Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Do you Like the Feather?

Why or why not?

What’s Up?

Life goes on. I am feeling and doing well. And I got lots of work done on Tuesday.

Today is Wednesday 20 April 2022 and I will continue to take it easy. 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 forty 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. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

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.

This image was created on 15 July 2021 at Jacksonville, FL. Working off the rear monitor with the tripod flattened I used the no-longer-available Induro GIT 304L/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens with the Sony FE 1.4x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera.. ISO 640. The exposure was determined using Zebra technology with ISO on the rear wheel: 1/1600 sec. at f/9 (stopped down 1 1/3 stops) in Manual mode. RawDigger showed that the exposure was perfect. AWB at 9:21:11am on a sunny morning. Tracking: Zone AF-C with Bird-Eye/Face Detection performed very well. Click on the image to enjoy the high-res version. Image #1: Royal Tern — 3-week-old chick

Getting Low and Looking for an Edge …

One of tricks of learning to spot good and great situations is to constantly be on the lookout for birds sitting in spots with relatively distant backgrounds. Those can include birds sitting along the edge of a tidal pool or creek, birds resting or preening or feeding on small rises, hills, or ridges. That done, getting low makes things even better. The farther you can place the background from the bird, the more pleasingly out-of-focus the background will be.

Today’s featured chick was standing on the edge of a long, skinny tidal pool.

Placing the lens right on the ground can often yield the bird-in-heaven look, but many folks prefer a good look at both feet. There are several options for getting really low:

• 1- Flattening the tripod completely will get you about six inches above the ground. Lying flat will allow you to best frame the image, to acquire AF, and to follow the action more easily. But it will usually get you filthy and wet (if you are the beach) and can be tough on your back. Working off the rear screen is way more comfortable but generally is not as effective. If the latter, be sure to wear your reading glasses so that you can see the titled monitor.
• 2- When I am planning on using the Panning Ground Pod, I will leave the tripod at home thus saving a ton of weight and making my life easier. You can get down to about 1 1/2 inches above the ground. And again, you have a choice of getting flat down on the mud or sand or sitting and working with the rear screen. I use both the 600 f/4 and the 200-600 on the Panning Ground Pod.
• 3- Using the Ankle- or Lower Leg-pod technique allows you to control the perspective. Resting the lens on your ankle and working off the rear screen gets you three or four inches off the ground without having to carry any extra gear. Doing the same with the lens resting on your lower left allows for a bit more height. Working off the rear monitor requires practice and some degree of dexterity. And keeping the camera level requires even more practice.
• 4- Placing the bottom of the camera body or the lens barrel (depending on the slope of the terrain) right on the ground (when seated) will obviously get you as low as is practically possible. Sometimes I place the back of my left hand on the ground and use my right hand on the camera body to frame the shot. And at times I will place the front of the lens right on the ground and control the framing with my right hand on the camera and my left hand below it.

None of these techniques are as easy as the proverbial pie, but all pay large artistic dividends.

Click on the composite image to enjoy the incredible quality of the hi-res JPEG. Clockwise from upper left clockwise and back around to the center: Royal Tern in flight with squid for chick; Royal Tern chick on beach; Royal Tern in flight with shrimp for young; Royal Tern chick — double overhead wing stretch; Royal Tern landing with greenback for chick; Royal Tern in flight with juvenile mahi mahi for chick; Brown Pelican — large chick preening; Laughing Gull in fresh juvenal plumage; Royal Tern chick begging; Many Royal Terns with many chicks on face of dune.

I first visited the breeding bird colony at Jacksonville in late June 2021. I was astounded. There were many thousands of pairs of Royal Terns nesting along with about 10,000 pairs of Laughing Gulls. In addition to the royals, there were some Sandwich Terns nesting. And there are several dozen pairs of Brown Pelicans nesting on the ground. Flight photography was non-stop astounding. And photographing the tern chicks was relatively easy. Folks could do the whole trip with the Sony 200-600, the Canon 100-500 RF, or the Nikon 500 PF or 200-500 VR. With a TC in your pocket for use on sunny days. Most of the action is within 100 yards of where we park (on the beach). As with all bird photography, there are times when a super-telephoto lens with either TC is the best tool for the job.

Morning sessions will average about three hours, afternoon sessions about 1 1/2 hours. On cloudy mornings with favorable winds, we may opt to stay out for one long session and skip the afternoon, especially when the afternoon forecast is poor. Lunch is included on the first three days of the IPT and will be served at my AirBnB. After the first lunch there will be an introductory program. On days two and three we will do image review and Photoshop after lunch.

We will be based somewhere west and a bit north of Jacksonville where there are many AirBnB possibilities. The deposit is $599.00. Call Jim at the office any weekday at 863-692-0906 to pay by credit card. Balances must be paid by check.

What You Will Learn on a Jacksonville IPT

• 1- First and foremast you will learn to become a better flight photographer. Much better.
• 2-You will learn the basics and fine points of digital exposure. Nikon and Canon folks will learn to get the right exposure every time after making a single test exposure, and SONY folks will learn to use Zebras so that they can be sure of making excellent exposures before pressing the shutter button.
• 3- You will learn to work in Manual exposure mode even if you fear it.
• 4- You will learn to evaluate wind and sky conditions and understand how they affect bird photography, especially the photography of birds in flight.
• 5- You will learn several pro secrets (for each system) that will help you to become a better flight photographer.
• 6- You will learn to zoom out in advance (because the birds are so close!) 🙂
• 7- You will learn how to approach free and wild birds without disturbing them.
• 8- You will learn to spot the good and the great situations.
• 9- You will learn to understand and predict bird behavior.
• 10- You will learn to design pleasing images by mastering your camera’s AF system.
• 11- You will learn to choose the best perspective.
• 12- You will learn to see and control your backgrounds.
• 13- You will learn to see and understand the light.
• 14- You will learn to see and create pleasing blurs in pre-dawn situations.
• 15- You will learn to be ready for the most likely event.

And the best news is that you will be able to take everything you learn home with you so that you will be a better photographer wherever you are and whenever you photograph.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.

Which is the Stronger Image?

Why?

What’s Up?

I continued to feel better and stronger on Sunday and am still taking things very easy and sticking to the protocol (even though I am feeling so much better). Dr. Oliver let me know that sticking with the protocol after most of your symptoms have disappeared cuts down the effects of COVID long-haul syndrome. So that, of course, is what I will be doing.

Today is Monday 18 April 2022 with more of the same in the forecast for me: rest and relax. I am feeling quite good. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope that you too have a great day. This blog post took about 40 minutes to prepare and makes thirty-eight 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. Please, also, consider joining a BAA IPT. You will be amazed at how much you will learn!

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.

This image was created on 13 April 2022 at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Again, I used the no-longer available Induro GIT304L Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). the exposure was determined via Zebras technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 1600. 1/160 sec. at f/8 (wide open) in Manual mode. The raw file brightness was dead solid perfect when evaluated in RawDigger. AWB at 8:47:27am in the shade on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed to perfection. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #1: Snowy Egret in breeding plumage with stick for nest

A Word on Relatively Slow 1200mm Shutter Speeds

Yesterday’s two images and Image #1 above were made at relatively slow shutter speeds when you consider the 1200mm focal length. Yes, the OSS (optical stabilization system) helps (as does IS with Canon). (Note: the Nikon 2X TC had been a dog for many, many years. Until and unless things improve with the z9 is does not deserve to be in this conversation). Anyhoo, at 1/125 and 1/160 second, two problems arise even when the tripod head is tightened to the max:

1- No matter how rigid the tripod/tripod head combo, there will be some play involved when using long glass. And that is especially true for those using a Wimberley Head.

2-Even if the lens were set in stone, there is always subject movement to contend with.

Do not forget the problems caused by gear shake are multiplied by the square of the focal length! When working at 1200mm with such relatively slow shutter speeds, not all the images will be razor sharp on the eye. High frame-rates like the a1’s 30fps compressed raw will almost always get you several sharp ones in these situations. With practice, you should be able to get a few sharp ones at shutter speeds as low at 1/60 second. Note: most Canon mirrorless folks are doing much better with the 2X TC on their big f/4 lenses than they did when using their dSLR bodies.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm (SAAF) Photo Pass INFO (and my comments)

You can find all the details on the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Photo Pass here. If you plan on going this season, please read everything carefully. Here are the highlights along with my comments.

There are two types of SAAF photo passes, an Annual Photo Pass for $119.95 and a 2-Day Photo Pass for $74.95. The latter is good only on two consecutive days. The former is an amazing value. It gets you in early every single day from February 26 – June 26, 2022. The extended hours benefits include early entry at 8 am and weather-dependent late-stay until sunset. The length of the season is exceedingly generous and the daily entry with late stay is astounding. Compare those with Gatorland in Kissimmee where there are only ten days to the season with no late stay and you can see where I am coming from.

The only advantage to the Gatorland Pass is that you can enter at 7:00am rather than 8:00am. Standing on the line by the red door for 45 minutes at St. Augustine knowing that the sun rose before 7:00am and that the golden light is shining on the birds to the left of the long boardwalk is pure agony, at least for me. If they opened the doors at seven, they would have things perfected. I’d gladly pay a substantially increased price that included 7:00am entry. Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?

As for conditions at both places this year, there are probably ten times as many nests at SAAF this year than at GL. As you have seen on the blog, there have been some very accessible Great Egret nests with small chicks at GL. As far as potential for the rest of the season, I believe that SAAF has a huge edge. Do understand that creating good photographs is a very difficult thing to do at both places. I wouldn’t mind spending a week at St. Augustine in early May. If only I did not live so far away …

I forgot to mention that you do not need to get an Alligator Farm pass in advance. Show up, get on the line, hand over your driver’s license and a credit card to the staff member at the gate, and pick up your pass in the gift shop on your way out. Be sure to specify Annual or Two Day. And have fun.

If you live near either place, getting an Annual Pass is surely the way to go. If you will be coming from out of state, the Alligator Farm Annual Pass would make St. Augustine the obvious choice with daily extended entry, late stay, and lots of birds.

This image was created on 13 April 2022 at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Again, I used the no-longer available Induro GIT304L Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod/Levered-Clamp FlexShooter Pro-mounted-Sony FE 600mm f/4 GM OSS lens, the Sony FE 2.0x Teleconverter, and The One, the Sony Alpha 1 Mirrorless Digital Camera). the exposure was determined via Zebras technology with ISO on the Thumb Dial. ISO 500. 1/200 sec. at f/16 (stopped down two full stops) in Manual mode. The exposure was dead solid perfect when evaluated in RawDigger. AWB at 9:09:42am on a mostly sunny morning. Tracking: Spot S AF-C with Bird Face/Eye detection enabled performed just fine. Be sure to click on the image to enjoy a high-res version. Image #2: Roseate Spoonbill covert feathers pano

Spoonbills at St. Augustine

It seems that more and more pairs of Roseate Spoonbills are nesting at the Alligator Farm each year. There were several nesting pairs when I last visited about 14 years ago. There are probably 20-30 of more pairs setting up to nest this year. Over the last decade there have been some astoundingly wide-open spoonbill nests with young. Most of the nests, however, are high up and very cluttered.

This carmen wing coverts pano is the only image that I made in the sun on my recent visit. As I had lots of light, I went to f/16 to cover the curved surface of the folded wing. There are lots of opportunities at SAAF to create images like this one. As soon as you go wider you introduce sticks and clutter and dark shadows … Remember that rookeries are cluttered places and that long effective focal lengths can often be used to isolate the subject and reduce the clutter.

Homer 2022 Bald Eagle Highlights and Handholding Compositional Tips by Arthur Morris/BIRDS AS ART

Enjoy and be inspired by just a few Homer Bald Eagle highlight images. Hand holding intermediate telephoto lens will always yield slightly different compositions. Learn more about that topic in this short (3:14) video.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

2023 Homer/Kachemak Bay Bald Eagle IPTs

IPT #1: MON 20 FEB 2023 through the full day on FRI 24 FEB 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers

IPT #2: SAT 25 FEB 2023 through the full day on THURS 2 MAR 2023. Six full days/24 hours on the boat: $6600.00. Limit 5 photographers/Openings: 4.

IPT #3: FRI 3 MAR 2023 through the full day on TUES 7 MAR 2023. Five full days/20 hours on the boat: $5500.00. Limit 5 photographers. Openings: 4.

Save $1,000.00 by doing back-to-back trips. Save $1500.00 by doing all three.

These trips feature non-stop flight photography as well as many opportunities to create both environmental and point-blank portraits of one of North America’s most sought-after avian subjects: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Other reliable subjects will include Sea Otter, Glaucous-winged and Short-billed (formerly Mew) Gulls.

In addition, we should see Common Murre, Black Guillemot, Pelagic Cormorant, two or three species of loons, and a smattering of ducks including two species of merganser, all three scoters, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Harlequin, and Long-tailed Ducks. Close-range photographic chances for these species will require a ton of good luck. Some of these species, especially when in flocks, can, however, often be used effectively when pleasing creating bird-scapes.

If we need to be out early, we will be the first boat out. If conditions are great, we will stay out. And when there is a chance for sunset silhouettes, we will be in the right spot.

We will be traveling through gorgeous wilderness country; landscape and scenic opportunities abound.

Also featured is a professional leader, often referred to as the world’s most knowledgeable bird photography trip leader, who is conversant in Canon, Nikon, and Sony. You will learn practical and creative solutions to everyday photographic problems. You will learn to see the shot, to create dynamic images by fine-tuning your compositions, to best utilize your camera’s AF system, and how to analyze the wind, the sky conditions, and the direction and quality of the light. This is one of the very few trips Homer trips available where you will not be simply put on the birds and told to have fun. You will learn to be a better photographer. But only if that is what you want.

You will learn to get the right exposure when it is sunny, when it cloudy-bright, when it is cloudy, when it is cloudy-dark, or when it is foggy. Not to mention getting the right exposure when creating silhouettes.

You will learn to make pleasing blurs working in manual mode and to create silhouettes working in Shutter Priority mode.

Most importantly you will learn to pick your best flight images from tens of thousands of images.

You will enjoy working with the two best and most creative boat captains on their sturdy, photography-spacious, seaworthy, open-deck crafts.

The second and third IPTs are the only Bald Eagle workshops that feature an incredibly helpful first mate.

Only five photographers (not the usual six), plus the leader.

Small group Photoshop, Image Review, and Image Critiquing sessions.

All images from Homer or Kachemak Bay, AK

What’s Included

One four hour or two two-hour boat trips every day (weather permitting), all boat fees and boat-related expenses (excluding tips), ground transportation to and from the dock and back to the hotel each day, in-the-field instruction and guidance, pre-trip gear advice, small group post-processing and image review sessions, and a thank you dinner for all well-behaved participants.

What’s Not Included

Your airfare to and from Homer, AK (via Anchorage), the cost of your room at Land’s End Resort, all personal items, all meals and beverages, and tips for the boat captain and/or the first mate.

Please Note

On great days, the group may wish to photograph for more than four hours. If the total time on the boat exceeds 20 hours for the five-day trips, or 24 hours for the second trip, the group will share the additional expense at a rate of $225/hour.

Some folks may wish to rent their own vehicle to take advantage of local photographic opportunities around Homer.

Deposit Information

A $3000 non-refundable deposit/trip is required. You may pay your deposit with credit card or by personal check (made out to BIRDS AS ART) and sent via US mail only to Arthur Morris. PO Box 7245. Indian Lake Estates, FL 33855. Your balance, due 90 days before the date of departure, is payable only by check as above.

In Closing

I have been going to Homer off and on for close to two decades. Every trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Many folks go in mid-March. The earlier you go, the better the chances for snow. The only way to assure that you are on the best of the three trips is to sign up for all of them. Can you keep up with me? If you have any questions, or are good to go for one, two, or all three trips, please let me know via e-mail or give me a call on my cell phone at 863-221-2372.

Typos

With all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or to leave a comment regarding any typos or errors.