July 6th, 2024 Important Notice
After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear.
Summer On Long Island
Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.
What’s Up?
Not much. I have been busy getting ready to head up to Jacksonville next week to photograph the more than 20,000 pairs of Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls with chicks of varying ages (almost surely including some fledged and flying young of both species.) Due to a cancellation, there is a single opening. See below for details. Shoot me an e-mail for late registration discount info.
Today is Saturday 6 July 4 2024. After getting a call from my tax account, Chip Jackson, I realized that I need to get back to doing some serious work on my 2023 taxes. I need to have my stuff in Chip’s hands no later than 7 September and I will not be taking the stuff with me to Long Island … Wherever you are a 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.
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.
The Situation
This young flicker was just about ready to fledge when I photographed it two days before I headed home. Standing on a rocky hillside at eye level, I approached slowly to within 30 feet for this head portrait. I love the view of the single claw set against the bark of the pine.
The Tripod
As I knew that I would be working on more than a few uphill and downhill slopes in the mountains around Evergreen, Colorado, I left the Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod and went with the taller Robus RC-5570 Vantage Series 3 Carbon Fiber Tripod. It turned out to be a wise decision that enabled me to get the tripod platform parallel to the ground in a variety of difficult, even tenuous situations.
Don’t Be Scared I
Do not be scared to purchase and use your mirrorless camera system’s 2X teleconverter. With dSLRs, the Nikon 2X was so poor that virtually no-one used them. I tried. I would bet that the Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-2x is capable of producing razor sharp images with the any of the Nikkor Z 600mm lenses. It seems however, that — due to sever sharpness problems with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III (and others before that version), the Nikon faithful are still leery of working at 1200mm and get more pixels on the subject.
Both the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter and the Canon Extender RF 2x are more than capable of producing razor sharp results when used by folks with decent sharpness techniques with their respective 600mm lenses.
Don’t Be Scared II
Do not be scared to work at 1200mm with relatively slow shutter speeds. I have been comfortable working with shutter speeds as slow as 1/60 second for several decades. For today’s featured image, I went with a very safe 1/200 second.
Don’t Be Scared III
Do not be scared to utilize ridiculously high ISOs of from 4000 to 12800 and beyond. The double-noise reduction techniques detailed in Digital Basics III Video Series will consistently yield clean-as-a-whistle image files.
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Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; fluffy white Royal Tern Chick about two weeks old; Royal Tern with shrimp for chicks; 3-4 week old Royal Tern chick; incoming adult Royal Tern with greenback; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi-mahi; large Brown Pelican chick preening; field guide portrait of fresh juvenile Laughing Gull; Royal Tern chick begging for fish from incoming adult.
Join me at Huguenot Memorial Park this July
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Huguenot Memorial Park in Early Summer
Driving on the beach at Huguenot Memorial Park in early summer is a bird photographer’s delight. You park this side of the last rope on the beach and you are within 100 yards of the Royal Tern colony atop the dunes. There are also many thousand Laughing Gulls and a few Sandwich Terns breeding as well. In some years, there are some Brown Pelican nests on the ground! .
In early July, the tern chicks begin to make their way down to the flats to bathe and drink and get fed by the parents. On the way, they spend a lot of time on the face of the dune where they are easy to photograph at eye level. They may also gather in fairly large groups at the base of the dunes.
Flight photography both in the mornings and the afternoons can be quite excellent as the terns are carrying all manner of marine life to sustain the rapidly growing chicks: the adults are often seen flying around in search of their chicks with all sorts of small baitfish as well as immature fish, large shrimps, baby crabs, and even squid in their bills. The squid will squirt ink on the terns in protest. So if you see an adult Royal Tern flying around with a black necklace, you can understand why.
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Clockwise from upper left corner around to center: Royal Tern chick feeding frenzy; Royal Tern nearly fledged chick; ink-stained Royal Tern with squid for chicks; Royal Tern chick begging; Brown Pelican immature tight flight; Royal Tern adult screaming — tight flight; Laughing Gulls mobbing Royal Tern to steal fish; Royal Tern with fish for chicks.
Huguenot Memorial Park in July
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2024 Jacksonville IPT: 4 1/2 DAY option Monday 15 July 2024 through the morning session on FRI 19 JULY — $2299.00 (Limit 4 photographers/Openings: 1)
I first visited the beach nesting bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or one of the many nw Z lenses. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.
Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions at least 1 1/2. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon weather forecast is poor. Lunch is included on all but the last day of each IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After lunch, we will do image review and Photoshop sessions. My AirBnB is the closest lodging to the park.
The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.
What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT
- 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
- 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
- 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
- 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
- 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
- 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
- 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
- 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
- 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
- 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
- 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
- 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
- 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
- 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
- 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.
And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
July 4th, 2024 Important Notice
After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear.
Summer On Long Island
Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.
What’s Up?
I continue to sleep amazingly well since getting back to Florida’s humid, oxygen-rich air. I invested $22K this week in a Generax generator for my home. It will be up and ready to run in 7-8 weeks. I am hoping that there will not be a big hurricane between then and now.
Today is Thursday July 4, 2024. Happy birthday to the USA. From where I sit, it is a pretty wonderful country. I photographed some Coral Honeysuckle flowers this morning as there are very few birds around. Wherever you are an 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.
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.
Canon EOS 5D Mark III/24-105 Infrared Rig with Many Extras!
Price reduced $100.00 on 29 May 2024
Price reduced another $100.00 on 4 July 2024
Morro Bay IPT veteran Dane Johnson is offering a Canon EOS 5D Mark III (converted to infrared, as noted below) in near-mint conditions with the BG-E11 battery grip (in like-new condition) and a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens (also in near-mint condition) for a ridiculously low $799.00 (was $999.00). The Super Color Infrared (590nm) conversion was performed by Life Pixel in November 2017 and included a custom lens focus calibration. The shutter count is approximately 12,330. The sale includes everything above, the front body cap, the front and rear lens caps, the EW-83H lens shade, all the items that came in the original boxes (camera strap, battery charger, cables, manuals, etc.), the original product boxes, a Canon RS-80N3 Remote Switch (cable release), two RRS L-plates (for the camera and for the battery grip), three extra LP-E6 batteries, four Delkin 32GB CF 700X UDMA 6 compact flash cards, a Hoodman loupe for checking focus in the rear panel in live-view mode, a Photoshop action for channel switching the color channels (loaded on the CF card in the camera), and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-48 US addresses only.
Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Dane via e-mail or by phone at 1-559-593-0989 (Pacific time zone).
When I shot Canon, I dabbled in IR for a while — had a ton of fun and made some good images at Bosque and the Palouse. Dane’s offer above has so many extras that you could toss the camera in the trash and still come out ahead! artie
A gorgeous up-to-date photographic collection of all 1,144 bird species in North America (including Hawaii!).
A Great Blue Heron, a Wood Duck, a Baltimore Oriole, an Eastern Bluebird, or a Belted Kingfisher—which North American bird species is your favorite? In Birds of North America: A Photographic Atlas, Bruce M. Beehler provides the information and images you need to identify and enjoy each of the 1,144 amazing and diverse bird species recorded in the United States and Canada, including Hawaii and Alaska. Featuring more than 1,200 full-color photographs and illustrations and more than 700 range maps, this comprehensive reference provides both beginners and seasoned birders with important facts about each bird’s ecology, behavior, seasonal movements, nesting biology, and conservation status.
Birds of North America gives bird-lovers everything they could ask for: The photographs and illustrations, selected and curated by Brian E. Small, one of America’s most talented nature photographers, depict each species in its most beautiful plumage and natural habitat. The largest, most detailed, and most up-to-date range maps available anywhere provide invaluable insider information on the best birding hotspots. And the special sections rounding out the book offer helpful guidance on birding gear, field trip planning, critical resources, and conservation issues. This is the book for aspiring and veteran bird enthusiasts alike.
You can save more than $15.00 by purchasing your copy here.
Why a (Canon) 180mm Macro Lens?
Over the past few years you have seen more than a few really fine images made with the rig I used to create today’s two featured images. I love long focal lengths with their narrow angles of view and sweet backgrounds; the no-longer available Canon 180mm Macro lens is the longest macro lens around. You can still find some used ones out there. The are two in stock right now. If you are interested, please click here to start your search here, type in Used Department, and then type in “Canon 180mm Macro lens.” If you are a Sony shooter you will also need a Metabones Canon EF/EF-S Lens to Sony E Mount T Smart Adapter (Fifth Generation).
Canon Mirrorless folks will need a Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R.
Th Sony a1 pairs perfectly with this Canon lens in part because manual focus (with focus peaking) is best for almost all macro photography.
Variation on a Theme
After turning the camera to vertical, I changed my perspective by moving the tripod so as to include the out of focus seeded in the image. For both of today’s photos, the stalk of the flower was stabilized by a Wimberley Plamp attached to a second tripod. A Plamp (or two) is a flower photographer’s most valuable accessory. On breezy mornings they are pretty much mandatory unless you are trying to create wind blurs!
Your Call?
Which of today’s flower images is the strongest. All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice.
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Image #3: close-up of petals of Dune (or Beach) Sunflower blossom
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Petal Imperfections
As you can see above, there will almost always be some imperfections, even when a blossom looks pristine to the naked eye. Working at 300% with the Remove Tool enabled me to remove dozens of blemishes from the petals in both of today’s images.
You can find detailed instructions for using this relatively new tool (and tons more) in the Digital Basic III Video Series.
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The Digital Basics III Video Series
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The Digital Basics III Video Series
I realized about a year ago that my digital workflow had changed significantly and was toying with the idea of writing a Digital Basics III. More recently, I have learned and begun working with two great new Photoshop Tools, the Remove Tool and the Luminance Targeted Adjustment Tool. The former is like a smarter Spot Healing Brush Tool on steroids and the latter is a huge step up from the fabulous Color Mixer Tool. During that same time frame, I came up with a new and improved 2-step noise reduction technique. I still use Divide and Conquer, Quick Masks, Layer Masks, an expanded array of personalized keyboard shortcuts, and tons of other stuff from both versions of Digital Basics.
As soon as I realized that I did not want to take on another large writing project, I realized that by creating a series of videos I could much more easily share all the details of my current digital workflow and much more easily incorporate additional new tips, techniques, and tools as I went. And so, The Digital Basics III Video Series was born. You can check out Volume I/#1 here.
You might opt to purchase single videos or to subscribe to Volume I and save $26 by ordering the first five videos in one fell swoop. You can purchase the five videos in Volume I by clicking here. The videos will be most valuable for folks using the latest version of Photoshop (2024) or Lightroom along with Topaz DeNoise AI and Topaz Sharpen AI.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
July 2nd, 2024 Important Notice
After an update on 4 May, WordPress stopped sending post notifications. We have been aware of the issue and are working on rectifying it. You can always visit the blog by visiting or bookmarking www.BIRDSASART-Blog.com.
Supporting My Efforts Here
If you enjoy and learn from the blog, please consider using one of my affiliate links when purchasing new gear. It will never cost you a single penny. To support my effort here, please order from B&H by beginning your search here. Or, click here, to order from Bedfords and enter the discount code BIRDSASART at checkout to receive 3% cash back to your credit card and enjoy free Second-Day Air Fed-Ex shipping. It is always best to write for advice via e-mail.
In many cases, I can help you save some serious dollars. And/or prevent you from purchasing the wrong gear.
Summer On Long Island
Check out the July and August Nickerson Beach (& JBWR) IPT offerings here and consider joining us to learn a ton, make lots of great images, and improve your image processing skills.
What’s Up?
I am still recovering from my high altitude Colorado trip. Starved for oxygen at 8500 feet, I twice slept less than three hours; last night I slept an incredible 9 hours 15 minutes with just one pit stop. I have not been down to the lake for photography but plan on shooting some small sunflowers in our butterfly garden soon.
Today is Tuesday 2 July and I have lots of work to do. I hope that you too choose to have a wonderful day.
Please remember to use the B&H 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!
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.
Save 15%!
If you’d like to try out a new lens or if you need a lens for a specific trip or project (or for an IPT), LensRentals.com is the only way to go. To save 15%, simply click on the logo link above, arrange for your rental, and type in BIRDSASART15. If you type the gear you are looking for in the search box, it will pop right up. LensRentals.com offers affordable insurance. You can decline it, opt for LensCap: Damage Only, or select LensCap: Damage & Theft. Then hit PROCEED TO CHECKOUT. After you enter all of your info but before completing your order, be sure to scroll down to Promo Code box and enter the BIRDSASART15 code to save 15%.
I checked on renting a Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II lens for a week. The cost is only $122.00. LensCap: Damage Only coverage can be added for a very low $18.00. Going with LensCap: Damage & Theft would be $27.00. The shipping charge varies. They offer an interesting program called Lensrentals HD. By signing up for this shipping discount program ($99.00/year), you’ll get free Standard Shipping on all the orders you place.
Renting a Sony 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens for a week will cost you $536.00. The two coverage options come in at $76.00 or $114.00. Less your 15% discount when you enter the BIRDSASART15 code into the Promo Code box at checkout and enter the BIRDSASART15 code in the Promo Code box at checkout to save 15%.
Remember, to save the 15% on your rental you must start your search by clicking on the logo above, or on this link: LensRentals.com
B&H
To ensure that I get credit for your B&H purchases, you can always click here. The tracking is invisible but greatly appreciated. And, you can use your PayBoo card. You must use the website to order. B&H will reopen on Fri April 14. Thanking me for the past 4000 educational blog posts could not be any easier and will not cost you one penny. Please shoot me your B&H receipt for major purchases.
Many folks have written recently stating that they purchased a Sony a1 from B&H and would like their free membership in the Sony 1 Info and Updates Group, a $150.00 value. When I check my affiliate account, their orders have not been there. When I let them know that they get credit for B&H purchases only if they use one of the many B&H affiliate links on the blog or begin their searches with this link, they are always disappointed. If in doubt, please contact me via e-mail and request a BH link. I am always glad to help and to guide you to the right gear.
Bedfords Simplified
Click here to start your search. Choose standard shipping, and when you get to the payment page, enter BIRDSASART in the discount code box and hit apply. You will be upgraded to free second day air Fed-Ex and receive 3% cash back on your credit card once your stuff ships. Either is greatly appreciated by yours truly.
Bedfords Amazing BAA Discount Policy
Folks who have fallen in love with Bedfords can now use the BIRDSASART coupon code at checkout to enjoy a post-purchase, 3% off-statement credit (excluding taxes and shipping charges) on orders paid with a credit card. The 3% credit will be refunded to the card you used for your purchase. Be sure, also, to check the box for free shipping to enjoy free Second Day Air Fed-Ex. This offer does not apply to purchases of Classes, Gift Cards, prior purchases.
Visit the Bedfords website here, shoot Steve Elkins an e-mail, or text him on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592.
Gear Questions and Advice
Too many folks attending BAA IPTs and dozens of photographers whom I see in the field and on BPN, are — out of ignorance — using the wrong gear, especially when it comes to tripods and more especially, tripod heads. And the same is true in spades when ordering new camera bodies or lenses. My advice will often stave you some serious money and may help you avoid making a seriously bad choice. Please know that I am always glad to answer your gear questions via e-mail. If you are desperate, you can try me on my cell at 863-221-2372. Please leave a message and shoot me a text if I do not pick up.
First Blood
I headed to Colorado hoping to photography Violet-green Swallow. My first chance came at a feeder set-up. This handsome male was perched near its nest box well above a hillside feeder set-up. The bird was a mile away but pretty much on sun angle (thought there was not a lot of sun). The black background was created by completely shaded portion of the lower level of the house on the hill. Getting the right exposure using Sony Zebra’s was child’s play. I picked my shutter speed and aperture and dialed up the ISO until I saw a few Zebras on the bird’s white face and throat. With the Zebra settings on your Sony camera set properly, there is never a need to make a test image, even in the most difficult exposure situations.
This image is perhaps 30 percent of the original frame. Sony a9 iii images stand up to large crops much better than folks think.
Nest Tree Bird-scape
For this image I went wide and vertical to show off the beauty of the nest tree. None-the-less the male swallow with its white face and green back is quite beautiful. As is the dead aspen. A pair of House Wrens nested in a hole on the opposite side of the same tree.
The Lady of the House
Female violet-greens are similar to the males but with dirtier gray faces and brown rather than green caps. For this image, I added the 1.4X TC and set up closer to the nest tree. The birds took no notice of my presence. This female was strange in that she exited the nest hole tail first showing off the patch of violet on her rump. The males also have violet rump patches.
Typos
All questions and comments are welcome. With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
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