What’s Up?

I made it down to the lake on Sunday morning, created 581 images, and kept 28 after the first edit. Those included one nice frame of a Great Egret in the marsh; the rest were Sandhill Cranes and vultures. As is usual, I had fun and learned a bunch.

Which of today’s three featured images is the strongest? Why?

Today is Monday 5 December 2022. I will be heading down to the lake early. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes two hundred fifty-three days in a row with a new, educational post just for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day.

Please remember to use the B&H and Amazon links that are found on most blog pages and to use the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout when purchasing your new gear from Bedfords to get 3% back on your credit card and enjoy free second-day air FedEx. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.

Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.

San Diego IPT #1 Late Registration Discount

Please shoot me an e-mail if you would like to the San Diego IPT #1 Late Registration Discount. Note that due to a cancellation, there is now a single opening on San Diego #2. Click here for complete details on all three upcoming San Diego IPTs. (BTW, I did not like the cormorant blur either.) As I am staying for five weeks, I have lots of free days for In-the-Field Instructional Sessions, again, e-mail for rates and details.

This image was created on 4 January 2020 on a San Diego IPT. I used the no-longer available except from BAA Induro GIT 304L/FlexShooter Pro (now replaced by the Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro)-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 1.4x teleconverter, and the the 61-MP monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera Body. ISO 400. Exposure determined by Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1250 sec. at f/7.1 in Manual mode. AWB at 9:21:39am on a clear, sunny morning. Upper Center Zone AF/C performed perfectly. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image #1: Brown Pelican — Pacific race molting into breeding plumage –bill pouch distended

The Distended Bill Pouch Pose

If you missed the San Diego video, you can watch it above and learn about all the Pacific-race pelican plumages. The bird in Image #1 is a carpet-neck, that is, in pre-breeding plumage. In two weeks, the speckled black feathers on the back of the head will become a rich, dark brown with a tinge of mahogany. Rarely, after a head throw, the big birds will distend their bill pouches as you see above for only a few seconds revealing more of the red and olive colors than usual.

This image was created on the morning of 9 AUGUST 2020 in the southeast corner of Indian Lake Estates. Again, I used the Induro GIT 404L/FlexShooter Pro-mounted Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens with the Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation) and the 61MP monster, the Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital camera body ISO 1600. Multi metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/30 sec. at f/16 in Av mode. This exposure was confirmed as perfect in RawDigger. AWB at 8:34am on a still sunny morning. Manual focus using the combination of Manual Focus Toggle and Focus Magnifier tips from the SONY e-guide along with the 2-second timer. The stalk was stabilized by a Plamp to keep it from blowing in the faint breeze. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Green Lynx Spider

A7R IV with the Canon 180mm Macro Lens

I absolutely loved the A7R IV with the Metabones T Smart Adapter for my macro photography. The incredibly detailed files with luscious colors allowed for healthy crops. And the 180mm focal length yields a narrow angle of view along with a 1:1 Macro Reproduction Ratio; at the Minimum Focusing Distance of 1.57′, the size of the subject in life will be the size of the subject in a full frame image.

Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera

BAA Record-low Price!

Charlie Curry is offering a Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera in near mint condition with only 7358 shutter actuations for a BAA record-low $1699.00. The sale includes the original box, the manuals & cords, one battery and the charger, the front cap, the camera strap, a (no longer available) SmallRig L-bracket, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only — inquire for shipping to other locations.

Please contact Charlie via e-mail.

For the past several years you have seen the incredible detail in my a7r IV images made with a variety of SONY lenses and both teleconverters. Before the a1, I typically used my 7r IV for about 50% of my bird photography and my a9 II in pure flight situations. Used copies in 9+ condition are selling for a ridiculously high $2,448.50 at B&H. And the newer a7r IVA sells new right now on sale for $2998.00; the only “improvement” over the original a7R IV is more resolution in the rear monitor. Though this 61-MP body is especially attractive to landscape and macro photographers, it is great for birds as well; you can pretty much crop to your heart’s content. For static birds, it does great with the 200-600 G lens. For photographing birds in flight, it did very well with the 600mm f/4 GM. I do not, however, recommend using it with the 200-600 G lens for birds in flight. artie

The Palouse

I had a ton of fun in the Palouse, especially with Canon in-camera HDR Art Vivid captures, and with infrared.

Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera with LifePixel Full Spectrum Infrared Conversion

Charlie Curry is offering a Sony Alpha a7R IV Mirrorless Digital Camera with LifePixel Full Spectrum Infrared Conversion in like-new condition with only 1171 shutter actuations for a silly low $1699.00. The sale includes the LifePixel box, the manuals & cords, one battery and the charger, the front cap, the camera strap, a (no longer available) SmallRig L-bracket, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only — inquire for shipping to other locations. Payment by cashier’s check only.

Please contact Charlie via e-mail.

As you can see above, I dabbled with infrared several years ago. And loved it. Getting Charlie’s a7R IV infrared body for the same price as the body alone is a huge steal as the conversions cost several hundred dollars. artie

Creating the World’s Best JPEGs (Video)

Creating the World’s Best JPEGs Video: $23.00

If you, like many, think that the JPEGs that are used every day on the blog look remarkably good, you will want to grab a copy of this 16-minute video. You will learn to create relatively small, high-quality JPEGs to varying size specifications. However you wish to size your JPEGs, you will learn to create and sharpen highly detailed JPEGs that can be saved while limiting the file size. The method that I use to generically sharpen all my JPEGs is unique. Sharpening the whole image saves a ton of time and with the values that I use, nobody has ever commented on over-sharpening and the final results are spectacular. In the video, I show you exactly how I create and sharpen JPEGs for the blog and how I create and sharpen JPEGs for BirdPhotographer’s.Net. With my recipe, you will learn to create JPEGs to your specific size requirements while at the same time, maximizing image quality and limiting the file size.

You can order your copy here in the BAA Online Store.

Typos

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

What’s Up?

I received this e-mail from Pat Fishburne yesterday.

Dear Friends and Family:

Pat

Today is Friday 2 December. With Stokes’ passing, the world will not be quite as warm a place as it had been for the past eight decades. Condolences to Pat and the girls and to all who knew Stokes.

Circle — Harry Chapin

Click here to play the video.

Suggestion: read the words below while considering your life, those you’ve known, those you’ve loved, and those you’ve lost.

All my life’s a circle;
Sunrise and sundown;
Moon rolls thru the nighttime;
Till the daybreak comes around.
All my life’s a circle;
But I can’t tell you why;
Season’s spinning round again;
The years keep rollin’ by.
It seems like I’ve been here before;
I can’t remember when;
But I have this funny feeling;
That we’ll all be together again.
No straight lines make up my life;
And all my roads have bends;
There’s no clear-cut beginnings;
And so far no dead-ends.
I found you a thousand times;
I guess you done the same;
But then we lose each other;
It’s like a children’s game;
As I find you here again;
A thought runs through my mind;
Our love is like a circle;
Let’s go ’round one more time.
I found you a thousand times;
I guess you done the same;
But then we lose each other;
It’s like a children’s game

Harold Forster Chapin (December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter and philanthropist best known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. His band did Circle at every concert. The band donated a ridiculously large part of their earnings to various world hunger projects. The most ironic verse above is And so far no dead-ends. Why? Harry died in a car crash on the Long Island Expressway on the way to perform at a free benefit concert at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, in 1981.

Harry’s most popular song was Cat’s in the Cradle, but his lifelong fans are enamored by his various story songs, most of which received little air play. In the amazingly interesting Wikipedia article linked to above, I learned that Harry attended Brooklyn Technical High School (as I did), and that in 1968 (four years after I graduated Tech), he directed Legendary Champions, a boxing documentary that was nominated for an Academy Award.

Pat and Stokes Fishburne two years ago celebrating their 63rd wedding anniversary

One of the many great things in my life …

One of my many blessings along the road have been meeting some really great folks who have become lifelong friends. Pat and Stokes are just two of many. We met of course, on an IPT, more than twenty years ago. They came on many more – ten in all, many twice. The first to Southwest Florida, was the year before they left on a seven year motorhome odyssey. Their favorite IPT by far was a Galapagos Photo-Cruise. Pat, who will be 84 in March, and Stokes, who would have been 86 in February, are two of the nicest, sweetest people you could ever hope to meet.

Pat and Stokes (formal) wedding ceremony

A Strikingly Beautiful Image From More Than 60 Years Ago

I think that even if you have never met Stokes and Pat, this image would touch you deeply. So much tradition. So much beauty. They eloped on Dec. 31, 1956, but when Stokes graduated in June 1957, they had a formal wedding at the Citadel Chapel. The Citadel — The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Amazingly, Pat’s warm smile has not changed one bit over the years.

Pat and Stokes at Thanksgiving 2020

Ordinary People; Extraordinary Lives

Stokes wanted to be a pilot in the Air Force, but when he attended ROTC camp the summer before his senior year, they did an in-depth medical exam and discovered that he was profoundly color blind and had severe hearing loss. As you might imagine, that was the end of his military career and his dreams of becoming a pilot. After reading the Wikipedia article on The Citadel (link above), I asked Pat — already knowing the answer — if Stokes had ever gotten any Demerits. She replied, Stokes was on the Regimental Command in his senior year — you don’t get that kind of job if you had any demerits.

After graduating from The Citadel, Stokes got a Ph.D. from Ohio State University where he was involved in running the Rocket Research Lab at Ohio State University. After Stokes got his Ph.D. at Ohio State, he became the Deputy Director of the Lab. Then, he went to work at Bethpage, Long Island with Grumman Aircraft, the manufacturer of the lunar excursion module. When Stokes went into work on the morning after the Apollo 13 problem occurred, NASA called to say they had three hours to help figure out how to bring the astronauts back to earth. Stokes and his partner, Dick Oman, used slide rulers (not computers!) to do the needed calculations.

I did an article for Bird Watcher’s Digest many years ago entitled Hummingbird Hosts about Wally and Marion Patton. The Pattons invited folks into their Patagonia, Arizona backyard to watch the hummers at their feeders. When I interviewed Wally I learned that he ran a lost wax foundry that made parts for gyroscopes used in the lunar excursion modules! Indeed, all our lives are circles.

Michelle Fishburne: Who We Are Now

The Fishburne Family

Pat earned a Ph.D. in sociology from NYU. She was a vice president at Response Analysis in Princeton, NJ for ten years, and planned to retire when she left. But many of her clients needed her, so she formed her own consulting firm — Patricia Fishburne Associates, and continued to do social research. For ten more years, she worked long hours, traveled constantly, and earned a lot of money.

In 1979, Stokes formed SciTec, a cutting-edge Princeton, NJ firm that focused on scientific and technological innovation. After ten years, he sold SciTec to TRW, a former American corporation involved in a variety of businesses including aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. In 1995, Stokes retired, and the Fishburnes moved to Sanibel, FL. Stokes continued consulting for TRW. In 2002, Pat and Stokes sold their Sanibel home, bought a motorhome, and spent 7 wonderful years touring and photographing in the U.S.

Before I lost my beloved wife Elaine Belsky Morris to breast cancer in 1994, I thought that some folks might get through life without ever having to deal with any great change, without having to deal with any difficult and challenging situations, or without having to deal with any great losses. Obviously I was wrong. I do know that Patricia Fishburne has guided her family through some very tough times. Always with her chin up, and always with a smile.

Pat and Stokes have two daughters and two grandchildren. One of those, an inventor, did a Ted Talk at age 15! Their youngest daughter, Denise Fishburne, has worked at Cisco Systems for more than 24 years. Denise has been making yearly presentations at Cisco Live, both in the U.S. and in Europe. She was named to the Cisco Live Speaker Hall of Fame years ago. Last year she was elevated to “Elite,” a status achieved by only a few people worldwide.

Their oldest daughter, Michelle Fishburne, is a lawyer who has worked in public relations for the past decade. This excerpt is from Pat and Stokes 2020 Christmas letter. It tells you what Michelle has been doing recently.

Our oldest daughter, Michelle, has a much more interesting story, but I will let her tell it: “Sometimes life turns you upside down, dumps you on the floor, and asks ‘so what are you going to do about it?’ That’s what happened to me in 2020. I lost some of my hearing, I lost some of my balance, I lost my job, and I became a single empty nester without a house. That’s what I didn’t have. What I did have, including a positive attitude, has led to one of the happiest periods of my life, traveling throughout the U.S. in my RV and interviewing people about their 2020 experiences.”

The name of Michelle’s project is “Who We Are Now.” Beginning in September she traveled from North Carolina to Wyoming, interviewing a wide variety of people, from mayors and food bank operators to teachers and entertainers. After Christmas, she will take the southern route to California, interviewing people along the way. Click here to learn, in their own words, how people are dealing with their changed lives during COVID.

Typos

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