Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The Streak Continues: 237

This post was published at about 5:30am from Great Gull Island. I almost did not make it to Niantic in time to catch the boat to the island; when I called yesterday morning I learned that most of the Orient Point ferries were full…. I scrambled like mad to make the 10:30 sailing and once I made that the rest was the proverbial piece of cake. East wind on a sunny afternoon put me photographically out of business on Day 1. My main target will be recently fledged Roseate Terns; GI Director Helen Hays taught me to ID the young Roseates by their black legs and feet. The Common Tern young have light pink or orange legs and feet. I am online with my cell phone in the middle of nowhere, depending on the generator to keep the cell phone and the laptop charged enough to keep the streak going….

This post, which took me 1 1/2 hours to prepare–making the cards is time-consuming, marks 237 consecutive days with a new enjoyable and educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links, why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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 5:32am with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens , the Canon Extender EF 2X III (at 140mm), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 250. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/15 sec. at f/5.6 in Tv Mode. Central Sensor Surround/AI Servo 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.

What Can You Possibly Do When You Get Up at 2:07am?

You can finish your blog post for the day and head out early to Nickerson Beach, arriving in the dark at 4:41am. Then grab your 70-200mm f/4L IS II, add the 2X

The Streak Continues: 236

This post was published just before 6am from my Mom’s home in Holbrook, NY. I had another good afternoon at Nickerson yesterday. I will be very busy packing this morning as I head to Nianctic, CT to catch a ride on a Sunbeam fleet boat to Great Gull Island for a week as an invited guest. My main target will be recently fledged Roseate Terns. They are among the most exquisitely beautiful young terns. If I am able to get online with my cell phone as I did last year, the streak will remain intact. If not, I will see you in a week or so.

This post, which took me 3 1/2 hours to prepare–making the cards is time-consuming, marks 236 consecutive days with a new enjoyable and educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links, why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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.III TC and a 1D X and walk out to the East colony and wait for a few pre-dawn blast-offs. I used my standard blur technique: ISO 50 with ISO Safety Shift. Tv mode. A shutter speed of about 1/15 sec, sometimes slower. And dial in the EC depending on the tonality of the BKGR. About +1 1/3 stops with beach grass in the lower part of the frame or +2 to + 3 stops with sand and sky BKGRs.

This image was created at 5:32am with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens , the Canon Extender EF 2X III (at 400mm), and the Canon EOS-1D X ISO 1650. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/15 sec. at f/6.3 in Tv Mode. Central Sensor Surround/AI Servo 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.

Image Questions

These two image were created just minutes apart: why is there such a big difference in the (effectively) auto ISO settings: ISO 250 for opening image, ISO 1600 for the second image?

What percentage of the available focal length range did I use to create today’s two images?

Which of the two do you like best, if either?

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 advise, usually sells in no time flat.

I will do my very best to keep the listings below current.

Used Gear Caution

Though I am not in a position to post images of gear for sale here or elsewhere, prospective buyers are encouraged to request for photos of the gear that they are interested in purchasing via e-mail. Doing so will help to avoid any misunderstandings as to the condition of the gear.

Used Canon 800mm f/56L IS USM Lens

Multiple IPT veteran and good friend Mike Gotthelf, is offering a used Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM lens in excellent + condition for $8850. The lens is like new except for some very minor wear on the finish. The sale includes the leather hood, the original hard case and key, a low foot, a LensCoat, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. Personal checks only; your new lens will be shipped only after your check clears.

This great lens, my favorite for 3 years, sells new at B&H for $13,999.00. B&H is asking $11,399.95 for a used one here in the same condition as Mike’s. They recently dropped their price for this lens from $11,999.90…. Buy Mike’s lens and save $2456.95 right now! It will save you a ton of dough and you will have a super-sharp lens with lots of reach. And it works great with a 1.4X TC too with all pro bodies and with the 5D Mark III.

Interested folks can contact Mike via e-mail or by phone at (978)-407-0679 (eastern time).

Used Mint Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II Lens for Sale

Aubrey Blalock is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II lens in like new, near-mint condition–used only once, for $9,199. The sale includes the original leather front lens cap, the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, a LensCoat, and an Arca-Swiss compatible Really Right Stuff Low Foot. Seller pays insured shipping to continental US addresses. The lens will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Aubrey via e-mail or by phone at 1-409-767-3155. As this lens sells new at B&H $10,499 you can save $1300 and wind up with the state of the art 500mm lens. To see if the 500 II is better for you than the 600 II click here. The 500 II is lighter than the 200-400 and is of course lighter than the 600 II. It is easily hand holdable by most folks. It features the incredible 4-stop IS system and is capable of producing razor sharp images with either the 1.4X III or the 2X III TC.

Check out more great used lens options here. I have added lots of great new listings in the last several days including an 800mm f/5.6L IS, the close-focusing Canon 300mm f/4L IS that makes a great starter lens for beginning bird photographers, a very versatile Nikkor 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 G ED VR, and a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, my favorite mid-range telephoto zoom lens. Lingering are a 400 DO, a Canon EOS-1D Mark III, and a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens, the “old six.” The latter would be a great lens for someone young and strong. Or old and strong.

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

Sale Pending

John Beasley is offering a used Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens in nearly mint condition for $6299. The lens is less than 3 months old and has been rarely used. The sale includes everything that came originally with the lens—the hard case, the CDs, the warranty card, the lens strap, all except the shipping carton. Also included is a 4th Generation Design CR-X 3.5, The seller will pay insured UPS shipping within continental US. The lens will ship after the check clears.

Please contact John via e-mail or by phone at 917-374-7527 (eastern time).

Both Denise Ippolito and I have been loving our 300 IIs and using them extensively. It recently served as denise’s longest telephoto lens on both the Puffins and Gannets and the Nickerson Beach IPTs.

Used Canon 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens

Chris Callahan is offering a used Canon 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens in good to very good condition for $900. There is some wear on the finish. The sale includes the heavy duty fabric carrying case that is moderately worn, the tripod ring (tripod collar), and the rear cap. The seller will pay insured UPS shipping within continental US. The lens will ship after the check clears.

Please contact Chris via e-mail or by phone at 1-850-516-7155 (eastern time).

I have long recommended this lens as the best Canon bird photography starter lens, a clear choice over my old “toy lens,” the 400mm f/5.6L. Why? It is faster at f/4. It has IS. And it autofocuses with a 7D and a 1.4X teleconverter. The 300 f/4 L IS has great close focus making it great for frogs, butterflies, medium-sized and large flowers, and large insects like dragonflies. It is a great flight lens either alone or with the 1.4X TC. And it is deadly sharp. It is great on a tripod with the Mongoose M3.6.

Used Nikkor 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 G ED VR Lens

Steve Ellis is offering a used Nikkor 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 G ED VR lens in excellent condition for $699. The lens has some very minor wear on the finish. The sale includes the original box, soft case, manual, lens hood, front and rear caps a Hoya HMC UV filter, and insured shipping via UPS Ground to US addresses only. Personal checks only; the lens will be shipped only after your check clears.

Contact Steve via e-mail or call him at 203-292-3101 (EST time zone).

The 28-300 focal length range makes this lens very versatile. It is a great travel and B roll lens and a great lens to have at Bosque. It sells new at B&H for $1,046.95.

Used Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II Lens

Dale Lorenzen is offering a used Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens in nearly mint condition for $1850. It is like new with a small scratch on the hood. The sale includes the original box, the software CD, the carrying case, the tripod ring, and the front and rear caps. The seller will pay insured UPS shipping within continental US. The lens will ship after the check clears.

Please contact Dale via e-mail. At this give-away price, this lens should sell instantly.

As regular blog readers know full well, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is one of my very favorite lenses. It is often the only other lens that I take into the field with my tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens. As above, I use it often to create small-in-the-frame or habitat images. I use it for flocks in flight at Bosque with either TC. I use it often to photograph family groups of birds or birds interacting at close range. I use it a ton for scenic images as I did with great success in the Palouse. And I use it either alone (see here) or with either TC to photograph birds in flight at close range. In short, the 70-200 II is an incredibly versatile hand holdable intermediate telephoto lens that offers me a focal length range of from 70 to 400mm.

Used Canon 400 DO IS USM Lens

Joe Messina is offering a used Canon 400 DO IS USM lens in very good ++ condition for $4200. There are some minor cosmetic scratches to the finish. The lens hood is slightly out of round and is difficult to install. The sale includes an AquaTech flexible strap-on hood, a $150 value. The sale also includes the lens trunk (with key), the original leather hood, and a hard plastic lens cap. The seller will pay insured UPS shipping within continental US. The lens will ship after the check clears.

Please contact Joe via e-mail or by phone at 415-563-6577.

If you are looking for a fast, lightweight, hand holdable telephoto lens, this is the lens for you. Learn a ton more about the 400 DO here and see lots of 400 DO images by visiting the “The Canon 400mm f/4 IS DO Lens: Fourteen Images that Prove that the Internet Experts are (As Usual) Idiots” blog post here. The lens sells new at B&H for $6499.00.

Used Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Michael Zajac is offering a Canon EOS-1D Mark III professional digital camera body in Excellent condition for $1250. The sale includes the battery charger, one battery, the original paperwork, the camera strap, the original box, and shipping to the continental US.

Please contact Michael via e-mail or by phone at 732-979 -6644. Photos are available upon request.

Some EOS-1D Mark III bodies originally had AF problems. Michael’s did not. I have seen his great flight images made with this camera. This body features a 1.3X crop factor sensor and is a great step-up for someone who wants to take a big step up from a 7D. It’s powerful battery drives AF much faster than the pro-sumer bodies especially with either a 1.4X or 2X teleconverter in place.

Used Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM Lens, the “old six”

An Amazing Package for Someone Young and Strong. Or Old and Strong.

Chuck Pettis is offering a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens for $6199 with an amazing package of extras, extras that I used and depend on. The lens is in excellent condition used only a dozen times. The sale includes the Lens Trunk (one latch on the case was damaged by the TSA on a trip to Bosque but the latch still functions fine), the leather lens hood, and the rear cap. Amazingly Chuck is also including more than $30 in extras: a Canon 52mm Drop-in Circular Polarizing Filter PL-C, also in excellent condition and an extra Canon 52mm Drop-in Filter Holder in excellent condition. I put a 3-stop ND in my extra filter draw for creating blurs on sunny days.

The seller will also pay insured UPS shipping within the continental US.

Interested folks can contact Chuck via e-mail or try him at 360-331-6667 or on his cell at 206-930-2623.

The old six was my workhorse super-telephoto for too many years….

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 Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

The Streak Continues: 235

This post was published just before 6am from my Mom’s home in Holbrook, NY. I decided to sleep in this morning with clear skies and SW winds; wind against sun conditions make things very difficult as nearly all of the birds will be flying, landing, and facing into the wind. I am not a big fan of photographing bird butts. I should get back to the beach late this afternoon after a very busy day of work. Tomorrow afternoon I head out to Great Gull Island for a week as an invited guest. My main target will be recently fledged Roseate Terns. They are among the most exquisitely beautiful young terns.

This post, which took me 1 1/2 hours to prepare, marks 235 consecutive days with a new enjoyable and educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links, why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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.

Used Mint Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II Lens for Sale

Aubrey Blalock is offering a used Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II lens in like new, near-mint condition–used only once, for $9,199. The sale includes the original leather front lens cap, the rear lens cap, the lens trunk, a LensCoat, and an Arca-Swiss compatible Really Right Stuff Low Foot. Seller pays insured shipping to continental US addresses. The lens will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Aubrey via e-mail or by phone at 1-409-767-3155. As this lens sells new at B&H $10,499 you can save $1300 and wind up with the state of the art 500mm lens. To see if the 500 II is better for you than the 600 II click here. The 500 II is lighter than the 200-400 and is of course lighter than the 600 II. It is easily hand holdable by most folks. It features the incredible 4-stop IS system and is capable of producing razor sharp images with either the 1.4X III or the 2X III TC.

Check out more great used lens options here. I have added lots of great new listings in the last several days including an 800mm f/5.6L IS, the close-focusing Canon 300mm f/4L IS that makes a great starter lens for beginning bird photographers, a very versatile Nikkor 28-300mm 3.5-5.6 G ED VR, and a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, my favorite mid-range telephoto zoom lens. Lingering are a 400 DO, a Canon EOS-1D Mark III, and a Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM lens, the “old six.” The latter would be a great lens for someone young and strong. Or old and strong.

This image was created on the early morning of July 21 in soft sunlight while seated behind the lowered Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop as framed: off the white sky: 1/500 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. AWB. Central Sensor Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the adult’s upper back was of course 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.

The Question: Did Murphy’s Law Strike Again? Or Not?

Thanks again to Dr. Greg Gulbransen who recently has become quite addicted to bird photography. And quite good at it. He has been carefully monitoring the status of the eggs and nests at a local Least Tern colony and kindly shared images of the chick in this photo with me when–having just hatched–it was a wet mess of feathers. I then had the pleasure of photographing this fluffy blonde chick on consecutive mornings, the first alone, the second with Joe Senzatimore, a friend from BPN, and with old friend Tom Pfeiffer. Tom invited me to dinner at his home about a zillion years ago on the evening that I did a slide program (with real slides in a carousel!) for an out-east Audubon society. We have remained great friends ever since.

Did Mr. Murphy bite me in the butt again on this occasion? Did I do something drastic in Photoshop to salvage the optimized image above? Or is this, like the last few of which I have asked the same question, right out of camera? Be sure to click on the image to enlarge it before you put on your Photoshop Detective’s cloak. Another way to ask the same question is, “What could possibly have gone wrong in this wonderful situation?”

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 Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

The Streak Continues: 233

This post was published at 2:38am from my Mom’s home in Holbrook, NY. I am headed out at 4:15am for the beach. Was in bed early.

This post, which took me 3 hours to prepare, marks 233 consecutive days with a new enjoyable and educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links, why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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 on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #1: Common Terns battling in flight. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

Poor, Poor Denise Ippolito with “Only” the 300mm f/2.8L IS II…

I opted to make the trip to the UK without my beloved 600mm f/4L IS II because of concerns involving my damaged but recovering right shoulder. Co-leader Denise Ippolito opted to make the trip to the UK without her 600 II because of concerns involving carry-on weight and travel restrictions. I left instructions with Jim at the BA office to ship my 600 II to my Mom’s house on Long Island so that I would have it–shoulder permitting, for the Nickerson IPT. As we traveled directly from the Newark Airport and then to the NECCC event and then continued on to the IPT motel, Denise was left with “only” her 300mm f/2.8L IS II as her long lens for Nickerson. With both TC of course. I thought that perhaps her not shipping her 600 to my Mom’s might have been a mistake. Hand holding her 300 II for almost the entire 3 days, she proved me wrong in spades.

As above, hand holding allows you to get on and follow the action more quickly and easily than when working on a tripod. And with the 300 II/2X III/1D IV combo she had plenty of reach: 780mm, 15.6X magnification.

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #2: Common Tern, large chick jumping. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

Jumping Tern Chick

Here again we see one of the main advantages of hand holding: being able to get quickly on the subject and acquire focus. Don’t be fooled however: for many, hand holding the 300 II over time requires strength and stamina and getting on the bird requires superior hand-eye coordination. In addition, Denise, though known primarily for her flower and creative photography, knows bird behavior. That enables her to anticipate the action as she did above.

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #3: American Oystercatcher landing, screaming. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

Landing Oystercatcher

Please re-read my comments on the jumping tern chick image above….

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod and the Mongoose M3.6 head with the Low Mount Arm, the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #4: Common Tern, adult landing with flatfish lunch. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

The Flatfish Dinner

Here Denise was disappointed with herself as she just clipped the last primary of the adult’s right wing. She showed off her formidable Photoshop skills by completing the repair with the Clone Stamp Tool. From where I sit, this was is incredible image that features frantic action and in addition is incredibly sharp. How she gets the lens on these situations and acquires sharp focus so quickly is beyond me.

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #5: Least Tern, wings-up landing display. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

Wings-up Landing Display

Here the race again went to the young, the fast, and the well-prepared. I was still setting my up gear when Denise created this image. Even though we had a few similar chances after I was in place I just could not get the tripod-mounted 600 II on the bird fast enough to acquire focus; the bird kept its wings raised for only a second or two at most after landing….

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon Extender EF 2X III, and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #6: Black Skimmers, flock in flight pano. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

Black Skimmers, Flock in Flight Pano

Here Denise showcases here artistic side with a lovely pano crop. In situations like this, knowing exactly when to press the shutter button is the key to create a successful images; pointing and shooting without being aware of the shape of the flock as it fluxes and without concern for compositional balance simply does not work….

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the hand held Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, Canon Extender EF 1.4X III, and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #7: Black Skimmers battling. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

Bad Luck for Me 🙂

I had been sitting behind my lowered tripod for near 90 minutes doing skimmer flight photography. My butt hurt so badly that I got up to stretch. Ten seconds after I stood up I missed the best and only skimmer aerial battle of the day. One of the participants, Dave Klein, got a very similar, possibly slightly better image of pretty much the same instant in time. You stretch, you lose.

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT by Denise Ippolito with the hand held Canon 15mm fish eye lens now replaced by the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM Fisheye Ultra-Wide Zoom Lens and the EOS-1D Mark IV now replaced for landscape photography by the Canon EOS 5D Mark III . Shutter Button AF. Click on the image to enjoy a larger version. Image #8: Sea, Surf, and Sky Fish Eye. Image courtesy of and copyright 2014: Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure

Sea, Surf, and Sky Fish Eye

Here Denise shows off her artistic sense of image design as well as her impeccable timing.

Image Question

What does this seascape image have to do with the timing of the shutter release?

This Just In: 10:50am ET: Another Used Mint 300 II for Sale

Sale Pending/Sold Instantly

Aubrey Blalock is offering a used Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II lens in like new, near-mint condition–used only twice, for $6,399. Includes factory software upgrade, the original front lens cap, a LensCoat, and an Arca-Swiss compatible Really Right Stuff Low Foot. Seller pays insured shipping to continental US addresses. The lens will not ship until your check clears.

Please contact Aubrey via e-mail or by phone at 1-409-767-3155. As yesterday’s 300 !1 did, this one should sell instantly.

Your Favorite?

Please take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of Denise’s great images is your very favorite. And please let us know why. If you think that Denise is a great bird photographer, you are right. But you should see her flowers…. Do think about joining us on next spring’s Tulips and a Touch of Holland IPT. See below for details.

If…

If this post inspires you to purchase a new 300 II, please consider using one of our B&H affiliate links above. Same goes for the TCs. As predicted, the 300 II that was listed only yesterday sold instantly. You can see lots more great new ued photo gear listings here.

Facebook

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

Denise and artie hope that you can join them next spring in Holland and learn to improve both the technical and creative aspects of your flower (and street) photography.

7 1/2-Day/8-Night: A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART/Tulips & A Touch of Holland Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)

Keukenhof—Delft—Amsterdam–Flower Fields—Kinderdijk
April 9 -April 16, 2015: $4995. Limit: 12 photographers/Openings 10. Four more to make the trip a go.

This trip needs 6 registrants to run so please do not purchase your plane tickets until you hear from us that the trip is a go.

Join Denise Ippolito, the author of “Bloomin’ Ideas,” and Arthur Morris, Canon Explorer of Light Emeritus, for a great trip to Holland in mid-April 2015. Day 1 of the IPT will be April 9, 2015. We will have a short afternoon get-together and then our first photographic session at the justly-famed Keukenhof. Our last day, Day 8, April 16 will be a full day of photography.

The primary subjects will be tulips and orchids at Keukenhof and the spectacularly amazing tulip, hyacinth, and daffodil bulb fields around Lisse and points north. We will spend one full day in Amsterdam. There will be optional visits to the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House and/or the Rijk’s Museum. Street photography and sightseeing will be other options. We will spend a half day at Kinderdijk where we will be photographing the windmills and doing some creative photography. We will spend an afternoon in the lovely Dutch town of Delft where we will do some street photography and shopping. There is an optional church tower tour/climb. We will also enjoy a superb fine dining experience in a traditional restaurant.

Other than the arrival date: April 9, Day 1, and the date of our last day of photography on April 16, Day 8, there is no set itinerary. We will check the weather and play everything by ear to maximize the photographic opportunities. We will try to do Amsterdam, Delft, and especially Kinderdijik, on cloudy days.

There are several huge pluses to this trip. First off, denise is an amazingly skilled and caring instructor. Both her creativity and her willingness to share and to help beginning and intermediate photographers are unmatched. And though artie has learned a ton about flower photography from denise, their styles and techniques do vary considerably. You will have a chance to be counseled by and to learn from both of them. While denise will hunt you down to help you, artie’s teaching style is more “the closer you stay to me, the more you will learn.” Both leaders consistently inspire the participants. And each other. The sky, of course, is the limit.

You will learn to create tight abstracts, how best to use depth-of-field (or the lack thereof) to improve your flower photography, how to get the right exposure and make sharp images every time, how to see the best shot, and how to choose the best perspective for a given situation. And you will of course learn to create a variety of pleasingly blurred flower images. If you bring a long lens, you will learn to use it effectively for flower photography. Denise’s two favorite flower lenses are the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens and the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. Mine are the Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS macro , the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens ,and the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, all almost always on a tripod. Often with extension tubes and/or either the 1.4X or the 2X (with the 300 II) teleconverters. Denise hand holds a great deal of the time. For flower field blurs denise uses the same lenses mentioned above along with her new 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III lens. Artie’s favorite is that same 70-200 often with a 1.4X TC but he uses both the new Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens and the 300 II as well. Both of us use and love the Canon EOS 5D Mark IIIfor all of our flower photography. The in-camera HDR and Multiple Exposure features are a blast.

One of the great advantages of our trip is that we will be staying in a single, strategically located hotel that is quite excellent. Do note that all ground transfers to and from Schipol Airport will be via the free hotel shuttle bus.

What’s included: Eight hotel nights. All ground transportation except for airport transfers as noted above. In-the-field instruction and small group image review and Photoshop sessions. All meals from dinner on Day 1 through dinner on Day 8. There is good food at the hotel and we will be dining there on occasion; whenever you order off the menu be it at the hotel or at another restaurant only the cost of your main course is included. On these occasions the cost of soups, appetizers, salads, sodas and other beverages, alcoholic drinks and wine, bottled water, and desserts are not included. Snacks, personal items, phone calls, etc. are also not included. The cost of bus or train transportation to and from Amsterdam (about $20 US), museum entry, and tower and church entry fees (optional) are likewise not included.

Beware of seemingly longer, slightly less expensive tours that include travel days and days sitting in the hotel doing nothing as part of the tour. In addition, other similar trips have you changing hotels often and needlessly. One final note on other similar trips: the instructors on this trip actually instruct. On other similar trips the instructors, though usually imminently qualified, serve for the most part as van drivers and van door openers.

A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 per person is required to hold your spot. The second payment of $2,000 due by October 30, 2014. The balance is due on January 15, 2015. Payments in full are of course welcome at any time. All payments including the deposit must be by check made out to “Arthur Morris.” As life has a way of throwing an occasional curve ball our way, you are urged to purchase travel insurance within 15 days of our cashing your check. Artie uses and recommends Travel Insurance Services. All payments are non-refundable unless the trip fills to capacity. In that case, all payments but your deposit will be refunded. If the trip does not run every penny will of course be refunded. Again, please do not purchase your air tickets until you hear from us that the trip is a go. We are very confident that it will.

All checks should be made out to “Arthur Morris” and sent to: Arthur Morris, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Call Jim or Jen in the BAA office with any additional registration questions: 863-692-0906.

For couples or friends signing up at the same time for the tulip trip, a $200/duo discount will be applied to the final payment.

When you send your deposit check, please print, sign, and include the paperwork here.

If you have any questions on the trip please contact artie by e-mail or denise by e-mail.

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 Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

The Streak Continues: 231

This post was published at 5:45am from my Mom’s home in Holbrook, NY.

This post, which took me about 1 1/2 hours to prepare, marks 231 consecutive days with a new educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links, why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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 Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT with the hand held Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens (at 70mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering + 2 2/3 stops as framed: 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on the center of the crane as originally framed was active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

Foggy Link Belt Crane…

We were just minutes from turning into the Nickerson Beach parking lot at about 6am on a very foggy morning when Denise asked, “Did you see the Osprey nest on the crane?” “Nope” I replied. “Was it nice? Was there a bird on the nest?” “Yes and yes,” she said.

Thinking of the raven nest on a derelict gold dredge that I had photographed more than a decade ago in Nome, AK, I slowed and indicated to the other cars in our caravan that we would be making a detour. Though one of those Nome Common Raven images had been published in National Geographic, the group members then were also dubious despite my excitement: “How can you make a good image in such heavy fog?”. As it was our first morning I knew that working in the fog would be a great vehicle for teaching the group to expose to the right; please see the original image below. It took us a while to get the right lenses in our hands and to find a good perspective. The Osprey cooperated nicely by flying around and landing several times. In fifteen short minutes we were back in the cars headed for a great morning at the beach.

The Link Belt Crane

The crane in the photo is actually fully operational but once the Ospreys began building their nest a local ordinance prevented the owners from using it. My understanding is that they complied gladly. Click here to learn about Link Belt Cranes. For some really neat, incredibly interesting stuff on the development of this company first click on the “About” tab and the click on the “History” link.

The All Purpose 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II Lens

As regular readers know full well, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is one of my very favorite lenses. It is often the only other lens that I take into the field with my tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens. As above, I use it often to create small-in-the-frame or habitat images. I use it for flocks in flight at Bosque with either TC. I use it often to photograph family groups of birds or birds interacting at close range. I use it a ton for scenic images as I did with great success in the Palouse. And I use it either alone (see here) or with either TC to photograph birds in flight at close range. In short, the 70-200 II is an incredibly versatile hand holdable intermediate telephoto lens that offers me a focal length range of from 70 to 400mm.

A used 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II Lens For You

Dale Lorenzen is offering a used Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens in nearly mint condition for $1850. It is like new with a small scratch on the hood. The sale includes the original box, the software CD, the carrying case, the tripod ring, and the front and rear caps. The seller will pay insured UPS shipping within continental US. The lens will ship after the check clears.

Please contact Dale via e-mail. At this give-away price, this lens should sell instantly.

A 300 II Heads Up

There is a brand new listing here for a near mint 300 II for $1,000 less than the current B&H price and the sale includes a CRX-3.5 plate. I expect that this one will also sell instantly….

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 advise, usually sells in no time flat.

This JPEG was created from the large JPEG that is embedded in all RAW files at the moment of capture. It is an accurate representation of the original RAW capture.

Exposing to the Right

Exposing to the right while avoiding significant blinkies produces high quality images while minimizing noise. Be sure to have at least some data in the right-most histogram box, the 5th box on Canon camera bodies, the 4th box on Nikon bodies.

Image Optimization Questions

1-What is the simplest way to get the from the foggy look of the original capture to the high key/high contrast look of the optimized image?

2-How would you move the bird to the right as I did?

3-How did I juice up the Link Belt sign?

Digital Basics

Most everything I did to optimize today’s image is detailed in my Digital Basics File–written in my easy-to-follow, easy-to-understand style. Are you tired of making your images look worse in Photoshop? Have you no clue as to how I optimized the image above? The Photoshop techniques that I used plus tons more are covered in my Digital Basics File, an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, the use of Contrast Masks, several different ways of expanding and filling in canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking, and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, my killer image clean-up techniques, Digital Eye Doctor, creating time-saving actions, and lots more.

The DPP RAW Conversion Guide

To learn why I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) to convert every image that I work on, click here.

APTATS I & II

Learn the details of advanced Quick Masking techniques in APTATS I. Learn Advanced Layer Masking Techniques in APTATS I. Mention this blog post and apply a $5 discount to either with phone orders only. Buy both APTATS I and APTATS II and we will be glad to apply at $15 discount with phone orders only.

Facebook

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

Do consider joining me for a once in a lifetime trip to the Galapagos archipelago in July, 2015.

GALAPAGOS Photo Cruise of a Lifetime IPT/The Complete Galapagos Photographic Experience. July 14-28, 2015 on the boat. 13 FULL and two half-days of photography: $12,499. Limit 14 including the leader(s)/Openings: 7.

My two-week Galapagos Photo-Cruises are without equal. The world’s best guide, a killer itinerary, a great boat (the Samba), and the best leader with eight Galapagos cruises under his belt. Pre-trip and pre-landing location-specific gear advice. In-the-field photo instruction and guidance. Jeez, I almost forgot: fine dining at sea!

The great spots that we will visit include Tower Island (including Prince Phillips Steps and Darwin Bay), Hood Island (including Punta Suarez, the world’s only nesting site of Waved Albatross, and Gardner Bay)—each of the preceding are world class wildlife photography designations that rank right up there with Antarctica, Africa, and Midway. We will also visit Fernandina, Puerto Ayora for the tortoises, Puerto Egas—James Bay, North Seymour and Isla Lobos for nesting Blue-footed Booby (most years), South Plaza, Floreana, and Urbina Bay, all spectacular in their own right. We visit every great spot on a single trip. Plus tons more. And there will he lots of opportunities to snorkel on sunny mid-days for those like me who wish to partake.

We will be the first boat on each island in the morning and the last boat to leave each island every afternoon. If we are blessed with overcast weather, we will often spend 5-6 hours at the best sites. And as noted above, mid-day snorkeling is an option on most sunny days depending on location. Note: some of the walks are a bit strenuous. Great images are possible on all landings with a hand held 70-200mm lens and a 1.4X teleconverter. I bring a longer lens ashore on most landings as that fits my style. I generally work with either the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS or the Canon 200-400mm f/4 L IS with Internal Extender.

Do know that there is a NatureScapes Galapagos trip: one week for $8495. Thus, my trip represents a tremendous value; why go all that way and miss half of the great photographic locations?

The Logistics

Fly to Guayacil, Ecuador on July 12, 2015. Travel insurance/rest day: July 13 (We may or may not offer a photo outing on the 13th). Fly to the archipelago on July 14 and board the Samba. Get off the boat on July 28. Fly to Guayacil that afternoon. Fly home on the early morning of July 29 unless you are staying on or going elsewhere (or catching a red-eye flight on the evening of the 28th).

$12,499 includes just about everything: all transfers, guide and park fees, all food on the boat, transfers and ground transportation, your flights to the archipelago, and three nights (double occupancy) in a top notch hotel in Guayacil. If you are good to go, a non-refundable deposit of $5,000 per person is due immediately. The second payment of $4,000 is not due until 11/1/14. The final payment of $3749 per person will be due on 2/1/15. A $200 discount will be applied to each of the balances for couples or friends who register at the same time.

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

Not included: your round trip airfare from your home to and from Guayaquil, beverages on the boat, phone calls, your meals in Guayacil, personal items, and a $600/person cash tip for the crew and the guide—this works out to roughly $40/day to be shared by the 7 folks who will be waiting on us hand and foot every day for two weeks. The service is so wonderful that many folks choose to tip extra.

Please e-mail for the complete itinerary and for additional info and images. Please cut and paste “Galapagos 2015 Info Please) into the Subject line.

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 Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

The Streak Continues: 229

This post was published just after 4:00am from Rockville, Center, Long Island, NY as we get ready for the last morning of the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT. It is our first morning that might offer some nice sunrise colors…. This post, which took me about 2 hours to prepare, marks 229 consecutive days with a new educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links, why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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 on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1000. Evaluative metering +3 stops off the white sky: 1/800 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB. Central Sensor Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the face of the front Laughing Gull was of course 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.

Flight Photography with the 600 II

I am not capable of shooting hand held flight with the 600 II for more than a few minutes. Working on the tripod with the Mongoose M3.6 makes it easy to survive long shooting sessions with little or no muscle strain. Most of the time I support the lens barrel near the front from below with my left hand; in addition, my left hand helps guide the lens so that I can easily track the birds in flight. Make sure that your tripod is tall enough so that you do not have to bend over to get your eye comfortably to the viewfinder….

This image was created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT with the hand held Canon 500mm f/4L EF IS II lens, the Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital Camera (Body Only) w/FREE Bonus Items – $160.75 Value! [expires 11/24]!. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +3 stops off the white sky: 1/1000 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB. Central sensor AI Servo AF was active at the moment of exposure but nowhere near the bird that was right near the upper frame edge. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image for a larger version. Because of its lighter weight and the fact that it is far less bulky than the 600 II, air travel is a lot easier with the 500 II.

Hand Holding the 500 II

Will du Plessis, who drove down from somewhere in Canada to join the IPT, was having trouble focusing with his 500 II/1.4X/5D Mark III so we switched rigs and I tried to figure out what the problem was. The lens would not attempt to focus at all so I checked for the #1 culprit. Will had inadvertently set AF Search to Off; this told the lens not to search to acquire AF. I was sure that this would solve the problem but as it turned out, there is a problem, most likely with the camera; the rig would acquire focus and then lose it quickly…. I was able, with some difficulty, to make a few sharp images hand held. I have one more test to do today to make sure that it is the camera and not the lens.

Hand holding the 500 II is a snap for me as compared to hand holding the 600 II. We were sitting so my rest position had my left forearm resting on my left knee. From there it was a simply matter of raising the lens a few inches to photograph the birds flying right at us into the north/northwest wind.

This image was also created on the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +3 stops off the white sky: 1/800 sec. at f/5.6 in Manual mode. AWB. Central Sensor Surround/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the upper back of the skimmer as originally 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.

Sitting Down on the Job

To better separate the incoming birds from the tall grasses of the nesting grounds we had the group sitting. Some were hand holding 300 IIs while others like me were working off a tripod. After trying my rig for a while Will is lusting for both a 1D X and a Mongoose M3.6. In addition, by sitting you increase the chance of having a fledgling Common Tern land right in front of you.

The 2015 UK Puffins and Gannets IPTs

Our first UK Puffins and Gannets IPT was so amazingly productive and so much fun that by the 2nd afternoon Denise and I had already decided to return in very early July 2015. In addition, we may run the first-ever Ireland Puffins and Gannets IPT the week before. If you are interested in receiving early notice for either or both of these great trips, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “2015 Puffins and Gannets IPTs” cut and pasted into the Subject line.

Facebook

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

Denise and artie hope that you can join them next spring in Holland and learn to improve both the technical and creative aspects of your flower (and street) photography.

7 1/2-Day/8-Night: A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART/Tulips & A Touch of Holland Instructional Photo-Tour (IPT)

Keukenhof—Delft—Amsterdam–Flower Fields—Kinderdijk
April 9 -April 16, 2015: $4995. Limit: 12 photographers/Openings 10. Four more to make the trip a go.

This trip needs 6 registrants to run so please do not purchase your plane tickets until you hear from us that the trip is a go.

Join Denise Ippolito, the author of “Bloomin’ Ideas,” and Arthur Morris, Canon Explorer of Light Emeritus, for a great trip to Holland in mid-April 2015. Day 1 of the IPT will be April 9, 2015. We will have a short afternoon get-together and then our first photographic session at the justly-famed Keukenhof. Our last day, Day 8, April 16 will be a full day of photography.

The primary subjects will be tulips and orchids at Keukenhof and the spectacularly amazing tulip, hyacinth, and daffodil bulb fields around Lisse and points north. We will spend one full day in Amsterdam. There will be optional visits to the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House and/or the Rijk’s Museum. Street photography and sightseeing will be other options. We will spend a half day at Kinderdijk where we will be photographing the windmills and doing some creative photography. We will spend an afternoon in the lovely Dutch town of Delft where we will do some street photography and shopping. There is an optional church tower tour/climb. We will also enjoy a superb fine dining experience in a traditional restaurant.

Other than the arrival date: April 9, Day 1, and the date of our last day of photography on April 16, Day 8, there is no set itinerary. We will check the weather and play everything by ear to maximize the photographic opportunities. We will try to do Amsterdam, Delft, and especially Kinderdijik, on cloudy days.

There are several huge pluses to this trip. First off, denise is an amazingly skilled and caring instructor. Both her creativity and her willingness to share and to help beginning and intermediate photographers are unmatched. And though artie has learned a ton about flower photography from denise, their styles and techniques do vary considerably. You will have a chance to be counseled by and to learn from both of them. While denise will hunt you down to help you, artie’s teaching style is more “the closer you stay to me, the more you will learn.” Both leaders consistently inspire the participants. And each other. The sky, of course, is the limit.

You will learn to create tight abstracts, how best to use depth-of-field (or the lack thereof) to improve your flower photography, how to get the right exposure and make sharp images every time, how to see the best shot, and how to choose the best perspective for a given situation. And you will of course learn to create a variety of pleasingly blurred flower images. If you bring a long lens, you will learn to use it effectively for flower photography. Denise’s two favorite flower lenses are the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens and the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens. Mine are the Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS macro , the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM lens ,and the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, all almost always on a tripod. Often with extension tubes and/or either the 1.4X or the 2X (with the 300 II) teleconverters. Denise hand holds a great deal of the time. For flower field blurs denise uses the same lenses mentioned above along with her new 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III lens. Artie’s favorite is that same 70-200 often with a 1.4X TC but he uses both the new Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens and the 300 II as well. Both of us use and love the Canon EOS 5D Mark IIIfor all of our flower photography. The in-camera HDR and Multiple Exposure features are a blast.

One of the great advantages of our trip is that we will be staying in a single, strategically located hotel that is quite excellent. Do note that all ground transfers to and from Schipol Airport will be via the free hotel shuttle bus.

What’s included: Eight hotel nights. All ground transportation except for airport transfers as noted above. In-the-field instruction and small group image review and Photoshop sessions. All meals from dinner on Day 1 through dinner on Day 8. There is good food at the hotel and we will be dining there on occasion; whenever you order off the menu be it at the hotel or at another restaurant only the cost of your main course is included. On these occasions the cost of soups, appetizers, salads, sodas and other beverages, alcoholic drinks and wine, bottled water, and desserts are not included. Snacks, personal items, phone calls, etc. are also not included. The cost of bus or train transportation to and from Amsterdam (about $20 US), museum entry, and tower and church entry fees (optional) are likewise not included.

Beware of seemingly longer, slightly less expensive tours that include travel days and days sitting in the hotel doing nothing as part of the tour. In addition, other similar trips have you changing hotels often and needlessly. One final note on other similar trips: the instructors on this trip actually instruct. On other similar trips the instructors, though usually imminently qualified, serve for the most part as van drivers and van door openers.

A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 per person is required to hold your spot. The second payment of $2,000 due by October 30, 2014. The balance is due on January 15, 2015. Payments in full are of course welcome at any time. All payments including the deposit must be by check made out to “Arthur Morris.” As life has a way of throwing an occasional curve ball our way, you are urged to purchase travel insurance within 15 days of our cashing your check. Artie uses and recommends Travel Insurance Services. All payments are non-refundable unless the trip fills to capacity. In that case, all payments but your deposit will be refunded. If the trip does not run every penny will of course be refunded. Again, please do not purchase your air tickets until you hear from us that the trip is a go. We are very confident that it will.

All checks should be made out to “Arthur Morris” and sent to: Arthur Morris, PO Box 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Call Jim or Jen in the BAA office with any additional registration questions: 863-692-0906.

For couples or friends signing up at the same time for the tulip trip, a $200/duo discount will be applied to the final payment.

When you send your deposit check, please print, sign, and include the paperwork here.

If you have any questions on the trip please contact artie by e-mail or denise by e-mail.

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 Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

The Streak Continues: 227

This post was published just before 5:30am from Rockville, Center, Long Island, NY as Denise and I got ready for the first morning of the Nickerson Baby Beach Nesting Birds IPT. This post, which took me about 2 hours to prepare, marks 227 consecutive days with a new educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links, why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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 head portrait of an Atlantic Puffin was created on the UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (with the internal extender in place), the Canon Extender EF 1.4X III (at 681mm) with the Canon EOS-1D X . ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops as framed in cloudy bright conditions: 1/200 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. White Balance = AWB. Central Sensor/Surround/AI Servo-Rear Focus AF on the yellow tubercle 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.

Hard to Believe…

It is hard to believe that the two images presented here today were created with the same lens; the versatility of the 200-400 with internal extender is unmatched when working with relatively tame birds or large mammals. Which image do you think that I created first?

This Atlantic Puffin image (I am pretty sure that it was the same bird or possibly one of two on the same rock) with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM lens with Internal 1.4x Extender at 214mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Exposure extrapolated from the previous exposure: 1/800 sec. at f/11 in Manual mode. White Balance = AWB. One sensor to the left of the central Sensor/Surround/AI Servo-Rear Focus AF on neck band 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.

Photoshop Hanky Panky?

After enlarging each image by clicking on it, let us know if you can detect anything screwy that was done to either image (or to both) in Photoshop. Did I replace a head? An eye? Did I remove a band or a bird?

The Stronger Image?

Please take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the two puffin images you like best, the tight head portrait or the wide image of the whole bird on the rock. And do let us know why.

Do you like the out-of-focus puffin bill in the first image?

The 2015 UK Puffins and Gannets IPTs

Our first UK Puffins and Gannets IPT was so amazingly productive and so much fun that by the 2nd afternoon Denise and I had already decided to return in very early July 2015. In addition, we may run the first-ever Ireland Puffins and Gannets IPT the week before. If you are interested in receiving early notice for either or both of these great trips, please shoot me an e-mail with the words “2015 Puffins and Gannets IPTs” cut and pasted into the Subject line.

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 Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

The Streak Continues: 225

It is just before 5:15am here in Amherst, MA as I publish this blog post. Yesterday’s program, “What Makes a Great Natural History Image?,” my third at the NECCC conference, was very well received. I do it again today in the 10:30 till noon slot. My programs are being generously sponsored by the Canon USA Explorers of Light group. Please stop by and say “Hi.” This post, which took me about 90 minutes to prepare, marks 225 consecutive days with a new educational blog post. With so many folks getting in the habit of using our B&H links and our Amazon logo-links why quit now? April, May, June, and July have been fantastic as lots of folks are getting the message; using my affiliate links does not cost you a penny and helps support my efforts here. To show your appreciation, I do ask that you use our B&H and Amazon affiliate links on the right side of the blog for all of your purchases. Please check the availability of all photographic accessories in the BIRDS AS ART Online Store, especially Gitzo tripods, Wimberley tripod heads, and the like. We sell only what I have used and tested, and know that you can depend on. We will not sell you junk. We know the tools that you need to make creating great images easy and fun. And we are always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail.

You can find the following items in the store: Gitzo tripods, Mongoose M3.6 and Wimberley heads, plates, low feet, and accessories, flash brackets, , Delkin e-film Pro Compact Flash Cards, LensCoat products, and our unique line-up of educational materials including ABP I & II, Digital Basics, Site and Set-up e-Guides, Canon and Nikon Camera Users and AF e-Guides, and MP-4 Photoshop video tutorials among others.

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 on the morning gannet boat trip on the hugely successful UK Puffins and Gannets IPT with the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens , the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (hand held at 222mm), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 200. Evaluative metering -3 stops as framed: 1/8000 sec. at f/16 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on main subject’s head (as originally framed) was active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

Creating Mystery at Bass Rock

As I mentioned in the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS & 1D X Combo Does Not Suck blog post, we had changeable conditions that included foggy bright. In the two images here I opted to include the sun in the frame and to underexpose in part to add drama. With the image above I tried to follow individual birds that were heading towards the muted sun and click the shutter at just the right moment. With the image below the trick was to focus on one of the closer gulls, re-compose while being aware of keeping the image level, and then holding the shutter button down in hopes of coming up with a pleasing arrangement of the swirling birds. As seen below.

This image was created with the hand held Canon 15mm fish eye lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens) with the Canon EOS-1D X . ISO 400. Evaluative metering -1 stop: 1/1600 sec. f/22 in Manual mode. Color temperature: AWB. Central sensor/AI Servo Surround/Rear Focus AF on one of the closer gulls and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

Your Favorite?

I like both of these images. Denise likes one of the two much better than the other. Which one do you think is the stronger image? And why?

Exposure Questions

1-Why did I need to underexpose both of the images here?
2-Why did the first image need much more under-exposure (-3 stops as compared to -1 stop) than the second image? There are two reasons.
3-Which ISO setting should I have used for both images?

ID Points

In the fish eye image the prominent birds are large gulls: Herrings with a few Lesser Black-backeds. Note their broad, slightly curved wings and relatively short fanned tails. You can pick out a few of the higher flying, smaller-in-the-frame gannets by their dead-straight wings and long straight tails.

Facebook

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

Join Denise Ippolito and me for two great days of photography, fun, and learning at one of our soul places. We will surely be taking you out of the box on this workshop. Please click on the card to enjoy a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2014 A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART “Creative Photography Instructional Photo-Tour.” (IPT). NOV 24-25, 2014. 2-FULL DAYS: $729. Leaders: Denise Ippolito & Arthur Morris. Introductory Slide program: 7:00pm on Sunday 11/23.

Get Out of Your Box!

The Creative Bosque IPT is perfect for folks who want to learn to think outside the box, to create new and different images. This workshop is the perfect add-on for folks who are planning on attending the Festival of the Cranes. Learn to unleash your creative juices at the wondrous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in San Antonio, New Mexico with two great leaders including the amazingly talented and creative Denise Ippolito. In-the-field instruction will include tips on gear set-up, on creating a variety of pleasing blurs, on getting the right exposure, and on designing pleasing images. And lots more. From vertical pan blurs to subject motion blurs to zoom blurs to multiple exposures we will cover it all. If conditions are perfect, we will not hesitate to take advantage of them to do some traditional bird photography. This workshop will include an inspirational introductory slide program on Sunday evening, 11/23, after dinner on your own, two morning and two afternoon photography sessions, all lunches, a digital workflow and Photoshop session after lunch on Monday, and an image critiquing session after lunch on Tuesday.

A $329 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, will be due on 7/25/2014. If 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. If 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.

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 Canada

Many kind folks from north of the border, ay, 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, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂