Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

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.

This image was created on a San Diego IPT with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the rugged professional body, the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 in Av Mode. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure; the active AF point was on the middle of the duck’s far wing. Though this was less than ideal the image is very sharp on the eye. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Wood Duck drake flapping

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.

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

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.

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

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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.

This image was created on the Old Car City workshop with the tripod-mounted Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens (at 110mm) with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera. ISO 400. ??? metering +.7 stop: 1/640 sec. at f/5.6. Cloudy WB: 6000K. Dodge Charger emblem on rusted body

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.

This image was created on the Old Car City workshop with the tripod-mounted Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens (at 62mm) with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera. ISO 400. ??? metering +.7 stop: 1/30 sec. at f/16. Cloudy WB: 6000K. Vine on hood of old white car

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!

This image was created on the Old Car City workshop with the tripod-mounted Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO lens (at 110mm) with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mirrorless Micro Four Thirds Digital Camera. ISO 400. ??? metering +.3 stop: 1/3 sec. at f/16. Cloudy WB: 6000K. Leaf on hood of old yellow truck

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….

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

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.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

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.

Images copyright 2011: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. Card design by Denise Ippolito.

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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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.

This image was created at 5:10am on June 5th on one of last year’s Palouse IPTs with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 383mm) and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/30 sec. at f/16 in Av mode. Live view with 2-second timer. Color temperature 8000K. I rear-focused 1/3 of the way into the frame via contrast off the sensor in Live View. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Farm fields at sunrise illuminated by raking sidelight

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.

Subject and focal lengths from upper left to right and then around to center. Palouse Falls: 11mm; homemade kiddie race car: 105mm; barn siding pan blur: 798mm; Rolling fields diorama: 110mm; Crayola drums: 343 mm; Hay barn interior: 19mm; vintage gas station: 40mm; Dilapidated farm building: 13mm; Denise’s tree Infrared: 20mm. Images and card design by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART.

The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 3-7, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12

The Palouse ~ A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)/Eastern Washington State. June 10-14, 2016/5 Full Days: $1699/Limit 12

Double Header!

Maximize both your travel dollars and your learning experience by signing up for both IPTs.

Images and card design by Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure.

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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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.

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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.

The term for this phenomenon is a “trophic cascade,” defined as the “progression of indirect effects [caused] by predators across successively lower trophic levels.” (Estes et al., Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, 2001). “Trophic” is defined as “the food relationship of different organisms in a food chain.”

Trophic cascade theory can be traced to Aldo Leopold’s observations more than 60 years ago in the Southwest:

I have lived to see state after state extirpate its wolves. I have watched the face of many a new wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddle horn. (A Sand County Almanac 1949)

A consensus is growing: “Questions about trophic cascades have shifted from whether to when, where and how often.” (Pace et al. 1999). There is “increasing evidence that the absence of large carnivores can initiate cascading perturbations through the trophic webs.” (Soulé and Terborgh, 1999:). In the past ten years, field studies supporting this conclusion have appeared in leading journals and been reported by the National Research Council.

Trophic cascades involving wolves or cougars have now been demonstrated in national parks in five different North American ecosystems – Yellowstone, Yosemite, Wind Cave, Jasper (in Alberta), and Zion. Similar findings from Olympic National Park will be published later this summer.

In each study area the long absence of wolves or cougars resulted in a similar “cascade” of effects:

• 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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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! 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 

This image was created by Patrick Sparkman with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 800. Spot metering +2/3 stop: 1.3 seconds at f/4 in Av mode. White Balance: 4200K. Patrick focused manually using Live View at 10X. The recent super moon at the peak lunar eclipse point. Image courtesy of and copyright 2015: Patrick Sparkman.

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.

Images copyright 2011: Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART. Card design by Denise Ippolito.

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.

This image was created at Bosque last November 22 at 7:11am with the tripod mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the rugged Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops off the light blue sky (in very early morning light): 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was just below the base of the bird’s neck. It is likely that one or more of the assist points was active. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Sandhill Crane in flight: downstroke, very early morning light

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?

This image was also created at Bosque last November 22, this one at 7:20:59am with the tripod mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the rugged Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop off the blue sky (in early morning light): 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the sky just above the middle of the bird’s extended neck. It is likely that one or more of the assist points was active. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. This image was the first in a three frame sequence created at virtually the same instant as image #2. See more in “Understanding Frame Rate” below. Image #2: Sandhill Crane in flight ten minutes later, wings down

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?

This image was also created at Bosque last November 22 at 7:20:59am with the tripod mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the rugged Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop off the blue sky (in early morning light): 1/1600 sec. at f/5.6. This image was the third in a three frame sequence created at virtually the same instant as image #2. See more in “Understanding Frame Rate” below. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. The selected AF point was on the sky just below the center of the bird’s extended neck. It is likely that one or more of the assist points was active. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #3: Sandhill Crane in flight ten minutes after image #1, wings up

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….

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

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.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

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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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?

Got lots more work done on my 2014 tax return. All that I can say at this point is that I am most thankful that I was audited…. I will explain after the audit is completed. Had time for a swim and a really cold ice bath: 58.3 degrees when I got out after 44 minutes. I will sleep well tonight. Both Bosque IPTs are getting close to being sold out as we are filling a slot or two every day.

I learned yesterday that the sale of Dane Johnson’s just-listed used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM lens is pending. You can see all of the current listings on the Used Gear Page here.

This blog post was published automatically at 5:30am on Tuesday, September 29, 2015.

This image was created on last year’s 4-day Bosque IPT last year with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 100. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/30 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. AWB. The Singh-Ray 3-stop drop-in Mor-Slo Neutral Density filter allowed me to get down to work at a fairly wide aperture that greatly minimized dust spotting. In addition, the 7D II is great with dust–somehow the sensor stays amazingly clean. I think that with each new generation of Canon cameras that they improve the auto sensor cleaning technology a bit…. With my 5-stop ND I can get down to 1/8 second even in bright sun as long as I remember to reduce the ISO as I did here. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure. Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Blackbird flock blur

Still 2,385 images in one folder…

In reviewing my Bosque 2014 to Transfer file I was shocked to see that busy as I am, I never finished my third edit. 2,385 images is a lot for me even though my stay last year was a long one: 24 days. Bosque is that good.

I have never ever been so far behind in finishing trip folder edits and getting the stuff onto the main office computer. I probably have close to 20 folders that need work.

Like or Not?

I kept exactly 14 images in this blur series. Each one is worthy of being presented in the blog but I am way too busy for more than one. So what do you like about this one?

1-the ghostly trees in the background.
2-the degree of blurring.
3-the soft light which is rare in mid-morning at Bosque.
4-the soft earth tones.
5-the smattering of individual male Red-winged Blackbirds.
5-the clean lower edge that is so important to the success of many birds-scapes, blurred or sharp. We teach the principle of having a clean lower edge every day on a Bosque IPT.

Bird Question

Do you see the single male Yellow-headed Blackbird? If yes, where in the frame is it? Is there one or am I pulling your leg?

Head Angle Answer

Kudos to multiple IPT veteran Doug West who did a great job with the head angle question with regards to the small in the frame red-tail image in yesterday’s blog post; here is his comment:

How is the head angle in this image?

I think the head angle is just fine. If the hawk would’ve been looking in your direction there would really be no separation between the head and the body cause the beak would’ve disappeared. With this image you can clearly see the head, helping making the identification easier.

How important is head angle when the bird is small in the frame?

I’d say that it’s probably just as important as it would be with a larger sized bird.

Many folks think that if the bird is tiny in the frame that head angle does not matter. It does, in spades. I remember talking to this bird and begging it to turn to the side. It finally did so right before it took flight.

Why Neutral Density Filters (with Super-Telephoto Lenses)?

Here is a question asked by Dan in a comment on the Nickerson Gear Bag blog post here:

In what situations would you require a 3 or 5-stop ND in your super telephoto lenses? Would it be purely when doing panning work and wanting to keep the aperture open wide to avoid distractions?

My (expanded) reply:

Hi Dan, In part. I use the Singh-Ray 3-stop resin or 5-stop glass Neutral Density filters (both the 52mm drop-in NDs to fit the filter holders of the Canon super-telephotos) and the 77mm circular NDs) for three main reasons:

1-Like many top professionals I choose and use Singh-Ray filters because they are the highest quality filters available.

2-I use the 3-stop and 5-stop NDs as noted above to achieve really slow shutter speeds in situations where doing so would be impossible even at the lowest available ISO. You simply cannot get down to 1/2 second on a clear sunny day without using an ND filter. And remember, with the 7D II you can only get down to ISO 100.

3-I use the 3-stop and 5-stop NDs as above to achieve really slow shutter speeds in situations where doing so would result in tiny apertures such as f/22, f/32, f/45, and f/64 (the latter two show up often when you are using TCs with telephoto lenses). When using really small apertures like those mentioned above (and even somewhat wider apertures like f/16 and even f/11) you will wind up having to spend lots of time cleaning dust spots from your images because even microscopic dust shows up when you are using small apertures. With wider apertures like f/4, f/5.6, and sometimes f/8, dust spots are minimized; only substantial dust bunnies will show up.

Many or even most potentially distracting background features will not be a problem when you are doing pan blurs at slow shutter speeds such as 1/8 sec., 1/4 sec., and 1/2 sec. Aside from being used to create pan blurs, ND filters are commonly used to achieve the slow shutters speeds needed when photographing moving water such as with waterfalls or breaking surf. At times many creative photographers use telephoto lenses to photograph moving water…. artie

My Do Not Forget List!

Whenever I choose to leave one of my Singh-Ray filters at home on a big trip I always come to regret it. Quickly. So I recently added the following items to my “Do Not Forget Items to Bring on all Trips” packing list:

Singh-Ray 77mm Warming Circular Polarizer
Singh-Ray 77mm Mor-Slo 5-stop Glass ND filter
Singh-Ray 77mm Mor-Slo 3-stop Resin ND filter
Singh-Ray 5-stop glass 52mm filter to fit the Canon drop-in Filter Holder

I absolutely love the Singh-Ray 3-stop Resin and 5-stop Glass Neutral Density Filters. I use the 77mm versions of these filters on my 24-105, my 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, and my new and beloved 100-400mm IS II lens so that I can create blurs on sunny days without having to stop down to f/too-many dust spots…. With a 5-stop glass ND in place I can easily get down to shutter speeds of 1/2 second and slower on clear, bright sunny days.

Important Corrected Ordering Info for Singh-Ray 52mm Drop-In ND Filters

BIRDS AS ART and A Creative Adventure worked with Singh-Ray to produce both a 3-stop Resin Neutral Density filter ($124) and a 5-stop Glass ND filter ($275) to fit the filter drawers of Canon Super-telephoto lenses. If you will be heading to Bosque this season, you will want at least one of the 52mm ND filters in your Xtrahand vest. To order one of the 52mm Mor-Slo filters for Canon, you will need to call Singh-Ray at 1-800-486-5501 (toll free) or 1-863-993-4100 (eastern time zone). Tell them that you want either the 52mm 3-stop Resin Mor-Slo ND or the 52mm 5-stop Glass ND (or both), give them the code artie10, and then arrange to send them your filter holder. Why? Singh-Ray needs to confirm a perfect fit for each order and in addition, they will install and clean the filter. That’s why you need an extra filter holder or two:) See below for info on those.

Folks who use other brand lenses will need to follow the procedure above, specify their lens brand and filter size, and mention the artie10 code. Those folks are invited to contact me via e-mail if they would like me to create a logo link for their brand-specific filter holder….

Please remember that you will not get your 10% discount without mentioning the artie10 code. And I would not receive my affiliate commission. Thanks as always for remembering to use our discount/affiliate code with your Singh-Ray phone and web orders.

Singh-Ray Filters

Singh-Ray filters have been used by the world’s top photographers for many decades. As always, I will have my 77mm Singh-Ray Warming Polarizer in my vest in case of rainbows. And I now travel (as above) with various Singh-Ray ND filters so that I can create pleasing blurs even with clear skies and bright sun. See here for a great example.

No other filter manufacturer comes close to matching the quality of Singh-Ray’s optical glass that is comparable to that used by NASA. And they continue to pioneer the most innovative products on the market like their ColorCombo polarizer, Vari-ND variable and Mor-Slo 15-stop neutral density filters. When you use their filters, you’ll create better, more dramatic images and, unlike other filters, with absolutely no sacrifice in image quality. All Singh-Ray filters are handcrafted in the USA.

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

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

The 10- and 15stop Mor Slo filters are great for landscapes with water and moving clouds. With the 10-stop, 1/125th becomes 8 seconds and with the 15-stop, 4 minutes. I need to get at least one of those soon….

52mm Filter Holder Insanity

It would be complete insanity to have to screw out the glass filter and then screw in a 52mm ND filter each time that you need it. The only option is to purchase a spare filter holder or two, screw the filter in, and keep that setup intact and ready to use. Singh-Ray includes a really neat soft leather filter holder with each purchase. I store all of the filters that I travel with in one of the small upper zippered pockets of my Xtrahand vest. I have two extra filter holders and will be bringing both the 3-Stop 52mm Resin ND and the 5-Stop 52mm Glass ND to Bosque.

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A Guide to Pleasing Blurs

If you would like to learn the fine points of creating pleasing pan-blurs and in addition, would like to learn the many other techniques that Denise and I use to create our popular pleasingly blurred images, but can’t make an IPT, get yourself a copy of A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Denise Ippolito and yours truly.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

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.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

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.

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 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?

Got a ton of work done yesterday on the re-do of my 2014 taxes. I streamlined the new techniques that I came up with while preparing for my 2013 audit and the new system works like a charm; it allows me to work much faster and more accurately than before. For the first time ever I am planning on filing my 2015 taxes well before the deadline. And I still had time on Saturday for a swim and an ice bath.

This blog post took about an hour and 30 minutes to prepare and was published at 6:45am on Sunday September 27, 2015.

Good Luck Lady D!

Good luck to Denise Ippolito who is headed to the Adirondack Photography Institute in Inlet, NY today to teach a Creative Patterns in Nature workshop (Sep 28-Oct 2). Does anyone know how the fall color is up there right now?

Lunar Eclipse Note

If you plan on viewing or photographing the super moon eclipse tonight good luck for clear skies. If you wind up with exposure of greater than 1 second when photographing the eclipse in totality be sure to turn IS off. There are some comments on getting the right exposure when photographing the eclipse at yesterday’s blog post here.

Just for the record books for Sunday night, in the east:

Eastern Daylight Time (September 27, 2015)
Partial umbral eclipse begins: 9:07 p.m. EDT on September 27
Total eclipse begins: 10:11 p.m. EDT
Greatest eclipse: 10:47 p.m. EDT
Total eclipse ends: 11:23 p.m. EDT
Partial eclipse ends: 12:27 a.m. EDT on September 28

This image was created last year at Bosque with the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 800: 1/1600 sec. at f/4 via histogram check in cloudy bright conditions. Center AF point/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best with birds in flight). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. See my AF comments below. Click on the image to see a larger version. Blue morph Snow Goose braking to land

Nice Background!

As the geese drop out of the sky at Bosque, photographers need to be aware of potential backgrounds. I usually prefer clean backgrounds of sky or mountain or green alfalfa or yellow cornfield but in this case the white goose background turned out to be lovely. I love the head and neck of the single goose in the upper left of the frame sticking up from the flock. This image did need a small crop from the top to eliminate a row of white geese.

Do understand that the decision to go for the goose background was a conscious one. This is the best of a two-frame sequence of this bird with the background of white geese.

Blue Goose Exposure Comments

At Bosque, Blue Goose is a much-desired subject as this color morph, the very same species as Snow Goose, make up only 3-4% of the wintering goose population in a given year. “Blue Goose at one o’clock” is heard frequently. If I am working in Manual mode at 1/2000 second with the white geese I will generally go one click lighter on the exposure for a Blue Goose by dropping down to 1/1600 second in an effort to get more detail in the darker feathers. For me (and for most of you), that requires one clockwise click of the index finger wheel.

Join denise and me at Bosque to learn to work in Manual mode for flight and get the right exposure in all lighting conditions for the white geese, adult Blue Geese, Sandhill Cranes, juvenile snows, juvenile Blue Geese, and even the occasional Common Raven. And tons more. See the IPT details below.

The 600 f/4 L IS II/7D II Advantage

With the 600 II/1.4X III/1D X TC you are at effective 840mm. The 600 II/7D II (no TC)combo puts you at equivalent 960mm. But the focal length advantage is not the only one: autofocus at f/4 will always be faster (in terms or initial focusing acquisition) and more accurate at f/4 than at f/5.6 (even given the slight AF advantage that the 1D X has over the 7D II).

AF Comments

A year ago I was using rear focus 100% of the time and using AF Surround for flight. This year at Bosque I will be using shutter button AF and either Expand of center AF point (Manual selection) AF. The former change was made as I now believe that it is easier to do one thing (push the shutter button) than it is to do two things (push the rear focus button and the shutter button) when working in pure flight situations. The latter change was made because I came to realize that on average either Expand or single aF point would offer more accurate tracking than Surround.

Another advantage for shutter button over rear focus is that with long flight photography situations fatigue in your right hand especially around the thumb is greatly reduced. If you are using rear focus for flight and loving it and making lots of sharp images please do not switch on my account. The disadvantage of switching back and forth between rear focus AF (for static subjects) and shutter button AF for flight and action is that you are sometimes caught with your pants down; you think you are in one when you are actually in the other… But for me the advantages far outweigh the single possible disadvantage.

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. After a big rush things have slowed down a bit over the past few week. 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 all of the current listings here.

Patrick, why are you selling your 1D X?

When I asked Patrick why he was selling his 1D X and going totally with the 7D II he mentioned its lighter weight and the no TC AF advantage that I discussed above. Living in San Diego, Patrick does a good deal of his photography in sunny conditions and does not have to worry much about high ISO performance; the 1D X does much better at the higher ISOs you need to deal with lousy light than the 7DII. On the other hand, you gain one stop of ISO by being at f/4 as opposed to f/5.6 (with the 1.4X TC)…. In any case, if you have been thinking of getting yourself a pro body but realize that the price of the rumored 1D XII (or whatever they wind up calling it) will be prohibitive for most folks, do get in touch with Patrick quickly….

Canon EOS-1D X

Multiple IPT and a Creative Adventure Workshop veteran Patrick Sparkman is offering a used Canon 1D X in excellent condition for $3,650. The sale includes the manual, an extra battery, the battery charger, two 32 gb CF Cards, and insured shipping via FED-EX Ground. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.

Please contact Patrick by e-mail or by phone at 858-740-8455 (Pacific Time Zone).

This rugged professional body has been my everyday workhorse camera for more than 2 1/2 years. It is fast and dependable and has what is surely the world’s greatest AF system. Best of all, Patrick takes very good care of his gear.

ps: Patrick and wife Robin have traveled with denise and me pretty much from one end of the planet to the other. We consider them both the dearest of friends. artie

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Many of them are downright cheap. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. With us you will have two full time pros there for you every minute we are in the field. Together they have more than 28 seasons of experience at the refuge. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time every day, do join us.

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.

In 2015, we are offering a 3-DAY IPT before Thanksgiving and a 4-DAY IPT after the holiday. You can attend either and spend Thanksgiving Day with your family. Sign up for both and we will be glad to apply a $100 discount to your balance. We know that there are lots of less costly workshops being offered these days. Please remember that you get exactly what you pay for. If you want the finest in photographic instruction and want to be assured of being in the right spot at exactly the right time, do join us.

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.

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 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

My pre-audit meeting with Chip Jackson went extremely well. He said, “I have never gone into an audit with someone as well prepared and documented as you are.” We shall see how it goes. As a result of what I have learned getting ready for the 2013 audit, I have decided to re-do my 2015 return from scratch. It needs to be filed by 15 OCT so I am not under as much time pressure as I was.

This blog post took about an hour to prepare. It should be published automatically at 6am on Friday, September 25, 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.

Lie Down With Lions by Ken Follet

May be Ken Follett’s finest yet…The suspense mounts as swiftly as Afghan villagers running to escape Russian guns—and the pages will turn just as fast. Cosmopolitan

How good was this book? I hit the sack at 8:55pm last night and was asleep well before 9pm. I woke at 12:55am and stayed up reading for more than three hours to finish it. I was way too excited by the book to sleep. I finally shut my eyes at 4:10am and slept until after 7:30am. All in all it was not a bad night’s sleep…. But oh, what a book. If anyone out there has read it or other Follet works, please fee free to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.

This image was created at Salisbury Plain South Georgia in late December, 2014 with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 205mm), and the amazing Canon EOS 7D Mark II. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1250 sec. at f/4.5. Center AF point/AI Servo Expand/Rear Focus AF as framed was active at the moment of exposure (as is always best when hand holding). Click here to see the latest version of the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. King Penguin emerging from surf

First Time in 20 Years…

For 20 years, Cheesemans’ has sold out every Southern Oceans trip that it has offered, trips to South Georgia and Antarctica often with a few stops in the Falklands. Spectacular stuff. Now, for the first time in 20 years, there are still a few spots left on their October 2015 South Georgia/Falklands trip. And for the first time in 20 years, they are offering a 20% discount to late registrants. Both Denise Ippolito and I will be aboard. To learn how to sign up and join the BIRDS AS ART group, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “South Georgia 2015” in the subject line. Remember, you only live once!

All of the images on the card were made on South Georgia. This remote wilderness island offers both spectacular scenery and hordes of tame wildlife and birds. From top left clockwise to the center: Southern Elephant Seal, courting King Penguin pair, King Penguin abstract, Grey-headed Albatross, King Penguin rookery on Salisbury Plain, Macaroni Penguin head portrait, King Penguin molting Okum Boy, Macaroni Penguin pair, King Penguin preening, Southern Elephant Seal yawning, the view of Gold Harbour from a Light-mantled Sooty Albatross nest. Click on the image to see an extra large version.

The Southern Ocean

South Georgia Expedition Voyage

I’ve been blessed. I’ve now made four trips to the Southern Ocean, three expeditions that visited the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula, and one to the Falklands and South Georgia. Each was a truly amazing experience. South Georgia has been the star of the show each time: rugged snow covered peaks, tame and abundant wildlife including Southern Elephant Seal and Southern Fur Seal, and penguins: more King Penguins than you could ever have dreamed of. Gentoos. And my favorite, the golden-yellow spaghetti-topped Macaronis. With four trips to South Georgi under my belt, I have a pretty good idea about how to make great images at each of the iconic landings. In addition, we should have some pretty good flight photography sessions from the stern of the ship. I would love the chance to share my knowledge with you.

Going Light

On last year’s recent trip, I found myself going ashore with shorter lenses and lighter gear than on any previous Southern Ocean Expedition. In part that was due to the crop factor of the 7D Mark II, in part because going light makes life (and landings!) much easier. I made many landings with just the 7D II, the 14X III TC, and the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS.

Cheesemans’ Well Deserved Kudos

I know from personal experience that if you are a photographer who is going to invest in Southern Ocean voyage, you will want to put your money on Cheesemans’. No other tour company goes as far out of their way to ensure making every possible safe landing. And no other tour company will have you spending more time on land. Michael Viljeon from South Africa was aboard the Ortelius on a Southern Oceans voyage that preceded the Cheesemans’ trip that we were both on. As we headed back to Ushuaia, he said, “The folks that ran that first trip were pathetic. Too rough. No landing today. Surf too high today. No landing. Wind wrong direction. No landing. Cheesemans’ routinely and safely gets folks on land in conditions where the leaders of other tour companies do not even bother getting out of their bunks.”

Here, from the” Way to Go CES! (Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris)” blog post here, is one of my favorite Cheesemans’ stories:

The landing at Bailey Head, Antarctica, was especially rewarding to me as I had been sitting in a zodiac 100 yards off shore on my 2007 trip when the zodiac in front of mine swamped and the captain of the ship called off the landing…. Early that day it looked as if my weather Karma might not be working. Ted’s “Good morning shipmates” was followed by the news that we would not be able to land at Bailey Head that morning as the swell was too big. The beach there is sloped tremendously and the sea strives to pull the zodiacs back into the ocean before folks have gotten off with their gear. Tom Murphy had said to me several days before, “We will get you on the beach at Bailey Head.” Ted concluded his morning greetings by saying, “We are sending out a scout team to see if landing is possible.”

After breakfast I was thrilled to hear Ted’s voice again on the PA, “We will be landing at 8am.” Afterwards folks noted that it was the calmest landing ever at this amazingly beautiful spot. My good weather Karma (courtesy of late-wife Elaine) had come through one last time. Along with St. Andrews Bay, it was one of my two favorite super-great once-in-a-lifetime days of the trip. And we even got to enjoy three additional hours at Hannah Point, Antarctica before calling it a wrap and heading for the feared Drake Passage. All thanks to Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris.

Why Sign Up Through BIRDS AS ART?

If you have been thinking and dreaming of finally visiting South Georgia, this is the trip for you. Quit dreaming and act now. Though I will not be an official leader on this trip, those who have traveled with me know that I cannot help but teach. I will make pre-trip gear recommendations. I will hold informal pre-landing briefings. In the same vein, everyone will receive a free copy of our Antarctica Site Guide once they are paid in full (July 2, 2015). I will be available on the ship to review your images,, answer questions, and conduct informal over-the shoulder Photoshop sessions. And best of all, everyone who signs up under the auspices of BAA are invited to tag along with me on the landings where I will be glad to offer invaluable in-the-field advice. And the same goes for the ship-board birds in flight and marine mammal photography opportunities.

Do join us. To learn how to be part of the BAA group please e-mail me with the words Antarctica/Extended Expedition BAA Info Please cut and pasted into the Subject line.

Important Notes

#1: If you fail to e-mail me as noted directly above, and register directly with CES you MUST let them know that you would like to be part of the BIRDS AS ART group.

#2: Joining the BIRDS AS ART group as above will not cost you one penny.

The Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris South Georgia Expedition Voyage

An in-depth Adventure aboard the Ortelius: October 29 to November 17, 2015

From the CES website:

We are very excited to be able to bring this special in-depth expedition to you. This is a product of years of experience leading voyages to South Georgia and a passion for everything found here. Our itinerary is specifically designed to take advantage of the vibrant early season on South Georgia when snow blankets the mountains and early summer brings special wildlife treats seldom experienced. We will explore vast colonies of King Penguins, elephant seals in their peak of breeding activity, and colonies of Wandering, Gray-headed, Light-mantled, and Black-browed albatross. This cruise allows us many days to explore this truly unique island, the crown jewel of the Antarctic. The landscape filled with expanses of glaciers pouring into the sea provides rare beauty and photogenic impressiveness that words cannot convey. We will enjoy about nine days in the midst of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich island on the planet! Exceptional leadership expertise will enrich your experience throughout the voyage. Our priority on this special expedition is to give you the maximum time possible in the field so you can explore at your own pace during a special time on South Georgia. Come explore South Georgia with us!

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 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 :).