slight head turn toward me. And I love the perch rock.

What Don’t I Like?

There are two things about the image that I am less than thrilled about. If you think that you know what they are, please leave a comment.

A Note On Exposure

Here I went with the equivalent of my standard ISO 400 bright white in full sun exposure: 1/2500 sec. at f/8 (1/3200 at f7.1 = 1/2500 at f/8). Note that that approach worked perfectly here with Highlight Tone Priority (HTP) enabled. But as we have cautioned here often, only those who convert their RAW files in DPP should have HTP enabled. If set HTP and do not convert in DPP 4 you will have a false sense of security with your WHITEs.

Only DPP 4 recognizes the HTP settings. That means that folks converting their RAW files in ACR or Lightroom should start with 1/3200 sec. at f/8 as their standard ISO 400 bright white in full sun exposure. As in all digital exposure situations it is your responsibility to check for blinkies and to make sure that you have at least some data in the fifth histogram box… And then fine-tune the exposure if need be.

The DPP 4 Screen Capture

The DPP 4 Screen Capture

Note that I used click White Balance on the brightest part of the neck; this yielded a nearly pure WHITE with RGB values of 235, 235, 236. As I have written here many times before I want to bring my converted RAW files into Photoshop with the RGB values no higher than the mid-230s. In this image I would not have wanted the WHITEs any brighter. As it was, I moved the Highlight slider in DPP to -2 to bring up more detail. Note that I cleaned up four tiny limpets on the rocks. I moved the Shadow slider to +3 to lighten the blue water. Noise reduction with NeatImage.

Image and Exposure Question

In the original image as seen in the DPP 4 screen capture immediately above, why was the ocean rendered as an unnaturally dark, almost blackish blue? If you do not understand exposure theory and wish to learn it you are advised to study the section on exposure theory in the original The Art of Bird Photography.

You can order your copy of “The Photographers’ Guide to Canon Digital Photo Professional 4.0” (aka the DPP 4 Raw Conversion eGuide) by Arash Hazeghi and Arthur Morris by clicking here.

The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF)

The Ideal Companion to the 7D Mark II User’s Guide

Learn how and why I and many other discerning photographers choose and use only DPP 4 to convert their Canon RAW files in the DPP 4 RAW Conversion Guide by Arash Hazeghi and yours truly. The latest version supports all of the newer Canon camera bodies and several older models including the EOS-7D and the EOS-1D Mark IV.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

Not me! See today’s blog post below 🙂

IPT Updates

Learn to improve your bird and nature photography with the best instructor on the planet; join a BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour. Learn more and see the schedule here.

The BAA Online Store

The current BAA Online Store has been down for much of the weekend. We hope to have the problem fixed this morning. In the meantime, folks can place their orders via telephone this morning by calling Jim at 863-692-0906. The best news is that we will soon be unveiling a brand new mostly problem-less store soon.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 136 days in a row with a new (educational?) blog post. As always–and folks have been doing a great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) that we would appreciate your business 🙂

artie with bloodied nose/courtesy of and copyright 2016 Patrick Sparkman Patrick was so shaken by my fall and possible demise, that he forgot to focus the image above… But it still tells the story.

Cheating Death/Face Plant!

Patrick Sparkman, Chris Mayne–a distant cousin of ESPN’s Kenny, and I were having a great time photographing displaying Brandt’s Cormorant when I came up with a brilliant idea. Climb over the fence with the fish eye lens and create an image of the daisies with some cormorants along the rim of the cliff. So over the fence I went. I’m not sure how, but down I went, face first and hard into the cliffside daisies. I was pretty sure that I was not gonna go over the cliff to my death. Patrick, who was right there, was not so sure. It was about 50 feet down to the rocks and beach below. My face, which hit first as I pitched forward toward the Pacific, took the brunt of the fall. At first I thought that I might have broken my nose. And I was worried that I might have screwed up my Thursday surgery date. My right knee hit hard and wound up with a few scrapes. My right elbow hit too as I protected the lens and the 5DS R. Worst of all, my left knee, which had been bothering me that morning, was twisted pretty good.

To keep from going over the edge, I reached out with both arms so that I was spread-eagled, face down in the dirt. At that moment Patrick realized that I was not going to die. But I learned well later that he thought that I had been knocked out cold.

I sat up, rested for a minute, and realized that my nose was a bit bloody. When I stood up, I did not relish climbing back over the fence. Then I realized that there was no need to climb the fence. There was an unlocked gate just 30 feet away. “What an idiot” I said. “I could have used the gate in the first place!”

Photo courtesy of and copyright 2016: Chris Mayne. Close up of the damaged nose.

What’s with the tongue?

Folks often ask, “What’s with the tongue sticking out?”

Early on in my career when folks photographed me photographing with a long lens, I would notice in their photos that invariably, my tongue was sticking out. I realized that I did that often when I was concentrating hard, sort of like Michael Jordan did when on his way to the rim for a big dunk. So now, whenever folks point a camera at me, out comes the tongue. Go figure.

i-Phone 6 image courtesy of and copyright 2016: Patrick Sparkman artie searching for missing lens from his reading glasses. This image gives you a bit of an idea as to why Patrick was a bit worried when I fell and headed for the ocean.

Reading Glasses and Determination…

Early on in the trip, I lost the left lens from my prescription reading glasses while photographing at the low cliffs in La Jolla. No problema, I always travel with a back-up pair. After Patrick took the fish eye image that opened this post, I had a sick feeling as I looked down… Yup, the left lens was missing from my back-up pair of prescription readers. So through the gate I went to look for the lost lens. The vegetation was quite dense but try as I might, I could not find itns. So I did what I always do, I did not quit.

i-Phone 6 image courtesy of and copyright 2016: Patrick Sparkman artie finds the missing lens!

artie finds the missing lens!

While I was happy that I did not go over the cliff to my death, and happy that I has not been seriously injured, I was really happy to find the missing lens.

Photo courtesy of and copyright 2016: Chris Mayne. This image gives you a really good idea that I was not exaggerating the potential danger…

The potential danger…

I am not sure, but I think that I fell with one foot on the concrete base of the fence. You can see a pretty decent slope towards the ocean. At times, engaging the brain before acting can avoid lots of tsuris (informal Yiddish for trouble or distress).

The Aftermath as of Sunday Afternoon

Nose: healing nicely.
Right Elbow: just fine thank you.
Left knee: the bad one: hurting pretty good.
Right knee: hurting a bit, mostly bruised.
Ego: seriously bruised. 🙂

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

After my ultra sound this morning I learned that I am good to go for green light laser surgery next Thursday, March 24. I spent the rest of the morning and all afternoon photographing displaying Brandt’s Cormorants, 777 images in all. What fun.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 134 days in a row with a new educational blog post. As always–and folks have been doing a great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) that we would appreciate your business 🙂

Price Reduced $2500

Japan In Winter IPT. February 9-24, 2017: $11,499 (was $13,999)/double occupancy.

Price Reduced $2,500 on 3-8-16!

Please e-mail for couple and IPT repeat customer discount information.

As I really, really want to make it back to Japan in winter one more time, I decided to lower the price of the world’s best Japan in Winter trip by $2,500. Yes my trip has three great leaders including the best bird photography instructor on the planet. That’s the guy who knows where to be when and why. And yes, it is now a bit more expensive than most. And yes, we stay at a fine hotel in Tokyo. And yes, we stay in a marvelous traditional hotel for our three nights at the Snow Monkey Park. And yes, we are perfectly located on Hokkaido, minutes from the premier Red-crowned Crane sanctuary and an easy drive to most of the other wondrous avian attractions. And yes, we enjoy home cooked breakfasts and dinners prepared by Shinobu, the wife of our local Japanese guide. She is an incredible chef. After three visits her meals are now traditional Japanese fine-tuned for the American palate. And yes, my tour is longer than the others, giving us many days with the cranes. I saw one trip with only two days of crane photography; what a bummer. End each day with a traditional onsen (hot springs mineral bath) to complete your immersion in Japanese culture.

Life is short. I hope that you can join me. Scroll down for details.

What is it? Hokkaido, Japan

What Is It?

What is the subject of the photograph? Was I in a plane? Was I in a spacecraft? (Remember, I did visit the Kennedy Space Center recently…) What focal length did I use?

Answers to Questions

In the Bliss… And Snow Monkey Business Image Questions blog post here, I asked the two questions below.

Easy Question and Answer

Why did I move the Shadow slider to +5? (Hint: take a look at the animated GIF below…)

The Shadow Slider was moved to +5 to open up the darker tones of the young Snow Monkey and to lighten the dark smudges upper right.

Hard Question and Answer

Why did I move the Highlight slider to +3?

The Highlight slider was moved to +3 to lighten the dark smudges upper right.

IPT Updates

Learn to improve you bird and nature photography with the best instructor on the planet; join an Instructional Photo-Tour. Learn more and see the schedule here.

Consider joining me in Japan in February, 2017, for the world’s best Japan in Winter workshop. Click on the card to enjoy the spectacular larger version.

Japan In Winter IPT. February 9-24, 2017: $11,499 (was $13,999)/double occupancy.Limit 8/Openings: 5

Price Reduced $2,500 on 3-8-16!

All lodging including the Tokyo hotel on 9 FEB, all breakfasts & dinners, ground transport and transfers including bus to the monkey park hotel, and all entrance fees and in-country flights are included. Not included: international flights, all lunches–most are on the run, and alcoholic beverages.

Please e-mail for couple and IPT repeat customer discount information.

This trip is one day longer than the great 2014 trip to allow for more flexibility, more time with the cranes, and most importantly, more time for landscape photography. Hokkaido is gorgeous. You will enjoy tons of pre-trip planning and gear advice, in-the-field instruction and guidance, at-the-lodge Photoshop and image review sessions in addition to short introductory slide programs for each of the amazing locations. Skilled photographer Paul McKenzie handles the logistics and we enjoy the services of Japan’s best wildlife photography guide whom I affectionately call “Hokkaido Bear.” His network of local contacts and his knowledge of the weather, the area, and the birds is unparalleled and enables him to have us in the best location every day.

Amazing subjects. Beautiful settings. Nonstop action and unlimited opportunities. Join me.

The Logistics

Arrive Tokyo: 9 FEB 2017 the latest. 8 FEB is safer and gives you a day to get acclimated to the time change. Your hotel room for the night of the 9th is covered.

Bus Travel to Monkey Park Hotel: 10 FEB: A 1/2 DAY of monkey photography is likely depending on our travel time… This traditional hotel is first class all the way. Our stay includes three ten course Japanese dinners; these sumptuous meals will astound you and delight your taste buds. There are many traditional hot springs mineral baths (onsens) on site in this 150 year old hotel.

Full Day snow monkeys: FEB 11.

Full Day snow monkeys: FEB 12.

13 FEB: Full travel day to Hokkaido/arrive at our lodge in the late afternoon. The lodge is wonderful. All the rooms at the lodge have beds. Bring your warm pajamas. A local onsen (hot springs bath and tubs) is available for $5 each day before dinner–when you are cold, it is the best thing since sliced bread. The home-cooked Japanese styles meals at the lodge are to die for. What’s the best news? Only a small stand of woods separates us from the very best crane sanctuary. During one big snowstorm we were the only photo group to be able to get to Tsurui Ito; we had the whole place to ourselves in perfect conditions for crane photography!

FEB 14-23: Red-crowned Crane, raptors in flight, Whooper Swans, and scenic photography. Ural Owl possible. An overnight trip to Rausu for Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-tailed Eagle photography on the tourists boats is 100% dependent on the weather, road, and sea ice conditions. Only our trip offers complete flexibility in this area. It has saved us on more than once occasion. The cost of 2 eagle-boat trips is included. If the group would like to do more than two boat trips and we all agree, there will be an additional charge for the extra trip or trips. No matter the sea ice conditions, we will do two eagle boat trips (as long as we can make the drive to Rausu; it snows a lot up there). We have never been shut out.In 2016 there was no sea ice but our guide arranged for two amazingly productive boat trips.

Lodging notes: bring your long johns for sleeping in the lodge. At the Snow Monkey Park, and in Rausu, the hotel the rooms are Japanese-style. You sleep on comfortable mats on the floor. Wi-fi is available every day of the trip.

FEB 24. Fly back to Tokyo for transfer to your airport if you are flying home that night, or, to your hotel if you are overnighting. If you need to overnight, the cost of that room is on you.

Life is short. Hop on the merry-go-round.

To Sign Up

To save your spot, please send your $5,000 non-refundable deposit check made out to “Birds as Art” to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. I do hope that you can join me for this trip of a lifetime. Do e-mail with any questions or give me a buzz at 863-692-0906.

Purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of our cashing your deposit check is strongly recommended. On two fairly recent Galapagos cruises a total of 5 folks were forced to cancel less than one week prior to the trip. My family and I use Travel Insurance Services and strongly recommend that you do the same.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

Patrick Sparkman took a few hours off from work this morning to join Bryan Holliday and me at the cliffs in La Jolla. After a slow start we smoked em. I have a private client tomorrow morning; we will be targeting the pelicans–many still in spectacular breeding plumage–Brandt’s Cormorant, and Western and California Gulls.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 132 days in a row with a new educational blog post. As always–and folks have been doing a great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) that we would appreciate your business 🙂

“That’s what my wife looks like when she wakes up in the morning”

The Gallery Walk

As noted here previously, on Sunday past, Patrick and Robin Sparkman, Bryan Holliday, David Salem and his friend Glenn Conlan, and Brian Jones and his friend Norm Brown joined me at The Nat (The San Diego Natural History Museum) for a gallery walk. My exhibit, BIRDS AS ART, the Avian Photography of Arthur Morris hangs until mid-April. Even those who had been to the show before were amazed by the beauty of the venue, the Abe Ordover Gallery. Everyone liked the images too, and marveled at the incredible printing job by Fine Print Imaging of Fort Collins, CO.

David Salem is no slouch as a photographer; he is the first two time winner of BirdPhotographer.Net’s Image of the Year (IOTY) and the first to be so honored in consecutive years. You can see Dave’s spectacular 2015 winning image and the other category winners here. And you can see the 2014 winners here. I will be featuring the 2015 winners in a blog post here soon. You can learn more about BPN or join here. In any case, David’s effusive and insightful comments on my work were greatly appreciated. And they meant a ton coming from such a talented, skilled, and hard-working photographer.

Locals, and those who will be visiting San Diego in the next few weeks, can learn more about the SDNHM gallery exhibition here. It runs until April 25th.

The gentleman pictured in today’s lead image kindly stopped to chat with the group when he learned that I was the photographer. Pointing to the Great Egret begging image pictured in Bryan Holliday’s fine cell phone image above, he cracked everyone up by saying, “That’s what my wife looks like when she wakes up in the morning.” And to think that his wife was standing right there!

birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100 The companion e-book to the solo exhibit at TheNat, San Diego, California The new e-book on CD is available for $23 here. And it is also available via convenient download for $20 by clicking here.

birds as art: The Avian Photography of Arthur Morris/The Top 100

If you missed the announcement of the new e-book click here for complete info that includes details on getting a signed copy.

Wood Stork images collage Which are your favorites? See mine below.

Are Wood Storks Too Ugly to Photograph?

At a recent blog post Dave Adler commented:

All of your stuff is so consistently amazing that I thought I’d just ask whether you have ever published (or even taken) an image of a Wood Stork. The reason I’m asking is we were in Wakodahatchee (DelRay, Florida) and disappointed to find that practically the whole place has been taken over by these, well, less than impressive birds. Just curious if you have any comments, and thanks.

Good friend and multiple IPT veteran Bill Lloyd (who is headed to Namibia with us in a bit) responded:

Hmmm… Wood Storks and spoonbills are on my bucket list. The storks have amazing faces!

And then I wrote, I have published many Wood Stork images both in print and here on the blog. Those include many beautiful ones and many close-ups of their yes, amazing faces. Try doing a search for “Wood Stork” in the little white search box on the upper right of each blog post page. You should find a few good ones. LMK what you think. 🙂 a

To which I add here: To me, Wood Storks are quite impressive. And yes, they are ugly, but they are quite beautiful at the same time. If you can find one in a nice setting or get really close making some wonderful images of them is a snap. The textures and patterns on their faces are incredible. They breed every year at Gatorland in Kissimmee, FL. My very favorite image in the collage above in the tight adult head portrait from Anhinga Trail, the left-most one in the bottom row, the one with the golden tones. But there are several that I really like a lot especially some of the chicks and the head portrait of a young Wood Stork, bottom row, third from the end.

So what’s the lesson?

IPT Updates

Learn to improve you bird and nature photography with the best instructor on the planet; join an Instructional Photo-Tour. Learn more and see the schedule here.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

I met Dr. Parsons today. He feels that I am a good candidate for green light laser prostate surgery. I see him again on Friday morning for an ultrasound. If all goes smoothly my surgery will be done on Thursday afternoon, March 24.

There are at least 25 lessons in today’s blog post. If you learned something or figured something out, please leave a comment to share with the gang.

This image was created on March 14, 2016, a cloudy morning at La Jolla, CA. I used the the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 400mm) and the mega mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/250 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Cloudy WB. Brown Pelican stitched pano

A + B = C

Artie and friends. Image courtesy of and copyright 2016: Bryan Holliday

Yours truly on the cliffs at La Jolla. iPhone 6s cell phone image courtesy of and copyright 2016: Bryan Holliday

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

Yesterday was pretty much a photographic bust for me. Thanks to BPN-friend David Salem we went to a new spot near Patrick’s home in hopes of photographing the courtship rushes of Western and Clarke’s Grebes. Patrick and David had killed there last week but Saturday was a different story. The were fewer birds and little activity. It was not until I was packing up that two grebes rushed right at Patrick doing their incredibly loud mating dance rush. With his hand held 600 II/1.4X III TC/5DS R combo he nailed a few frames with 61-point Automatic Selection AF.

I am working on this blog post early on Sunday morning. We are heading back to the same spot in less than an hour in hopes of better luck.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 130 days in a row with a new educational blog post. As always–and folks have been doing a great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only. Please remember that if you are shopping for items that we carry in the BAA Online Store (as noted in red at the close of this post below) that we would appreciate your business 🙂

This image was created on the afternoon of Friday, March 11, 2016 at La Jolla, CA with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 800: 1/100 sec. at f/8. AWB. Fill flash at -2 stops with the Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT, the Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord, the Canon CP-E4 Compact Battery Pack, the Mongoose Integrated Flash Arm, and a Better Beamer. Center AF point (by necessity)/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. This is a very small crop after leveling, mostly from our right. The selected AF point fell on the area right between the bird’s eyes. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Pacific race of Brown Pelican with crest raised

The Situation

The situation on my first afternoon in San Diego was pretty much the same as the situation on my first morning in San Diego on the January 2016 IPT visit: 80% chance of torrential downpours with high winds. You can read the whole story in the Sometimes When It’s Supposed to Suck, It Doesn’t… blog post here.

In any case, the weather forecast was indeed horrific. None-the-less, Patrick and Bryan and I decided to head to the Scripp’s Institute Pier in hopes of some clearing and a spectacular sunset. As soon as we got on 52 East the skies opened up. For several moments the visibility was zero: I slowed to 5mph on the freeway. When we arrived it was dark and dreary and raining; we never got out of the car. We imagined seeing some slight clearing to the west but after a half hour we decided to pack it in.

Hey, I’ve got an idea. We can head to the new pelican spot that Pat and I discovered during the January storm; the winds were the same, fierce from the west. My reasoning were that we could be only a few feet from the vehicle. When we arrived the pelicans were there in force; we would wind up seeing more than 200 that afternoon, most at from close to point blank range. The problem is that it was raining pretty hard. That did not stop me. I set up the 500 II with a rain cover, put a wool hat over the flash, and a wool hat over the camera. The two pansy-asses, Pat and Bryan, went across the street to sit in a nearby cafe and enjoy cups of tea and coffee (respectively) while waiting for the rain to quit. What can I say? I just love photographing birds in the rain with flash.

The rain stopped in minutes and Patrick and Bryan joined in the fun.

I was photographing tight pelican head portraits with the 500 and the 1.4X III TC when I noticed a bird with its crest fully raised. Now I have been viewing and photographing pelicans in La Jolla for well more than two decades but I have never seen a pelican with its crest raised; the problem was that the bird was at the bottom of the cliff about forty feet from us. I was so amazed by its hairdo that I went back to the car for the 2X III TC. Bingo.

We were amazed when the western sky did actually clear a bit; for a few moments the sun actually came out; Patrick and Bryan were doing hand held pelicans in flight with their big telephotos, Pat with the 600 II, Bryan with the 500 II.

A Last Amazing Note

I was amazed that there were still so many pelicans and that most of them were still showing wonderful color. I had assumed that by mid-March that the pelican photography would be headed downhill…

Tight 100% forehead crop of todays’ featured image at 800 pixels wide from the unsharpened TIFF file

1000mm Sharpness at 1/100 sec.

What can I say to the non-believers? Fine feather detail with the 5DS R is far beyond anything that I have ever seen.

And there are plenty of 2X TC non-believers as well. What can I say to them? Here’s the image.

The craziest part of the whole story is that my tripod was not firmly seated. I had lifted the front leg over a 3 1/2 foot tall fence to get a bit closer to the subject and the legs were resting on ice plant and soft earth. I have been stating for pretty much two decades that with practice, folks should be able to consistently create sharp images with a 2X TC and an f/4 super-telephoto lens at shutter speeds down to 1/6 sec. With my tripod on somewhat shaky footing the sharpness of today’s image impressed me.

Image Question

What factor in the equation led to increased sharpness?

San Diego offers a wealth of very attractive natural history subjects. With annual visits spanning more than three decades I have lot of experience there….

2017 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) JAN 11 thru and including the morning session on JAN 15: 4 1/2 days: $1999.

(Limit: 10/openings 8)

Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the evening before the IPT begins; Tuesday 1/10/17.

Join me in San Diego to photograph the spectacular breeding plumage Brown Pelicans with their fire-engine red and olive green bill pouches; Brandt’s and Double-crested Cormorants; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other duck species possible including Lesser Scaup, Redhead, and Surf Scoter; a variety of gulls including Western, California, and the gorgeous Heerman’s, all in full breeding plumage; shorebirds including Marbled Godwit, Willet, Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover; many others possible including Least, Western, and Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, and Surfbird; Harbor Seals (depending on the current regulations) and California Sea Lions; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice bird-scape and landscape opportunities as well.

With gorgeous subjects just sitting there waiting to have their pictures taken, photographing the pelicans on the cliffs is about as easy as nature photography gets. With the winds from the east almost every morning there is usually some excellent flight photography. And the pelicans are almost always doing something interesting: preening, scratching, bill pouch cleaning, or squabbling. And then there are those crazy head throws that are thought to be a form of intra-flock communication.

Did I mention that there are wealth of great birds and natural history subjects in San Diego in winter?

Though the pelicans will be the stars of the show on this IPT there will be many other handsome and captivating subjects in wonderful settings.

The San Diego Details

This IPT will include five 3 1/2 hour morning photo sessions, four 2 1/2 hour afternoon photo sessions, four lunches, and after-lunch image review and Photoshop sessions. To ensure early starts, breakfasts will be your responsibility.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. You can send a check (made out to “Arthur Morris) to us at BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. Or call Jim or Jennifer at the office with a credit card at 863-692-0906. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 9/11//2016. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

I hit the sack early and was up at 4am to finish packing. I began working on this blog post in the car on the way to MCO. Jim is driving and getting the rest of the day off as his reward. As Jen is at a LaLeche League conference in Atlanta there will be nobody in the office until Monday. Have a nice weekend 🙂 My flight to San Diego is at 11:05am. My pre-surgical appointment with Dr. Kellogg Parsons at UCSD Medical Center is on Tuesday. And I am hoping to undergo green light laser prostate surgery next Friday…

Price Reduced $2500

Japan In Winter IPT. February 9-24, 2017: $11,499 (was $13,999)/double occupancy.

Price Reduced $2,500 on 3-8-16!

Please e-mail for couple and IPT repeat customer discount information.

As I really, really want to make it back to Japan in winter one more time, I decided to lower the price of the world’s best Japan in Winter trip by $2,500. Yes my trip has three great leaders including the best bird photography instructor on the planet. That’s the guy who knows where to be when and why. And yes, it is now a bit more expensive than most. And yes, we stay at a fine hotel in Tokyo. And yes, we stay in a marvelous traditional hotel for our three nights at the Snow Monkey Park. And yes, we are perfectly located on Hokkaido, minutes from the premier Red-crowned Crane sanctuary and an easy drive to most of the other wondrous avian attractions. And yes, we enjoy home cooked breakfasts and dinners prepared by Shinobu, the wife of our local Japanese guide. She is an incredible chef. After three visits her meals are now traditional Japanese fine-tuned for the American palate. And yes, my tour is longer than the others, giving us many days with the cranes. I saw one trip with only two days of crane photography; what a bummer. End each day with a traditional onsen (hot springs mineral bath) to complete your immersion in Japanese culture.

Life is short. I hope that you can join me. Scroll down for details.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 129 days in a row with a new educational blog post. As always–and folks have been doing a great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only.

Everybody’s Doing It…

Everybody’s buying and selling used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page. Sales recently have been through the roof. The sale of three of the twelve items that I posted to the Used Gear Page this morning are pending after only four hours.

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 charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They recently folded. And eBay fees are now in the 13% range. 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. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab now on the the left side of the second yellow-orange menu bar at the top of each blog post.

Land Office Business!

Here is a list of early March sales:

• Jim Keener sold a Canon EOS 7D Mark II in excellent condition for $999 in early March, 2016.
• KW McCulloch sold a Canon EF 1.4X II Extender and an EF 2X II Extender each for $175. He also sold a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in excellent plus condition for $1499.00, a Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens, my old “toy lens,” in excellent plus condition for $699.00, and a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens in excellent plus for $499.00. All in early March 2016.
• BPN Out-of-the Box Moderator Cheryl Slechta sold a used Canon EOS 5D Mark III dSLR in near-mint condition for $1529, a Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens in near-mint condition $679, and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens in near-mint condition for the $529–all in early March 2016.
• Nigel Boon sold his Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II USM lens in like-new condition only $1599.00 in early March 2016.
• Thomas Kokta sold his used Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS lens with Internal Extender in excellent plus condition for the insanely record-low BAA price of $8,050 in early March.
• IPT veteran Dean Newman sold his Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS lens, the “old five,” in excellent condition for $3,775 in early March.
• South Georgia BAA group veteran Aravind Krishnaswamy sold his Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS II lens in like-new condition for $4,749 in early March.
• Bill Moore sold his Canon 600mm f4L IS II lens in near-mint condition for $9,499 in early March before it was even listed.
• Asta Tobiassen sold her Canon 100-400mm IS L lens in very good condition for $599 in early March.

This image was created on the recently concluded 2015 Japan in Winter IPT with the hand held Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 200mm) and the mega mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop as framed: 1/400 sec. at f/8. AWB. Three AF points to the left and two up from the center AF Point/AI Servo Surround/Shutter Button AF was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). The selected AF point was on the bridge of the adult’s nose. Click on the image to see a larger version. Snow Monkey young grooming adult

Bliss

This was about the third image that I made on the first day in recently concluded Japan-in-Winter IPT. The most beautiful part of the Monkey Park experience (except for the monkeys themselves) is that you can do everything hand held with either the 100-400 II or the 70-200 f/2.8L IS II and a 1.4X III TC. That makes the one mile walk up the hill that much more enjoyable.

This is a DPP 4 screen capture for today’s featured image

DPP 4 Screen Capture

The red in the background is the Highlight warning. Note that the illuminated red square on the bridge of the monkey’s nose shows that the selected AF point was active at the moment of exposure.

Easy Question

Why did I move the Shadow slider to +5? (Hint: take a look at the animated GIF below…)

Hard Question

Why did I move the Highlight slider to +3?

Before and After Animated GIF

What were the changes on the baby Snow Monkey?

Consider joining me in Japan in February, 2017, for the world’s best Japan in Winter workshop. Click on the card to enjoy the spectacular larger version.

Japan In Winter IPT. February 9-24, 2017: $11,499 (was $13,999)/double occupancy.

Price Reduced $2,500 on 3-8-16!

All lodging including the Tokyo hotel on 9 FEB, all breakfasts & dinners, ground transport and transfers including bus to the monkey park hotel, and all entrance fees and in-country flights are included. Not included: international flights, all lunches–most are on the run, and alcoholic beverages.

Please e-mail for couple and IPT repeat customer discount information.

This trip is one day longer than the great 2014 trip to allow for more flexibility, more time with the cranes, and most importantly, more time for landscape photography. Hokkaido is gorgeous. You will enjoy tons of pre-trip planning and gear advice, in-the-field instruction and guidance, at-the-lodge Photoshop and image review sessions in addition to short introductory slide programs for each of the amazing locations. Skilled photographer Paul McKenzie handles the logistics and we enjoy the services of Japan’s best wildlife photography guide whom I affectionately call “Hokkaido Bear.” His network of local contacts and his knowledge of the weather, the area, and the birds is unparalleled and enables him to have us in the best location every day.

Amazing subjects. Beautiful settings. Nonstop action and unlimited opportunities. Join me.

The Logistics

Arrive Tokyo: 9 FEB 2017 the latest. 8 FEB is safer and gives you a day to get acclimated to the time change. Your hotel room for the night of the 9th is covered.

Bus Travel to Monkey Park Hotel: 10 FEB: A 1/2 DAY of monkey photography is likely depending on our travel time… This traditional hotel is first class all the way. Our stay includes three ten course Japanese dinners; these sumptuous meals will astound you and delight your taste buds. There are many traditional hot springs mineral baths (onsens) on site in this 150 year old hotel.

Full Day snow monkeys: FEB 11.

Full Day snow monkeys: FEB 12.

13 FEB: Full travel day to Hokkaido/arrive at our lodge in the late afternoon. The lodge is wonderful. All the rooms at the lodge have beds. Bring your warm pajamas. A local onsen (hot springs bath and tubs) is available for $5 each day before dinner–when you are cold, it is the best thing since sliced bread. The home-cooked Japanese styles meals at the lodge are to die for. What’s the best news? Only a small stand of woods separates us from the very best crane sanctuary. During one big snowstorm we were the only photo group to be able to get to Tsurui Ito; we had the whole place to ourselves in perfect conditions for crane photography!

FEB 14-23: Red-crowned Crane, raptors in flight, Whooper Swans, and scenic photography. Ural Owl possible. An overnight trip to Rausu for Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-tailed Eagle photography on the tourists boats is 100% dependent on the weather, road, and sea ice conditions. Only our trip offers complete flexibility in this area. It has saved us on more than once occasion. The cost of 2 eagle-boat trips is included. If the group would like to do more than two boat trips and we all agree, there will be an additional charge for the extra trip or trips. No matter the sea ice conditions, we will do two eagle boat trips (as long as we can make the drive to Rausu; it snows a lot up there). We have never been shut out.In 2016 there was no sea ice but our guide arranged for two amazingly productive boat trips.

Lodging notes: bring your long johns for sleeping in the lodge. At the Snow Monkey Park, and in Rausu, the hotel the rooms are Japanese-style. You sleep on comfortable mats on the floor. Wi-fi is available every day of the trip.

FEB 24. Fly back to Tokyo for transfer to your airport if you are flying home that night, or, to your hotel if you are overnighting. If you need to overnight, the cost of that room is on you.

Life is short. Hop on the merry-go-round.

To Sign Up

To save your spot, please send your $5,000 non-refundable deposit check made out to “Birds as Art” to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. I do hope that you can join me for this trip of a lifetime. Do e-mail with any questions or give me a buzz at 863-692-0906.

Purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of our cashing your deposit check is strongly recommended. On two fairly recent Galapagos cruises a total of 5 folks were forced to cancel less than one week prior to the trip. My family and I use Travel Insurance Services and strongly recommend that you do the same.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂

What’s Up?

I have been tying up lots of loose ends here at the home office getting ready to be away for 2 1/2 weeks. I fly to San Diego this Friday and am hoping to undergo green light laser prostate surgery the following Friday. After the announcement of the huge price reduction on the Japan in Winter IPT yesterday I was pleased to learn of the first sign-up. One down seven to go.

The Streak

Today’s blog post marks 127 days in a row with a new educational blog post. As always–and folks have been doing a great job recently–please remember to use our B&H links for your major gear purchases. For best results use one of our many product-specific links; after clicking on one of those you can continue shopping with all subsequent purchases invisibly tracked to BAA. Your doing so is always greatly appreciated. Please remember: web orders only.

Price Reduced $2500

Japan In Winter IPT. February 9-24, 2017: $11,499 (was $13,999)/double occupancy. Limit 8, openings 7.

Price Reduced $2,500 on 3-8-16!

Please e-mail for couple and IPT repeat customer discount information.

As I really, really want to make it back to Japan in winter one more time, I decided to lower the price of the world’s best Japan in Winter trip by $2,500. Yes my trip has three great leaders including the best bird photography instructor on the planet. That’s the guy who knows where to be when and why. And yes, it is now a bit more expensive than most. And yes, we stay at a fine hotel in Tokyo. And yes, we stay in a marvelous traditional hotel for our three nights at the Snow Monkey Park. And yes, we are perfectly located on Hokkaido, minutes from the premier Red-crowned Crane sanctuary and an easy drive to most of the other wondrous avian attractions. And yes, we enjoy home cooked breakfasts and dinners prepared by Shinobu, the wife of our local Japanese guide. She is an incredible chef. After three visits her meals are now traditional Japanese fine-tuned for the American palate. And yes, my tour is longer than the others, giving us many days with the cranes. I saw one trip with only two days of crane photography; what a bummer. End each day with a traditional onsen (hot springs mineral bath) to complete your immersion in Japanese culture.

Life is short. I hope that you can join me. Scroll down for complete details.

Everybody’s Doing It…

Everybody’s buying and selling used gear on the BAA Used Gear Page. Sales recently have been through the roof. The sale of three of the twelve items that I posted to the Used Gear Page this morning are pending after only four hours.

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 charged a minimum of 20%. Plus assorted fees! Yikes. They recently folded. And eBay fees are now in the 13% range. 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. Do know that prices on some items like the EOS-1D Mark IV, the old Canon 500mm, the EOS-7D, and the original 400mm IS DO lens have been dropping steadily. Even the prices on the new 600 II and the 200-400 with Internal Extender have been plummeting. You can see all current listings by clicking here or by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab now on the the left side of the second yellow-orange menu bar at the top of each blog post.

Brand New Listings

Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II Lens

Moody McCall is offering a used Canon 300mm F/2.8 IS II in excellent condition for $4599. The sale includes the hard case and key, the nylon front lens cover, the rear cap, the lens strap, a LensCoat, and insured ground shipping via major carrier. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Moody by e-mail or by phone at 904 635 4388 (Eastern time).

The 300mm f/2.8L IS II is astoundingly sharp both by itself and with either Series III teleconverter. It is relatively easy to hand hold for most folks and is a truly great flight lens. It makes an ideal everyday super-telephoto for folks who like to go light and those who usually work with tame birds. artie

This image was created on the recently concluded 2015 Japan in Winter IPT with the Induro GIT 304L/Mongoose M3.6-mounted Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM lens (at 182mm) and the mega mega-pixel Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops as framed: 1/20 sec. at f/22 in Av mode. Shade WB. Center AF Point (Manual selection)/AI Servo Rear Focus a bit past 1/3 of the way into the frame and re-compose. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: River in marsh on misty morning/color version

100-400 II Versatility, Tips, and Landscape Photography Tips

Many folks do not realize that intermediate telephoto lenses are great tools for landscape photographers; here the 1-4II at 182mm enabled me to get the exact framing that I wanted. Note the effective use of the “S” curve of the river. I like that the “virtual” river exits the frame from the lower left corner.

The 100-400 II is often on my shoulder via a Black Rapid Strap where I can grab it in a moment. Most of the time I unscrew the lens foot with the Wimberley P-20 plate to save a bit of weight. The P-20 is perfect for virtually all intermediate telephotos and telephoto zoom lenses; its flange keeps it from twisting and coming loose.

If I will be working close to the vehicle as was that morning in Japan, the foot and plate assembly remains in my Think Tank Rolling bag where I can grab it easily when I need to put the lens on the tripod for landscapes. If I am away from my vehicle I place the foot and plate assembly into one of the top zippered pockets of my Xtrahand vest.

As almost always when doing landscapes and flowers I worked in Live View (for mirror lock-up) with the 2-second timer (to ensure maximum sharpness). In these situations I am almost always in Av mode so that once I determine the correct Exposure Compensation I can change the aperture quickly and easily by working the index finger wheel. If you are in Manual mode you will need to make two adjustments rather than one. For me, Av mode is easier and makes sense in these situations.

This black and white image was created from the optimized TIFF that opens today’s blog post. Image #2: River in marsh on misty morning/B&W version

Local Guide and more…

Having a local Japanese guide who happens to be a Nature’s Best Japan-honored photographer not only assures us of access to all of the secret spots but will put us there in the right weather conditions… And co-leader Paul Mckenzie has years of experience in Japan to go with multiple BBC and Nature’s Best honored images.

The B&W Version

I created the B&W version of todays’ featured image with the NIK Silver EFEX Pro High Dynamic Smooth pre-set.

Your Fave?

Please take a moment to let us know which version you prefer, the color version or the Black and White version. And as always, please let us know why. And remember, the more interactive the blog is the more everyone learns. In this race, I have a clear favorite.

Better Beamer Answer…

In the Blacklit blog post here, I asked “Why should you NOT use a Better Beamer in strongly backlit situations?”

Answer: The Fresnel screen that comes with each Better Beamer contains the following warning: This is a magnifying lens. Pointing the lens near the sun may result in damage to your camera or your eyes. It would have been a good idea to have addd “or to your flash!” If you point your lens toward the sun as you would do in a backlit situation you run the risk of burning a hole in your expensive flash. I’ve been there and done that many times… The smell of the burning plastic is yucky! It is best to remove your beamer when working backlit or to at least remove the Fresnel screen.

Kudos to John Rowell and Bobby Perkins for supplying the correct answer in the Comments section.

Consider joining me in Japan in February, 2017, for the world’s best Japan in Winter workshop. Click on the card to enjoy the spectacular larger version.

Japan In Winter IPT. February 9-24, 2017: $11,499 (was $13,999)/double occupancy.

Price Reduced $2,500 on 3-8-16!

All lodging including the Tokyo hotel on 9 FEB, all breakfasts & dinners, ground transport and transfers including bus to the monkey park hotel, and all entrance fees and in-country flights are included. Not included: international flights, all lunches–most are on the run, and alcoholic beverages.

Please e-mail for couple and IPT repeat customer discount information.

This trip is one day longer than the great 2014 trip to allow for more flexibility, more time with the cranes, and most importantly, more time for landscape photography. Hokkaido is gorgeous. You will enjoy tons of pre-trip planning and gear advice, in-the-field instruction and guidance, at-the-lodge Photoshop and image review sessions in addition to short introductory slide programs for each of the amazing locations. Skilled photographer Paul McKenzie handles the logistics and we enjoy the services of Japan’s best wildlife photography guide whom I affectionately call “Hokkaido Bear.” His network of local contacts and his knowledge of the weather, the area, and the birds is unparalleled and enables him to have us in the best location every day.

Amazing subjects. Beautiful settings. Nonstop action and unlimited opportunities. Join me.

The Logistics

Arrive Tokyo: 9 FEB 2017 the latest. 8 FEB is safer and gives you a day to get acclimated to the time change. Your hotel room for the night of the 9th is covered.

Bus Travel to Monkey Park Hotel: 10 FEB: A 1/2 DAY of monkey photography is likely depending on our travel time… This traditional hotel is first class all the way. Our stay includes three ten course Japanese dinners; these sumptuous meals will astound you and delight your taste buds. There are many traditional hot springs mineral baths (onsens) on site in this 150 year old hotel.

Full Day snow monkeys: FEB 11.

Full Day snow monkeys: FEB 12.

13 FEB: Full travel day to Hokkaido/arrive at our lodge in the late afternoon. The lodge is wonderful. All the rooms at the lodge have beds. Bring your warm pajamas. A local onsen (hot springs bath and tubs) is available for $5 each day before dinner–when you are cold, it is the best thing since sliced bread. The home-cooked Japanese styles meals at the lodge are to die for. What’s the best news? Only a small stand of woods separates us from the very best crane sanctuary. During one big snowstorm we were the only photo group to be able to get to Tsurui Ito; we had the whole place to ourselves in perfect conditions for crane photography!

FEB 14-23: Red-crowned Crane, raptors in flight, Whooper Swans, and scenic photography. Ural Owl possible. An overnight trip to Rausu for Steller’s Sea Eagle and White-tailed Eagle photography on the tourists boats is 100% dependent on the weather, road, and sea ice conditions. Only our trip offers complete flexibility in this area. It has saved us on more than once occasion. The cost of 2 eagle-boat trips is included. If the group would like to do more than two boat trips and we all agree, there will be an additional charge for the extra trip or trips. No matter the sea ice conditions, we will do two eagle boat trips (as long as we can make the drive to Rausu; it snows a lot up there). We have never been shut out.In 2016 there was no sea ice but our guide arranged for two amazingly productive boat trips.

Lodging notes: bring your long johns for sleeping in the lodge. At the Snow Monkey Park, and in Rausu, the hotel the rooms are Japanese-style. You sleep on comfortable mats on the floor. Wi-fi is available every day of the trip.

FEB 24. Fly back to Tokyo for transfer to your airport if you are flying home that night, or, to your hotel if you are overnighting. If you need to overnight, the cost of that room is on you.

Life is short. Hop on the merry-go-round.

To Sign Up

To save your spot, please send your $5,000 non-refundable deposit check made out to “Birds as Art” to Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. I do hope that you can join me for this trip of a lifetime. Do e-mail with any questions or give me a buzz at 863-692-0906.

Purchasing travel insurance within 2 weeks of our cashing your deposit check is strongly recommended. On two fairly recent Galapagos cruises a total of 5 folks were forced to cancel less than one week prior to the trip. My family and I use Travel Insurance Services and strongly recommend that you do the same.

Please Remember to use our Affiliate Links 🙂

To show your appreciation for my continuing efforts here, we ask, as always, that you get in the habit of using my B&H affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your photo and electronics purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially the Mongoose M3.6 tripod heads, Gitzo tripods, Wimberley heads and plates, LensCoats and accessories, and the like. We sell only what I have used, have 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. I just learned that my account was suspended during my absence; it should be up and running by Monday at the latest.

I would of course appreciate your using our B&H affiliate links for all of your major gear, video, and electronic purchases. For the photographic stuff mentioned in the paragraph above we, meaning BAA, would of course greatly appreciate your business. Here is a huge thank you to the many who have been using our links on a regular basis and visiting the BAA Online store as well.

Facebook

Be sure to like and follow BAA on Facebook by clicking on the logo link upper right. Tanks a stack!

Typos

In all blog posts and Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors. Just be right 🙂