Fort DeSoto in fall is rife with tame birds. All the images on this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or very early October. I hope that you can join me there this fall. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.
The Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #1
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers/Openings five.
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #2
3 1/2 Days: 7 October through the morning session on Monday 10 October 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3
3 1/2 Days: Monday 31 October through the morning session on Thursday 3 November 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And we will get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.
On this IPT, all 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. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). 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 and whenever you photograph.
There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not unlikely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB information. If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me an e-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.
A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check two months before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.
Up Early, Stay Out Late!
Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
What’s Up?
I started the day with a 3.5-mile walk along the lakefront. I have been assuming that with the heat, still, wet weather, there would not be many birds around. I was wrong. I saw several pairs of cranes and one of them copulated. There was an Anhinga on the only piling out of the water to the right of the pier. It had its wings spread and there was a perfect reflection. A pair of handsome caracaras was hanging out at the base of the pier. As I headed north, a flock of about 150 Cattle Egrets blasted off. Groups of White Ibises flew by several times. I saw several Ospreys. And the Bald Eagle pair was still at their long-empty nest. The most interesting sighting occurred on my second of three walks on the pier when three medium-sized, very white below Tringa-like shorebirds flew toward and then over the pier just 30 feet in front of me. I thought they were Lesser Yellowlegs but did not look right for that species. Perhaps they were Solitary Sandpipers. I did not see that one landed on the pier until it took flight to catch up with the other two. If I had seen it after it landed it is likely that I would have nailed the ID. I did see several Spotted Sandpipers flying around the pier, easily identified by their stiff, rapid wing beats. I came upon the best photographic situation as I walked by The Perch in the North Field: there was a Black-bellied Whistling Duck on The Perch and another on a smaller, closer perch that rarely gets any action.
I did not get into the pool until 6:15pm as it had poured, thundered, and lightninged all afternoon beginning at about 1:00pm.
Today is Thursday 8 September. I am going to get a very early start on my rope flow walk and then take a spin around the lakefront in my SUV in hopes of doing some photography, hoping to find a perched whistling duck or two. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about two hours to prepare and makes one hundred sixty-seven days in a row with a new one.
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!
Spoonbills at DeSoto
Over the past years, Roseate Spoonbills have become regular visitors to Fort DeSoto Park. I know when and where to find them and can teach you to approach them successfully. Do consider joining me on a DeSoto IPT.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed perfectly. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version.
Image #1: Needlefish Tug-of-War
The Situation
Two photographers to our right started screaming and pointing to the small hill just to the left of Anke and me. I spotted the tug-of-war and got on it quickly. I was working at 840mm, greedy as always despite the low light conditions. Note that my shutter speed was only 1/640 second, less than ideal for flight and action. I created a 20+ frame sequence of the tug-of-war on the ground. Once the adult took flight, I was much too tight at 840mm, and had zero chance of creating a sharp image at 1/640 second.
This image was created on 6 August by Anke Frohlich at Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, NY. While standing at full height, she used the handheld Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 6400. Exposure was determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/4.5 (stopped down 1/3-stop). RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness was within 1/6-stop of perfect. AWB at 7:39:28pm on a cloudy dark afternoon.
Tracking: Spot S/AF-C was active at the moment of exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the larger version.
Image #2: Adult Black Skimmer hoisting chick into the air
Another Approach
Anke got on the action less than a second after I did. She caught some of the tug-of-war and created an amazing sequence of the liftoff that included Image #2 above. Her style involves almost always abstaining from the use of teleconverters, almost always choosing a shutter speed fast enough to capture action (even when it is not expected), and working wide and then cropping. With wide apertures and fast shutter speeds, she will always make sharper images than someone using a teleconverter. And, as in this situation, framing wider often pays off in spades. All things being equal, shooting wider rather than tighter gives you a much better chance of keeping the action in the frame. With her approach, Anke consistently makes many more excellent images of birds in flight and in action than I do.
You can see more of Anke’s work on her Instagram page here.
Your Thoughts?
As always, feel free to comment on either or both of today’s featured images, or to ask a question.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Tuesday was much like Monday had been. I took an early 2.4 miles rope flow walk, got some work done on my taxes, did some food shopping in town, napped, did my bursts, did the Mattes isolated active stretching routine for my shoulders, swam, and took a 1.7 mile walk down by the lake late in the day. I was glad to learn that the sale of Geri Georg’s Canon 100-400II is pending and that multiple IPT veteran Micheal De Rosa and wife Norma will be joining me on DeSoto #3. As below, I am planning on using my Sony 400mm f/2.8 GM lens on the monopod every morning on the three DeSoto trips. That opens up the possibility of your renting my Sony 600mm lens on any of the DeSoto IPTs. Cheap, but on a you-drop-it, you-own-it-basis.
Today is Wednesday 7 September 2022. The schedule for today: finish this blog post, take an early rope flow walk, do some more serious work on my 2021 taxes, swim 1/2-mile, nap, do my bursts, watch some more tennis, and take another late walk. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about three hours to prepare and makes one hundred sixty-six days in a row with a new one.
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!
Canon 100-400mm EF f/4.5-5.6L IS II Zoom Lens (with extra)
BAA Record-low Price! Sale possibly pending …
Galapagos IPT veteran (along with wife Sandy) Don Selesky is offering a Canon 100-400mm EF f/4.5-5.6L IS II zoom lens in excellent-plus condition (with an extra) for a BAA record-low $1248.00. There are some very minor scratches on the lens hood and the lens foot. The sale includes a Really Right Stuff L84 Multiuse Fore-Aft Plate with 1/4″-20 Screw (a $224.95 value), the original lens box, the front and rear lens caps, the carrying case with strap, and insured ground shipping via major courier to lower-40 US addresses only. Your item will not ship until your check clears unless other arrangements are made.
Please contact Don via e-mail or by phone at 1-970-219-4493 (Mountain time zone).
This incredibly versatile zoom lens — with its amazing .98 meter close focus — was my favorite Canon telephoto zoom lens ever. By far. It is easy to hand hold, great for tight portraits, for birds in flight, for quasi-macro stuff, and lots more. For flight, it is fabulous with an EOS R, R5, R6, or R7! This lens sells new for $2399.00 (not to mention the RRS plate) so you can save well more than $1151.00 by grabbing Don’s lens right now. artie
YouTube Video: Tips and Thoughts on Using a Monopod with Big Glass
After 39 years, I finally tried using a monopod with a big lens this past July. Learn what I learned in this 6 1/2-minute video by Anke Frohlich. I talk about setting up, using, and carrying a monopod and cover lots of the positives and negatives in the video. I did forget to mention one problem when using a monopod at the beach: if you want to use the knee-pod, ankle-pod, or foot-pod techniques, you may have a hard time finding a place to put the monopod. You can order your Wimberley Monoball Gimbal head here. If you are at all interested in using a monopod, be sure to read the entire comprehensive blog post below.
My MonoPod Concerns
So why had I long been dead set against the use of monopods with big lenses for serious bird photography?
1- I’ve been sure that stability would be much more of an issue with a monopod than with a decent tripod and a decent head. That, in part, because when I am talking to someone, folks often ask with good reason, “Do you ever stand still?” My balance ain’t so good anymore and when I try to stand still, I am always moving from side to side. I’d lead the league for sure in body-swaying index. That said, a monopod can never match the stability of a good tripod topped by a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro.
2- Some folks who use monopods successfully state that when they do flight photography, they shorten the monopod and lift it up with their rig. That might work with intermediate telephoto lenses, but, it would not work for me with any lens. Why? When you see a bird flying into range, you need to be ready almost instantly. I addition, the last thing I want to do is add weight to the 400 f/2.8/2X TC/a1 rig. That weighs 8 pounds, 6.8-ounces without the lens hood.
I firmly believed the above for almost 40 years. That said, I have been wrong many times in the past. For 39 years I firmly believed that the 400mm f/2.8 lenses were a bad choice for bird photography. Though I did not use it at all on Long Island, I am looking forward to using it a lot at DeSoto, at times, on a monopod.
I put the head on the right side of the lens, figuring it would be easier to get my left hand on the lens. The monopod with the mono gimbal head weighs only 29.7 ounces — 1 pound, 13.7 ounces. If you compare that with the weight of the Robus RCC-5560 Vantage Series C 4-Section Carbon Fiber Compact Tripod that I am using now with a Levered-clamp FlexShooter Pro — 5 pounds 15.7 ounces — you will quickly learn one of the huge advantages of using a monopod.
I have been trying (and failing) to create a good Osprey-with-a-fish blur every morning for the past few weeks. I decided to see how I could do shooting flight off the monopod. That first morning, I did not have many chances. I struggled. Then, I was hanging out on the pier seeing what might fly by and just minutes after sunrise, a young Green Heron landed about sixty feet from me, 60.03937 feet to be exact. I made a few images and began to move forward. I found it much easier to approach the bird stealthily with the lightweight stick of a monopod than with one of the three-legged monsters. Holding the monopod vertically right in front of me I was able to approach to 42.847769 feet.
The light was from almost directly behind the bird, but it was so soft that I kept shooting even when it struck the upper part of the young bird’s back. I was more than 90° off sun angle, a rarity for me. Working at ISO 1600 at 800mm/f/5.6, I began shooting at 1/125 sec. and ended at 1/160 second. I knew that I was pushing things. My fears were realized. I created more than 180 images and probably 80-90% of them were not sharp. But the best ones were very sharp, and those included the neatest poses (as above). Do understand that if I had been on the tripod I could not have gotten nearly as close without flushing the bird. And it was my first morning with the monopod, and I could have raised the ISO and the shutter speed significantly.
On my second morning with the monopod, also working at 800mm, there were a lot of low shutter speed Osprey opportunities, but little else to shoot. I did, however, make some huge and important discoveries. Here is what worked for me:
1- I mounted the monoball head so it was on the left side of the monopod. That simple change made things much easier. Why? See the video.
2- Be sure to balance your lens precisely (with or without a TC) in the clamp.
3- This may sound heretical to many, but once I did that, I began working with the monopod tilted about three degrees to the left. I kept the lens collar loose and used my kinesthetic sense to level the lens just as we have done for decades first with the Wimberley Head and then with the Mongoose. It took me a while to figure out why tilting the monopod was the way to go. Simply put, the center of gravity of your rig is placed right over the spot where the monopod contacts the ground.
4- For best results when using the mono-gimbal head you need a lens that rotates smoothly in the tripod collar. Many super-telephoto and telephoto zoom lenses do not rotate smoothly. With Sony, the 400 f/2.8 is a dream. The 200-600, on the other hand, is unusable on the monopod as the lens sticks badly in the tripod collar.
5- Increasing the length of the monopod so that the camera body was just above chin level, I found shooting flight to be a dream. It made it easy to frame the bird and easy to pan with it in flight. It is like handholding a big lens with an air hook.
6- The last thing that you want to do is to put a monopod (or tripod) with a heavy telephoto lens mounted on it on your shoulder. I did that for more than 25 years and lived to regret it. Ask my right shoulder about it some time. My solution for carrying a big lens mounted on this rig was to leave the tripod collar loosened, point the lens at the sky, tighten the big knob on the monoball, grab the monopod just below the lens, and rotate the lens so that the camera body is square to the ground. As seen in the video, the rig is easily carried using this method. And it works well on either side.
7- If you are set up at flight-height and need to shoot a bird on the ground, there are two options. You can lean the monopod forward or back to get lower almost instantly. If you have a moment, I believe it is better to lean the camera against your right shoulder, loosen the upper twist lock, and shorten the top leg section as needed, typical from four to six inches.
8- A word on the Robus monopods and tripods. They have the best twist locks I have ever encountered. They make it fast and easy to shorten or lengthen the monopod as needed. All the Robus gear is rugged and well made.
9- The Wimberley MonoGimbal Head is both light in weight and elegantly designed. It performs like a side-mounting gimbal head and renders big lenses practically weightless. And when properly set up, you can point the lens anywhere-anytime with ease. With the gimbal effect, you control the pitch simply by pointing the lens up or down. And you control the yaw, the side-to-side movement of the front of the lens, by panning. Like I said, anywhere, anytime.
More On Monopods
Here are some facts, “artie-facts” if you would. (Thanks, Gil.)
1- A tripod will always be more stable than a monopod.
2- When seated, using the knee-pod technique is more stable than using a shortened monopod.
3- When using a monopod to keep your lens on this or that subject for extended periods, the monopod supports the weight of your lens and camera body. Note, however, that fatigue will become a serious factor over time as it requires some effort on your part to stabilize the rig, to keep the monopod in the same spot. Lactic acid will build up, especially in your left arm. With a tripod the three legs provide the support needed to keep the lens in the exact same spot with no effort required on your part.
4- You cannot shoot at ground level with a monopod.
5- Unlike a tripod, you cannot use your monopod as a clothes horse on which to hang your vest. In the same vein, simple tasks that are easily done when working on a tripod are much more difficult to execute when working on a monopod. These tasks including adding or removing teleconverters, switching cards, or changing a battery. Why? You need to hold onto the monopod while executing a chore. You do not need to hold a tripod.
6- If you are doing flight photography at the beach with the monopod and you want to switch to the knee-pod technique, finding a good spot for the monopod can be difficult?
7- If you are close to your vehicle and waiting for action in an otherwise static situation, say at an eagle or Osprey nest, for example, choosing a monopod over a tripod is insanity.
8- Blog regular Adam posted this comment yesterday: I returned to the redtail nest the next day with a big lens and a monopod — I didn’t want to drag the tripod through the overgrown field. I regretted every moment of as one of the fledglings kept making high speed passes at me; tracking the bird was problematic with the lens on the monopod. Once I went to handholding, there was no problem keeping the bird in the viewfinder.
Adam is 100% correct. If you can handhold a big lens or an intermediate telephoto lens for that matter for short periods of time, most folks will generally do a lot better handholding than working off a monopod or a tripod. But, here are the buts:
a- many folks including me are not capable of handholding a 600mm f/4 lens, even the latest greatest lightest versions, for more than a few minutes.
b- for most folks, including all mortals, handholding a big lens for extended shooting sessions is simply not possible.
9- Here is the great news. I have developed a new technique for shooting flight with big glass on a monopod. It’s like handholding with the lens on a sky hook. It is much easier to shoot flight off the monopod using this method than it is when working off a tripod. At places like Jacksonville, where the flight photography is nonstop, but you want and need to be light and mobile, this new technique will be a Godsend. I used this setup and technique every morning at Jacksonville. Be sure to watch the free YouTube video that opens this post.
10- Folks who work with intermediate telephoto lenses who walk and stalk and point and shoot (can you say warblers and songbirds?) and have trouble with the weight of their rigs, may very well do much better with a monopod than with straight handholding. They too will benefit from the information in the Monopod/Monoball Video.
11- I have removed the hand strap from my Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65 because I have no use for it and it occasionally gets in the way. On a related note, if you have a camera strap on your camera body when using any telephoto lens, ditch it fast.
12- Another slight revision: when doing pure flight, I lengthen the monopod so that the viewfinder is right at eye-level.
13- The Robus RCM-439 4-Section Carbon Fiber Monopod, 65 is 65 inches tall. It should be good for flight for folks as tall as about 6-foot 1 or 2 inches tall. The only viable option that I can find is the Gitzo GM4552L Series 4 Carbon Fiber Monopod. At nearly 75 inches tall, this one would work for flight for all but the very tallest NBA players, those over 7-foot 1 or 2 inches tall. It is, however, a Series 4 model that weighs 1.6 pounds, 1/2-pound heavier than the recommended Robus model. And it cost $300.88 more than the RCM-439 4.
Additional Monopod Comments
I forgot to mention that if you are using a ballhead atop your monopod rather than the Wimberley MonoGimbal Head you are making your life very difficult. For no reason at all.
It is obvious that you can get lower when using the toe-pod or foot-pod techniques and working off the tilted rear monitor than you can when working off a shortened monopod. In addition, I feel using the knee-pod technique is just about as stable as using the shortened monopod. At DeSoto, I will explore the possibility of using a hybrid technique: the shortened monopod/knee-pod technique. The big advantage there (if it wires!) would be that you do not have to find a parking spot for your monopod.
The Monopod Calming Effect?
One thing seems perfectly clear to me, approaching a bird is a lot easier with a monopod-mounted lens than it is with a tripod-mounted lens. Most of the Great Blue Herons that sit on the pier railings at ILE do not allow a close approach. They tend to fly off when you are a mile away. Perhaps the monopod/monoball combo has some sort of tranquilizing effect on the birds at ILE.
In My Opinion
In my opinion, purchasing a monopod stand (stabilizing base) makes no sense at all.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version.
Image #2: Royal Terns — flying in formation
Summing Up
Monopods offer much less stability than tripods. On average, they weigh about 66% less than a tripod/Levered-clamp FlexShooter rig. And because they are much less cumbersome, it is easier to get close to birds with a big lens mounted on a monopod than it is with a tripod. For me, those three statements are irrefutable fact.
But from where I sit, the huge advantage of using a monopod with a Wimberley MonoGimbal Head will be for flight photography. I did great with it on my second visit to Jacksonville. On the first trip, handholding the 400mm f/2.8 for three straight shooting sessions was a huge challenge.
Thanks again to BPN-friend Joe Przybyla for urging me to try a monopod for the past two years. His efforts helped me to continue to learn and grow as a photographer and an educator.
Spoonbills at DeSoto
Over the past years, Roseate Spoonbill have been become regular visitors to Fort DeSoto Park. I know when and where to find them and can teach you to approach them successfully. Do consider joining me on a DeSoto IPT.
Fort DeSoto in fall is rife with tame birds. All the images on this card were created at Fort DeSoto in either late September or very early October. I hope that you can join me there this fall. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Great Egret, Sandwich Tern with fish, Willet, Black-bellied Plover threat display, Snowy Egret, 2-year old Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron.
The Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tours
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #1
3 1/2 Days: Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers/Openings five.
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #2
3 1/2 Days: 7 October through the morning session on Monday 10 October 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fall 2022 Fort DeSoto Instructional Photo-Tour #3
3 1/2 Days: Monday 31 October through the morning session on Thursday 3 November 2022. $1899.00 includes three working lunches. Limit six photographers.
Fort DeSoto, located just south of St. Petersburg, FL, is a mecca for migrant shorebirds and terns in fall. There they join hundreds of egrets, herons, night-herons, and gulls that winter on the T-shaped peninsula. With any luck at all, we should get to photograph one of Florida’s most desirable shorebird species: Marbled Godwit. Black-bellied Plover and Willet are easy, American Oystercatcher is pretty much guaranteed. Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and White Ibis are easy as well and we will almost surely come up with a tame Yellow-crowned Night-Heron or two. And we will get to do some Brown Pelican flight photography. In addition, Royal, Sandwich, Forster’s, and Caspian Terns will likely provide us with some good flight opportunities as well. Though not guaranteed, Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork might well be expected. And we will be on the lookout for a migrant passerine fallout in the event of a thunderstorm or two.
On this IPT, all 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. Everyone will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them, to understand and predict bird behavior, to identify many species of shorebirds, to spot the good situations, to choose the best perspective, to see and understand the light, and to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system. Most importantly, you will surely learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography. And you will learn how and why to work in Manual mode (even if you’re scared of it). 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 and whenever you photograph.
There will be a Photoshop/image review session during or after lunch (included) each full day. That will be followed by Instructor Nap Time.
These IPTs will run with only a single registrant (though that is not unlikely to happen). The best airport is Tampa (TPA). Once you register, you will receive an e-mail with Gulfport AirBnB information. If you register soon and would like to share an AirBnB with me, shoot me an e-mail. Other possibilities including taking a cab to and from the airport to our AirBnB and riding with me. This saves you both gas and the cost of a rental car.
A $600 deposit is due when you sign up and is payable by credit card. Balances must be paid by check two months before the trip. Your deposit is non-refundable unless the IPT sells out with six folks, so please check your plans carefully before committing. You can register by calling Jim or Jennifer during weekday business hours at 863-692-0906 with a credit card in hand, or by sending a check as follows: make the check out to: BIRDS AS ART and send it via US mail here: BIRDS AS ART, PO BOX 7245, Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. You will receive a confirmation e-mail with detailed instructions, clothing, and gear advice. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan to register or if you have any questions.
Clockwise from upper left to center: Long-billed Curlew, juvenile Tricolored Heron, Marbled Godwits, Great Blue Heron, juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper, Wood Stork, smiling Sea Scallop, Ruddy Turnstone scavenging needlefish, Great Blue Heron sunset silhouette at my secret spot, and southbound migrant tern flock blur.
Up Early, Stay Out Late!
Obviously, folks attending an IPT will be out in the field early and stay late to take advantage of the sweetest light and sunrise and sunset colors (when possible). The good news is that the days are relatively short in early fall. I really love it when I am leaving the beach on a sunny morning after a great session just as a carful or two of well-rested photographers are arriving. The length of cloudy morning sessions will often be extended. Click on the composite to enjoy a larger version.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
Which Lighting do you Prefer for Bald Eagle Images?
Do you like images made in cloudy conditions, like Image #1? Or do you prefer those made in full sun, like Image #2? Why?
What’s Up
Monday was more of the same but for the fact that I ditched my rope and walked from home to the end of the pier and back, an even 4.0 miles. On Friday afternoon, I got a text from multiple IPT veteran Greg Hritzo. He had been to the Galapagos with me in 2007. On Sunday afternoon, he dropped by with wife Jenni for a pool deck dinner. It was great catching up.
I was glad to learn yesterday that Geri George’s Canon 100-400mm II lens sold right after the second price drop. Kudos to US Open quarterfinalists Nick Kygrios and Frances Tiafoe. Each was an underdog who defeated a much higher ranked player in a thrilling match. Things on the Homer/Kachemak Bay IPTs are tightening up. If you are seriously considering joining me, please get in touch soon.
Today is Tuesday 6 September 2022. The schedule for today: finish this blog post, take an early rope flow walk, get back to doing some serious work on my 2021 taxes, swim 1/2-mile, nap, and do my bursts. And watch some more tennis. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 90 minutes to prepare and makes one hundred sixty-five days in a row with a new one.
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!
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Follow me on Instagram here. I am trying to feature both new and old images, especially images that have not appeared recently on the blog. Or search for birds_as_art.
BIRDS AS ART Image Optimization Service (BAA IOS)
Send a PayPal for $62.00 to birdsasart@verizon.net or call Jim at 863-692-0906 and put $62.00 on your credit card. Pick one of your best images and upload the raw file using a large file sending service like Hightail or DropBox and then send me the link via e-mail. I will download and save your raw file, evaluate the exposure and sharpness, and optimize the image as if it were my own after converting the raw file in Adobe Camera Raw. Best of all, I will make a screen recording of the entire process and send you a link to the video to download, save and study.
Induro GIT 304L Price Drop
Amazingly, we have two, brand-new-in-the-box Induro GIT 304L tripods in stock. They are $699.00 each (were $799.00) and the price now includes the insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906. Order yours here while they last.
h3>Please Remember
You can find some great photo accessories (and necessities, like surf booties!) on Amazon by clicking on the Stuff tab on the orange/yellow menu bar above. On a related note, it would be extremely helpful if blog-folks who, like me, spend too much money on Amazon, would get in the habit of clicking on the Amazon logo link on the right side of each blog post when they shop online. As you might expect, doing so will not cost you a single penny, but would be appreciated tremendously by yours truly. And doing so works seamlessly with your Amazon Prime account.
Please remember that if an item — a Delkin flash card, or a tripod head — for example, that is available from B&H and/or Bedfords, is also available in the BAA Online Store, it would be great, and greatly appreciated, if you would opt to purchase from us. We will match any price. Please remember also to use my B&H affiliate links or to earn 3% cash back at Bedfords by using the BIRDSASART discount code at checkout for your major gear purchases. Doing either often earns you free guides and/or discounts. And always earns my great appreciation.
Brand-New and As-Good-As-Ever Bedfords 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, or to any prior purchases.
Money Saving Reminder
Many have learned that if you need a hot photo item that is out of stock at B&H and would like to enjoy getting 3% back on your credit card along with free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex Air shipping, your best bet is to click here, place an order with Bedfords, and enter the coupon code BIRDSASART at checkout. If an item is out of stock, contact Steve Elkins via e-mail or on his cell phone at (479) 381-2592 (Central time). Be sure to mention the BIRDSASART coupon code and check the box for Free Shipping. That will automatically upgrade to free 2nd Day Air Fed-Ex. Steve has been great at getting folks the hot items that are out of stock at B&H and everywhere else. The waitlists at the big stores can be a year or longer for the hard-to-get items. Steve will surely get you your gear long before that. For the past year, he has been helping BAA Blog folks get their hands on items like the SONY a 1, the SONY 200-600 G OSS lens, the Canon EOS R5, the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, and the Nikon 500mm PF. Steve is personable, helpful, and eager to please.
Important Note
As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage when you purchase from Amazon after using any of the Amazon links on the blog (including the logo-link on the right side of each blog post page). My affiliate link works fine with Amazon Prime and using it will not cost you a single cent. Huge thanks, BTW 🙂
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 save 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.
This image was created on 19 February 2021 on Homer/Kachemak Bay IPT. Probably crouching a bit, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 547mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2500. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1600 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness for this image was perfect; there were 38,000 OvExp pixels (out of 51 million) in the brightest area of the sky. I could have added at least 1/3-stop more light. AWB at 10:42:56am on a then cloudy morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to view a hi-res version.
Image #1: Adult Bald Eagle on stump in soft light
Exposure Basics Part I
As I have been teaching for more than three decades, when the light is soft and an image averages to lighter than a middle tone, the meter in your camera will be relatively dumb. You will need to add lots of light (typically from one to three stops or more) to the exposure suggested by your camera to come up with a workable exposure. Learn how I came to this realization on pages 62 and 63 of The Art of Bird Photography. I’ve long recommended that all serious photographers study the section on Applied Exposure Theory (pages 58-63) to gain a true understanding of exposure. This is true even today with the finest mirrorless camera bodies and their sophisticated metering systems.
Simply put, most folks do not have a clue.
This image was also created on 19 February 2021 on Homer/Kachemak Bay IPT. Again, probably crouching a bit, I used the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 571mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 800. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/2000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the raw file brightness for this image was within 1/6 stop of being perfect. AWB at 10:46:09am on a then sunny morning.
Tracking: Zone/AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Click on the image to view a hi-res version.
Image #2: Adult Bald Eagle on stump in full sun
Exposure Basics Part II
As I have been teaching for more than three decades, when the sun is out at full strength and an image averages to a middle tone or darker, the meter in your camera will be relatively smart. You will only rarely need to add or subtract more than 1/3- to 1/2-stop of light to the exposure suggested by your camera to come up with a workable exposure. Why this is true is detailed on page 63 of the aforementioned The Art of Bird Photography. On pages 61 and 62 of the book, you can learn to use spot metering. Though I recommend against using spot metering for bird photography, understanding how it works will help to cement your mastery of exposure theory.
Image Brightness
While doing the research for this post, I learned how to determine the brightness of an image in Photoshop.
1- Convert the raw file.
2- Go Filter > Blur > Average Blur
3- Click on the Histogram tab and then select Luminosity from the dropdown menu.
4- The mean value will tell you the relative brightness of the image.
This value for Image #1 is 184. For image #2, it is 127. I know that pure white is 255 and the pure black is zero. If you know for sure what this value would be for a midtone, please leave a comment. Is it 128? And yes, I should know that, but I want to be sure.
The Huge Sony Exposure Advantage
With most camera systems (including Nikon and Canon), you need to make a test exposure first, and then evaluate the histogram to ensure coming up with a near-perfect, perfect, or dead-solid perfect exposure. Sony mirrorless folks with their bodies set up correctly can avoid this time-consuming step. They can control and perfect their exposures by turning the thumb dial until faint Zebras appear on the highlights live in the viewfinder before you press the shutter button. Case closed.
Homer 2022 Bald Eagle Highlights and Handholding Compositional Tips by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART
Enjoy and be inspired by just a few Homer Bald Eagle highlight images. Hand holding intermediate telephoto lens will always yield slightly different compositions. Learn more about that topic in this short (3:14) video.
All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK
2023 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs
IPT #1: MON 20 FEB 2023 through the full day on FRI 24 FEB 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 3.
IPT #2: SAT 25 FEB 2023 through the full day on THURS 2 MAR 2023. Six full days/24 hours on the boat: $6600.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 2.
IPT #3: FRI 3 MAR 2023 through the full day on TUES 7 MAR 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers. Openings: 4.
Save $1,000.00 by doing back-to-back trips.
These trips feature non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.
In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require a ton of good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.
If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.
We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.
Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader, who is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer. But only if that is what you want.
You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes.
You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode.
Most importantly you will learn to pick your best flight images from tens of thousands of images.
You will enjoy working with the two best and most creative boat captains on their sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck crafts.
The second and third IPTs are the only Bald Eagle workshops that feature an incredibly helpful first mate.
Only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.
Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions.
All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK
What’s Included
One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.
What’s Not Included
Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.
Please Note
On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips, or 24 hours for the second trip, the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $225/hour.
Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer.
Deposit Information
A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check as above.
In Closing
I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of the three trips is to sign up for all of them. Can you keep up with me? If you have any questions, or are good to go for one, two, or all three trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
