July 17th, 2022 What’s Up?
Our Saturday afternoon session was stellar. We enjoyed mostly cloudy skies, cool temperatures, and a zillion Royal Terns in flight. Well, almost a zillion. I tweaked my right shoulder in the morning, so I spent the afternoon handholding the 70-200 f/2.8 II lens with the 1.4X TC and an a1. I did gently backlit flight for two hours and then sat along the colony ropes with the Laughing Gulls after adding the 2X TC. David, who has kindly been doing the driving, borrowed my 400mm f/2.8 GM Lens for the afternoon and had a ball. John Dupps, his arms tired after too much flight photography in the morning, worked with his Nikon 500 PF and his new Z9 on a monopod with the monoball head. We stayed on the beach until 7:00pm. We will be at the park entrance on Sunday morning at 6:00am sharp.
I finished editing my images from Saturday afternoon before I hit the sack. I was amazed by the flight stuff. Working at only 280mm with a lightweight rig, every frame was sharp and I had tons of lovely wing positions and lots of birds with fish.
With nine deposit checks in hand, and with good friend Ed Dow grabbing a single cabin, there are only three openings left on the 2023 Galapagos Photo-cruise of a Lifetime. The trip is now a go. If you have any interest in joining us, it would be best to get in touch via e-mail ASAP.
Speaking of IPTs, I am still looking for someone to do all three Homer Bald Eagle trips and driving the round trip from Anchorage to Homer and back with me. Toward that end, I am offering a ridiculously high discount of $4500.00, $1500 off each trip. The offer may not last long because there are only two slots left on the second IPT. If you are interested, or would like additional details, please contact me via e-mail.
Today Is Sunday 17 July 2022. The forecast is for more east winds (great), more clouds (pretty good), a light rain beginning at about 8am (not so good). Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes one hundred nineteen 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!
The First DeSoto IPT
If you are interested in the first DeSoto IPT, 3 1/2 Days, Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022, know that I just reserved a three-bedroom AirBnB in Gulfport. Share it for four nights with many multiple IPT veteran Monte Brown and me and save a ton on lodging: $83.69/night/person for a whole home. AirBnB photos available upon request. If interested, shoot me an e-mail.
Instagram
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.
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 🙂
If You Enjoy the Blog …
Please, if you enjoy and learn from the blog, remember to use one of my two affiliate programs when purchasing new gear. Doing so just might make it possible for me to avoid having to try to get a job as a Walmart greeter and will not cost you a single penny more. And if you use Bedfords and remember to enter the BIRDSASART code at checkout, you will (still!) save 3% on every order and enjoy free second-day air shipping. In these crazy times — I lost about fifty thousand dollars in income due to COVID 19 — remembering to use my B&H link or to shop at Bedfords will help me out a ton and be greatly appreciated. Overseas folks who cannot order from the US because of import fees, duties, and taxes, are invited to help out by clicking here to leave a blog thank you gift if they see fit.
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… 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.
Never Seen This Fish Before!
When I edited my 2900+ images from Saturday morning, I ran across a few that showed a tern carrying a reddish pink fish with a yellow eye. I quickly sent a screen capture to Dr. Fish, blog regular David Policansky. Viewing his image on the phone, en route to the UK to visit his sister, he is pretty sure that it is a juvenile Mutton Snapper. Then I went back to edit my 2700 images from Friday afternoon and found an even better image with the same fish. Happy birthday! Every time I visit a tern colony on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, David is amazed by the great variety of small fishes and invertebrates that are captured on a regular basis. And so am I.
More On Monopods
With the non-stop flight photography at JAX, I have been working almost exclusively with the 400mm f/2.8/1.4X TC/a1 rig on the monopod. With each session, I learn something new. I am at a point now where I am doing much better at getting the bird in the frame than when when working on a tripod. And you will never find a head that pans more smoothly than a monopod. All this while working with a virtually weightless lens thanks to the Wimberley MonoGimbal Head. It is the brilliant design of the head that allows you to point the lens anywhere, anytime.
That said, remember that a monopod cannot stand on its own. Somebody has to hold it in place.
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Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the higher res version.
Image #1A: Tight unsharpened crop of the Royal Tern — with juvenile Mutton Snapper image
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The Sony Alpha 1
What can I say? Eye AF/C for this frame was so accurate that the tern’s eye is sharper than the eye of the fish. Not to mention that the image quality remains superb despite the relatively huge crop. Please note that Image #1A is unsharpened; it as simply a tight crop of the optimized tif file.
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Click on the image to better see the green eye-AF boxes in action.
Sony Alpha 1 Flight Photography AF Points!
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The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group: $150.00 (or Free)
The SONY Alpha a1 Set-up Guide and Info Group is going great guns as more and more folks chime in with thoughtful questions and experience-based answers. As the a1 is becoming more readily available, more and more folks are getting their hands on this amazing body. By June 1, 2022, the group was up to an astounding 124 lucky and blessed folks. (More than a few folks own two or more a1 bodies! Early on, we discussed the myriad AF options. I gave my opinion as to the best one for flight and general bird photography. The best news is that everyone in the group receives an e-mail that includes a .DAT file with my a1 settings on it, and explicit directions on how to load my settings onto your a1; talk about convenience! I am now offering a .DAT file compatible with firmware update 1.20. Your entry into the group includes a consolidated Sony a1 CAMSETA2 INFO & GUIDE. New a1 folks will now receive six e-mails instead of the previous 28! You will receive new e-mails as they are published. Simply put, this e-mail guide is an incredible resource for anyone with an a1.
All who purchased their Alpha 1 bodies via a BAA affiliate link — B&H or Bedfords — will receive a free Sony Alpha a1 Set-Up Guide and free entry into the Info Updates group after shooting me their receipts via e-mail. (Note: it may take me several days to confirm B&H orders.). Others can purchase their guide here in the BAA Online Store.
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
July 16th, 2022 Your Call
Which of today’s two featured images do you prefer? All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice.
What’s Up?
The Google-maps supposed drive of “three hours 44 minutes” took five hours 44 minutes with a few pit stops, several construction delays, one grocery shopping stop, and two big accidents. We headed out to the beach a bit to early at about 4:30pm and encountered a bright early afternoon sun with the wind blowing directly at it from the southeast. It was time to employ the wind against strategies covered in recent blog posts. So we did. A big dark cloud late in the day provided our best opportunities.
Today is Saturday 16 July. The forecast looks perfect for both morning and afternoon with big thunderstorms scheduled for midday. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about an hour to prepare and makes one hundred eighteen days in a row with a new one.
Saturday morning was excellent. The wind, however, was not as advertised. It blew gently from the north by a bit west. Fortunately it clouded over by 7:30am. I created another 2800 images, mostly flight. I taught David and John the basics of positing yourself near a group of terns with the wind behind you so that the incoming adults with fish are flying right at you as they come in to look for their large chicks. I call this “sitting on a flock of terns.” It works on any beach anywhere. The one problem that we had to deal with was having too many birds in flight in the frame at the same time!
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!
JAX In-the-Field Sessions
I have room for one photographer for four sessions at Huguenot Memorial Park along with an inexpensive shared room at our lovely AirBnB. Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning. If interested, please e-mail ASAP.
Instagram
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.
Wind Against Sun and Circling Flight
With the wind blowing almost directly against the sun, we eventually found some circling birds less than one hundred years from my SUV. Many, like the bird in Image #1, were carrying for items for their young. Though I had not begun picking my keepers from the first afternoon, I did grab two images for today’s blog post. Now I have almost 6000 photos to go through. I am hoping to get a few more good ones (and am pretty sure that I will).
A Really Good Situation
We were doing well with the circling birds. At about 7:00pm, a light cloud edged in front of the sun. I turned around to check out the sky and was glad to see the sun right on the edge of a large dark cloud to the west. Best of all, lots of terns were landing right at us with their tails gently backlit. I suggested setting a “compromise” exposure, one that would not toast the brightly backlit birds near the sun, and would be only slightly exposed for the bird’s against darker cloud backgrounds (like Image #2).
Image Design Question
Would you have moved the sea oats stalk in the middle of the frame to the left side of the frame? Why or why not?
Typos
With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.
July 15th, 2022 Your Call
Which of today’s two featured images do you prefer? All are invited to leave a comment and let us know why they made their choice. This one is a close call.
The First DeSoto IPT
If you are interested in the first DeSoto IPT, 3 1/2 Days, Tuesday 27 September through the morning session on Friday 30 September 2022, know that I just reserved a three-bedroom AirBnB in Gulfport. Share it for four nights with many multiple IPT veteran Monte Brown and me and save a ton on lodging: $83.69/night/person for a whole home. AirBnB photos available upon request. If interested, shoot me an e-mail.
What’s Up?
Me, early, packing for the drive up to Jacksonville. I am planning on leaving at about 10:00am and doing some grocery shopping along the way. John Dupps, David Pugsley, and I will be hitting the beach for our first session this afternoon.
With nine deposit checks in hand, and with good friend Ed Dow grabbing a single cabin, there are only three openings left on the 2013 Galapagos Photo-cruise of a Lifetime. The trip is now a go. If you have any interest in joining us, it would be best to get in touch via e-mail ASAP.
Speaking of IPTs, I am still looking for someone to do all three Homer Bald Eagle trips and driving the round trip from Anchorage to Homer and back with me. Toward that end, I am offering a ridiculously high discount of $4500.00, $1500 off each trip. The offer may not last long because there are only two slots left on the second IPT. If you are interested, or would like additional details, please contact me via e-mail.
Today is Friday 15 July 2022. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about ninety minutes to prepare and makes one hundred seventeen 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!
Instagram
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. The 304L was my favorite tripod for more than a decade. They are now $699.00 each (originally $799.00), and the price includes insured ground shipping to the lower 48 states. Weekday phone orders only: 863-692-0906.
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This image was created on 19 September 2021 on a Fort DeSoto IPT. Sitting on wet, muddy, sand, I used the knee-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 419mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 2500. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/6.3 (wide open) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:11:32am on a cloudy morning.
Tracking: Spot AF-C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version.
Image #1: Red Knot in fresh Juvenal plumage feeding
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Getting Better with the BLUEs
On cloudy days, the water in properly exposed images ranges from gray to white. I have only recently learned how to transform into pleasing BLUEs. In the same vein, I am often unhappy with my blue-sky tones on sunny days. I have been working hard for a year on creating pleasing BLUE tones in Photoshop. The process begins during the raw conversion and sometimes continues in Photoshop. The main color work is done in the Color Mixer tab during the raw conversion. I am very pleased with the tones in the blue water in both of today’s images and was thrilled with the two blue sky eagle images in yesterday’s blog post. A year ago, I could not have gotten these blue tones so pleasing. It is wonderful not having to settle for washed out BLUEs that are too CYAN or not enough Magenta.
If you would be interested in purchasing a Getting the BLUE Tones Right video, please leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.
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This image was also created on 19 September 2021 on a Fort DeSoto IPT. Again, sitting on wet, muddy, sand, I used the knee-pod technique with the handheld Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens (at 600mm) and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless digital camera. ISO 1600. Exposure determined via Zebras with ISO on the rear dial: 1/1000 sec. at f/7.1 (stopped down 1/3 stop) in Manual mode. AWB at 8:22:03am on a cloudy morning.
Tracking: Spot AF/C Bird/Eye Detection AF was active at the moment exposure and performed perfectly. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy the hi-res version.
Image #2: Sanderling — moderately worn juvenile with marine worm
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Juvenile Shorebirds
Migrant sub-Arctic-breeding juvenile shorebirds will be arriving across the US in about a month. The first adults left their tundra breeding grounds in late June and began arriving just days after that. The adults are wearing the same feathers that they wore when heading north in spring. Their feathers are worn, and the colors and patterns have faded. Many have already begun molting into their drab basic (winter) plumage. On the other hand, the young birds are stunningly patterned. Most species feature neat, even patterns, each feather edged with a buff or whitish border. Enlarge the Red Knot photo, Image #1, and you can see that each upperparts feather has a fine, black, sub-terminal band outline each a feather. In many cases, it is easier to determine the age of a shorebird in August or September than it is to identify it as to species.
If you found the above interesting, you will surely want to grab one of the few remaining copies of my soft-cover book, Shorebirds: Beautiful Beachcombers.
Intermediate Telephoto Lenses and Shorebirds
Join me on a Fort DeSoto IPT and learn the tricks to getting close enough to shorebirds to photograph them with handheld intermediate telephoto lenses. Details below the kudos.
Unsolicited via e-mail from Pete Myers
I just spent 4 days in the field in a graduate course in bird photography taught by Artie Morris at Fort DeSoto. After almost 50 years of experience pointing cameras at birds from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, New Zealand and beyond, I thought I was good enough. But what I learned from Artie in just four days has taken me to a whole new level. As he aptly puts it, “birds as art,” not simply bird photography. One of those 4 days was the most satisfying I’d ever experienced, anywhere. The IPT left me euphoric about what I’d learned, and frighteningly committed to recreating my portfolio with the techniques and insights he taught me.
Via e-mail from Jim Miller
I can’t stop thinking about how much fun the DeSoto Fall IPT was, and how much I learned. There were so many things that suddenly made perfect sense after I had been confused for so long. Thank you very much for the wonderful trip, and for being a great teacher. As I worked through the raw files last week, I realized what a fantastic lens the 600 GM is. Thanks for the rental! Maybe someday I will be able to afford one. Some images for critique are attached.
By the way, the plant we were looking at along the sidewalk in Gulfport is Blue Porterweed. It is worth a few minutes on the internet to read about it: native of Florida and the Caribbean, used for medicine in The Bahamas, etc. We have it in a large pot in the front yard and it takes a lot of water, but it blooms Spring through Fall. Thank you again, Artie. It was really wonderful to be with you and learn from you.
Via e-mail from Lee Sommie
I want to thank you for making the Fall 2017 Ft. DeSoto IPT such a fun and educational experience for me. I truly did not want the adventure to end. I now look through the viewfinder with an artist’s mindset. And the real bonus was making new friends with fellow students. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife photography. I had a great time with you and look forward to more adventures on future IPTs.
Followed by this one
BTW. I downloaded Photo Mechanic and started using it in my workflow. Since I like using Lightroom for my adjustments, I found a way to incorporate Photo Mechanic and Lightroom together. Lightroom was driving me crazy with how slow it is to import and preview photos. I was impressed with how fast you could preview photos and start editing your photos on the DeSoto Fall IPT. Life is too short to wait for applications to import and preview photos and Photo Mechanic solves that problem.
Via e-mail from Muhammad Arif
I had a great time at Fort DeSoto. Thank you for all the instruction, for your help and pointers; my photography has already improved tremendously, and I’ve never made such good bird photos before. I wish I could’ve joined you on Monday and Tuesday morning as well, but work got in the way. It was also nice meeting the folks on the IPT. Thanks again for everything and I hope to join you at a future IPT sometime again.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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