Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

The MiniMag

The November issue of Denise Ippolito’s Creative MiniMag has been online for a few days now. In case you need some inspiration or just want to become a better photographer, be sure to click here. Denise opens the magazine by sharing a collection of participants’ images; each was created as a result of the graffiti photo assignment given to the workshop group on her recent trip to Toronto, Canada.

Tom Jeary’s incredible “The Chipmunk Fall Fair” has to be read and seen to be believed. In “Food Photography 101” Barbara Sammons shares her top five tips for photographing your favorite fare. Next Denise shares the Photoshop techniques and workflow that she used to fashion the lovely “Japanese Maple Leaves” creation above.

Everyone needs to read friend Scott Vincent’s moving “Making Pictures–The Voice.” With a series of powerful images Scott covers lots of ground including photographing controversial subject matter, the modern day whale slaughter that continues in Barrow, AK, and knowing right from wrong.

Mary Stamper’s article dealing with including shadows in our images. Yours truly details the creation of In-Camera HDR images with the Canon 5D Mark III; this article includes all of my favorite settings. In Denise’s “The Bear Neccessities” the publisher shares images and experiences from her first Katmai, AK Bear Boat trip this past September. Andrew McLachlan shares three of his favorite fall color multiple exposures and the set-up and techniques that he used to create them in-camera with his Nikon D800 .

Lisa Cuchara offers some great advice when she reminds us to ask, “Why Are Your Here?” when attending on-location photography workshops. The creative Anita Bower shares her thoughts on using the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens to photograph flowers. In “Themes/Assignments Cheryl Slechta writes of getting out of the photographic ruts that we so often find ourselves in. Friend Nancy Bell shares the experience of photographing for a week in Cape Town, South Africa.

The MiniMag is both free and incredibly inspiring. It is always worth a click; if you visit, you will surely wind up subscribing.

This dead Crested Duck image was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens at 182mm, and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/160 sec. at f/22 in Av mode. Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the duckling’s face and re-compose. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Survival or Not… Death and Life on a Mudflat

While working shorebirds and Chilean Flamingos along the shore of a small lake at Morro Chico Steppe, Chile, I came across the fresh-dead Crested Duck duckling that you see in the image above. I picked it up, stuck it in the fanny pouch of my sweatshirt, and shared it with the group when we re-assembled. Then I posed it on the cracked mud, borrowed a 70-200, and began creating images.

This Crested Duck duckling image was created with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head with the Integrated Low Mount Arm that Denise loves, the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the EOS 1D Mark IV (now replaced by the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Shutter button AF. Central sensor/AI Servo Shutter button Focus AF on the duckling’s face and re-compose. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image courtesy of and copyright 2013 Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure.

The Surviving Siblings

I had gone to the far end of the pond trying without success to get close to winter-plumage White-rumped Sandpiper and Double-banded Plover. Denise Ippolito, who stayed behind, did very well on the white-rumpeds. When I headed back to the eastern end of the pond and found the dead duckling, Denise headed west and after a while, returned with a big smile on her face. One of the two surviving Crested Duck young had come up on the shore to forage and allowed close approach. The other was swimming in the middle of the lake with momma who was calling constantly as she was not very happy with the adventurous chick.

Image Questions

Which of the two images above is your favorite? Please let us know why. Why f/22 for the first image? If you kept the same framing, why might the 100 macro have been a better lens choice for the first image?

EOS-1D X Autofocus Guide

Until I get around to doing a complete user’s guide for the 1D X my 1D X Autofocus Guide will help you to master and get the most out of my all time favorite professional digital camera body. It includes my customized Case setting for photographing birds in flight and in action.

5D Mark III User’s Guide

EOS-5D Mark III User’s can learn to set up and use their cameras exactly as I do. Includes detailed advice on all menu and custom function items, AF suggestions, and all you need to know about creating great in-camera HDRs and Multiple Exposures.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

Bosque Sandhill Crane Composite; click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2013 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 26-DEC 2, 2013. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/25. Limit: 12/Openings 8.

Please see the info on the short version of this IPT below if you will be spending Thanksgiving with your family.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 19 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable. Includes all lunches and the Thanksgiving Buffet at the Crowne Plaza in Albuquerque. I hope that you can join me for what will be an unparalleled learning experience.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. There is an introductory slide program on the night before the tour begins. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. After 18 years we pretty much know where to be when in what sky conditions and what winds. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. Then dinner with the group most nights. We always spend at least one afternoon at the ponds at the Albuquerque Zoo doing Wood Ducks and usually two mornings at New Mexico Tech doing American Wigeons. The rest is Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, is due now. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of that after you place your deposit. 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.

Bosque Snow Goose Composite; click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2013 IPT: “The Short Version.” NOV 30-DEC 2, 2013. 3-FULL DAYS: $1199. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 7:30 pm on 11/29. Limit: 12/Openings 4.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 19 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. Nobody knows the place better than he does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable. Includes all lunches. I hope that you can join us for these three great days; they will offer a great learning experience.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. There is an introductory slide program on the night before the tour begins. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. After 18 years we pretty much know where to be when in what sky conditions and what winds. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then an informal Photoshop/image review session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We may spend an afternoon at the ponds at the Albuquerque Zoo doing Wood Ducks and we may spend a late morning at New Mexico Tech doing American Wigeons. The rest is Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, is due now. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of that after you place your deposit. 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.

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari

If you are interested in joining us in Tanzania next summer please shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to forward you the PDF with dates, itinerary, and price.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. Two great leaders ensure that you will not learn more anywhere about how to make great images. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This Silvery Grebe image was created at Torres del Paine National Park 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 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 1/400 sec. at f/13 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the center of the bird’s breast (as framed) active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version.

A New Technique

While I have long used the 2X teleconverters with my f/4L IS super-telephoto lenses with great success I usually worked at f/8 or f/9. Recently I have begun working more at f/11 and f/13 (even at the expense of raising the ISO a bit; the resulting images have been insanely sharp. When I viewed this image in BreezeBrowser it looked as if the feathers had been sculpted with an exacto knife.

This White-tufted Grebe image was also created at Torres del Paine National Park 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 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/320 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the base of the back of the bird’s neck active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Grebe-e-licous

It is always fun to photograph a new species. Getting to photograph two handsome new grebes on the same day was a special treat.

The Original Capture

Immediately above is the extracted JPEG that accurately represents the tremendous blue color cast. The color cast was removed with a simple Average Blur Color Balance adjustment as described in Digital Basics File. Digital Basics is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips including Digital Eye Doctor techniques, several different ways of expanding canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, and Layer Masking and NIK Color Efex Pro basics.

High Key

Above is the BreezeBrowser Main View screen capture for this image. The black is the highlight alert. In real time, it flashes black and white just as it does on the back of your camera. The illuminated red square shows the active sensor. In Breezebrowser you need to make sure to check Show Focus Points under View to activate this feature. To see the focus points in DPP check AF Point under View or hit Alt L.

The main point here is that in order to reveal maximum detail on the bird that I needed to overexpose the background; doing this reduces noise and yields an excellent exposure on the bird. The trick is that you wanted to avoid having any blinkies at all on the subject.

Regular readers know that I use and depend on BreezeBrowser every day of the year. It allows me to sort my keepers and deletes the rejects faster than any other browsing program. We use it on the main computer in the home office to catalog our images file-drawer style. And the companion program, Downloader Pro allows me to download my images quickly and conveniently. It automatically adds my IPTC data and the shooting location. I have it set up to create a folder named by the Month/date/year. The Breezebrowser/Downloader Pro combo saves me many hours each week. To learn earn more or to purchase this great PC only program, click here.

Image Questions

Which of the two is your favorite? Please let us know why. In the opening image, would you have eliminated all of the reeds in the background? Why or why not?

EOS-1D X Autofocus Guide

Until I get around to doing a complete user’s guide for the 1D X my 1D X Autofocus Guide will help you to master and get the most out of my all time favorite professional digital camera body. It includes my customized Case setting for photographing birds in flight and in action.

5D Mark III User’s Guide

EOS-5D Mark III User’s can learn to set up and use their cameras exactly as I do. Includes detailed advice on all menu and custom function items, AF suggestions, and all you need to know about creating great in-camera HDRs and Multiple Exposures.

Bosque Sandhill Crane Composite; click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2013 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 26-DEC 2, 2013. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/25. Limit: 12/Openings 8.

Please see the info on the short version of this IPT below if you will be spending Thanksgiving with your family.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 19 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable. Includes all lunches and the Thanksgiving Buffet at the Crowne Plaza in Albuquerque. I hope that you can join me for what will be an unparalleled learning experience.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. There is an introductory slide program on the night before the tour begins. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. After 18 years we pretty much know where to be when in what sky conditions and what winds. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. Then dinner with the group most nights. We always spend at least one afternoon at the ponds at the Albuquerque Zoo doing Wood Ducks and usually two mornings at New Mexico Tech doing American Wigeons. The rest is Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, is due now. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of that after you place your deposit. 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.

Bosque Snow Goose Composite; click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2013 IPT: “The Short Version.” NOV 30-DEC 2, 2013. 3-FULL DAYS: $1199. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 7:30 pm on 11/29. Limit: 12/Openings 4.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 19 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. Nobody knows the place better than he does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable. Includes all lunches. I hope that you can join us for these three great days; they will offer a great learning experience.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. There is an introductory slide program on the night before the tour begins. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. After 18 years we pretty much know where to be when in what sky conditions and what winds. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then an informal Photoshop/image review session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We may spend an afternoon at the ponds at the Albuquerque Zoo doing Wood Ducks and we may spend a late morning at New Mexico Tech doing American Wigeons. The rest is Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, is due now. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of that after you place your deposit. 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.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari

If you are interested in joining us in Tanzania next summer please shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to forward you the PDF with dates, itinerary, and price.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. Two great leaders ensure that you will not learn more anywhere about how to make great images. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This Black-necked Swan was photographed in early morning light with the Gitzo 3532 LS carbon fiber tripod, the Mongoose M3.6 head–so good that we can’t keep them in stock; best to call Jim at 863-692-0906 and order yours so that you can one when we get a few, 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 400. Evaluative metering at zero: 1/1000 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central sensor AI Servo/Surround Rear Focus AF on spot where the black of the neck and the white of the upper breast meet active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version.

First Blood Drawn Despite Bad Left Knee

Little more than a week ago I could not have imagined being able to walk a rock-strewn beach carrying my 600II on the Gitzo 3532 LS tripod. My twice surgically repaired left knee had been bothering me for nearly a month when I jumped out of bed while trying to nap about two weeks ago. I felt nothing. After I got back to sleep and woke, I could barely stand. The knee was swollen and the pain was fairly intense.

After my second arthroscopic surgery in 2006 or 2007, the surgeon said to me, “There is nothing left in the way of cartilage; I’ll see you in a year or two for a new knee.” The left knee had been fine till this most recent episode. Not being a huge fan of major surgery, I called Dr. Cliff Oliver in San Diego for guidance. Here’s what followed: Pete Egoscue Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain positions for knee pain, earth naps, Rock-taping, Active Release Therapy, mechanical thumper treatment, Tate Avacen treatment, rest, and ice baths (whole body in the tub for 35 minutes in 59 degree water).

While the knee is not yet fully heeled I was able to get around this morning quite comfortably. In short, the whole adventure with the knee has been somewhat miraculous. I just need to be careful and keep from wrecking it. 🙂

CRX-5 Low Foot/Plate

The CRX-5 Low Foot plate is ideal for all three of the Series II super-telephoto lenses. Learn why by clicking here. As it is also hard to keep this item in stock your best course of action is to call Jim at 863-692-0906 and order yours to ensure getting one from our next shipment.

This feeding Black-necked Swan image was created 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 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/500 sec. at f/13 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the waterline just below the bird’s breast active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Up Early

After our long flights to Punta Arenas, Chile on Sunday evening red-eyes Denise Ippolito and I were picked up by a Remota Lodge van at about 5pm local time, one hour ahead of Florida and New Jersey. By 7:15pn we were at the lodge and were enjoying a fine fish dinner just before 8:00pm.

I woke early and seeing a calm sunny morning developing we walked down the hill to the water in hopes of photographing some birds. We were greeted by a pair of Black-necked Swans and photographed them for more than an hour.

These Black-necked Swan cygnets were photographed this morning 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 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/400 sec. at f/13 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the body of the middle bird active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Continuing On

After a while, we decided to walk north a bit along the beach in search of some different species. Almost immediately I saw another pair of the handsome swans, this pair with four cygnets. We both were squealing with excitement. We stayed with the cygnets for well more than an hour. So much for variety being the spice of life….

Exposure Fine Point

Knowing that the exposure for the adult bird in image #2 was perfect, above, why did I add an additional 1/3 stop of light when photographing the very young swans? (1/400 sec. at f/13 for the cygnets as compared to 1/500 sec. at f/13 for the adults.)

This adult Black-necked Swan with a cygnet on its back was photographed 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 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/1000 sec. at f/10 in Manual mode. Central sensor (by necessity) Expand/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the body of the middle bird active at the moment of exposure. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Dealing With the Bright Whites

I should have been at 1/1250 sec. at f/10; I had not noticed that the light had gotten brighter as it got closer to 9:00am. I dealt with the relatively high contrast and the bright whites during the image optimization process. After dealing with the whites while converting the RAW file in DPP (see our DPP RAW Conversion Guide), I employed a variety of other techniques to restore detail in the whites. I used several NIK Color Efex Pro filters including Detail Extractor, Tonal Contrast, and White Neutralizer. I used a reverse S curve in Photoshop to reduce the contrast. And a small Linear Burn painted in with a Hide-All Layer Mask.

All of the above as described in detail in Digital Basics File, an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips including Digital Eye Doctor techniques, several different ways of expanding canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Layer Masking and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, dealing with bright highlights, and tons more.

Your Favorite?

Please take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the four images is your favorite. And be sure to let us know why.

EOS-1D X Autofocus Guide

Until I get around to doing a complete user’s guide for the 1D X my 1D X Autofocus Guide will help you to master and get the most out of my all time favorite professional digital camera body. It includes my customized Case setting for photographing birds in flight and in action.

5D Mark III User’s Guide

EOS-5D Mark III User’s can learn to set up and use their cameras exactly as I do. Includes detailed advice on all menu and custom function items, AF suggestions, and all you need to know about creating great in-camera HDRs and Multiple Exposures.

Bosque Sandhill Crane Composite; click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2013 IPT: “The Complete Bosque Experience.” NOV 26-DEC 2, 2013. 7-FULL DAYS: $3399. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 6:30 pm on 11/25. Limit: 12/Openings 8.

Please see the info on the short version of this IPT below if you will be spending Thanksgiving with your family.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, ducks including point-blank American Wigeon and Wood Duck, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Live, eat, and breathe photography with one of (if not the) world’s premier photographic educators at one of his very favorite locations on the planet. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 19 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for me. Nobody knows the place better than I do. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable. Includes all lunches and the Thanksgiving Buffet at the Crowne Plaza in Albuquerque. I hope that you can join me for what will be an unparalleled learning experience.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. There is an introductory slide program on the night before the tour begins. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. After 18 years we pretty much know where to be when in what sky conditions and what winds. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then a classroom session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. Then dinner with the group most nights. We always spend at least one afternoon at the ponds at the Albuquerque Zoo doing Wood Ducks and usually two mornings at New Mexico Tech doing American Wigeons. The rest is Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, is due now. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of that after you place your deposit. 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.

Bosque Snow Goose Composite; click on the image to enjoy a larger version.

Bosque del Apache 2013 IPT: “The Short Version.” NOV 30-DEC 2, 2013. 3-FULL DAYS: $1199. Co-leader: Denise Ippolito. Introductory Slide program: 7:30 pm on 11/29. Limit: 12/Openings 4.

Tens of thousand of Snow Geese, 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, amazing sunrises, sunsets, and blast-offs. Top-notch Photoshop instruction. This will make 19 consecutive Novembers at Bosque for artie. Nobody knows the place better than he does. Join us to learn to think like a pro, to recognize situations and to anticipate them based on the weather, especially the sky conditions, the light, and the wind direction. Every time we make a move we will let you know why. When you head home applying what you learned will prove to be invaluable. Includes all lunches. I hope that you can join us for these three great days; they will offer a great learning experience.

There is never a strict itinerary on a Bosque IPT as each day is tailored to the local conditions at the time and the weather. We are totally flexible in order to maximize both the photographic and learning opportunities. There is an introductory slide program on the night before the tour begins. We are up early each day leaving the hotel by 5:30 am to be in position for sunrise. After 18 years we pretty much know where to be when in what sky conditions and what winds. We usually photograph until about 10:30am. Then it is back to Socorro for lunch and then an informal Photoshop/image review session with the group most days. We head back to the refuge at about 3:30pm each day and photograph until sunset. We may spend an afternoon at the ponds at the Albuquerque Zoo doing Wood Ducks and we may spend a late morning at New Mexico Tech doing American Wigeons. The rest is Snow Geese and Sandhill Cranes with the emphasis on expanding both your technical skills and your creativity.

A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance, payable only by check, is due now. You will receive an e-mail notifying you of that after you place your deposit. 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.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari

If you are interested in joining us in Tanzania next summer please shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to forward you the PDF with dates, itinerary, and price.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. Two great leaders ensure that you will not learn more anywhere about how to make great images. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

Bosque IPTs/Late Registration Discounts Increased!

For information on both the 7-Day and the recently announced short version of the 2013 Bosque IPTs please click here and scroll down. If you would like to join us for the first 3 or 4 days of this IPT please shoot me an e-mail. Please e-mail for late registration discount info. Please call me on my line at 863-692-2806 before noon on Sunday with any Bosque IPT questions. If I am swimming or napping, please call back as there is no answering machine on that line.

Alejandro Furman photographing at Katmai National Park on a 2006 Bear Boat IPT.

What Friends are For: Torres del Paine Advice

Alejandro Furman is a good friend, a multiple TPT veteran, and a very fine photographer. He lives in Santiago, Chile. He has been to Africa with BIRDS AS ART, been on the bear boat, done a hummingbird trip with me to Panama, and attended several IPTs. He has even photographed the Sandhill Cranes near my home in Indian Lake Estates, FL. When he learned that Denise Ippolito and I would be traveling to Torres del Paine he realized that we would likely be spending at least some time at the airport in Santiago, Chile (SCL)> He e-mailed suggesting that we meet there either coming or going. We are all set to meet Alex for dinner on our Santiago layover on the way home from our great adventure.

Here is Alejandro’s last e-mail to me:

Arthur,

Consider it done. We will meet at the airport on Tuesday Nov. 12 at 18:00 PM and then head to dinner and great talk at the hotel restaurant. Here is how it works: I will arrive there a bit earlier in case your plane is arriving earlier. When you walk out of the terminal you will have a glass wall facing you. There will be sliding glass exit doors to your left and to your right. Go out of the doors on your left. I will be there waiting for you. Please let me know your flight number for the Punta Arenas to Santiago leg on the 12th.

I sincerely hope Denise gets to join us since I want to personally convey to her my message that she deserves a monument. I will also let my brother Gustavo know about our gathering.

The person that will be guiding our December trip to Torres del Paine is Diego Araya, with whom I have done several private trips in the past to the area on a one-on-one basis with great photographic success in terms of landscape, general wildlife photography and pumas and condors. For the upcoming trip with my French friends we will be using 2 additional guides who will be in charge of nighttime and pre-dawn scouting for pumas in a separate vehicle with radio communication. One of them is a girl whose name I do not know; the other one is Rodrigo Moraga who will be working with you after Avistar Patagonia. He is supposed to be tops.

Arthur, this upcoming trip for me will be my 11th one to Torres del Paine, about half of them for trekking with my wife and the rest alone for photography, so, I feel I will no be patronizing you if give 3 pieces of advice:

1) There are pumas in the park and you will see them if they are to be seen. You are there with the top scout and he will do his best. However, it is a matter of chance. Please enjoy the park, its changing light and incredible wild scenery, and do not let pumas become the one and only subject. It will only add stress to you and everybody with you. I´ve seen other people ruin their trips because they were obsessed with seeing and photographing puma.

2) Wind is omnipresent and extremely strong and gusty. Do not leave your tripod standing unattended otherwise you will experience a $ 20,000 wind gust….

3) Weather. The only thing you can say for sure is that the weather will change. And it does so every mile of the road and every ten minutes. In addition, the the park has distinct weather sections. So it is quite assured that you will be experiencing the 4 seasons of the several times during your visit, often on the same day. This is what often makes the quality of light so incredible; each location never seems to look the same. I am telling you this so that you are not tempted to stay in when you see bad weather through the hotel window.

With a big embrace, Alex

My Comments

I actually met Alex’s brother Gustavo on a SW FLA IPT before I met Alex. I hope that he can make it to dinner as he is a dear, sweet man whom I have not seen in too many years.

Alex’s excellent advice applies well across the board. Most importantly, bad weather often equals excellent photography. As for the wind, I have seen too many unattended rigs blown over by a wind gust. Folks often exacerbate the risks by putting their tripod down on a slope or by putting it down with one leg shorter than the others. At the least, you should pull out the leg tabs and then spread the legs before putting the rig down; this renders it shorter and more stable. Best is to simply lay the tripod and lens on the ground. It can’t fall if it is already on the ground….

Travel Plans

I fly from Orlando to Punta Arenas late on Sunday afternoon and arrive in Chile the next afternoon. Denise, who is flying down from Newark, gets in a bit after me. From there we travel by van to the Remota Lodge where we will both be presenting at Avistar Patagonia. On the afternoon of November 5th, we will meet expert photography guide and puma tracker Rodrigo Moraga and will continue on to EcoCamp Patagonia at Torres del Paine for five nights. Then back to Punta Arenas on the 11th, overnight there, and head home on the 12th, stopping in Santiago for dinner with Alejandro Furman. Then home for both of us the next day. We hope to have lots of wonderful images to share with you on our return. Or before. The word is that we will have some internet access while we are in Chile.

Avistar Patagonia. the Bird Photography Workshop

Denise Ippolito and yours truly will be speaking at the Avistar Patagonia event in southern Chile next week. We would love to see all of our South American friends there. I am pretty sure that registration is still open and will be for at least a few days more. Learn more here.

I am looking forward to seeing old friend Dave Tipling again and to meeting many of South America’s greatest bird photographers. I hope that you can join us for what will be a most exciting event n Chilean Patagonia. Denise and I are staying on for an additional week to photograph at the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari

If you are interested in joining us in Tanzania next summer please shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to forward you the PDF with dates, itinerary, and price.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. Two great leaders ensure that you will not learn more anywhere about how to make great images. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This image was created with the hand held Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 236mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/20 sec. at f/8 in Av mode (???) Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the closest Wildebesst ):)) and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Huge Exposure Error Mystery

This image–of a herd of Wildebeest waiting to cross the Mara River (along with a single, uninterested hippo), was made on a cloudy afternoon. At +1 1/3 stops as framed, the image should have been only a bit if at all over-exposed. How can you explain the huge over-exposure?

Could there be something decent here? I thought so.

The Converted Image

Not sure why, but I converted the image above three stops darker in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP). The result was simply an image with severely greyed-out WHITEs. But still I saw some potential, possibly something reminiscent of a daguerreotype.

To learn why and how I use DPP see our DPP RAW Conversion Guide here.

This image was of course created with the hand held Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (at 236mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/20 sec. at f/8 in Av mode (???) Central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the closest Wildebeest and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. Image A

The Straight Up Image Optimization

I began with the converted image, did a standard Levels adjustment, executed a pano crop, and raised Vibrance about 80 points to juice up the greens. A daguerreotype indeed….

Image B

Silver Efex Pro High Structure

Next I applied a 100% layer of Nik SIlver Efex Pro “High Structure” filter to convert the image to black and white.

Image C

A Touch of Color

Too create the image above I added a Layer Mask to the Silver Efex layer and painted back much of the vegetation color.

Questions

How did I wind up with such a huge over-exposure?

Which of the three optimized images do you like best, Image A:the Straight Up image, Image B>: the Silver Efex Pro High Structure image, or Image C: the Touch of Color image. Though it may be difficult to do so, try to let us know why. If you do not like any of the three, feel free to say so. Just be nice :).

Avistar Patagonia. the Bird Photography Workshop

Denise Ippolito and yours truly will be speaking at the Avistar Patagonia event in southern Chile next week. We would love to see all of our South American friends there. I am pretty sure that registration is still open and will be for at least a few days more. Learn more here.

I am looking forward to seeing old friend Dave Tipling again and to meeting many of South America’s greatest bird photographers. I hope that you can join us for what will be a most exciting event n Chilean Patagonia. Denise and I are staying on for an addition week to photograph at the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari

If you are interested in joining us in Tanzania next summer please shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to forward you the PDF with dates, itinerary, and price.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. Two great leaders ensure that you will not learn more anywhere about how to make great images. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

Shooters Gallery Photography Program, Salem, CT

Tomorrow, October 20, 2013. Walk-ins Welcome

Click here to register. Scroll down here for additional seminar details.

This image of the setting sun was created near our Mobile Tented Camp at the Mara River, Serengeti, Tanzania with the Todd-Pod mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens, the Canon 2x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), a Canon Extension Tube EF 12mm II, the Canon 1.4x EF Extender III (Teleconverter), and the Canon EOS-1D X Digital SLR camera. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/100 sec. at f/8 in Av Mode. Focused on the edge of the sun with Rear Focus using contrast on the sensor with Live View and Live Mode AF. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Sun of a Gun/Stacking Teleconverters (Extenders) with Series III Super-telephoto Lenses

I love creating images featuring huge-in-the-frame suns and moons. Having gone to all full frame bodies it’s not as easy at it used to be…. The funny thing is that moon images out-sell sun images fifty to one.

When I created this image with stacked teleconverters (aka extenders or multipliers) I learned something. When I put the 1.4X III on the lens and the 2X on the camera body I could not focus on infinity, in this case the sun. The 12mm extension tube is needed because the newer 1.4TCs will not physically fit into the back of the 2X TCs as they used to with previous generations of TCs. The extension tube serves as a spacer so that you can stack the 1.4X and the 2X.

Back to the original problem: with the 1.4X on the lens I was unable to focus on the sun. Though I did not think that it would help I switched the order of the TCs putting the 2X on the lens and the 1.4X on the camera, voila, I was able to focus on the sun.

The sharpness at 1680mm (33.6X) is quite remarkable, due in part to excellent sharpness technique and the 600II’s great 4-stop IS system. Thanks to Markus Jais for inspiring this blog post with his questions in the comments section of BAA Bulletin #450 here.

Markus asked also about AF with stacked TCs. The current answer is that I am not sure. With some lenses stacked TCs would focus in bright sun in situations with decent contrast. I have not tried it with the Series III TCs and the Series II super-telephotos. I need to do some experimenting with the 300 f/2.8L IS II and stacked TCs. That combination should focus with a 1D X or a 5D III as it works out to f/8. The f/4 super-teles with stacked TCs works out to f/11; theoretically, AF should not be possible at f/11.

A few words about extension tubes:

Extension tubes are hollow spacers. Unlike teleconverters (aka extenders or multipliers), they do not have any glass elements so they do not affect image sharpness at all. With tame subjects, extension tubes can be used to get closer than the minimum focusing (MFD) distance of your lens. Doing so will of course increase the size of the subject in the frame. If you are working outside of the MFD, and extension tube will give you a small increase in subject size, usually in the range of 3-4 percent depending on many factors.

With the amazingly small MFDs of the latest lenses and the incredible sharpness that I get with the 2X III TCS I rarely need extension tubes any more to attain closer focusing. But I always have a 12mm tube and a 25mm tube with me, the former for stacking TCs, the latter when I do need to get closer.

This sunrise image was created at Little St. Simons Island, GA with the old 500mm f/4L IS lens (now replaced by the Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM lens and stacked TCs with the EOS-40D. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop in Av mode. Manual focus by necessity; the 40D focused only to f/5.6.

Photographing Large Suns and Moons with 1.6 Crop Factor Camera Bodies

When comparing the two images that the sun in the image made with the 500 is larger than the sun in the image made with the 600. Why? The 40D is a 1.6 crop factor camera (due to the small size of the sensor. Denise Ippolito mourns the day that she sold her 40D. Though she tried some of the newer camera bodies like the 7D and the 50D, she still feels that the 40D was the best of the lot. By far. For beginning photographers on a budget finding a used 40D could provide a quality camera body with a very good AF system that creates excellent images files. All at a very low price. But hard to find.

Is It Real?

Is the second image real or was in created in Photoshop? Was the bird–I believe that it was a Royal Tern–added or was it in the image as it came out of the camera? Are the colors real?

Your Favorite

Take a minute to leave a comment and let us know which of the two images is your favorite. And be sure to let us know why.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens

While I love my 24-105mm as a B-roll lens, I often wish that I owned and traveled with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Lens. It is miles sharper than the 24-105 and meshes perfectly with no overlap with the great 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II.

Right now B&H has an amazing deal on this great landscape lens–yikes, I need to borrow one for my upcoming Paines del Torres trip–$1,999.00 at check out. The regular price is $2,299.00. What are you waiting for. Please, please pretty please, web orders only by using our product-specific link above or by clicking on the logo-link below.

Shooters Gallery Photography Program

October 20, 2013. Salem, CT

Click here to register.

Artie Morris & Denise Ippolito
Date: Sunday – October 20, 2013: Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Salem Gardner Lake Firehouse Hall, 429 Old Colchester Road, Salem, CT 06420
Admission Fee: The Artie Morris presentation from 9:00am until 10:45am is free and open to the public courtesy of Canon U.S.A. The presentation by Artie and Denise from 11:00am until 4:00pm is $40.00 (Lunch & morning coffee included)
Host Organization: Shooters Gallery Photography Group

9:00 to 10:45 – “Choosing and Using Lenses for Nature Photography… BIRDS AS ART Style” – Artie Morris (Sponsored by Canon U.S.A.)
10:45 TO 11:00: Break
11:00 to 12:00 – “Blooming Ideas” – Denise Ippolito
12:00 to 1:00 – Lunch
1:00 to 2:00 – “Refining Your Photographic Vision” – Artie Morris and Denise Ippolito
2:00 to 2:30 – “Pro Gear Handling Tips” – Artie Morris and Denise Ippolito
2:30 to 2:45 – Break
2:45 to 4:00 – “Creating Pleasing Blurs” – Artie Morris and Denise Ippolito

Click here to register.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

2014 Tanzania Summer Safari

If you are interested in joining us in Tanzania next summer please shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to forward you the PDF with dates, itinerary, and price.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

In all Bulletins, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

IPT Info

Many of our great trips are filling up. Two great leaders ensure that you will not learn more anywhere about how to make great images. Click here for the schedule and additional info.

This base image for this creation was made with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the grey water: 1/8 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Central sensor (Surround)/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Response to the Blur-Haters 🙂

In the “Keep One or Both?” blog post here, I asked, “Would you keep one or both of these images? Or would you delete both? Be sure to let us know why.

Which of the images is a stronger photograph? Please explain why. Note: I have a very strong preference for one over the other. Which of the two has the most potential? What is the single biggest problem with the 2nd image?”

My Answers

I kept both. I really loved the blurred grasses in the 2nd image and needed the first image as source material. I painted a Quick Mask of the bill from the vertical image, brought it into the horizontal image, re-positioned and sized it with the Transform Tool, added a Layer Mask, and fine-tuned the bill layer. But the neck of the Great Egret was too fat, a result of moving the lens while creating the image. So I put the whole image on a new layer, moved it down and left, added another Layer Mask, and thinned the neck by painting in the grasses. The resulting image is above.

For me the 2nd image, the horizontal was by far the stronger of the two for the look of the blurred grasses. I would have deleted the first one had I not needed it as source material for the bill as the head was simply too weird for me. The horizontal had the most potential. The biggest problem for me with the second image was that the bill was lost in the background.

If blurs are to succeed they almost always need a head that is at least somewhat well delineated….

APTATS I & APTATS II

To create the final image I used techniques from both APTATS I and APTATS II. APTATS I details advanced Quick Masking Techniques and it was while editing APTATS II that I came to fully understand Layers and Layer Masks.

Save $10

You can save $10 by ordering the APTATS I/APTATS II combo here.

The Blur-Haters

When I posted the two images I had hoped that folks might have put their thinking caps on. Few did. Some folks like Harvey Tabin who commented “Your work is generally great, however throw both the blurs away. They say nothing and are not very done,” seemed to be unduly harsh in their comments…. The same could be said of John Armitage’s comment: “Delete both. These blurs have resulted in images of the bird which are not attractive.” Furthermore most folks whose comments were strongly negative did not bother explaining why they did not like this or that image, and most did not even attempt to answer the questions.

Others like Richard Wozniak came off as being some type of God; he wrote, “Both are just grossly distorted blurs which tell us nothing and are not even pleasing on an abstract level.” Though I do not agree with what David Policansky wrote, he at least justified his opinion.

I asked questions of some folks who commented negatively; none bothered to respond. Ralph in Chicago was at least on the right track and posted a well-reasoned comment. Though I disagree with Tom Roper’s preference for the first image his response was also well thought out.

The Big Question

It would be interesting to hear what folks think of the final image above. I rather like it.

I have lots of cattail blurs that I love. When I saw an egret standing in front of the reeds the challenge was to put the two together and come up with something pleasing….

Salem, Connecticut Seminar This Coming Weekend!

Shooters Gallery Photography Program

October 20, 2013. Salem, CT

Click here to register.

Artie Morris & Denise Ippolito
Date: Sunday – October 20, 2013: Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Location: Salem Gardner Lake Firehouse Hall, 429 Old Colchester Road, Salem, CT 06420
Admission Fee: The Artie Morris presentation from 9:00am until 10:45am is free and open to the public courtesy of Canon U.S.A. The presentation by Artie and Denise from 11:00am until 4:00pm is $40.00 (Lunch & morning coffee included)
Host Organization: Shooters Gallery Photography Group

9:00 to 10:45 – “Choosing and Using Lenses for Nature Photography… BIRDS AS ART Style” – Artie Morris (Sponsored by Canon U.S.A.)
10:45 TO 11:00: Break
11:00 to 12:00 – “Blooming Ideas” – Denise Ippolito
12:00 to 1:00 – Lunch
1:00 to 2:00 – “Refining Your Photographic Vision” – Artie Morris and Denise Ippolito
2:00 to 2:30 – “Pro Gear Handling Tips” – Artie Morris and Denise Ippolito
2:30 to 2:45 – Break
2:45 to 4:00 – “Creating Pleasing Blurs” – Artie Morris and Denise Ippolito

Click here to register.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

Typos

On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Bosque IPTs/Late Registration Discounts

For information on both the 7-Day and the recently announced short version of the 2013 Bosque IPTs please click here and scroll down. Please e-mail me for late registration discount info.

Blog News

I received the following e-mail from the hard-working Peter Kes last night:

Art, I was able to finish ‘early’ 🙂 I updated the theme. I also reduced initial load of posts to one per call (was 10). This should reduce a lot of overhead. I removed the rolling image in the header, instead, the header will refresh with each call. Further reductions can be achieved by reducing image quality of the widgets and posts.

Our biggest cpu consumer is Nextgen, so I will try to find a way to use something else. Additionally, I deactivated 5 plugins that are basically not adding much value. Finally I did not reactivate caching and from my initial take, the site is performing reasonably well. Let’s see how things go after a few posts.

If performance degrades again, we should consider upgrading cpu, rather than caching. I would say to leave things as they are for now and if performance turns out ok, we should kick out the caching fees ($46/month).

Later, Peter

The Good News

The good news is that things seem to be perfect: fast loading, restored functionality for me in Admin and for you in Comments. I will be optimizing the JPEG images to <395kb as I have done with today's images. I believe that the images will continue to look superb. Hopefully the RSS issues have also been resolved. Please do let us know how things are going on your end. Thanks a stack Peter!

This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 320. Evaluative metering +2 stops off the grey water: 1/8 sec. at f/8 in Manual mode. Central sensor (Surround)/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Vertical Pan Blur Tips

When creating vertical pan blurs I usually like to pan up as I almost always like to include a narrow strip of color at the bottom of the frame. The trick is to time the release of the shutter just before the amount of space at the bottom looks good. Above, I released the shutter too soon; this resulted in too much space (water) at the bottom of the frame. In the image below, my timing was pretty much perfect.

Would you keep or delete the image above? Why?

Learn tons more about creating pleasing blurs in A Guide to Pleasing Blurs by Denise Ippolito and yours truly.

This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 500. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops off the grey water: 1/8 sec. at f/6.3 in Manual mode. Central sensor (Surround)/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the bird and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Keep One or Both?

Would you keep one or both of these images? Or would you delete both? Be sure to let us know why.

Which of the images is a stronger photograph? Please explain why. Note: I have a very strong preference for one over the other. Which of the two has the most potential? What is the single biggest problem with the 2nd image?

Answers Monday afternoon after my long drive home from Atlanta.

BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition

Learn more and enter the BIRDS AS ART 2nd International Bird Photography Competition here. Twenty-five great prizes including the $1000 Grand Prize and intense competition. Bring your best.

Old Car City Creative Photography In-the-Field HDR Workshop: Sunday, October 13, 2013/ 9am till 1pm.

White, Georgia: $250 plus a $15 entrance fee donation (cash only on the day of the event) that will go to charity. Limit: 16 photographers/Openings: 7.

If you would like to join us tomorrow morning, please e-mail me today. I will send details by e-mail late this afternoon.

On October 13, 2013, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART and Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure will be conducting an In-the-Field HDR Workshop at Old Car City in White, Georgia. Old Car City is about an hour north of Atlanta, GA and an hour south of Chattanooga, TN where they will, as noted above, be doing a full day seminar for the Photographic Society of Chattanooga on Saturday, October 12th. Click here for complete details.

Kind Offer by Dick Curtain

If you live in Chattanooga and were unable to attend today’s seminar because of financial concerns and would like to attend all or part of the program for free, please show up and ask for me. IPT veteran Dr. Dick Curtain was unexpectedly called into work today and cannot attend. He has kindly offered his spot to someone else. Thanks Dick! We will see you tomorrow at the In-the-Field Workshop.

Typos

On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Response to “Your Help Needed”

Thanks to the many who responded to my request for help in the last blog post here.

Here is the story: as we thought, performance and loading times for some had been poor for three weeks or so. The good news is that performance and loading times are now reported to be very good to excellent for all.

The relatively bad news is that the fix for improving performance and loading times–which involves a system of cacheing (a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster), has severely hampered us in other public areas, most notably with folks having problems leaving and viewing comments. In addition folks who subscribe to the blog using RSS feeds are also reporting a host of problems, those mainly dealing with formatting.

We are aware of the problems and are working hard to resolve them. We have upgraded our server at additional expense to us both one-time and with our monthly charges. At some point, I will stay away from the blog for a weekend and the great and wonderful Peter (Peter, Pumpkin-eater) Kes will attempt to figure out what is going on.

What You Can Do

If you attempt to leave a comment and someone else’s name pops up, simply type in your correct info and then post your comment.

If you encounter new problems in any area please post a comment.

A Big Wow for Delkin

As regular readers know, I have used and depended on Delkin Compact flash cards for well more than a decade. I have never had a Delkin 32 or 64gb card fail me. They are super fast and reliable. At present, I currently have a Delkin 700X 64gb e-film Pro compact flash card in each of my three camera bodies. Learn more about the Delkin products that we carry here. In the event that you would like a Delkin product that we do not carry, like their great SD cards, we would be glad to have them drop-shipped for you to US addresses. Please contact Jim via e-mail to follow up.

Delkin Image Makers

Delkin recently unveiled their Image Makers site here. At present it features the work of nine very, very good photographers. I spent about ten minutes the other day perusing the work of the featured folks and was more than impressed. Their work spans a wide genre; at times it is great to take a look at good photography from outside of your preferred field. For me that means studying great images of subjects other than birds and animals and flowers.

If you do click on the link to do some surfing as I advise, please leave a comment and let us know whose outside of nature work impressed you the most. You can even comment on a specific image or two. I was wowed and am sure that you will be too.

This image was created with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM lens and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +2 stops: 1/30 sec. at f/4.5 in Manual mode. Two sensors to the left of the central sensor (Surround)/AI Servo Rear Focus AF active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The Tuesday In-the-Field Workshop

The Tuesday morning In-the-Field Workshop went off smoothly despite the gloom and doom weather forecasts. I had been to Huntington Beach State Park maybe 20 years ago, maybe more than that. I wound up walking five miles in total up and back to the jetty with the old 800mm f/5.6L lens and film. It was April and I did get a few decent images of molting Western Sandpipers but that was one long walk.

Some time ago they moved the entrance and the new road brings you onto a causeway with nice habitat on both sides. As you can see by the exposure data for the image above, it was very, very dark. But it did not rain until just before we left at 11:00 am. And though it was very windy after the first half hour, there were lots of birds and lots of action with many hundred Great Egrets flying around and fishing along with about two dozen Wood Storks and a variety of other wading birds including a few Roseate Spoonbills.

Everyone had a great time and made at least a few good images. As I suspected on this gloomy day the biggest problem was with folks underexposing their RAW files by not adding enough light. If I said it once, I said it 1,000 times :), “Be sure to be two stops over the meter reading off the light grey water.”

I was doing blurs when the bird above caught a fish so I raised my ISO and my shutter speed one stop and relied on the 600II’s great 4-stop image stabilization and excellent sharpness techniques to create a very sharp image at only 1/30 sec. I had been burned too many times in the past by inaccurate weather forecasts that predict Armageddon-like conditions to cancel the workshop because of the “bad weather.” Nobody especially me likes to photograph in the pouring rain but by opting to head out in possibly marginal conditions you often wing up making lots of very good or even great images.

I will be sharing lots more images from what turned out to be a great morning here with you soon. I will share my faves with you at some point.

Japan in Winter: FEB 12-26/27, 2014: $12,999.

Included: all lodging (double occupancy–single supplement available) including Tokyo hotel(s), all breakfasts and dinners, ground transport and transfers, four eagle boat trips (ice conditions permitting), all entrance fees, and in-country flights. Not included: international flights and alcoholic beverages.

There are three award winning photographers as co-leaders: Paul Mckenzie, multiple BBC and Nature’s Best honoree, Denise Ippolito, Nature’s Best honoree, and Arthur Morris. This trip is a go. I had thought for almost a year that it was sold out. Are you the lucky one? A non-refundable $5,000 deposit is required to hold your spot. Vary Happy Campers only please. Please e-mail to check on availability or call my cell at 1-863-221-2372.

Itinerary (as always, subject to change to maximize your photographic opportunities based on the local conditions):

Arrive Tokyo Wed Feb 12, overnight Tokyo

Thurs Feb 13 Morning flight from Tokyo to Kushiro City in Hokkaido. Transfer to Hickory Wind (Guide’s lodge). Afternoon photography at Crane field beside guide’s lodge/house.

Friday 14, Sat 15, Sun 16, Mon 17 – Crane photography; accommodations at Hickory Wind

Tuesday 18 morning – Swan photography at Lake Kussharo; afternoon drive to Rousu, overnight Rausu

Wed 19 – 2x boat trip on pack ice; overnight Rausu

Thursday 20th – 2x boat trip on pack ice. Dept Rausu mid/late afternoon. Overnight Hickory Wind.

Friday 21st – All day swan photography at Lake Kussharo. Overnight Hickory Wind.

Saturday 22nd – All day swan photography at Lake Kussharo. Overnight Hickory Wind.

Sunday 23rd – Early morning crane photography on river. Breakfast Hickory Wind. Mid-morning flight to Tokyo. Transfer to Tokyo Central station. Train to Nagano (2 hours) followed by separate train to Yudanaka (45 mins). Hotel owner will collect us from the station. Overnight in Yudanaka.

Monday 24th – All day Snow Monkey photography. Transfer to the monkey park will be by taxi (10 mins). We will arrange for taxis to pick us up on the way back. Overnight Yudanaka.

Tuesday 25th – All day Snow Monkey photography. Overnight Yudanaka.

Wed 26th – Morning Snow Monkey photography. Mid-afternoon train to Nagano. Separate train to Tokyo Central station. Overnight Tokyo (if departing night time on 26th, no need to stay overnight in Tokyo).

Images courtesy of and copyright 2012: Bill Mueller. Card design by Denise Ippolito.

Old Car City Creative Photography In-the-Field HDR Workshop: Sunday, October 13, 2013/ 9am till 1pm.

White, Georgia: $250 plus a $15 entrance fee donation (cash only on the day of the event) that will go to charity. Limit: 16 photographers/Openings: 7.

On October 13, 2013, Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART and Denise Ippolito/A Creative Adventure will be conducting an In-the-Field HDR Workshop at Old Car City in White, Georgia. Old Car City is about an hour north of Atlanta, GA and an hour south of Chattanooga, TN where they will, as noted above, be doing a full day seminar for the Photographic Society of Chattanooga on Saturday, October 12th. Click here for complete details.

Typos

On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂

Bosque IPTs/Late Registration Discount

For information on both the 7-Day and the recently announced short version of the 2013 Bosque IPTs please click here and scroll down. Please e-mail me for late registration discount info.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

This image, the original from which yesterday’s featured image (see same here) was created, was made with the hand held Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender (with the internal TC in place at 490mm) and the Canon EOS-1D X. ISO 1600. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 1/500 sec. at f/9 in Av mode. One sensor to the left of the central sensor/AI Servo Rear Focus AF on the nose of the iguana active at the moment of exposure. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Why the Eyes Had It

Note that the original capture above was too dark, and note that the Marine Iguana blinked just as I depressed the shutter button. See the 4-second animated GIF below for the before and after images.

In yesterday’s blog post here, I asked:

Do you see anything Photoshop fishy about the image above?
Why +1 1/3 stops of plus compensation?
With the active AF sensor on the tip of the reptile’s nose, why are the eyes sharp?

Kudos to Tom Roper who commented as follows:

The only ‘fishy’ thing I notice is the dust spot near the green triangle on the upper right side.

q: why add +1 1/3 exposure compensation?
a: because the sand averages lighter than middle exposure so you need to add light to expose the iguana.

q: why are the eyes sharp if the AF sensor was on the tip of the nose?
a: as subject distance increases so does depth of field

Tom has eagle eyes. The small dust bunny that he noted was removed from the optimized TIF file. He was of course correct on the exposure but the original capture above shows that I did not add nearly enough light; + 2 would have been much better. He did a good job on the last question also but should have added that I had stopped down from wide open (f/5.6) to f/9.

The Image Optimization

I lightened the image one-half stop during conversion in DPP by moving the Brightness slider to the right to 0.50. See the DPP Raw Conversion Guide to learn why I convert in Canon Digital Photo Professional. Next I painted a Quick Mask of the green triangle over the iguana’s head, put it on its own layer, and moved it to the right side of the frame. Then I painted another Quick Mask, this one of the clean sand, put that on its own layer, and used it to cover the offending green triangle.

After doing some Eye Doctor work on it, I painted a Quick Mask of the creature’s open left eye, placed that on its own layer, and flopped it. Then I reduced the opacity of the layer to make it easier to position it on top of the closed right eye. Next I transformed and warped the layer to match the size and orientation of the closed eye before raising the opacity back to 100%. Adding a Layer Mask allowed me to paint away everything but the new eye. Clicking the eyeball on and off revealed a perfect job.

Learn advanced Quick Masking in APTATS I and learn Advanced Layer Masking techniques in APTATS II. Call Jim and tell him and point him here if you wish to purchase both and save $10.

Beach clean-up was done with the Patch Tool and the Spot Healing Brush. After selecting the iguana with the Quick Selection Tool I applied a layer of my favorite 50/50 NIK filter (50% Detail Extractor plus 50% Tonal Contast). Note the spectacular improvement afforded by the Detail Extractor portion of the filter. A nice crop from the bottom was the finishing touch.

Everything above and tons more is covered in detail in my Digital Basics File. Digital Basics is an instructional PDF that is sent via e-mail. It includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips including Digital Eye Doctor techniques, several different ways of expanding canvas, all of my time-saving Keyboard Shortcuts, Quick Masking, Layer Masking and NIK Color Efex Pro basics, creating and using time-saving Actions, and tons more.

Great 200-400 News from B&H

B&H now has a limited number of my favorite new lens, the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Lens with Internal 1.4x Extender in stock. Use the preceding link to earn free entries into the 2nd Annual BAA International Bird Photography Competition and thank me for sharing all I know about the 2-4. If you order online using our link and e-mail me your B&H receipt I will do my very best to have your order expedited.

Bosque IPTs/Late Registration Discount

For information on both the 7-Day and the recently announced short version of the 2013 Bosque IPTs please click here and scroll down. Please e-mail me for late registration discount info.

Coastal Carolina Camera Club Meeting: A Bird Photographer’s Story

I will be presenting ” A Bird Photographer’s Story” on Tuesday, October 8, 2103 from 7:00-9:00pm for the Coastal Carolina Camera Club. This event, which will be held in the Fellowship Hall, Shallotte Presbyterian Church, 5070 M H Rourk Drive, Shallotte, NC 28470, is being sponsored by Canon USA/Explorers of Light and will be free and open to the public. Click here for more information.

Huntington Beach State Park In-the-Field Workshop: Tuesday, October 8, 2013: $250

In conjunction with the program above, I will be conducting an In-the-Field Workshop at Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, SC from 7-11am.

Bird photography enthusiasts will be able to take advantage of Morris’ expertise in a hands-on, in-the-field workshop at one of the most popular locations for viewing birds, Huntington Beach State Park. Class size is limited to 12 so that everyone will receive lots of personal attention. In the workshop, you will learn: how to get the right exposure every time with digital, how to get closer to your subjects without scaring them, how to choose the best perspective, flight photography tips and techniques, gear handling and tripod tips and techniques, and how to see, understand, and use the light effectively.

Register now by calling Jim at the office on Monday at 863-692-0906 with your credit card in hand.

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

Everyone buys something from Amazon, be it a big lens or deodorant. Support the blog by starting your search by starting your search by clicking on the logo-link below. No purchase is too small to be appreciated; they all add up. Why make it a habit? Because I make it a habit of bringing you new images and information on an almost daily basis.

Typos

On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂