Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

What’s Up?

I am currently fighting a cold, mostly upper chest congestion and a scratchy throat but am feeling pretty good this morning…. Today is start packing day!

I fly to Miami on Wednesday afternoon where I will meet up with Denise Ippolito. We will take a red eye flight to Santiago, Chile arriving at 7:10am on Thursday morning. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn Airport. After clearing customs we will throw our checked bags in a room, grab our photo gear, and meet our local guide in the lobby at 8:45am for a day of condor photography. On Friday morning we will drive down the coast to do Inca Terns and follow that up with more condors.

Early Saturday we fly to Stanley in the Falklands with Brian and Billie Snell who joined us in Miami and will be spending an additional week with us on our first-ever land-based Falklands IPT. We fly back to Stanley the following Friday and do a local trip by van for more Rockhopper Penguins–can anyone ever get enough rockhoppers? We transfer to the Ortelius that Saturday afternoon to begin our Cheesemans’ South Georgia Expedition. We are looking forward to meeting and working with the BAA group. We depart the ship in Stanley on November 14 and return to Santiago arriving at 10pm. We overnight at the Holiday Inn Airport for a full day of rest and take red-eye flights the following evening to head towards our respective homes. I arrive in Orlando at 8:21am on Monday November 16.

We fly to Albuquerque on Friday, November 20 for the two (nearly sold-out) Bosque IPTs returning home on Thursday, December 3.

How’s that for a travel schedule?

I will be 100% without internet from 24-30 OCT and then again from 1-14 NOV. Jim will be in the office doing his usually stellar job of minding the store and Jen will be here to help with with all things IPT related. You can reach either of them by phone at 863-693-0906. You can reach Jim by e-mail or Jen at e-mail (the latter with Attn. JEN in the Subject line).

Please refrain from e-mailing me from 23 OCT through 15 NOV.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

You can see the complete listings by clicking here or always by clicking on the Used Photo Gear tab on the right end of the navigation bar at the top of each blog post page.

After a lull in September, things have really heated up lately:

Canon 500mm f/4L IS (the “old five”) was sold by Glen Shellhammer for $2450 in mid-October, 2015.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens was sold instantly by Walt Anderson for $4750 in mid-October, 2015.
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the “old five”) was sold by Dane Johnson for $4150 in early October 2015.
Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 zoom lens (Canon mount) was sold by Beth Starr for $4,999 in early October 2015.
Canon EOS-1D X in excellent condition was sold by Patrick Sparkman for $3650 in early October, 2014.
Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens was sold for $699 by Sean Traynor on October 7, 2015.
Canon 100-400 L IS zoom lens (the old 1-4) was sold by Susan Carnahan for $675 in mid-October, 2015.

New Listings

Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”)

Alice Garland is offering a used Canon 500mm f/4L IS Lens (“the old five”) in very good to excellent condition for only $3999. The sale includes the lens trunk, a LensCoat and a Hoodie, the rear leans cap, the strap, the original leather front cover, the lens info sheet, the Canon drop-in circular polarizer, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. (Serial #21366.) Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Alice by e-mail or by phone at 509-954-4253 (Pacific time).

As regular readers know the “old five” was the world’s most popular super telephoto lens for many years. I owned and used one for more than a decade. Alice’s lens is priced to sell immediately. artie

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Camera Body

Alice Garland is also offering a used Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Camera Body in excellent condition for only $1350. The sale includes a Really Right Stuff L plate, the original packing box, the original product box, the manual and solution disk, an extra battery, the and battery charger and strap, and insured shipping via UPS Ground. Serial number is 1821300091. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Alice by e-mail or by phone at 509-954-4253 (Pacific time).

Two 1D Mark IV bodies served as my workhorse cameras for almost four years. There are fast and rugged and dependable and I enjoyed the 1.3X crop factor. artie

Quit Being Lazy

No, this is not a repeat blog post error. Very few folks took the opportunity to learn by answering the questions posed yesterday. Now is your chance. The few folks who tackled the questions did fairly well so please, no peeking. You will find the questions below by scrolling down just past the EFIX data.

Here is your second chance 🙂

Why Tv mode? Remember that I have ISO Safety Shift set on all of my Canon cameras.

Why 1/80 sec?

Why did I need to go to -1 1/3 stop EC?

Why did I set the flash EC to +1?

Why Color Temperature 4200?

Does anyone know an easy way to set the Color Temperature on the camera when working indoors without a white card? I do and will share it with you here soon.

Induro BHM Ballhead Update

I have used the Induro BHM2 Ballhead for more than a year. It weighs only a pound yet is rated to 30.9 lbs. Both the BHM2 and the slightly smaller BHM1 feature double action separate positioning and pan controls, a Universal Arca-Swiss style Quick Release mounting plate system, and an Integrated Lock Limiter Tension Disk – to fine-tune the ball’s movement, and properly balance the tension with the weight of your gear. It has a large locking knob to control the movement of the ball and a separate lock to control the 360° panning motion. The ball is housed in a precision-machined black magnesium alloy body. Simply put, the Induro ballheads are lightweight and simple and easy to use. And, you can actually get your hands on the well-spaced knobs so that you can adjust them; that is not the case with many other much too-heavy, much too costly ballheads.

Please note that denise and I use a ballhead only when mounting a camera body with a short zoom lens. We do not, nor do we recommend, using any ballhead with a super-telephoto lens. For all super-telephoto lenses we both recommend only the Mongoose M3.6, the lightweight gimbal head that I have been using for more than a decade. In addition, efficiency and performance when working with intermediate telephoto lenses such as the Canon EF 100-400mm L IS II, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens, and all of the 70-200 lenses will be vastly improved when working with the Mongoose rather than even the best ballhead. Learn more about the Mongoose or purchase yours by clicking here. Please e-mail for low foot or plate info for the Mongoose.

The BHM1 is a bit lighter and a bit smaller and slimmer than the BHM2 but is still rated to an impressive 22 pounds. Again, the BHM2 is rated to 30.9 pounds.

Here’s the rub, both of the ballheads above are no longer in production and will soon be replaced by “new” models, the virtually identical BHM1S and BHM2S Ballheads. You can save a bundle by ordering the last one of each right now by clicking here.

Note: Though each ballhead includes a matching Arca-Swiss style compatible QR Plate we strongly recommend that you place that in the product box and purchase the much more elegant and much more efficient Wimberley P-5 camera body plate by clicking here.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Just 1 spot left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Just 3 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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 after July 29.

Facebook

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Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

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Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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?

On Thursday morning I photographed and videoed the bar mitzvah rehearsal of my grandnephew, Max Weinstein. I attended the bar mitzvah on Saturday morning but the use of any electronic devices in the temple is forbidden on the Sabbath. But I did grab nearly a thousand canid images of the family and guests at the big party afterwards. I will share some of those with you here at some point.

I fly back home this afternoon to get ready for our red-eye flight to Santiago, Chile on Wednesday. Denise and I are doing a few days with the condors in Santiago, then a week-long land-based Falklands trip, that followed by the great South Georgia adventure with the Cheesemans. Then home for three whole days before heading to Bosque. How is that for slowing down?

Like it or not? Why?

Is the background too busy? Or does the beauty of the subject carry the image?

Could I have gotten significantly lower here?

The answer is “no.” Leave a comment and let us know why not.

What Would You Do?

If you decided to try and improve the background in Photoshop, how would you attempt it?

100-400 II

The pelicans are so tame an hour after sun-up that the Canon EF 100-400mm II is deadly on the cliffs at LaJolla, even when used with a full frame camera body. The birds are, however, quite skittish early on so you must take great care approaching them before 8:30am.

Induro Tripods

To learn about Induro tripods and determine which model is best for you, click here. To order yours, click here or on the logo-link above.

The San Diego Site Guide

Site Guides are the closest thing to joining an IPT that you can experience without actually joining us. And they cost only fifty bucks; a lot less than an IPT! I share everything that I know about the five killer photography spots within 20 minutes of downtown San Diego. Learn where and how and when to photograph the amazing California race of Brown Pelican; Marbled Godwits against bright buff backgrounds; Wood Ducks, Lesser Scaup, and Ring-necked Duck at point blank range; and a variety of stunning gulls (including Heerman’s, Western, and California) both perched and in flight. You will learn where to go on what wind and what tides are best for each coastal location. You can get yourself a copy of the San Diego Site Guide by clicking here.

Eye Doctor Work

After converting the RAW file in DPP I brought the image into Photoshop. As you can see in the animated GIF above the eye was a bit funky in the original. The bird was looking up and the lower right part of the pupil was not very well defined. First I repaired the pupil with the Clone Stamp Tool and then a series of small warped Quick Masks that were refined with Regular Layer Masks. Once the pupil was made whole I painted a Quick Mask of the pupil being sure to include lots of the white iris above so that after I placed the pupil on its own layer it was easy to drag it down with the Move Tool (V). The extra iris above the pupil covered the (original) pupil below. Not also the color correction work that eliminated the yellow cast in the bird’s white iris.

Digital Basics

All of the above as detailed in my Digital Basics File–written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style. Digital Basics File is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, details on using all of my image clean-up tools, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, Contrast Masks, Digital Eye Doctor techniques, using Gaussian Blurs, Tim Grey Dodge and Burn, a variety of ways to make selections, how to create time-saving actions, the Surface Blur (background noise reduction) settings as taught to me by Denise Ippolito, and tons more.

APTATS I & II

Learn the details of advanced Quick Masking techniques in APTATS I. Learn Advanced Layer Masking Techniques in APTATS I. Mention this blog post and apply a $5 discount to either with phone orders only. Buy both APTATS I and APTATS II and we will be glad to apply at $15 discount with phone orders only. Please call Jim or Jennifer weekdays at 863-221-2372 to take advantage of this offer. I am pretty sure that we have extended that offer to the BAA Online Store as well… No time to check right now. 🙂

The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF)

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. The DPP IV Guide is the ideal companion to the 7D Mark II User’s Guide, a runaway best seller.

DPP 4 Kudos

From Richard Gollard via e-mail:

I have been doing tons of studying the books and PDFs that I have purchased from BIRDS AS ART. And I have to say that after reading the DPP 4 conversion guide that you did with Arash Hazeghi I tried DPP 4 and was blown away with the difference from the conversions that I made with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Thanks for the consistently great information.

The DPP 4 eGuide (PDF) Updated for 1D Mark IV and the original 7D

The DPP 4 eGuide was recently updated to include the luminance and chrominance noise reduction values for both the 1D Mark IV and the original 7D. If you purchased your copy from BAA please e-mail Jim and request the DPP 4 1d IV/7D update. Please be sure to cut and paste page 1 into your e-mail as proof of purchase.

2015 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) JAN 8 thru the morning of JAN 12, 2016: $1899 (Limit: 10/Openings: 3)

Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the day before the IPT begins
Two great leaders: Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito

Join us 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 in breeding plumage with their amazing crests; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other 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 likely; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice landscape opportunities as well.

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

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

A $499 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 11/1//2015. 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.

Facebook

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

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may click on the logo-link immediately above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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?

The three B&H Event Space programs went very well. Each was either a sell out or standing room only. Denise was great as expected. During the second program, “Tips for Serious Bird Photographers,” I got a bit carried away by telling too many of my great stories. As expected. Thus, we were a bit rushed going through the last few images. But we did have time for a great Q&A session at the end. Videos of all three will be available online in a few weeks.

After taking the LIRR to my younger daughter’s home in Ronkonkoma with one checked bag, my packed Think Tank rolling bag, and my packed Think Tank Urban Disguise laptop bag, I was so tired that I took a cab to Lissy’s house even though it was only one long block from the station…. I hit the sack quickly.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

After a lull in September, things have really heated up lately:

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the “old five”) was sold by Dane Johnson for $4150 in early October 2015.
Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 zoom lens (Canon mount) was sold by Beth Starr for $4,999 in early October 2015.
Canon EOS-1D X in excellent condition was sold by Patrick Sparkman for $3650 in early October, 2014.
Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens was sold for $699 by Sean Traynor on October 7, 2015.
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS lens (the “old five”) was sold by Alan Walther for $3900 in early October, 2015.
Canon 100-400 L IS zoom lens (the old 1-4) was sold by Susan Carnahan for $675 in mid-October, 2015.

Used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens

Sale pending 10/16/2015!

Walt Anderson (creator of the Better Beamer) is offering a barely used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens in mint condition for $4750. The sale includes all the items in original box: lens trunk, lens hood, fabric front cover, rear lens cap, wide lens strap, strap for lens case, CD and instruction papers. A LensCoat was on lens from day one. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Credit cards accepted.

Please contact Walt by e-mail or by cell phone at 847-721-8319 (Central time).

The 300 II is a superbly sharp and versatile lens that kills with both TCs. In addition, it is a great flight lens. Walt’s price matches the lowest-ever BAA price…. artie

Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L IS II USM Lens

Walt Anderson (creator of the Better Beamer) is also offering Canon EF 70-200 2.8 L IS II USM lens in like-new condition for $1599.00. The sale includes the soft case, lens hood, tripod ring, front and rear caps, and all original packaging/box, CD and manual, and insured shipping via Fed ex Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. Credit cards accepted.

Please contact Walt by e-mail or by cell phone at 847-721-8319 (Central time).

Please contact me, Walt Anderson at (cell) or email at with any questions.

The 70-200 f/2.8 L IS II is a superbly sharp and versatile intermediate telephoto lens that is great for landscapes, wildlife, bird-scapes, and, with a 7D Mark II, for tame birds. artie

Oops…

If you are photographing birds in flight and what happened above starts to happen consistently, it is time to turn your camera on end and try to create some original vertical captures.

You can see the original blog post, “Flight Lesson: Creating Vertical Original Catpures,” here. The funny thing is that I just noted that everyone including me missed the misspelling in the title. It has been repaired. Funny how the brain works….

The Repaired Image (above)

After the crop to vertical not only were the clipped lower primaries repaired, but the bird was rotated counterclockwise after adding lots of canvas in the form of blue sky.

“Kinda clunky repair work” Is it true?

My good friend from New Zealand, David Peake, commented, in part, as follows:

Hey Artie, I zoomed in for a closer look. At web resolution it’s not that easy to see but looks to me like you repaired the upper wing tip feathers. Looks like a line through the base of the five wingtip feathers that’s a bit of a mismatch. Kinda clunky repair work. Please forgive me, I couldn’t do a decent repair if my life were depending on it. DP

My Position

As regular readers know, my position has long been that if you tell folks exactly what repair has been done where then the whole world will be able to provide a long list of the telltale signs of the repair. If, however, you do not tell them in advance where on the image you worked, they will often hang themselves. As David did here. Yeah, there are some dark marks at the bases of the primary feathers of the upper wing, but those marks are exactly as they appeared on the RAW file…. So much for “clunky repair work….”

The Actual Repair Job

Using techniques from APTATS II I grabbed the first four missing primaries one by one (along with some sky) from the upper wing and positioned, warped, rotated, and then sculpted them. Then I painted a Quick Mask of the rest of the missing primary feathers that I needed and did the same. Even at the 100% view I’d say that I did a fairly decent job. I could have done a bit better sculpting the 2nd primary….

2015 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) JAN 8 thru the morning of JAN 12, 2016: $1899 (Limit: 10/Openings: 3)

Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the day before the IPT begins
Two great leaders: Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito

Join us 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 in breeding plumage with their amazing crests; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other 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 likely; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice landscape opportunities as well.

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

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

A $499 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 11/1//2015. 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.

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Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may click on the logo-link immediately above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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?

About half the group joined denise and me for a morning of photography at a railway museum about an hour from Cartersville. The old trains were in a lot better condition than most of the old wrecks at Old Car City. Again I worked almost exclusively with the tripod-mounted Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens and the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera. The rest of the day was so busy that I have not even downloaded the images as I type at 5:50am.

On the way to ATL we enjoyed another great lunch (seared tuna salads) at Houston’s just off of I-75 north of Atlanta. Then return the rental car, ride various inter-airport trains, check in, and get through TSA screening. Our gate was at the far end of a very long terminal hall. We must have looked really tired as a nice lady in an airport golf cart offered us a ride to C-2. We accepted.

This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and was published (accidentally) at about 6:14am before it was published. 🙂

Xtrahand Vest Travel Adventure

Jeez, I almost forgot the best part. I am always nervous when having my ticket scanned by the gate agent, dreading the “Sir. Stop. Please come back. You have three carry-ons.” The Southwest gate agent kept making announcements about the size and number of carry-ons spicing up his pronouncements with stuff like “If you try to get on with three carry-ons I will stop you. I will call you out. I will embarrass you. Worth a chuckle I guess. But as I began walking down the jet way I heard him say, “”Sir. Stop. Please come back. You have three carry-ons.” I had my Think Tank rolling gear bag, my Think Tank Urban Disguise laptop bag, and my Xtrahand vest, empty but for my insulin and two gel packs.

He walks up to me and says loudly, “You will need to gate check one of those,” indicating either the roller or the laptop bag. I protested briefly that the only thing in the vest was my insulin and that I had flown Southwest many dozens of times with my vest and two carry-ons. He would not be deterred so I took the insulin out of the vest and told him “You are not checking either of those bags. Check this,” and handed him the empty vest while pointing out that it weighed a lot less than a winter parka. “It’s not a coat; you are violating TSA regulations.” He handed me a green gate check receipt, tagged the vest, and told me that I would need to pick it up at baggage claim as checked luggage.

Can you imagine the intelligence level and bitterness of someone who insists that you gate check an article of clothing? He was out to get someone and I was elected. 🙂 I am glad to say that having to gate check the vest was a first.

IAC, the vest came out along with our and everyone else’s checked bags. I fly SW a ton and generally find the employees pleasant and often funny. This fine gentleman did not fit into those categories. When I finish this blog post I will be visiting SW customer service on the web.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

After a two-week lull, things have really heated up.

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the “old five”) was sold by Dane Johnson for $4150 in early October 2015.
Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 lens (Canon mount) was sold by Beth Starr for $4,999 in early October 2015.
Canon EOS-1D X in excellent condition was sold by Patrick Sparkman for $3650 in early October, 2014.

And two more lenses sold on Wednesday past:

Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens was sold for $699 by Sean Traynor on October 7, 2015.
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS lens (the “old five”) was sold by Alan Walther for $3900 in early October, 2015.

San Diego: It Ain’t Just Pelicans!

Though birds of the Pacific race of Brown Pelican in their bold and spectacular breeding plumage are the stars of the show in San Diego in winter, there is always a fine lineup of ducks available as photographic subjects. Most years we get to photograph Mallard, American Widgeon, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Gadwall, and of course, both drake and hen Wood Ducks. Redhead is a possibility, as is Surf Scoter.

The Wood Ducks are tame and come readily to the scratch that is for sale in the park’s general store. And as you can see, the backgrounds are often quite pleasing. Working with gulls or ducks that respond to being fed presents a multitude of great teaching opportunities. Getting the right exposure on the drake woodies is a challenge with their bright white bill and neck patches and their nearly black heads with the very dark purple cheek patch. Join us on the San Diego IPT to learn a ton.

2015 San Diego 4 1/2-DAY BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT) JAN 8 thru the morning of JAN 12, 2016: $1899 (Limit: 10)

Meet and Greet at 7:00pm on the day before the IPT begins
Two great leaders: Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito

Join us 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 in breeding plumage with their amazing crests; breeding plumage Wood and Ring-necked Duck; other 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 likely; and Bird of Paradise flowers. And as you can see by studying the two IPT cards there are some nice landscape opportunities as well.

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

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

A $499 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 11/1//2015. 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.

Facebook

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

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may click on the logo-link immediately above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 two days of absolutely perfect cloudy photo weather at Old Car City, Sunday is seminar day with denise as the star sharing her HDR and creative filtering magic. I will be assisting and doing an image conversion and Photoshop session.

This blog post took about 2 hours to prepare and was published before 7am on the morning of Sunday, October 11, 2015.

Diving Into the Micro Four-Thirds Pool…

I planned on taking the Olympus 4/3rds rig out on Saturday morning for a test drive at Old Car City. When we arrived at the location I planned on using my Canon gear but when I discovered that I had the batteries for my 5D III but had left the battery holder for the vertical grip on the counter in the hotel room, I decided to jump into the 4/3rds pool, water or not.

At first, we could not figure out how to turn on autofocus. We asked lots of participants but could not get the thing to work. Then Ellen in the group volunteered to do a web search on the phone. What she found was not exactly correct but it pointed us in the right direction: push the focusing ring forward until it engages. Voila!

Even with AF working it was a struggle at first finding menu items and adjusting various settings. As far as I could figure out, the basic owner’s manual was as worthless as the Canon camera body manuals. In any case, within an hour I was on the freeway cruising at the speed limit…. Read more below.

The Positives

The coolest feature of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 was touch AF point selection. Working in Live View you simply touch the screen at the spot you want to focus and the camera sets the AF point. It is amazingly simple and works perfectly. Another great feature is the accurate live histogram that is much more accurate than the histograms on Canon digital camera bodies. I opted to work in A (aperture priority) mode using my flower techniques for all of the tripod-mounted shots: Live View (there is no mirror!) with 2 second delay. That gives you absolute sharpness as long as you do not bump into your tripod; I only did that a few times. 🙂

At lunch, I was pleased to learn that Photoshop CC converted the images in ACR; I did not need to update anything. Better yet, the image files are superb: clean, accurate colors with wonderful edge-to-edge sharpness.

When the battery ran out that afternoon and I went to the 1D X/100-400 II on the tripod it felt by comparison as if I were carrying an old truck on my shoulder…. The light weight of my rig was truly astounding. And despite the small size of the camera body I found the handling and ergonomics to be just fine. And though I am not sure why it was great fun. I guess in part from the satisfaction of learning something brand new. But I can see why even superb and serious photographers like Malcolm McKenzie are going the micro 4/3rds route: small size and light weight!

The Big Negative

The single big negative was the battery. Though I did a lot of teaching and helping that morning and did not create many images, the battery was stone dead by mid-afternoon. I was using Live View at all times and that really eats batteries. I did try to remember to shut the camera off when walking around looking for subjects but I would still have to rate battery life as poor. I would imagine that if one were using the camera for a serious session of wildlife photography in a subject-rich location that they would need to carry at least two extra batteries.

4/3rds….

Though a huge fan of 3X2, I rather enjoyed working at 4X3. Denise did not.

My Olympus OM-D E-M1 Questions

What are the names of the various metering patterns on this camera?

When using the touch AF feature on the large rear LCD in the morning there was a single small AF point. For unknown reasons, that afternoon, the small AF point would switch to a much larger AF box. If you know why, please let me know.

I used HDR-1, which creates a single image from four image captures. Does anyone know if there is a way to identify the in-camera HDRs? All of my files show in Photo Mechanic as .ORF files. Additionally, does anyone know if there is an option with HDR-1 to save the four original images? (Note: HDR-3 captures and saves three images at =/- 2 stops but does not–as far as I can tell–create a composite HDR.)

Is there a way to turn Live View on and off?

What is the size of the RAW images files with this camera?

Is there a way to capture at 3X2 with this camera?

Lastly, if anyone has any tips on using this camera they are invited to share.

The M.ZUIKO 40-150 Lens/NOT!

The plan was for us–denise was helping me with, learning a ton about, and making a few images with the OM-D E-M1/M.ZUIKO 40-150 lens–to receive the Olympus M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens in time for our trip to GA. Alas, that did not come to fruition. As denise likes to shoot much wider on average than me in Urbex situations, she missed the short zoom a lot more than I did. I really enjoyed the flexibility of the 40-150 focal length range with the full frame body.

The combination of the 12-40 and the 40-150 would make for an amazing and amazingly light travel kit.

I was so impressed with the Olympus stuff that I am seriously thinking of trying to arrange to add the 12-40 and extending my loan so that I could bring everything on the Southern Oceans trip…. Space permitting.

Sony note…

Thanks to the kindness of our friends at B&H it looks as if we may be getting our hands on the latest greatest Sony 4/3rds camera body and a few quality lenses for Bosque….

The Bosque Site Guide

If you can’t make or afford one of the two Bosque IPTs, be sure to get yourself a copy of our Bosque Site Guide. All BAA Site Guides are designed so that with a bit of study you can show up at a great place and know exactly where to be at what time on what wind and in what lighting conditions. And on what wind. With a Site Guide on your laptop you will feel like a 22-year veteran on your first visit. Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. If you plan on visiting Bosque it would be foolish to make the trip without having this guide in hand. Why spend money on gear and travel and then spend days stumbling around in the wrong spot? If you have visited previously, and are still unsure of where you should be at this time of day with that wind, this guide will prove invaluable to you as well. Even folks visiting Bosque for the tenth time will learn a ton as I share my secrets and hold nothing back….

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Just 2 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Just 3 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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 after July 29.

Facebook

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

Support the BAA Blog. Support the BAA Bulletins: Shop B&H here!

We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may click on the logo-link immediately above.

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 had and easy-peasy flight from MCO to ATL where I met denise. We stopped on the way to Cartersville, GA for lunch at a place named Houston’s off of I-75 not too far north of Atlanta and had fantastic salads for lunch: seared ahi tuna for denise, chicken for me. Both salads were Asian-style with a wonderful lime dressing.

We met denise’s group at the Meet and Greet at 8pm; lots of friends old and new. Friday morning will bring lots of old cars and HDR lessons.

This blog post took about two hours to prepare with lots of help from Alan Lillich. See more on that below.

Artie’s New Tripod/Sincere Apologies

Interest has been huge. We had hoped to be able to share the info on Monday past but due to circumstances beyond our control we are still waiting for the link…. As soon as we get that link we will be e-mailing the info to those who requested it early on to give them first crack at the stock. Three days after that the info will be posted on the blog. Sorry gang but this info will be worth waiting for.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

After a two-week lull, things have really heated up.

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the “old five”) was sold by Dane Johnson for $4150 in early October 2015.
Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 lens (Canon mount) was sold by Beth Starr for $4,999 in early October 2015.
Canon EOS-1D X in excellent condition was sold by Patrick Sparkman for $3650 in early October, 2014.

And two more lenses sold on Wednesday past:

Canon EF 100-400 f 4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens was sold for $699 by Sean Traynor on October 7, 2015.
Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS lens (the “old five”) was sold by Alan Walther for $3900 in early October, 2015.

You can see all of the current listings here.

Smoke and Sparks Accompanied By the Smell of Burning Plastic…

As y’all know, I travel a lot. I cannot tell you how many times I have plugged in a power strip in a foreign country only to have the thing spark and practically burst into flame. The next step is the trash can. A while back I asked multiple-IPT veteran Alan Lillich to prepare a short article on a variety of electronic gadgets. He did so but I have simply been too busy to work on it and get it posted. With less than two weeks to go before I head down to South America I realized that I had better get myself prepared for the electricity on the Ortelius. So I called Alan.

He recommended the “Yubi Power Universal Power Strip 3 Sockets – 100v to 220v/250v and 2500 Watts Surge Protector – With Circuit Breaker – Us Plug – World Wide Use – Plus 3 Universal Plug Travel Adapters – Type E/f for Eu – Type G for Uk – Type I for Au – 4 Pack Set.” I called him to clarify.

This is what I learned:

1-Do not bring a US power strip with a surge protector and pug it into an outlet with 220 or 240 volts via the correct plug adapter…. This big mistake has been the cause of all of my problems.
2-It is OK to use a power strip with a surge protector provided that the power strip is rated to 240 volts.
3-All you need to do is to bring the power strip as described in 1- above and the proper adapter (or two). For my upcoming trip I need a Type G plug for the Falklands (240 v) and a Type C plug (220v) for the ship. You can see these and more plug types by clicking here. Click on the logo link above to order your overseas power strip and avoid blowing stuff up (as I have done so many times in the past). Be absolutely sure to highlight the box that shows “Power Strip Kit” so that you receive the power strip and the adapters.
4-Only plug a device rated for the local voltage directly into the power strip. Newer computer power bricks and battery chargers should be OK. Check the input rating on the label to be sure.

Please remember that if you are attempting to use an electrical appliance like a hand blender that you will need to add a voltage converter–one that converts the local voltage to the voltage your appliance needs–to the mix to avoid the a bang. Or at least a small bang! You can find several types of voltage converters/transformer adapters here

Personality Plus Hairdos

With their bright red bill pouches, orange eyeskins, and raggedy hairdos, Dalmatian Pelican is one of the world’s most photogenic bird species. Folks including us purchase live fish from the local boatman and have the pelicans come to us. It is rare that one or two Dalmatian Pelican images is not honored in one or more of the major photo contests in a given year. Do consider joining us in Greece for an amazing workshop.

Dalmatian Pelicans ~ Northern Greece
: A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Workshop/denise ippolito & arthur morris
. January 24th – 29th, 2016 ~ 5 Nights/ 4 Full days of photography: $2950. Limit: 8/Openings 2.

This trip is a go.

Photograph beautiful Dalmatian Pelicans in Greece. Our trip will be from January 24-29th, 2016. Our hotel accommodations are located fifteen minutes from Lake Kerkini. This is a huge plus as we will be able to take advantage of great light at a moment’s notice. This location is well known as the best location on the planet to photograph these beautiful, common, and extremely photogenic birds. And we will enjoy tons of flight photography. Though your 70-200 will be your very best friend, you will be able to use almost every lens in your gear bag. Wide angle shots, close portrait work, flight shots, creative blurs- you name it. Our expert guide knows the area like the back of his hand; he guides some of the most world renowned photographers.

There will be in-the-field instructional photography sessions each morning and afternoon from the shore and we will enjoy extended small boat sessions. Image review and post processing sessions will be informal; we will cover a ton of information during both our in-the-field and indoor session. With two great leaders that only thing that will limit your learning is a lack of stamina.

More than 100 pairs of Dalmatian Pelicans nest on specially constructed platforms on the lake. They remain at the lake during the winter. During our time in Greece the Pelicans will be in their brightest and most impressive breeding plumage. The birds hang around the local fisherman and in addition, we purchase live bait to bring the pelicans close. They are silly tame as they have been begging fish from the locals for many decades.

The groups of Dalmatian Pelicans are often accompanied by single Great White Pelicans, Pygmy Cormorants and Great Cormorants.

The price of this IPT IS $2950.00 per person USD, based on double occupancy; The single supplement is $360. The workshop fee includes hotel accommodations, WiFi, breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, round trip transfers from Thessaloniki Airport, all ground transportation during trip, boat fees and lots of fish.

Not included: Round trip airfare to Thessaloniki Airport, alcoholic beverages, personal items including but not limited to laundry, phone, or fax services.

This workshop is currently limited to 6 participants. A non-refundable deposit of $1000.00 is required to hold your spot for this workshop. Balances are are due on August 1st, 2015 and are also non-refundable. Payments in full are of course welcome at any time. All payments including the deposit must be made by check made out to “Arthur Morris.” Please be sure to check your calendar carefully. 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. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please note that even though we have secured a top notch guide this is somewhat of a scouting trip (as denise has never been). The price of next year’s trip will be considerably higher. There are only 2 slots open. This is an especially attractive deal for folks from Europe….

Please contact us via e-mail to check on availability or write with questions: artie or denise. All deposits and balances must be paid by personal check or money order made out to “Arthur Morris” and mailed to BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Overseas folks can, however, pay their deposits and balances by wire transfer; the registrant is responsible for the fees on both ends.

Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options. You can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check. Whenever purchasing travel insurance be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

We do hope that you can join us. artie and denise

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Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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?

Slept very well on Monday night…. Worked on some images and old image folders. Enjoyed a sunny swim. Worked on the Power Point presentations that denise and I will be doing at B&H next Wednesday. I got a bit frustrated but got lots of help from several readers, most notably Bruce Enns. If you read my comments in my “Urgent Plea for Help” post on Monday afternoon you should enjoy a good chuckle and learn a bit as well. You can find the post here.

I learned On Monday that we might have a big-name celebrity/photographer/friend in the B&H Event Space audience. See here for details. Had a nice ice bath, worked on this blog post, and then watched some Monday Night Football.

This blog post was supposed to be be published automatically at 5:30 am on Tuesday, October 6, but the plan mis-fired (even though it seemed that I did everything right. As a result, it will be published early on the morning of Wednesday, October 7, 2015.

I spent most of Tuesday assembling the optimized TIFF files for the San Diego exhibit.

Raking Sidelight…

Regular readers know that I am not at all a fan of sidelight for birds. But for landscapes, strong, raking sidelight can be very dramatic. Here I used a long focal length to achieve the framing that I wanted. It can be difficult in the Palouse to eliminate all farmhouses, silos, and residences; both denise and I often use our longer focal lengths from atop Steptoe Butte.

A Flaw?

I love this image but there is one thing about it that bugs me. What is it? Hint: eliminating the single flaw would be an easy fix.

The Palouse IPTs

Rolling farmlands provide a magical patchwork of textures and colors, especially when viewed from the top of Steptoe Butte where we will likely enjoy spectacular sunrises and possibly a nice sunset. We will photograph grand landscapes and mini-scenics of the rolling hills and farm fields. We will take you to some really neat old abandoned barns and farmhouses in idyllic settings. There is no better way to improve your compositional and image design skills and to develop your creativity than to join us for this trip. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Photoshop and image sharing sessions when we have the time and energy…. We get up early and stay out late and the days are long.

After 6 days of back-breaking scouting work in early June 2014 we found all of the iconic locations and, in addition, lots of spectacular new old barns and breath-taking landforms and views. On three additional scouting days in 2015 we discovered several more truly amazing locations. We will teach you what makes one situation prime and another seemingly similar one a waste of your time.

What’s included: In-the-field instruction, guidance, lessons, and inspiration, our newfound but very extensive knowledge of the area, all lunches, motel lobby grab and go breakfasts, and Photoshop and image sharing sessions when possible. There will be a meet and greet at 7:30pm on the evening before each workshop begins.

You will learn and hone both basic and advanced compositional and image design skills. You will learn to get the right exposure every time. You will learn to develop your creative eye. You will learn the basics of HDR (high dynamic range) photography. You will learn a variety of in-camera creative techniques. Most importantly you will learn to see the situation and to create a variety of top-notch images. Do see both of our blogs for lots more on that in the coming weeks. You will learn how the quality and direction of light combine to determine the success of your images. And–please don’t gasp–we will be working quite a bit with sidelight when creating landscapes. Lastly, we will be doing some infrared photography.

To Sign Up

A non-refundable $699 deposit is due now. The balance will be due on February 15, 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

With the spectacular success that we enjoyed in 2015 it seems quite likely that this one will fill up very quickly. Please let me know via e-mail that you will be joining us. Then you can either call Jim or Jennifer at 863-692-0906 during business hours or send us a check to leave a deposit; the latter is preferred. If by check, please make out to “Arthur Morris” and mail it to: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL, 33855. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via e-mail: artie or denise.

Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options. You can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check. Whenever purchasing travel insurance be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

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We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography! Click on the logo link above and check out the specials, or use the search box on the top left of the page for your general shopping pleasure.

B&H orders placed at this time will be processed after they reopen at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. They are currently closed for the Succos holiday.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

Stuff

Woke way too early. Way. Took an early swim. Finished the last two exhibit categories by phone with denise. Many thanks for your help Lady D. My NY Football Giants won again, largely due to the total ineptitude of the Buffalo Bills. Then an ice bath followed by more football.

This blog post should be published automatically at 5:30 am on Monday, October 5.

Thanks to Chip Jackson

Thanks to my accountant, Chip Jackson, not only for the great job that he did getting me prepared for my audit, but for sending a link to an amazing video entitled, “How Wolves Change Rivers.” I had never heard of a trophic cascade, and I am betting that most of you have not either.

Here is the must-watch video: How Wolves Change Rivers.

Ever Here of These?

What are Trophic Cascades?

Trophic (pronounced with the long oh sound) cascades occur when predators in a food web suppress the abundance or alter the behavior of their prey, thereby releasing the next lower trophic level from predation. That in turn affects lower trophic levels. The video takes a look at what has happened in Yellowstone National Park when the top predators, in this case wolves, are successfully reintroduced into an ecosystem. The results seem to have been astounding. Aldo Leopold is generally credited with first describing the mechanism of a trophic cascade, based on his observations of overgrazing of mountain slopes by deer after human extermination of wolves….

I urge everyone to click here and watch the 4 minute, 33 second video. I have watched it several times and you will probably wind up doing the same thing. The quality of the video clips is pretty much so-so but the narration by George Monbiot is first rate: the guy gas a great voice. But it is the message that steals the show….

The video appears to have been done under the auspices of an organization named Sustainable Man. I did some web surfing and wound up at the Sustainable Human website here. It has the same logo that appears at beginning of the video but then things get a bit mysterious. The website is quite interesting. If I am understanding correctly the guy running it and the blog is the son of a former mayor of San Francisco, Art Agnos. I could not find any connection to or mention of the “How Wolves Change Rivers” video. Christopher James Herman Agnos’s Life Resume, is however, quite an interesting read. You can find it here.

I searched around a bit more on the web and found some interesting stuff on Wikipedia here. The entry there includes this:

The gray wolf, after being extirpated in the 1920s and absent for 70 years, was reintroduced to the Park in 1995 and 1996. Since then a three-tiered trophic cascade has been reestablished involving wolves, elk (Cervus elaphus), and woody browse species such as aspen (Populus tremuloides), cottonwoods (Populus spp.), and willows (Salix spp.). Mechanisms likely include actual wolf predation of elk, which reduces their numbers, and the threat of predation, which alters elk behavior and feeding habits, resulting in these plant species being released from intensive browsing pressure. Subsequently, their survival and recruitment rates have significantly increased in some places within Yellowstone’s northern range. This effect is particularly noted among the range’s riparian plant communities, with upland communities only recently beginning to show similar signs of recovery. See the video!

The WyoFile site here included this useful material in an excellent article by Deb Donahue:

The scientific evidence is that ecosystems unravel when wolves and other “keystone” predators are removed.

• Large herbivores, such as elk or deer, increased in number and foraging behavior changed significantly.
• These animals over-browsed preferred plants, especially deciduous trees and shrubs like cottonwood, aspen, willow, and oaks, and spent more time in riparian areas.
• As a consequence, “recruitment” of cottonwood and aspen (i.e., the growth of seedling/sprouts into tall saplings and trees) was drastically reduced, and uncommon plants became rare or were disappeared completely.
• Long-term loss of streamside vegetation caused major changes in channel morphology and floodplain function.
• Loss of berry-producing shrubs, and young aspens and cottonwoods, led to changes in the diversity and abundance – and sometimes the outright loss – of other species, including beaver, amphibians, and songbirds.
• The disappearance of top predators triggered an explosion of smaller “mesopredators,” such as coyotes, which led to further cascading effects.

Make the blog interactive and teach me something…

If you get half as interested in learning about trophic cascades as I did, please feel free to share any insights. Please also let us know if you think that there any exaggerations in the video…

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We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography! Click on the logo link above and check out the specials, or use the search box on the top left of the page for your general shopping pleasure.

B&H orders placed at this time will be processed after they reopen at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, October 7, 2015. They are currently closed for the Succos holiday.

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 :).

Stuff

A 66-image career retrospective solo exhibit of my work at the San Diego Natural History Museum (aka The Nat) will open on Saturday, January 16, 2016 and run through April 25, 2016. More than 4,000 folks are expected to visit the show. I spent a good part of yesterday picking images. I am planning on 11 groupings with six framed images each. Whew, there are simply too many good ones….

In addition, I spent some time cleaning up day folders with images from the past summer. I will continue both of those endeavors this weekend. I did have time for an early swim and an early ice bath. And recently, I have been spending a good deal of time each day doing two different meditations and am adding a third one today.

This blog post took about an hour to prepare. It was published just after 6am on Saturday, October 3, 2015. Please remember to use my B&H affiliate links for your major gear purchases; online orders only; no phone orders. Won’t cost you a penny! And helps me out tremendously. Many thanks for considering this important request.

Artie’s New Tripod

Interest has been huge. It looks as if we will be e-mailing the info to those who requested it on Monday. If that happens, I will likely post it to the blog mid-week to give those who e-mailed first crack at the stock.

Selling Your Used Photo Gear Through BIRDS AS ART

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

After a two-week lull, there have been several sales over the past few days:

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens (the “old five”) was sold by Dane Johnson for $4150 in early October 2015.
Sigma Zoom Super Telephoto 300-800mm f/5.6 lens (Canon mount) was sold by Beth Starr for $4,999 in early October 2015.
Canon EOS-1D X in excellent condition was sold by Patrick Sparkman for $3650 in early October, 2014.

You can see all of the current listings here.

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS lens (the “old five”)

Lowest-ever BAA Price!

Alan Walther is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS lens (the “old five”) in excellent plus condition for $3900. The sale includes the original lens hood, the original front lens cover, the rear cap, the lens trunk (carrying case), the instruction manual, the lens strap, the original shipping box with packing, a Really Right Stuff replacement foot #LCF-50-B, a Lens Coat, and insured shipping via Fed-Ex Ground.  Pictures available via email request. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made. 

Please contact Alan by e-mail or by phone at 408-267-5977 Pacific Time.

As regular readers know the “old five” was the world’s most popular super telephoto lens for many years. I owned and used one for more than a decade. Alan’s lens is priced to sell immediately. artie 

Patrick Sparkman Does Spectacular Totality/And How!

I tried to photograph a total lunar eclipse with a long lens about six years ago. And failed miserably. The images depicting totality were underexposed, nowhere near sharp as Patrick’s image, and the colors were totally muddy. In short, Patrick’s image is spectacular.

How’d he do it?

How did Patrick get a sharp image at 1.3 seconds with the earth spinning at about 800 miles per hour? He mounted his rig on a motorized tracker that was mounted on his tripod. The Vixen Optics Polarie Star Tracker is designed to hold a maximum load of only 4.4 pounds. But with his engineering background, Patrick made it work in spectacular fashion. From Patrick: “You cannot get a sharp image at that shutter speed with 960mm of the equivalent focal length due to the earth’s rotation and the movement of the moon. The dots are stars that show up when the exposure is a long one. This image was created at 9/27/15 at 7:33 Pacific time in my backyard: 32.9215N, 117.0795W”

Patrick went with spot metering and Av mode for relatively consistent exposures as he was creating a series of images that he will use to create a composite of the eclipse. The best news is that he will be sharing that with us here at some point. Patrick says that a White Balance of K4200 is his favorite for night sky photography.

Thanks and congrats to Patrick on executing a brilliant plan and creating a wicked and captivating image. All comments on this wonderful photograph are welcome.

Personality Plus Hairdos

With their bright red bill pouches, orange eyeskins, and raggedy hairdos, Dalmatian Pelican is one of the world’s most photogenic bird species. Folks including us purchase live fish from the local boatman and have the pelicans come to us. It is rare that one or two Dalmatian Pelican images is not honored in one or more of the major photo contests in a given year. Do consider joining us in Greece for an amazing workshop.

Dalmatian Pelicans ~ Northern Greece
: A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Workshop/denise ippolito & arthur morris
. January 24th – 29th, 2016 ~ 5 Nights/ 4 Full days of photography: $2950. Limit: 6.

This trip is a go.

Photograph beautiful Dalmatian Pelicans in Greece. Our trip will be from January 24-29th, 2016. Our hotel accommodations are located fifteen minutes from Lake Kerkini. This is a huge plus as we will be able to take advantage of great light at a moment’s notice. This location is well known as the best location on the planet to photograph these beautiful, common, and extremely photogenic birds. And we will enjoy tons of flight photography. Though your 70-200 will be your very best friend, you will be able to use almost every lens in your gear bag. Wide angle shots, close portrait work, flight shots, creative blurs- you name it. Our expert guide knows the area like the back of his hand; he guides some of the most world renowned photographers.

There will be in-the-field instructional photography sessions each morning and afternoon from the shore and we will enjoy extended small boat sessions. Image review and post processing sessions will be informal; we will cover a ton of information during both our in-the-field and indoor session. With two great leaders that only thing that will limit your learning is a lack of stamina.

More than 100 pairs of Dalmatian Pelicans nest on specially constructed platforms on the lake. They remain at the lake during the winter. During our time in Greece the Pelicans will be in their brightest and most impressive breeding plumage. The birds hang around the local fisherman and in addition, we purchase live bait to bring the pelicans close. They are silly tame as they have been begging fish from the locals for many decades.

The groups of Dalmatian Pelicans are often accompanied by single Great White Pelicans, Pygmy Cormorants and Great Cormorants.

The price of this IPT IS $2950.00 per person USD, based on double occupancy; The single supplement is $360. The workshop fee includes hotel accommodations, WiFi, breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, round trip transfers from Thessaloniki Airport, all ground transportation during trip, boat fees and lots of fish.

Not included: Round trip airfare to Thessaloniki Airport, alcoholic beverages, personal items including but not limited to laundry, phone, or fax services.

This workshop is currently limited to 6 participants. A non-refundable deposit of $1000.00 is required to hold your spot for this workshop. Balances are are due on August 1st, 2015 and are also non-refundable. Payments in full are of course welcome at any time. All payments including the deposit must be made by check made out to “Arthur Morris.” Please be sure to check your calendar carefully. 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. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please note that even though we have secured a top notch guide this is somewhat of a scouting trip (as denise has never been). The price of next year’s trip will be considerably higher. There are only 2 slots open. This is an especially attractive deal for folks from Europe….

Please contact us via e-mail to check on availability or write with questions: artie or denise. All deposits and balances must be paid by personal check or money order made out to “Arthur Morris” and mailed to BIRDS AS ART, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Overseas folks can, however, pay their deposits and balances by wire transfer; the registrant is responsible for the fees on both ends.

Travel Insurance Services offers a variety of plans and options. Included with the Elite Option or available as an upgrade to the Basic & Plus Options. You can also purchase Cancel for Any Reason Coverage that expands the list of reasons for your canceling to include things such as sudden work or family obligation and even a simple change of mind. You can learn more here: Travel Insurance Services. Do note that many plans require that you purchase your travel insurance within 14 days of our cashing your deposit check. Whenever purchasing travel insurance be sure to read the fine print carefully even when dealing with reputable firms like TSI.

We do hope that you can join us. artie and denise

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We want and need to keep providing you with the latest free information, photography and Photoshop lessons, and all manner of related information. Show your appreciation by making your purchases immediately after clicking on any of our B&H or Amazon Affiliate links in this blog post. Remember, B&H ain’t just photography!

Amazon.com

Those who prefer to support BAA by shopping with Amazon may use this link:

Amazon Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, eh, have e-mailed stating that they would love to help us out by using one of our affiliate links but that living in Canada and doing so presents numerous problems. Now, they can help us out by using our Amazon Canada affiliate link by starting their searches by clicking here. Many thanks to those who have written.

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 swam yesterday at 8am. Jim and I headed to the audit in Lakeland at 9:30. We met Chip Jackson–the man is brilliant–for brunch at 11 and showed up early for the audit at 11:05am. The agent was pleasant and wound up being quite fair. He studied my documentation and as Chip had mentioned, asked to see a few line items. I was quickly and easily able to verify each of those via either my bank or credit card statements. We pointed out a few errors in the IRS’s favor and a few missed and re-classed deductions. The entire audit took only 80 minutes. As things turned out, I had missed one very large deduction, a $29,000 wire transfer out: partial payment for last year’s Galapagos Photo-Cruise. The end result of the audit was an additional refund of just a shade under $9,000. You gotta love that.

More good news: the UK Puffins and Gannets trip sold out and both Bosque IPTs are getting close.

This blog post took about 2 hours to prepare and was published just before 6:15am on Thursday, October 1, 2014.

Artie’s New Tripod…

If anyone is interested in about the great new tripod that I have been using for about a year now (thanks to Denise Ippolito–she has been using it too), please shoot me an e-mail with the words “artie’s new tripod” cut and pasted into the subject line.

Interactivity on the BAA Blog

At times some folks start to take the blog for granted and get a bit lazy as far as commenting. Sure, most read it every day–right now about 2,500 folks visit daily. With the last few posts, however, there have been only a handful of comments at best. The purpose of the blog it to get you to think and learn. There are several questions in today’s blog post. Give them a shot. Please remember, an interactive blog is a better blog…. In addition, answering your questions often helps me to learn.

Please Help Support My Work on the BAA Blog

Thanks a Stack! It’s been a great summer!

The last ten weeks as a B&H affiliate have been quite rewarding. Thanks a stack to the many who used our B&H links for purchases large and small. Right now I am working closely with my B&H rep to have four 400 DO and two 100-400 II BAA Affiliate orders expedited. It has been nearly impossible to come by a 400 DO II. I am hoping that my efforts pay dividends fairly soon…. 100-400IIs are now in stock at B&H. The 400 DO II lenses continue to be in very short supply. The sooner you order, the sooner you will get yours; I am working closely with my contact at B&H to have the current orders expedited when a shipment does actually arrive.

To show your appreciation for my efforts here, we ask, as always, that you use our the B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. B&H is recommended for you major photography gear purchases, Amazon for your household, entertainment, and general purpose stuff. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley tripod heads and plates, 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 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.

Light Considerations

The image above was made at 7:11am. The two images below were made ten minutes later. With the image above, I did several things to tone down the REDs. In ten minutes time the light had changed from the super-warm tones above to the much more neutral tones in Images #2 & #3. The really early morning light also brought with it the CYAN-toned sky.

When I worked with film, I loved the super-early morning light but I must admit to being much less of a fan with digital.

Which light do you like better, the really warm light in the first image or the much more neutral light in the last two images? Would you have tried to deal with the CYAN cast in the sky?

Flight Poses

The two classic wing positions are wings fully down, as in Images #1 & #2, and the wings fully up, as in image #3. Most times, wing positions somewhere between the two are less than pleasing. Which is your favorite wing position? Why?

Your Favorite?

Which of today’s images is your favorite? Be sure to let us know why you made your choice?

Understanding Frame Rate…

Many photographers believe that if they have a camera that fires at 10 frames per second and they hold the hammer down for exactly one second that they will capture every pose. Think again. 10 frames per second at 1/1000 second captures 10 out of 1,000 possible poses. Reducing that fraction to simplest terms has you capturing 1 out of every 100 possible poses. Thus, you are actually missing 99% of the possible poses each second.

My strategy is to hold the shutter button down for two or three or four frames (not seconds!) once the bird enters the ideal zone. This zone has the bird flying toward us (to some degree) or parallel to our position while approaching or right on sun angle and filling at least close to half the length of the horizontal frame. Then I hope to capture a good pose or two. Why so few frames in each flight sequence? First off, birds do not fly through the zone for very long. Secondly, it is very hard for me to keep the sensor exactly on the birds face, neck, or breast. Younger, aggressive, more skilled photographers are often able to get off long series of well framed flight images. Those days are past for me. Hand holding does make creating longer flight sequences easier.

With Images #2 and #3 I struck paydirt with one good wings up and one good wings down post in of a series of three. That is a very high success rate. Please note that if someone tells you that they are able to time the shutter release to ensure either a perfect wings up or wings down pose, they are full of it.

Notice also that Images #2 and #3 were created in the same a second (with a third frame in between them).

The Bosque Site Guide

If you can’t make or afford one of the two Bosque IPTs, be sure to get yourself a copy of our Bosque Site Guide. All BAA Site Guides are designed so that with a bit of study you can show up at a great place and know exactly where to be at what time on what wind and in what lighting conditions. And on what wind. With a Site Guide on your laptop you will feel like a 22-year veteran on your first visit. Site Guides are the next best thing to being on an IPT. If you plan on visiting Bosque it would be foolish to make the trip without having this guide in hand. Why spend money on gear and travel and then spend days stumbling around in the wrong spot? If you have visited previously, and are still unsure of where you should be at this time of day with that wind, this guide will prove invaluable to you as well. Even folks visiting Bosque for the tenth time will learn a ton as I share my secrets and hold nothing back….

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 3-FULL DAY IPT: NOV 22-24, 2015. $1149. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet and introductory slide program after dinner on your own at 7:00pm on SAT NOV 21.

Just 2 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 3 morning and 3 afternoon photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/21, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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.

Bosque del Apache 2015 BIRDS AS ART/A Creative Adventure Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT). 4-DAY IPT: (three full and two 1/2 DAYS) NOV 28-DEC 2, 2015. $1499. Two great leaders: Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris. Meet and greet at 3pm on SAT NOV 28 followed by an afternoon photo session at the crane pools and the introductory slide program after dinner on your own.

Just 3 spots left.

Tens of thousands of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with two of the world’s premier photographic educators at one of their very favorite photography locations on the planet. Top-notch in-the-field and Photoshop instruction. This will make 21 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. This will be denise’s 7th workshop at the refuge. Nobody knows the place better than artie does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home being able to apply what you’ve learned on your home turf will prove to be invaluable.

This workshop includes 4 afternoon (11/28through 12/1), 4 morning (11/29 to 12/2) photography sessions, an inspirational introductory slide program after dinner on your own on Saturday, 11/28, all lunches, and after-lunch digital workflow, Photoshop, and image critiquing sessions.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and to the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We will be photographing lots of Snow Geese and lots of Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $599 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2015. If you cancel and the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. 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. Whether or not your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.

Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. 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 after July 29.

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